Ronan Revitalization proposes downtown improvement projects
Taylor Davison
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RONAN — With a visit from the Montana Main Street (MMS) program on July 11, the Ronan Revitalization Committee outlined their next steps for upcoming projects to breathe life back into downtown.
Ronan received an offer of membership from MMS back in March, along with the offer of an additional $50,000 grant from the organization that waived the funding match requirement from the town to let more major plans be built out for a downtown master plan. With that, representatives of MMS paid a visit to Ronan to walk through with the committee and discuss potential projects and outline a plan of action.
The first project the committee proposed to the program was a Pocket Park in the dirt corner lot on Third and Main. The small space would potentially include a privacy fence and living wall, the capacity for food trucks and pop-up shops, and tiered seating. The possibility of adding a small, covered stage, mural, and drinking fountain with a pet spout were also discussed.
The implementation of a pocket park would begin with the levelling of the area through August, developing a detailed plan with a drawing and a budget, then gaining letters of support and city approval in August through October and applying for a grant with MMS and finally preparing and cleaning the lot in October through November. The complete project buildout would start in March of 2023, with an estimated completion date in May.
The other main proposal was a Mission Mountain Pedal Port. A rest area and overnight stop for bike tourists. A pedal port would promote bike tourism, offer local access to bike repair, increase bike safety and infrastructure and even highlight area businesses and events. The facility would be owned by the Lake County Fairgrounds and include amenities such as tent pads, a bike repair station, a covered outdoor space, a bathroom with showers, electrical outlets and an internet connection. The project is estimated to take two to three years to complete but as the project progresses opportunities to utilize the space in the interim will be created.
Both proposals were met with approval from MMS, which found the ideas complementary to one another in encouraging recreation and visitation downtown.
For the town’s master plan, the committee looked to similar communities that revitalized their downtowns in recent years and drew inspiration from their successes. Streetscaping was a primary point, something that did well in Dillon’s 2016 revitalization, which identified beautification of their main street as a goal. This idea branched into the possibility of a façade improvement plan with one-to-one matching for businesses, something that was successful in Kalispell, Anaconda, and Helena. Another idea discussed and successful in other small towns was “Wayfinding;” using attractive signs to increase visits to local attractions.
MMS shared that $50,000 should be enough to try and implement these measures in a solid plan and encouraged the implementation of projects simultaneously if the committee feels they have the capacity to do so.
The next Ronan Revitalization Committee meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. at Mission West.
