Waynesville, Morganton, Hendersonville win N.C. Main Street awards

Several Western North Carolina cities earned North Carolina Main Street awards: Tryon for an economic restructuring project at St. Luke’s Plaza; Morganton for Best Public Relations Effort, Best Image-Building Campaign and Best Business Retention, Expansion or Recruitment Effort; Waynesville for Best Business Retention, Expansion or Recruitment Effort; and Hendersonville for Best Outdoor Space Improvement. Details are in this press release from the N.C. Department of Commerce:

Main Street Award Winners Recognized

Morganton, N.C.-– Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III and Assistant Secretary Dr. Patricia Mitchell are highlighting award winning downtown revitalization efforts at the N.C. Main Street Awards Conference in Morganton tonight.  They will present 23 awards to participants in the N.C. Main Street and Small Town Main Street programs in Morganton’s Municipal Auditorium at 401 S. College Street at 7 p.m.  Award winners are recognized for excellence in downtown revitalization efforts in categories that include promotion, organization, design and economic restructuring.

“Congratulations are in order for North Carolina’s Main Street Champions and award winning programs,” said Secretary Skvarla. “Their hard work breathes new life into downtowns all across our state and provides opportunities for small business as well as entertainment options for our citizens.”

The North Carolina Main Street program helps small towns preserve their historic fabric. Local resources help participants build on their community’s unique characteristics to create vibrant central business districts. This year’s award winners were chosen by a panel of independent judges from dozens of applications submitted by Main Street participants throughout the state.

The North Carolina Small Town Main Street program is designed to provide downtown revitalization assistance to small towns with a population of less than 7,500 that are not likely, due to size or resource limitations, to pursue the regular North Carolina Main Street program.  Admittance into the Small Town Main Street program is through a competitive application process.

2014 N.C. SMALL TOWN MAIN STREET AWARDS

ORGANIZATION

• Cherryville       Award of Merit – Cherryville Small Town Main Street Master Work Plan

PROMOTION

• Benson            Award of Merit – Say “I Do” In Benson

ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING

• Tryon   Award of Merit – St. Luke’s Plaza 

2014 N.C. MAIN STREET AWARDS

ORGANIZATION

Best Public-Private Partnership in Downtown Revitalization

• Sanford                       Award of Merit – Chatham Street Parking Lot

Best Innovation

• Burlington       Award of Merit – The Elon University and Downtown Burlington Partnership for Revitalization
• Eden    Award of Merit -Rockingham Community College Center for Brewing Sciences

Best Public Relations Effort

• Morganton      Award of Merit – Morganton’s Main Street Program Energizes Downtown

Best Fundraising Effort

• Fuquay-Varina            Award of Merit – Dinner on Depot Street

 

PROMOTION

Best Downtown Special Event or Event Series

• Wake Forest                Award of Merit – Wake Forest Dirt Day

Best Image-Building Campaign

• Morganton                  Award of Merit – City of Morganton Wayfinding Program

 

ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING

Best Economic Development Incentive

• Burlington       Award of Merit -The Burlington Downtown Corporation Small Grants Program

Best Adaptive Reuse Project

• Elkin                            Award of Merit – The Liberty Renovation Project
• Newton                       Award of Merit – Repurposing of 19 College Avenue
• Salisbury                     Award of Merit – Emma’s of Salisbury

Best Upper Floor Redevelopment

• Eden                            Award of Merit – Washington Street Lofts
• Goldsboro                   Award of Merit -Edgerton Building Apartments
• Wilson                         Award of Merit -Nash Street Lofts

Best Business Retention, Expansion or Recruitment Effort

• Morganton                  Award of Merit – Creative Arts Center Recruitment Initiative
• Waynesville                 Award of Merit -Wells Events & Reception Center

 

DESIGN

Best Historic Rehabilitation Project

• Edenton          Award of Merit – Historic Preservation of the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse

Best Facade Rehabilitation Project for $15,000 or Less

• Clinton                        Award of Merit – Façade Improvement Project at 117 Vance Street

Best Outdoor Space Improvement

• Elkin                            Award of Merit – 2013-2014 Main Street Mural Grant Project

• Hendersonville            Award of Merit – Downtown Hendersonville Main Street Streetscape Rehabilitation Project

 

The conference continues Friday, March 20 at 8:15 a.m. during the Breakfast with Main Street Champions at 401 S. College Street in Morganton.  Secretary Skvarla and Dr. Mitchell  return to recognize 33 individual award winners.  Main Street Champions are designated by their local N.C. Main Street programs for their remarkable community contributions.  This year’s group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 566 award winners since Champions were first named in 1980 as part of N.C. Main Street’s 20^th anniversary celebration.

 

“Main Street Champions recognize the possibilities in their downtowns and strive to make those possibilities a reality,” said Liz Parham, director of the N.C. Main Street Center and the Office of Urban Development. “N.C. Main Street Champions are our communities most valued leaders honored for their commitment to downtown and to their community.  They are Main Street board members and volunteers, nonprofit leaders, downtown developers and small business owners.  They are those individuals that give 110% to their community and then ask, what’s next.”

 

2014 N.C. Main Street Champions  

Nancy Joines, Albemarle Downtown Development Corporation

Transylvania Community Arts Council Board of Directors, Heart of Brevard, Inc.

Douglas McCormac, Clayton Downtown Development Association

Debbie Roberts, Clinton Main Street Program

Ken Griffin, A.I.A., LEED-AP, Concord Downtown Development Corporation

Tom and Maryann Barbour, Eden Downtown Development Corporation

Chowan County Tourism Development Authority Board of Directors, Destination Downtown Edenton, Inc.

Susan Hinkle, Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc.

Chris Cartwright, Elkin Main Street Program

James Spidle, Fuquay-Varina Downtown

Rex Todd (posthumously), Garner Revitalization Association

Wayne Turner, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation

Rhythm & Brews Set-up Team: Ralph Freeman, Mike Hall and Babs Newton, Downtown Hendersonville

Carolina Moon Theater Task Force: Ray Sawyer, Archie Aples, Dean Hoyt, Tom Loughlin, Chris Garrett, Historic Hertford, Inc.

Betty Mahoney, Hickory Downtown Development Association

William Robert (Rob) Bizzell, Pride of Kinston, Inc.

Matthew Underwood, Downtown Lenoir

Mike Turlington, Uptown Lexington, Inc.

Brooke Sherrill, Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton, Inc.

Boyd Phillips, Marion Business Association

Dr. Gresham Orrison, City of Morganton

The Stiver Family, Downtown Newton Development Association

Brad and Tammy Spencer, Reidsville Downtown Corporation

Greg Lawson, Main Street Roanoke Rapids

Margaret McMann, Roxboro Development Group

Mark Lewis, Downtown Salisbury, Inc.

Toby Morrison (posthumously), Downtown Sanford, Inc.

Shelby Savings Bank Kid Zone Team, Uptown Shelby Association

Chris Johnson, Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation

David and Rebecca Jones, Downtown Statesville Development Corporation

Dino Radosta, Wake Forest Downtown, Inc.

The Rex Feichter Family, Downtown Waynesville Association

Tom Corbett, Wilson Downtown Development Corporation

 

To learn more about Main Street Awards and Main Street Champions, visit https://vimeo.com/channels/ncmainstreet2015 to view a short video about each winner.   For more information about the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Main Street program, visitwww.nccommerce.com.