Group hopes to revitalize downtown Havre

The time may be right for Havre — especially downtown Havre — to begin a program to improve and promote itself.

That was the consensus of people attending a special meeting put on by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and the city Thursday. It was held at the Havre Historic Post Office,

Debbie Vandeberg, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said it was “exciting to see” the reaction of participants.

The group of merchants, business leaders and concerned citizens agreed to continue meeting monthly to brainstorm and come up with specific ideas.

Participants agreed that part of the focus should be on increasing tourism business and historic preservation.

“Things are coming together,” said Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp.

He said programs such as the city’s effort to repair streets and curbs fits into the entire scheme of things.

He laid out some options the city might look into such as a business improvement district or a tax increment financing district that could be used to finance some projects.

The Tourism Business Improvement District has been highly successful in providing funds so the Havre area can gets its message out about tourist and historical attractions on the Hi-Line.

Tash Wisemiller, program coordinator of the Montana Main Street Program, spoke of his program and how downtowns around Montana have revitalized themselves.

In Great Falls, he said, decaying buildings have been brought back to life and a new spirit has been created by “Downtown chicks,” a group of downtown business woman — and some men — who work on everything from promotion to cleaning up old buildings.

In Terry, a town with a population of about 400, a cultural district with a gallery and museum have been started by a group of about a dozen people who get together once a month and work on the downtown’s future while drinking wine.

He said he was shocked a few years ago when he heard some people refer to White Sulpher Springs as “White Suffering Spring,” but major efforts have been made by city residents to revitalize the downtown area.

It doesn’t take a lot of people to get the ball rolling, he said.

Wisemiller said his organization has 25 members — municipalities around the state — and 40 other cities — cities such as Havre, Conrad and Malta — that his staff advises on technical issues,

Vandeberg said she was sure Havre could restore downtown buildings, and pointed to the former post office, where the meeting was being held, as an example.

“Remember not long ago, this building had water leaking all over the sagging floors,” she said, pointing to the renovation job undertaken by the new owners, Drs. Marc Whitacre and Erica Farmer.

Whitacre said that if the city wants to encourage historic preservation, it ought to bring bankers on board.

Banks are usually unwilling to loan money for any building that has asbestos or lead-based paint. Banks will have to lend money based on faith, he said.

Mayor Tim Solomon said he attended the meeting to see if there was interest in moving forward with a development plan. He said he was encouraged to see the support, and offered the city’s backing to anything the group comes up with.