WHDA: An update from the Harbor District

 In our last article about the many functions of the Washington Harbor District Alliance, we mentioned the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach to revitalization and restructuring of a business district. The four approaches are: organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring. With this in mind, I would like to begin with the organization committee.

The goal of the organization team is to expand WHDA’s capacity to grow public and private resources within the business district. Every goal has an objective and theirs is to engage and partner with a diverse group of stakeholders to accomplish WHDA’s vision and mission.

Some of the team’s strategies include increasing public relations while developing a welcome package for new businesses that may explain what the WHDA does. One idea that is my goal in the 2016 year is the formation of three teams: restaurant team, retail team and the business /service team. These three teams will be headed by local business leaders in their respective fields and will be a sounding board and buffer for the Washington Harbor District Alliance. Their ideas will provide our organization committee an opportunity to help grow our business district like no other.

The last strategy, while certainly not the last in value, is to increase and grow the funding base for the WHDA by continuing to add new corporate sponsors and increase memberships in the Friends Campaign. So far, we are so thankful for the many citizens who have already done this and could never thank our corporate and signature sponsors enough, but there is room for growth, and we expect it.

In next week’s article from the WHDA, we will explain the goals, objectives and strategies of the promotions committee. We will soon be moving on to projects and ideas that are current and feasible undertakings of your WHDA.

Until then…shop local, buy local and thanks for taking a walk with the H-Rob!

Harold Robinson is the executive director of tshe Washington Harbor District Alliance.