Published: August 29, 2008 01:27 am            

Communities get ‘ON TRAC’ for future

FAIRMONT — Representa-tives from 12 communities and three counties came to Fairmont Tuesday to learn about the ON TRAC program.

People from Shinnston, Star City, Elkins, Beverly and other areas attended the West Virginia ON TRAC Application Workshop at Veterans’ Square.

Main Street West Virginia, a program of the West Virginia Development Office, held its initial seminar Tuesday in Charleston. The third and final workshop was scheduled to take place in Martinsburg Thursday.

“We’ve had a wonderful response to it,” Delphine Coffey, ON TRAC program coordinator, said.

ON TRAC, a brand new program, stands for “Organization and Training for Revitalization and Capacity.”

Gov. Joe Manchin asked Main Street West Virginia to create a program to prepare communities for the future, said Bobby Lewis, director of community development for the state Development Office. ON TRAC was established as a way “to assist West Virginia towns with community improvement and development through evaluation, education and networking resources.”

Participants can obtain fundamental training, gain access to resources, and network with communities across the state. The program also provides action planning services, telephone consultation, and an assessment of strengths and weakness. In addition, scholarship and grant opportunities are available, and communities will work with mentors.

As ON TRAC was being put together, the program evolved to become a prerequisite for Main Street communities, Coffey said.

“We’ve come to realize that smaller entities may not have the capacity to ever reach Main Street status,” she said. “It’s extremely hard for some of the smaller towns.”

In its comprehensive four-point approach, Main Street focuses on organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring. Main Street West Virginia, created in 1988, currently works with 13 communities throughout the state.

Marsha Geyer, assistant state coordinator for Main Street West Virginia, said the organization would like to see additional Main Street programs in the state and hopes that ON TRAC will help.

Communities need to step back and look at what they have to offer, Geyer said.

“What we want for our communities in West Virginia is for each of you to develop your own unique assets,” Geyer said.

ON TRAC can serve as a stepping stone to Main Street and is required for communities to reach this status. However, cities and towns don’t have to pursue the Main Street designation and can remain ON TRAC communities for as long as they wish.

The two-hour workshop in Fairmont explored why a community would want to be involved in the ON TRAC program and the benefits of participating. The seminar also looked at the application process and the selection committee’s scoring.

“Just filling out this application allows you to do a pre-assessment of your community,” Coffey said.

Applications are due Oct. 31, and 15 communities will be selected to participate in the ON TRAC program this year, she said.

For more information, call Coffey at 957-2011.

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.

        

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