LaFayette joins more than 700 other Main Street revitalization programs being recognized as 2008 National Main Street programs. Each year, the National Trust Main Street Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited National Main Street programs around the country that have demonstrated their ability to follow the Main Street methodology.
“We are proud of our accomplishments in the last year, particularly our school arts program achievements and support for establishing the Lookout Mountain Valley Trail and Foothills Art Gallery,” Mayor Neal Florence said.
LaFayette Downtown Development Authority administers the city’s Main Street program.
The National Trust Main Street Center works in partnership with coordinating Main Street programs throughout the nation to identify the local programs that meet the National Trust Main Street Center’s 10 basic performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization.
Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings. For more information on the National Main Street program accreditation, visit mainstreet.org/nationalprograms.
The organization’s performance was evaluated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Office of Downtown Development, which is the coordinating organization for Main Street programs in Georgia.
“We congratulate this year’s accredited National Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” said Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Rebuilding a district’s economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support, in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success.”
Since 1980, the National Trust Main Street Center has helped hundreds of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the nation reclaim the unique quality of life that only a thriving community center can provide. Through the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization, which combines historic preservation and economic development, the Center has forged a nationwide movement for the revival of America’s historic and traditional commercial districts.
The Center provides a nationwide membership network, comprehensive on-site consulting services, in-depth seminars and conferences, technical publications and training materials, and national advocacy for commercial districts.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization, bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history — and the important moments of everyday life — took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.
For more information, visit preservationnation.org.
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