Main Street Selma’s annual meeting is coming up in less than two weeks, and the organization is hoping to look back at what it accomplished in 2016 and ahead to what it hopes to accomplish in 2017.

Main Street Selma, formerly known as the Downtown Selma Association, was re-branded in 2016.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Charlie’s Place on Water Avenue.

Terry Lee, who has been volunteering as the director for just over a month now, said he has spent the last month updating contacts with all of the organization’s members and seeking out new members.

“We’ve been real aggressive about trying to get as many businesses as we can by getting invitations into their hands, primarily in the area covered by Main Street and then some of the larger companies outside the Main Street area also that we know would want to have a stake in the future of downtown,” Lee said.

Still new to the position, Lee said he is looking forward to getting to talk more with board members and businesses.

“I’m looking forward to meeting more of the business community that I have not met so far and getting to know some of the other members of the Main Street Selma Board,” Lee said. “I have met most of them, but I have not spent much time with them.”

During the meeting, Lee said there will be a presentation looking back at some of the organization’s accomplishments of 2016, but it will also discuss Main Street’s future.

“We’re really looking to get the organization a stronger footing,” Lee said. “It’s gone through some changes … so we’re looking to grow the organization, get more membership and become a little more noticeable in what we are doing with Selma.”

Lee said the meeting will also be an opportunity to introduce new board members to everyone that attends the meeting.

Lee said Main Street Selma is focused on a four-pronged plan of organization, promotion, economic vitality and design, which will hopefully help downtown Selma reach its potential.

“Selma’s downtown district is not what it used to be. We all know it has the potential to be something really extra special with the history that’s involved with the city and the beautiful old buildings that we have,” Lee said. “It’s really about getting people to get excited about it, getting people to start patronizing the businesses on a more regular basis that are downtown.”

Lee said there are currently 40 Selma businesses that are members of Main Street Selma, but he is hoping that number will continue to expand.

“We definitely hope to expand on that considerably,” he said. “Recently we’ve been able to get some of the newer shops in town joined up, and we want to get with some of the other businesses.”

Food and drinks will be served during the meeting. To R.S.V.P., contact Lee at (205) 243-1651. Buddy Palmer, Selma native and CEO of Create Birmingham, will be the guest speaker.

Main Street Selma’s office is located inside Selma City Hall on Broad Street and can be reached at 874-2169.