BY NICHAELA SHAHEEN
Diving in deeper
Stay tuned
“When the city began having financial diffi- culties, they redirected money from downtown improvements to other priorities,” Foerster said. Foerster emphasized that while the City Council’s renewed attention to downtown is welcomed and encouraged, the Main Street distinction itself is in jeopardy. Foerster said with no city staff member currently serving as a designated Main Street director, the city is at risk of losing the designation. “Downtown Conroe is the county seat,” Foerster said. “The image it projects reflects not only on the city, but on Montgomery County as a whole. That’s why it’s so important to keep it vibrant, clean and welcoming.” Mikeska said downtown merchants will not be asked to contribute to the program at this time. “If you can see a difference, that is a great bench- mark,” Mikeska said. “It is not about just cleaning up the downtown, it is about maintaining a certain assurance that our downtown reflects the kind of city that we are.”
Although the Downtown Rangers program is new, it mirrors work previously done by the Main Street Advisory Board, which was formed in 2022 after Conroe earned a Main Street designation through the Texas Historical Commission, as previously reported. Larry Foerster, former board member of the Main Street Advisory Board and Montgomery County Historical Commission chair, said the board had originally proposed a similar downtown mainte- nance team. “We didn’t call it the Downtown Rangers, but in effect, that’s what it was,” he said. “We wanted at least two individuals designated and responsible for downtown maintenance and beautification.” Foerster chaired the board’s design committee, which focused on visual improvements like downtown signage and landscaping. However, the committee’s proposals were slowed by shifting priorities and budget cuts during a time of city financial restructuring, Foerster said.
In an April 25 email, Mikeska said the city would advertise for the new hire ranger positions in the next few weeks, with those positions trained on the job by the city’s facility manager and the assistant director of community development. Mikeska said she envisions other projects for the program, including the addition of restrooms and new events. The team will also assist the parks department with event setup and takedown. Potential future downtown projects Lighting enhancements Signage
Restroom additions in Founders Plaza
New Christmas event
SOURCE: CITY OF CONROE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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