Selma celebrates rejoining Main Street Alabama in formal kickoff event

Selma’s push to rebuild its downtown reached a milestone Tuesday as city leaders, business owners, pastors and residents gathered for a luncheon celebrating Selma’s new status as a Main Street Alabama Designated Community. 

The event, held at the Selma Convention Center, marked the formal kickoff of a redevelopment effort that has been years in the making.

Main Street Alabama announced in June that Selma would join the 30 other cities in the program that includes Demopolis, Marion and Montgomery in the Black Belt. Selma was a Main Street member in the 1980s.

President and State Coordinator Mary Helmer said Selma’s application stood out because of the unity shown by local leaders, which Selma has struggled with in recent administrations. “What I haven’t seen, frankly, in a long time, was people together on the same page,” she said.

Now in the Main Street program, Helmer said there will be monthly touch points with Selma leaders, followed by a full three-day on-site assessment in November that will produce a strategic plan for the years-long program.

“Main Street works 100% of the time if you work it,” she said. “It is here to help you manage the changes in your district over time.”

Selma Redevelopment Authority Director Sara Aghedo urged the community to stay engaged as the work accelerates. “We want to make sure that we are reimagining what Selma is and can be,” she said. “More importantly, we want to reframe mindsets about Selma… We invite each of you to continue to work with us as partners.”

Aghedo said the designation is the result of months of preparation and collaboration, and she added that Selma’s future depends on residents, businesses and civic groups pulling in the same direction. “We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “We’re looking forward to that work, and we need you to support that.”

City Council President Kennard Randolph stood in for Mayor Johnny Moss III, who was unable to attend, and called the day “an exciting and historic occasion” for Selma. “Today represents more than a launch of a program,” he said. “It represents a renewed commitment to the heart of our city.”

Randolph said the Main Street designation gives Selma “another tool to preserve our heritage, strengthen our local economy, support small businesses and create a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike.” 

The keynote speaker, former Prattville Mayor and Main Street board member Jim Byard, said Selma is already positioned for success. He pointed to the cooperation among city and county officials, business owners, clergy and civic groups as evidence that Selma is “at the cusp” of major progress. “You are just on the cusp of doing great things,” he said. “With fresh eyes from afar, you’re kicking it.”

He also urged Selma to capitalize on the millions of visitors who come to the city each year. “People spend the night in Montgomery or other places, and they get on a bus, and they drive to Selma, and they cross the bridge,” he said. “They spend very little money here… They should leave some sales tax dollars and some lodging tax dollars here.”