Four new towns, Columbiana, Heflin, Montevallo and Wetumpka -- have joined a statewide effort to build stronger communities through effective downtown revitalization.
Main Street Alabama, a non-profit organization that uses a national model with a 30-year track record of success, known as the Four Point Approach®, which focuses on organization, design, promotion, and economic vitality. The selected towns participated in a five- month competitive application process.
According to Mary Helmer, President and State Coordinator for the program, Main Street Alabama will immediately begin providing each town with intensive board development, training with work plans and goals, market analysis with economic development strategies, targeted technical assistance, and quarterly training related to downtown development. “When a community is ready for Main Street, as these four are, our economic development program works,” Helmer said. “It brings jobs, dollars and people back to historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.”
Helmer added that the interview panel was impressed by the presentations each made that demonstrated a love of their downtowns, a vision for what they could be, and the drive to make it happen.
The four new communities join Alexander City, Anniston, Athens, Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Elba, Eufaula, Florence, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Monroeville, Jasper, Opelika, Oxford and Selma and in using Main Street's comprehensive and incremental approach. Columbiana, Heflin, Montevallo and Wetumpka will join the communities listed above reporting their success by tracking their reinvestment statistics. Main Street Alabama’s Designated communities have reported 239 net new businesses, 2,392 net new jobs, $187,262,002 in private investment, $32,555,955 in public improvements, and 26,652 volunteer hours in their districts collectively since June of 2014.
Main Street Alabama will continue to add new communities annually. Applications to become a Designated Main Street Community will be available in Spring, 2017. Until then, communities interested in downtown revitalization can participate in Main Street Alabama's Downtown Network.
For more information, visit www.mainstreetalabama.org
