At the ceremony that focused on the results of Main Street efforts, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng spoke to the audience of more than 70 downtown revitalization volunteers and professionals about the visible results of their leadership. “Virginia main streets are thriving because of the collaboration between public and private sector, local and state governments and the citizens of each community getting involved to make their downtowns an attractive place to live, work and play,” said Cheng.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development Director Bill Shelton pointed to downtown progress through the numbers. “In the last five years, designated Main Street communities have sparked more than $252 million in private investment in their districts,” said Shelton. “As a result, last year, there was a net collective gain of 424 jobs across the 25 Main Street downtown districts.”
“Historic Main Street communities are much more than bricks and mortar. They serve as the heart and soul of our communities as they evoke the stories of our past while providing incomparable economic and cultural opportunities which sustain the quality of life for all citizens,” said Cate Magennis Wyatt, former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the founder of The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership. “Our national surveys have found that 84 percent of potential visitors are, first and foremost, attracted to the region because of our quaint small towns. The work of the Virginia Main Street Program is critically important to creating jobs and attracting these visitors to the commonwealth.”
Below is a list of award recipients:
Volunteerism Milestone Achievement Awards
1,000 Volunteer Hours
St. Paul Tomorrow, Inc.
5,000 Volunteer Hours
Advance Abingdon
Downtown Blackstone, Inc.
20,000 Volunteer Hours
Berryville Main Street
Orange Downtown Alliance, Inc.
25,000 Volunteer Hours
Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc.
55,000 Volunteer Hours
Historic Manassas, Inc.
80,000 Volunteer Hours
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance
Staunton Downtown Development Association
90,000 Volunteer Hours
Lynch’s Landing Foundation
Private Investment Milestone Achievement Awards
$100 Million in Private Investment
Lynch’s Landing Foundation and the city of Lynchburg
$110 Million in Private Investment
Winchester Old Town Development Board and the city of Winchester
Building Improvement Milestone Achievement Awards
250 Building Projects
Main Street Radford, Inc. and the city of Radford
500 Building Projects
Staunton Downtown Development Association and the city of Staunton
Special Achievement Awards
Marion Downtown Revitalization Association
Believe in Bristol
25 Years of Main Street
Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. and the town of Culpeper
Historic Manassas, Inc. and the city of Manassas
virginiamainstreet.com 