HELENA — Downtown Helena Incorporated has voted to dissolve as an organization as of Wednesday morning. Members of the group will now merge with the Helena Business Improvement District.
After all five board members agreed to bring forward the option of dissolution, there was a vote among the members of the DHI to begin the process of dissolving as a legal entity and voted to join under the umbrella of the Business Improvement District.
“You know, there’s been confusion having two organizations that kind of work in parallel towards similar goals. And so, it makes a lot of sense to pool our resources, pool volunteer resources into one organization, yeah, ultimately for the goal of keeping downtown Helena as healthy and thriving as it currently is,” says Board President of DHI, Sarah Hamblock.
This decision comes after DHI’s decision in October to suspend 2024 event operations, citing a lack of funding and community support. DHI organized events like Alive at Five, the Art Walk and Little Tykes Trick or Treat.
The Business Improvement District says those events are open to organizations, businesses, and members of the public to take over. They are hoping to help those who may want to take over any event by providing event grants.
“The BID is going to do whatever is best for downtown Helena, both the property owners and especially the business owners,” says Executive Director of BID, John Dendy.
DHI members wanted to make it clear that this decision will help consolidate efforts towards supporting downtown. Hamblock also encourages the public to get involved by reaching out to BID.
“Downtown Helena will continue to be a place to eat, shop, drink. It is busier than it has been in years and these two organizations coming together will only serve to improve our community and allow more opportunities for public involvement,” says Hamblock.
