Nebraska City’s aspirations and assessments of its downtown were featured Wednesday at the kick off of the Lied Main Street program.

About 30 residents, including retailers, elected officials and Lied Main Street directors, searched for a consensus on downtown goals to help build the organization’s mission statement.

Kay Young, Lied Main Street manager, said she is thrilled with the turnout.

“We had a great, diverse group of people. It was an exciting kick off to Nebraska City’s Main Street Program,” she said.

“Hopefully your interest can spark more interest, and we can keep this ball rolling,” Young told the group.

She introduced the Lied Main Street directors, Dave Partsch, Doug Farrar, Vic Johns, Leon Schiermeyer and Steve Wohlfarth, as well as national Lied Main Street staff J.L. Schmidt and Elizabeth Chase.

Participants were asked to fill out surveys asking for their opinions on the strengths and challenges of the downtown and what they would like it to be known for in the year 2017.

Small town atmosphere, tourism and business mix were listed among the strengths, while challenges include a negative perception of parking and empty storefronts.

Schmidt said it might be interesting to think of the downtown in terms of an outdoor mall with the streets and sidewalks as the floor and the storefronts as the walls.

He said an unattractive, vacant or underdeveloped lot is like a hole in the wall. “In a lot of cities, when visitors are out walking, that’s where they stop,” he said.

He said a continually attractive “wall” is especially important in Nebraska City, where the linear downtown can go as far as a mile.

City Administrator Scott Bovick said the downtown needs to create a consistent, downtown brand.

Schmidt said highway signage and an appealing message could help pull motorists off of the beltway to the downtown.

The vision of the downtown’s future included family-orientated and evening activities and a clean, pedestrian-friendly environment.

Buildings and public spaces will be used for children’s events, entertainment, retail and services, as well as residences.

Schmidt, who owned a bar and restaurant in Peru in 1976, said upstairs residences can be a productive use for many of these buildings. “That’s the way many of these buildings were designed,” he said.

Bovick said there are some upstairs apartments now that are “extremely substandard,” but said recent investments are proving that there is a market for upscale, second-level living.

By 2018, participants said they want the downtown to be known for a bigger Arbor Day celebration, more community activities, museums, entertainment and fun.

One of the biggest challenges identified was the perception the citizens of Nebraska City have of the downtown, but participants said the district still represents the town’s core community values of historic preservation, family and traditional customer service.