Editor’s note: O’Rourke Media Group is the parent company of The Pagosa Springs SUN.
The Main Street Advisory Board took tentative steps toward overhauling its website and expanding its digital reach during a regular meeting on Nov. 14 in a move that anticipates significant changes coming to downtown Pagosa Springs in 2025 and beyond.
Considering proposals from three web developers, board members sought to strike a balance between cost savings and the need to deploy critical messaging in the months to come as the town prepares for a reconstruction project that will course through the main street business district starting next spring.
“We started with thinking we just need a website for informational purposes,” Main Street Coordinator Kathleen McFadden said. “And then we learned, wait, there’s so much more that we could do and make such a bigger impact on the community.”
Of the three proposals, the board voted to hire O’Rourke Media Group contingent upon satisfactory reviews from other clients.
Citing a potential conflict of interest, Main Street board member Shari Pierce recused herself from the meeting’s discussion and vote around the website. Pierce serves as The SUN’s publisher.
O’Rourke’s pitch detailed a $3,000 fee to build a website for the board, with additional marketing tools and hosting representing a total initial investment of $7,000, according to details released by the Main Street board.
In discussions leading up to the vote, board member Haz Saïd recounted the issue’s evolution and raised existential questions about the board’s identity moving forward.
“Is Pagosa Main Street heading in the direction of becoming a downtown business improvement district organization, rather than what I think we are now, which is a downtown revitalization advisory board?” he asked.
According to fellow board member and main street business owner Rosanna Dufour, the answer is both.
“Yes, the intention of a Main Street board is to do all of [this] great cultural and historical preservation, all of these things,” she said. “However, if we cannot help our downtown community through a major disruption then we don’t have that culture and history to preserve.”
She added, “I think right now we need the tools in place for the short term, and then we can get back to those roots once we support our community through this.”
One of those tools, the board members agreed, is a robust web presence to help disseminate information about the reconstruction project, and support locals and visitors trying to navigate its impacts.
The new Main Street website, should the board finalize its decision to hire O’Rourke, will include “comprehensive website development with integrated SEO and digital marketing,” according to information released by the board.
Greenhouse renovations
Plans to rehabilitate the greenhouse at Pagosa Springs Middle School are continuing to develop, McFadden reported during the Nov. 14 meeting, thanks to additional support from Archuleta School District and a grant opportunity on the near horizon.
In addition to a new greenhouse, the project — which began as an effort to tidy up landscaping at the school — now includes public Wi-Fi connectivity along the adjacent stretch of U.S. 160.
“We’ve got all the pieces, we just need the budget estimate for that,” McFadden said. “We’re working on writing up the application and hope to get that reviewed and submitted quickly.”
The T-Mobile-sponsored grant would award Main Street up to $50,000 to refurbish the greenhouse and enhance its surrounding area, with no required matching funds.
“I just think we have a wonderful community project,” McFadden said. “I can’t imagine them saying no. It’s going to be above and beyond what we initially thought.”
Dufour expressed similar enthusiasm about the project’s outlook.
“It’s just so multifaceted. It’s our education system, it’s environmentally friendly and it’s including a local business,” she said. “It’s aesthetically pleasing and it’s in a prime location downtown.”
garrett@pagosasun.com
