Turning around Downtown Poplar Bluff has thus far, been easier said than done but Jerrica Fox aims for change. Fox is the director of Downtown Poplar Bluff and has recently teamed up with Missouri Main Street Connection to breathe new life into the regentrification project.
An offshoot of a national effort, Missouri Main Street Connection is a state level organization specializing in helping communities learn how to obtain federal, state and local funding to drive progress. The group will be addressing the public from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Black River Coliseum.
"This will be an informative session about who they are, what they do and what it takes to turn around downtown," Fox said.
Poplar Bluff City Council members, the Butler County Commission, business owners and non-profit organizations have all been invited, Fox said, while adding the event has now been opened to the public.
"I want anyone who has an interest in Downtown Poplar Bluff to attend," she said. "This isn't like the town hall meetings we had last summer. We know what we want to do, this meeting will tell us how we need to do it."
Fox said she hopes to inform the community about four key topics during Thursday's presentation: education, planning, opportunities and roles.
"With education, I want everyone to learn what (MMSC) does. I want them to learn about the opportunities we have in our downtown. As far as planning, we have a plan, but the question is 'how do we get there?' And roles; the entire community plays a role. Business owners, visitors, residents and I want to educate everyone," she said.
Fox said Downtown Poplar Bluff and Missouri Main Street Connection have been partners in the past, but upon taking the position of director in December she decided to reestablish the relationship
"I was very intrigued and attended a training in February," Fox said. "This is a strong network and I want us to be part of that and my board supported me."
Fox said she's seen growing interest in Downtown Poplar Bluff since she became the director. Specifically, she mentioned new businesses Foxtrot Coffee which is expected to open in August and Bronze Owl Brewery which is slated to open around Labor Day.
"From what I can tell, there hasn't been a consistent relationship between downtown business owners and Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc.," Fox said. "My goal is to be there for my merchants. If they succeed, that's money for the city, which means we all succeed."