Main Street Beaufort leaders confident organization will survive financial uncertainty

Main Street Beaufort leaders are confident the organization will survive imminent financial uncertainty, while celebrating milestones.

The nonprofit organization representing downtown businesses marks its 30th anniversary Wednesday and holds its annual meeting and awards Friday. State and national Main Street leaders will attend.

At the same time, Main Street faces the possibility of a future with little or no investment from the city. The next fiscal year's budget passed Tuesday does not include a contribution for Main Street, which is believed to have received money from the city each year since 1985.

The organization's two-person staff will become one when events and membership manager, Beth Caron, leaves to take another job at the end of the month. That position will be frozen.

Among other things, Main Street runs several festivals each year, including A Taste of Beaufort, Beaufort Shrimp Festival and trick-or-treating downtown. "It's a roller coaster for us right now because we are celebrating and doing a little reshuffling at the same time," said LaNelle Fabian, Main Street Beaufort's executive director and soon to be its only employee. "I know some people are assuming what they think might happen. We feel strongly that the community will come through for us."

A five-year contract with the city and Redevelopment Commission guaranteeing money from parking revenue expired last year and was not renegotiated. Under the contract, Main Street Beaufort received $40,000 and 15 percent of parking revenue marked for the Redevelopment Commission. That worked out to a little more than $50,000 a year in the organization's $350,000 budget.

In lieu of a new contract last year, the city approximated its contribution with a budget amendment. There was no money for Main Street in the next fiscal year's budget the city passed Tuesday. Mayor Billy Keyserling told the organization's supporters this month that Main Street had not done enough to grow and retain business downtown.

He said he thought, based on budget work sessions, that Main Street would have enough to continue operating its festivals. Fabian produced numbers for the public budget hearing this month supporting Main Street's efforts, saying there were 35 net new businesses in 2014 and $1.5 million in private investment.

The $40,000 affects the operations portion of the budget, Fabian said, like keeping the lights on. Of the overall budget, $65,000 is designated for promotions and advertising. Fabian said she expects money to return to Main Street at some point after a trial period of free parking ends next week. Keyserling said parking revenue should be invested in downtown but stopped short of declaring Main Street Beaufort the best investment.

Fabian said her organization was created to work for downtown and it makes the most sense for it to be at the front of the line for future money. Once we know that pot is generating money again, we will be back for it," she said.

Main Street board chairman Charlie Williams, who moved to Beaufort in 1986 and joined Main Street soon after, was among about a dozen who spoke in support of continued funding at a public hearing this month. He also heard the mayor and City Council's concerns that cuts had to be made to balance the budget and that Main Street also should examine its practices.

We need to look at what we're doing," said Williams, who owns The Craftseller on Bay Street. "Nobody's perfect. When you get criticism, sometimes it hurts. And maybe when it's true it hurts more."

Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Main Street Beaufort leaders confident organization will survive financial uncertainty."