Mon Main Street Program supports community through pandemic
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Little City Cafe is a popular destination for Monongahela diners.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
The Main Street Fine Art Gallery offers community members an opportunity to enjoy local artwork.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Local businesses have thrived despite operating during a pandemic and signs show they are open for business.
Dana Dolfi created The Great American Horn Machine.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
The Monongahela Main Street Program created these posters to celebrate the area’s graduating seniors.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Halloween decorations spring up across Monongahela during the spookiest time of the year.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Monongahela Main Street Program maintained annual events during the pandemic, such as its Avenue of the Hanging Jack-o-Lanterns.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
The Railroad Street Fair is a popular event.
Courtesy of Terry Necciai
Monongahela Main Street Program created signs to help patrons know that area businesses have stayed open during the pandemic.
By Francesca Sacco
The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in an important lesson for those trying to ensure Monongahela’s growth and success.
While many rural and urban communities struggle, this little city is thriving.
“We’ve had 29 new businesses open in 29 months. We’re almost out of vacancies that are rentable,” said Terry Necciai, executive director of the Monongahela Main Street Program. “We’ve worked many years to make this a healthy town. We’ve managed to stay relevant.”
Prior to the pandemic, Necciai said the community offered a vibrant event schedule with more than 900 community events a year.
“There were a lot of different options,” he said. “We worried what would happen as we turned this corner. We didn’t know what would happen.”
Instead of sitting idly by, Monongahela Main Street Program’s volunteer board and members sprang into action. The program’s participants maintained annual events – like the Avenue of the Hanging Jack-o-Lanterns and the street fair – that could be held safely, and found new ways to engage the community with local businesses.
The mission of the Monongahela Main Street Program is revitalization of the city through promotion, design and economic restructuring.
“Terry did a phenomenal job of finding opportunities,” said Dorothea Pemberton, Monongahela Main Street Program board member and former president. “We were able to provide information to businesses looking to open, and encouraged people to shop local and order take out.”
In the fall, the organization used grant money from the EQT Foundation to purchase eight bistro sets and distributed them to restaurants along Main Street. As the weather gets nicer, Necciai said the organization is considering purchasing additional sets so more businesses can take advantage of outdoor dining.
To show support and solidarity with the area’s graduating seniors, the main street program designed senior portrait posters that parents could buy for a small fee and have them featured them in the windows of area businesses.
The program also established an outdoor art gallery, Main Street Fine Art Gallery, at 221 West Main Street. The vacant building’s façade provides the perfect opportunity for the community to enjoy different displays while practicing social distancing.
The main street program also created “open” signs and distributed them to 25 area businesses in May and June as they gradually reopened. Brightly colored, the signs helped to draw attention from community members and passersby alike.
“We tried to do whatever we could to help local businesses stay open,” said Tobias Provan, president of the main street program. “We don’t want the community to go elsewhere. We’re a moderate destination point right now.”
Necciai has also been busy trying to get local business owners to take advantage of grant funds from the organization’s façade program.
“We still have money that needs to be spent before June,” he said. “So I’m scrambling to get projects lined up.”
But what Necciai really feels made a big difference over the last year is his daily Facebook posts. In addition to sharing local business posts, each Friday, Necciai complies a long list of local restaurants offering takeout and their phone numbers.
“I have something valuable because I know I’m reaching a very large number of people,” he said.
While they’ve yet to begin planning for any events for 2021, Necciai remains hopeful.
“Things are changing really fast,” he said.
Pemberton said they’ll wait for further direction from the state before any decisions are made.
“It’s too early to determine anything just yet,” she said. “We want to see what the commonwealth will do as we’ll want to adhere to those guidelines.”
In the meantime, Necciai and the other main street program volunteers are relishing in their city’s growth.
“It’s taken us many years to get people interested in the Main Street vision. But they’ve caught onto the idea. The farmers market. The Aquatorium. The gazebo updates. They all make a big difference,” Necciai said. “Gradually, people are starting to realize that the next step is to work together.”