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Colville Together, a Washington State Main Street Program, is offering the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program to our local businesses; any business in Washington State that pays Business & Occupation taxes through the online portal is eligible

The Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program allows local businesses to self-direct their tax dollars to stay in Colville, instead of going to the state.  When local businesses donate directly to Colville Together in 2022, they receive a 75% tax credit on their Business & Occupation Taxes for 2023.  This is great for the community and good for the business. Colville Together uses the donated funds for our downtown projects, including the Façade & Building Improvement Grant, improvements to Heritage Court, downtown business support, and downtown business networking opportunities.  The money stays here in Colville and directly impacts downtown Colville – the heart of our community.

In 2021, received donations totaling $29,700 from the following businesses: Vaagen Timbers, Fogle Pump and Supply, Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Colmac Industries, Home Suite Home Furnishings, Saundra’s Furniture, RE Lee Shoe Company, Re-Imagined Home, Colville Bookkeeping, and R&R Design.  This resulted in $22,275 in tax incentives for those businesses. 

Colville Together has a cap of over $100,000 that can be accepted in donations, so there is plenty of opportunity for Colville businesses to participate in the program.  The deadline to apply is March 31, 2022, and all contributions need to be made by November 1, 2022.  If you would like to self-direct your taxes to stay in Colville please contact Rosemary Shaw at 509-684-4571 or email her at info@colvilletogether.org. 

Colville Together is excited to be able to offer the Façade & Building Improvement Grant to our downtown building owners for the second year. 

Last year, we had an amazing response to our call for applications.  There were twelve applications for the two grants that were available.  There was a wide variety of applications ranging from updating awnings, new signage, roof repair, a mural, and other various projects. It was a difficult decision for the Colville Together Design Committee to select only two projects, but they were extremely excited to see the positive response from the downtown building owners. 

The Façade & Building Improvement grant is offered by Colville Together with a desire to help improve and enhance the beauty of downtown Colville, preserve the historic nature of the streetscape, while making revitalization efforts affordable, creative, and community based. Each successful grant will be in the amount of $5,000 and awarded to property owners in the Colville Together focus area (3rd Ave to Birch Ave and Wynne St to Oak St). This year we will be focusing on projects that visually improve downtown. 

Colville Together Design Committee administers the Façade & Building Improvement Grant Program and evaluates the applicant’s eligibility and need based on all the applicants. There are two grants available for 2022.  Grants will be available in coming years as well.

Any building owner whose property falls within the Colville Together focus area (3rd Ave to Birch Ave and Wynne St to Oak St) can apply for the Façade & Building Improvement Grant. Applications and the program guidelines are available at https://www.colvilletogether.org/facade-building-improvement-grant/. Completed Applications are due on February 25th and the grant will be closed.

Colville Together is bringing a pilot project to downtown Colville for the summer of 2021: Parklets!

Parklets are public seating areas that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces.  The parklets will be in place from June to October.

The intent is to provide additional public spaces during the upcoming construction at Astor and Main Streets (Heritage Court) and to aid in COVID-19 recovery for our downtown businesses as they work with the current restrictions.  Parklets will utilize 2 parking spaces and provide seating for approximately 10-15 customers. 

Colville Together is excited to involve Main Street businesses and have been asking for their feedback.  “I love this idea to support local business and bring more foot traffic downtown.”, expressed one downtown business owner.  Colville Together will be measuring the impacts of the parklets throughout the temporary installation to determine if this type of endeavor is a good match for Colville. The key is understanding how pedestrian traffic, downtown business revenues, as well as resident and visitor users are impacted by this project.

Colville Together is collaborating with the Northeast Washington Association of Realtors, the Colville Chamber of Commerce, Tri County Economic Development District, and partnering with the City of Colville and the Washington Department of Transportation to bring our community and visitors these innovative public spaces for the summer of 2021.  Funding support for this project is being provided by the Innovia Foundation, Main Street America, the Northeast Washington Association of REALTORS (NEWAR), and the National REALTOR Association. 

The parklets will be installed on Friday June 10th AT 9am.  We need volunteers to help with the installation in addition to the NEWAR partners who have committed to helping with construction.  Please see our Facebook page, @colvilletogether and website, colvilletogether.org, for more details. 

The Grand Opening Celebration will take place on Saturday June 12th, at 11:00 am.  There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony as well as buskers at each parklet to celebrate the successful installation of the parklets.

Colville Together, a Washington State Main Street Program, is pleased to thank our donors to the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program:  Vaagen Timbers, Fogle Pump & Supply, Home Suite Home Furnishings, Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Colmac Industries, RE Lee Shoe Company, Re-Imagined Home, Saundra’s Furniture, Colville Bookkeeping, and R&R Design. 

This year we have received commitments totaling $29,700 from our generous contributors. Colville Together uses these donated funds for our downtown projects, including the Façade & Building Improvement Grant, improvements to Heritage Court, downtown business support, and downtown business networking opportunities.  The money stays here in Colville and directly impacts downtown Colville – the heart of our community.

The program is closed for 2021, but if you would like to self-direct your taxes to stay in Colville please contact Rosemary Shaw at 509-684-4571 or email her at info@colvilletogether.org for information about donating for 2022. 

Colville Together is excited to announce the recipients of the first annual Façade & Building Improvement Grants: Dawna Pazaroo from Constructive Fun Toys and Keith Kendall from Redbird Boutique!

With a desire to help improve and enhance the beauty of downtown, Colville Together is offering this program to preserve the historic nature of the streetscape, while making revitalization efforts affordable, creative, and community based. Each awardee will be receiving a grant in the amount of $3,000 to assist with their project.   

We had an amazing response to our call for applications in February.  There were twelve applications for the two grants that were available.  There was a wide variety of applications ranging from updating awnings, new signage, roof repair, a mural, and other various projects. It was a difficult decision for the Colville Together Design Committee to select only two projects for this year, but they were extremely excited to see the positive response from the downtown building owners.  Colville Together is so excited to continue the Façade & Building Improvement Grant in the years to come! 

Colville Together employs the Main Street Approach utilizing design, economic vitality, promotions, and organization to progress our program forward. 

What are we up to?

Design

Heritage Court – TBD

·     $3,500 from the Ramble Family for furnishings

·     $1,500 additional funds for improvements

·     Partnered with the City to install plantings

Economic Vitality

Shop Small Coupon Books – April-September

·     Available in April

·     Free to the public

·     $20 for merchant participation

Promotions

Summer Concert – August 28th

·     Fair weekend

·     Free to the public

·     Partnering with Chamber of Commerce

Organization

City Lodging Tax Application

·     City funds our Executive Director and some operating expenses

·     Approved for $14,280 in 2021

Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program·      Receive $2,200 in donations in 2020

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WHAT HAVE WE ACCOMPLISHED?

Design

Façade & Building Improvement Grant Program Developed

·       $3,000 grants to downtown building owners

·       Grant application window closes February 25th

·       Buildings must be located downtown

Economic Vitality

Shop Small Saturday – November 28th, 2020

·       Booth at Heritage Court from 11am -3pm

·       Counted over 60 participants and 43 prize entries

·       Provided swag, maps, facemasks, and hand sanitizer

·       Provided 4 grand prizes for completed passports

Promotions

Updated website though Locable

Organization

Mercantile at colvilletogether.org

·       Post a product or gift certificate!

·       Visit colvilletogether.org for more information

Downtown Businesses Fund

·     Awarded cash grants of $500 to 9 downtown businesses Crowd funded for $4,500.

Received Working Washington II Grant

·       $10,300 for COVID recovery

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Partnering to enrich our community through planning and preserving Historic Downtown Colville, while cultivating our local economy.

Colville Together is excited to be able to offer the Façade & Building Improvement Grant to our downtown building owners. 

This program is offered by Colville Together with a desire to help improve and enhance the beauty of downtown Colville, preserve the historic nature of the streetscape, while making revitalization efforts affordable, creative, and community based. Each successful grant will be in the amount of $3,000 and awarded to property owners in the Colville Together focus area (3rd Ave to Birch Ave and Wynne St to Oak St).

 The eligible improvements include:

• New awnings or the restoration of existing awnings
•  Exterior painting and/or paint removal
•  Murals on exposed side walls
• Reparation and restoration of brickwork, wood, masonry, and stucco
• Exterior lighting
• Reusable signage, such as projecting, blade, and lighted
• Reparation and replacement of architectural details or materials
• Doors and windows, including garage doors
• Rehabilitation or compatible reconstruction of storefronts
• Removal of metal siding and exterior slip covers (surfaces)
• Building improvements that save the structural integrity of the building, i.e. roofs
• Any element that enhances the parking lot experience, i.e. landscaping, bike racks, etc.

Colville Together Design Committee administers the Façade & Building Improvement Grant Program and evaluates the applicant’s eligibility and need based on all the applicants. The number of grants available is dependent on annual funding for this program.  Grants will be available in coming years as well.

Any building owner whose property falls within the Colville Together focus area (3rd Ave to Birch Ave and Wynne St to Oak St) can apply for the Façade & Building Improvement Grant. Applications and the program guidelines are available at https://www.colvilletogether.org/facade-building-improvement-grant/. Completed Applications are due on February 25th and the grant will be closed.

Thank you Colville!  It was wonderful to see to everyone who participated in Shop Small Saturday for our fourth annual event.  It was a great success! Please continue to Shop Local and Shop Safe all season long to support our businesses. 

We will be drawing the winners for the passports on Friday this week, Dec. 4th, at 10m through Facebook Live.   If you were not able to turn in your passport on Saturday, please drop it off at the Chamber of Commerce office (996 S. Main Street Suite B) to be entered to win. 

We can’t wait to see you all downtown next year for Shop Small Saturday! 

Small Business Saturday 2020 is coming up November 28th!  For the fourth year, Colville “Neighborhood Champions,” are joining forces with Colville Together to host an event encouraging our community to shop local!

Stop by Heritage Court to collect your Small Business Saturday canvas shopping bags and your “passport”.  Then visit the participating businesses to collect your stamps at the local area businesses. A full passport will enter you to win the grand prize.   A collection of prizes donated by participating businesses! 

 Join us for Small Business Saturday 2020 and support Colville’s small businesses. It is more important now than ever!!!

SEATTLE – Colville Together, the newest nonprofit organization to earn Washington Main Street Community designation, received the coveted Organizational Excellence Award at Washington Main Street’s Excellence on Main Awards Ceremony on July 20, 2020. The ceremony was held virtually statewide with attendees safely celebrating at socially distanced watch parties.

At the encouragement of Colville City Planner RJ Keetch, a Main Street team began coming together in 2014. This effort was spearheaded by a steering committee of community volunteers, the Chamber of Commerce, Tri County Economic Development District, and the City of Colville. They were focused on learning more about the Main Street Approach™ and eventually joining the Washington Main Street network. As the committee gained momentum, funding became a hot topic. The group knew they wanted to hire an executive director, but the ability to hire staff felt like a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum.

The answer came in the form of formalizing the partnership as an independent but unified nonprofit now known as Colville Together, which then was able to apply for lodging tax dollars and other funding. In 2018, Colville Together hired Rosemary Shaw as its first executive director.

“By starting with a focus on organizational capacity, broad community engagement, and partnerships across different sector, Colville Together has emerged as a standard of quality and cooperation,” said Breanne Durham, Washington Main Street Director.

In the wake of Covid-19, Colville Together has put much of its effort toward Colville’s small business community by galvanizing a community eager to support them. Shortly after the shutdowns, Colville Together organized a crowdfunding campaign that raised $4,500 to help small businesses stay viable. The Main Street organization has also secured grants from Locable and a regional foundation called Innovia, which will allow them to provide ongoing support to Colville businesses through a state-of-the-art e-commerce site.

As Shaw, who still serves as Colville Together Executive Director, puts it, “Working together makes any goal achievable!”

The Excellence on Main Awards, organized by the Washington State Main Street Program, recognize communities, organizations, and individuals who are helping to achieve economic vitality and build sustainable communities through downtown revitalization and preservation. Washington’s Main Street Program is housed in the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and administered, under contract, by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Organizational Excellence award is designed to recognize excellence in the areas related to building a strong downtown revitalization organization while achieving consensus and cooperation among stakeholder groups

For more information, please contact Breanne Durham, Washington Main Street Director, at the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation at bdurham@preservewa.org or 206-624-9449.

Local Contact: Rosemary Shaw, Colville Together, at 509-680-2841 or info@colvilletogether.org