Seven designated Virginia Main Street (VMS) communities have been awarded VMS Downtown Improvement Grants in a special initiative marking the program’s 25th anniversary.

Successful proposals in the competitive process demonstrated: 

• Measurable impacts or deliverables;
• Committee or volunteer project leadership/involvement;
• Partnerships and resource leveraging;
• Local government involvement or support;
• Up-to-date program reporting; and
• The ability to complete the project using the $2,500 (plus leverage) by Dec. 2010.

The funded projects in alphabetical order are:

Culpeper:  A downtown banner project will carry forward the VMS-supported identity campaign and leverage donated design time, community volunteer hours, and an in-kind local government contribution. 

Harrisonburg:  A pilot tourism project will engage a collaborative team in the development, trial, and measurement of a concierge and resort-based educational and promotional campaign.

Martinsville:  A print and Web marketing campaign will promote Uptown Martinsville as a destination and include the development and production of a brochure and loyalty cards that shoppers will use to receive special discounts and offers at participating Uptown businesses.

Orange:  A landscaping project will expand a recently successful collaboration between the Orange Downtown Alliance, local garden clubs, and the Town of Orange into a district-wide effort, leveraging volunteer hours and contributions.

South Boston:  A participatory art and history project will engage a collaborative team in painting fire hydrants as part of the community’s strategic arts and heritage economic repositioning.

Staunton: A downtown banner project will extend an existing effort into a transitional, gateway portion of the district, leveraging an existing investment and increasing the engagement of a stakeholder group at the margins.

Winchester: A pedestrian oriented kiosk and signage will implement recommendations from an ongoing wayfinding planning process.

Congratulations to the successful communties, and good luck on the projects.