by Stefan Klosowski
We are inclined to think, that given the national historical significance of Gettysburg, that it is an ‘easy street’ for economic development. The undertaking of such a Main Street program has its additional challenges. According to destination Gettysburg, more than 3 million tourists from around the world annually visit the town to experience the Gettysburg Battlefield and hear the Gettysburg address. This has not been the case for the past year with COVID. The town depends heavily on tourism and this year COVID crushed the tourism business.
The year 2020 shed light on a set of critical elements that had a heavy impact on Gettysburg. While the pandemic has also affected everyone everywhere, the reliance on tourism as an economic engine for the community has especially affected Gettysburg. The tourism business is seasonal and is heavily dependent on the hospitality industry. These factors have had a devastating financial impact on the economy. It should also be noted that the civil unrest in our country has drawn attention to its roots and there has been a tendency to focus on the Civil War. A number of groups have taken a stand in the Gettysburg square.
The historical attributes of Gettysburg also place a tremendous responsibility on the community to preserve the historical events that occurred here and to ensure that the Gettysburg story is told for generations to come in a relevant and proper manner. This responsibility to interpret the history and to provide the resident community with a quality of life is a challenge that requires additional financial and human resources.
The Gettysburg National Park is comprised of 6,000 acres of land that surrounds two-thirds of the town. There are expectations to preserve the feel of this historic treasure which includes height restrictions for buildings due to viewsheds. This presents an issue for businesses that want to grow in the 21st Century and a battle can ensue between these competing forces. There is a constant economic dance between preserving witness buildings and the desired spectrum of commercial growth.
Gettysburg is unique in that it is a small community of 7,600 (2,600 college students) that supports 3 million visitors per year. Without a sales tax to help revenues, the Borough is cash strapped. The community’s responsibility to maintain and preserve this national historic treasure is expensive. The community has over 100 non-profits seeking and competing for financial support from a low-income community.
Deb Adamik was recruited by the Chair of Main Street Gettysburg fourteen years ago. At that time, she was asked if she wanted to be the Executive Director and she responded with ”What is a Main Street Manager?” Deb has a BS in Business Management from Towson University in Baltimore. Prior to this position Deb had worked ten years in the Baltimore banking industry and moved to PA in 1992. She still commuted to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for another eight years as an organizational leadership consultant. From 2000-2007 she operated her own consulting business, providing leadership coaching and training to clients such as Gettysburg College and Dickinson College.
With such a background of experience Ms. Adamik was equipped to approach the skirmishes in Gettysburg. She believes that Main Street Gettysburg (MSG) can succeed when it becomes the catalyst for the achievements of the community. She feels that the role has been to listen to the community’s priorities and develop the strategic plans, gather a team of community leaders inspired to carry out related activities, seek the funds and facilitate the implementation of the plans. The following initiatives listed below had an important economic and historic impact on the town and required strong community-wide teams of individuals with skills and dedication.
Deb has assisted in and facilitated the following initiatives:
Gettysburg 10 Year Interpretive Plan
In 2000 MSG was appointed facilitator of a 10-year Interpretive Plan by a Gettysburg group of leaders that identified major preservation and revitalization projects that would attract more visitors. In 10 years, more than $55M was invested. This work included managing the David Wills House, revitalizing Steinwehr Avenue, and participation in the planning of the Seminary Ridge Museum.
David Wills House Opening and Management
A National Park Museum, the David Wills House opened in the heart of downtown Gettysburg in 2009. This was the house President Lincoln stayed the night before he gave his famous Gettysburg Address.
Steinwehr Avenue Revitalization Initiative and Business Improvement District
In 2009 MSG provided support to the Steinwehr community in planning, fundraising and executing this $7.2M revitalization plan. This included the creation of the Steinwehr Business Improvement District (BID) and heritage lighting, visitor amenities and a major upgrade in infrastructure. The BID is going into its 12th year and MSG continues to provide administrative support and leadership.
150th Commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg
In 2013, a multi-day commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg 150th Anniversary attracted thousands of people from all over the world to the downtown and National Park. In 2009, foreseeing the sunset of the Interpretive Plan, a small group of MSG directors identified the 150th as an important commemoration that could showcase the millions of dollars of investments and newly revitalized Interpretive Plan historic sites in town. MSG’s leadership role in the 150th was initiator, organizer, fundraiser and coordinator of the event.
10-Year Main Street Gettysburg Revitalization Plan
With the sunset of the Interpretive Plan in 2010 and success of the 150th in 2013, MSG had to define their own future and role based on Gettysburg’s needs. MSG created a 10-year Gettysburg Revitalization Plan based on 4 years of community feedback from retreats, surveys, focus groups and various other methods.
Baltimore Street Historic Preservation and Revitalization Plan
The success of the Steinwehr Revitalization Project acted as the catalyst for the businesses and residents of Baltimore Street to ask MSG to take on a similar project in 2013 for the 1 ½ mile street that President Lincoln traveled on his way to give the Gettysburg Address. The MSG committee had raised more than $97,000 in addition to securing a $1.2M federal grant for the project design. The project was $11.2 M.
2019 A Gettysburg Christmas Festival
The origin of this festival began with the Victorian Christmas Festival sponsored by the Steinwehr BID in 2014. In 2019, the festival had over 100 sponsors, 100 community events and activities, and 100 volunteers who helped draw thousands of visitors to Gettysburg during a 3-day weekend.
Long, Long, Long, Long Dinner
MSG closed down four blocks along Baltimore Street to set up one long dinner table. People from all over town donated a fee to share a meal together. The Pennsylvania Municipal League’s Annual Conference joined in on the event.
Main Street Gettysburg Cares – COVID Community Relief Program
When COVID blindsided the Gettysburg community, MSG quickly contacted business owners and learned what they needed most was timely and accurate information, funding, and encouragement. Free MSG Cares kits contained PPE, signage, and sanitizers, that were put together and distributed to 126 businesses by volunteers. MSG developed a new free website, GettysburgPro.com, as a one-stop-shop for Gettysburgians to make online purchases at the local businesses.
The amount of funding achieved by the collaboration of the town through MSG initiatives is overwhelming. The community has over 100 non-profits who seek and compete for financial support. Deb strives to motivate people in the community to maximize their investment of time and talents for the greater good. As a follower of Dale Carnegie, who defines leadership as “Getting things done through others,” with little money to pay anyone, no authority or power over anyone and high-impact visionary goals to achieve, turning high stake plans into reality presented the ultimate challenge for her.
Her sense of accomplishment is not counted in dollars but stems from the success of building volunteer teams of enthusiastic and talented leaders, scholars, community members, visitors, businessmen, and public officials from national, state, and local walks of life who planned multi-million-dollar projects and executed them successfully.
Ms. Adamik and Main Street Gettysburg Main have received the following awards:
Manager of the Year from the PA Downtown Center in 2014.
Recognition from the Gettysburg National Military Park for their work for the 150th Battle Commemoration.
Top 5 Main Streets (close) consideration for the National Main Street Center recognition of the Great American Main Street Award in 2014.
Volunteer of the Year from the Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce.
“One of the hardest things about being a Main Street Manager in Gettysburg is juggling priorities! It is a challenge to determine how to handle things, so everyone feels they have been heard and respected. Even though it is impossible to satisfy everyone. The MSG Manager answers to the community, the Board, the businesses, elected officials, local, county, state and national partners, partner organizations, DCED, PDC, grant sources and of course donors and sponsors. “
“It’s all about building an effective team!” Deb strongly believes that nothing about Main Street should be about “me” or any other individual. “As Director of a Main Street program, to succeed means seeking the talents and showcasing those community volunteers in a way that they all feel special. Everyone wants to feel they made a difference and appreciated. If you are successful in building this community team of volunteers, you leave an intangible legacy of people willing to carry on the best practices for continued growth in your town.”
Honoring all Main Street Managers
“Over the past 14 years I have met so many Main Street and Elm Street folks of all ages, gender, backgrounds and the common thread woven through everyone was their love and commitment to their community. The pay is small, the hours long and the challenges sometimes feel insurmountable, but everyone still forges ahead. Several years ago, I thought I was ready to leave. After a potential job interview, I realized something important. How many jobs that offer you the opportunity to be creative and make things happen in a way that can impact the entire community for years to come. Hats off to all Main Street and Elm Street managers for the huge contribution that they give to their community. Very few people will ever understand what it takes to move those Main Street mountains….but you know! And that is all that matters.”
Dynamic Duo
There is an old saying, “You are measured by the company that you keep.” I have been so blessed to have met and interacted with hundreds of outstanding individuals during my time at MSG. I could never thank all of them enough and if I started, I would offend someone for leaving them out. However, when you are a staff of two working in a tiny 500 square foot office with no windows, it is imperative that you find the perfect working partner. That I did with Annie Frazee. The results of our six years together will be legendary for both our successes and “good attempts.” Without Annie’s partnership, I know results would have never been the same. Thank you, Annie! There will never be another “Dynamic Duo” like us for sure!
A Memorable Event
An interesting episode occurred during the Battle of Gettysburg’s 150th Commemoration Event. Just three months prior to the 150th commemoration, our nation experienced a terrorist event known as the Boston Bombing. As the leader of the 150th planning group, Deb was petrified of how they would be able to create a safe 150th multi-day commemoration with reenactors coming with cannons and muskets, and no entrance boundaries to surround the town for security during the events. The Superintendent of the Gettysburg National Park and local and state police assured her that they would be safe. On July 3, 2013, there were more than 40,000 people, midafternoon on Pickett’s charge field to reenact “Shaking of the Hands.” The town was also packed. Deb was on the corner of Lincoln Square selling engraved bricks to raise funds for MSG with phone in hand in case anyone needed her from the 150th planning committee.
Then she overheard someone say, “The hospital is on lock-down!” “Did you see the snipers on the roof of the Heritage Center?”
Standing on the corner of Lincoln Square, completely vulnerable in 90+ degree heat, selling bricks, while her greatest fear was playing out. She quickly returned to her office only to find out the entire town was on lock down while 40,000 people continued to walk the fields of Pickets Charge enthralled with the reenactment event. Apparently, some teenage kids decided to randomly steal a car during the peak of the commemoration, a chase ensued, and they ran the car into a bank building in the middle of tens of thousands of people in town. Given the heightened sensitivity of terrorism due to the Boston Bombing, the terrorism security plans (federal, state and local) kicked into gear. Lockdown, snipers on buildings, hundreds of undercover police and dogs were called in. Clearly the security teams kept their word and had it under control. This was definitely a memorable moment for Ms. Adamik!!
Deb has been married for 37 years and has had one miracle daughter, who was 1.5 pounds when she was born in 1988. The miracles that she has experienced completely changed her life in so many ways. Through this experience she learned how to take risks with courage and have faith both spiritually and in her own abilities.
She owns a Bernese Mountain Dog named Madison or otherwise known as “Main Street Maddie.” She became a social media hit when she donned her purse and went shopping downtown during the pandemic.
Deb enjoys the theatre, especially Broadway musicals, Turner Classic movies, all types of music and art. She LOVES to dance! There is no place in Gettysburg to dance! She would very much like to see a business open up in Gettysburg that offers the opportunity to dance.
When she retires, she is looking forward to enjoying her 33-acre farmette, particularly the wildlife and experimenting with gardens of flowers and vegetables. Traveling is also something that she looks forward to. In 2019 her family took an incredible tour of Eastern Europe and it just created the hunger to see more. When the COVID situation is over, she looks forward to traveling within the states, as well as throughout the world.