Main Street McMinnville: Main Street revitalization meets national standards
Question: Is Main Street nationally certified, and what does that mean?
Answer: The efforts of Main Street McMinnville have earned it recognition for commercial district revitalization by meeting standards for performance set by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center.
Main Street McMinnville joins over 500 other Main Street revitalization programs nationally recognized as a National Main Street Program for 2003. Main Street McMinnville and Main Street Murfreesboro were the only two Main Street communities in Tennessee to receive the National Accreditation at the National Town Meeting, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in May 2003. Congratulations to Main Street Directors Amy-Jo Stanford of McMinnville and Janelee Wise of Murfreesboro for ensuring their communities met the rigorous requirements.
“Effective Main Street revitalization programs create vibrant commercial districts with many different uses, where people come not only to shop, but also to work, live, and have fun. By stimulating economic vitality and adapting historic buildings for new uses, Main Street districts are places that define community,” says Kennedy Smith, director of the National Trust’s Main Street Center. “The criteria for the National Main Street Program designation reflect the activities needed in a well-balanced district revitalization. Designation of Main Street McMinnville as a National Main Street Program reflects that it meets these national performance criteria for good management practice.”
The annual recognition program evaluates commercial district revitalization programs by criteria like: broad-based public support, historic preservation ethic, active board of directors, adequate funding, a paid professional manager and reporting of economic progress by providing statistical information. The program’s performance was evaluated by the National Trust’s National Main Street Center.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, D.C. headquarters staff, six regional offices, and 21 historic sites work with the Trust’s quarter-million members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit the National Trust’s Web site at www.nationaltrust.org.
Rodney Boyd is president of Main Street McMinnville.