Rehmann, Iacovelli, speak about MainStreet, HRC
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
HRC, from Page 1
to be on the board. We encourage
people from a variety of different
walks of life. We want to have full
representation of our community
so we get the right amount of per-
spectives so we’re not narrowing in
on a singular perspective,” HRC
president Richard Rehmann said.
The board—and the entirety of
the HRC—is comprised entirely of
volunteers. There is only one paid
employee, MainStreet Hammon-
ton Executive Director Cassie Ia-
covelli, who has been with them
for more than 11 years.
“Cassie is the glue that holds us
together. Cassie makes sure the
committees function well, that our
activities and our strategy is being
implemented, then reporting back
to the board and making sure the
board is doing their things,”
Rehmann said.
At its heart, the HRC has taken
on the responsibility of promoting
all aspects of downtown Hammon-
ton. According to its vision state-
ment, its goal is for downtown
Hammonton to be, “a safe, vibrant
community-centered district that
offers experiential retail, authentic
dining and celebrates family tradi-
tions. Residents and tourists alike
enjoy arts, entertainment, cultural
experiences and educational op-
portunities in a historic dynamic
downtown setting. Through
thoughtful and purposeful partner-
ships with local government, civic
and cultural allies, we aim to be a
destination for all people to ship,
dine, work, live and play.”
One of the ways that the HRC
does that is by encouraging com-
munity members to volunteer for
their various committees.
“We encourage people to get in-
volved at the committee level. Get
a taste, volunteer, meet some peo-
ple, see what we’re about ... We
want people to get involved. If they
don’t get involved with a commit-
tee, get involved with an event.
Start there. We’re just looking at
whatever level people want to get
involved,” Rehmann said.
One of the things that makes the
HRC so effective is that the board
is every bit as involved and en-
gaged as the committee members.
“The basis of the MainStreet
philosophy is that it’s not just a
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board that does policies, but it’s in-
tended that they are to be engaged
and working with the MainStreet
program and it doesn’t all fall
solely on the executive director and
committees,” Iacovelli said.
Collectively, through the various
events and initiatives throughout
the year, the HRC works towards
the betterment of the town as a
whole. In order to do that, of
course, the HRC needs financing.
“We’re trying to get more sus-
tainability and then figure out what
the next move is. One of those is
getting more active with sponsor-
ships and with fundraising so that
we can sustain. We get, primarily,
funded through grants and through
fundraising, and the town provides
some funding on an annual basis,”
Rehmann said.
That funding then allows the
HRC to create programs and initia-
tives to help local business owners,
particularly when it comes to aes-
thetic improvements.
“We have a façade grant pro-
gram, where stores and organiza-
tions can apply for grant funding,
matching funds to help defray the
costs of making improvements to
their façades. In that process, we
have some input for consistency
and standardization. It doesn’t have
to look uniform, but it meshes.
We’re not really restrictive as much
as we’re suggestive,” Rehmann
said.
That façade program, Iacovelli
noted, is completely funded by
NJM Insurance Group.
That aesthetic consistency and
standardization only truly works,
of course, if there are little to no va-
cancies on Bellevue Avenue.
“People judge how MainStreet is
doing, and they judge the town’s
success, by what they see when
they drive through. Empty store
spaces are bad. No people is bad.
Dilapidated buildings are bad,”
Rehmann agreed.
Iacovelli agreed, and said filling
vacancies is continually on their
radar.
“We’re trying to be more proac-
tive instead of reactive. We need
data; we need to know what we
have available so we don’t lose
business opportunities. MainStreet
has been integrally involved in
that,” Iacovelli said.
Both Iacovelli and Rehmann
agree that one way to avoid store
vacancies is for residents to sup-
port local businesses.
“They’re your neighbors, they’re
your family, they’re your friends
and they’re trying to make it work
because they think that this is an
important part of our community;
if you haven’t done your part to at
least support, on a monthly basis in
some capacity, then all this could
go away, because it only works if
this is a community buy-in,” Iacov-
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