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Vision LaFayette is a group of concerned citizens, community leaders and government officials who seek to have the City of LaFayette designated as a Main Street Community by Main Street Alabama, an organization that revitalizes communities. Vision LaFayette needs more volunteers to help with the application process and development of Main Street programming. Anyone who wants to learn more about this initiative or get involved in it is invited to attend an upcoming Vision LaFayette meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT at Vines Funeral Home Chapel at 211 B Street SW in LaFayette.

“It should be a nice event and have a lot of business, community, church, school, city participation,” said Vision LaFayette Chair Jimmy Stewart.

Stewart said if Main Street Alabama approves the application Vision LaFayette is preparing, it will help make the Main Street designated area more attractive, bring in businesses and bring more people to city.

“We want to pull the community together to focus on a common goal of making the City of LaFayette a better place to live and work for our kids and generations to come,” he said.

While Vision LaFayette already has a number of volunteers, it is seeking more. It’s a completely volunteer-run organization, Stewart said. Volunteers mainly help with gathering information about LaFayette, including photos, to submit in a portfolio with the application to Main Street Alabama.

“Basically, we are looking at the percentages of merchandise stores, shops, grocery stores, discount stores, businesses, restaurants,” Stewart said. “So basically, [we’re] looking at the available retail space. I’m also looking at the history of the district. … there’s a number of narrative questions that have to be answered, which we’ll have volunteers with this, as well. Like, ‘What does our community expect to achieve in the program?’”

Stewart estimated that Vision LaFayette has about 15 to 20 volunteers. He would like to involve both high schools in LaFayette, which are LaFayette High School and Chambers Academy.

“I like to have a lot of volunteers,” he said. “The way I organize things, I like to break things down into tasks,” he said.

Stewart said the application isn’t due until around May.

“My goal is to get started early and have it completed in April and then have all of the task leaders collaborate,” he said. “I use the analogy that we’re all in this together, so let’s work on what’s best for the initiative.”