The City of Porterdale is hosting a town hall meeting, Nov. 13 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. The event space and catering are sponsored by the Porterdale Mill Lofts. The primary reason for the meeting is for the Start-Up Main Street Program that is trying to get accredited for in 2015.

In July of 2013, the city of Porterdale applied for the Main Street Georgia program process. The program purpose is to revitalize communities around the state with organization, design, promotion and economic development. It encourages public and private businesses to form successful downtown areas. Including 96 cities around that state, the Georgia Main Street Program communities utilize every aspect of a city to build a wide-ranging method to sustainable downtown progression.

Porterdale was announced along with 18 other communities for Start-Up program in November 2013. Since then, Main Street Porterdale has been working on the 2014 Work Plan that was assigned to each community with goals and tasks to implement that may eventually lead to becoming a Georgia Main Street community.

“It’s important to me for The City of Porterdale to have a Main Street program, because we realize we can’t do it alone.” Downtown Director Teri Haler said. “The Main Street Georgia (and National) program is an integral component to help us lay the infrastructure needed for many years to come.”

One of those tasks was to have a town-hall meeting with the general public. Teri Haler, downtown director of Porterdale, didn’t want it to be any old town hall meeting. The city has come up with an interactive method for the citizens of the community to socialize with officials of Porterdale to see what the city is currently up to also to expand on future goals for the city. Also, the town hall meeting will be used as a tool to get input from the public, by providing voluntary survey for citizens to fill out.

The meeting will be set up in a meet and greet fashion with different stations for people to visit. The stations include: Main Street Porterdale Start -Up Program Board of Directors, Downtown Merchants, City Council/Mayor/Staff, Historic Preservation Committee, Community Garden /Tree Board, Yellow River Water Trail, GICH Team (Ga. Initiative for Community Housing), and Citizen’s Police Academy.

The purpose of having these stations is to get to know Porterdale departments and developments, and to understand the objective of each of these departments to help progress the city. Furthermore, you can make suggestions to any of these departments, sign up to volunteer on a committee, or donate time/revenue to any particular area you care about.
The city of Porterdale and Main Street Porterdale encourages the public to come out, and be a part of the positive change being made in the city. The collaborative effort of the groups that do with they can to help make great progress, will be put on display for the general public to view.

“We believe folks who attempt to thwart community programs, and/or departments are only working against themselves.” Haler said.