Main Street Columbus

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Join us for the 18th Annual Market Street Festival on May 3 & 4, 2013 in Historic Downtown Columbus!

2010 Great American Main Street Award winner!!

Tuesday, May 4th the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that Main Street Columbus in Columbus, Mississippi is a winner of the 2010 Great American Main Street Awards® (GAMSA). Recognized as a leader by following the Main Street Four-Point Approach®, embracing sound historic preservation ethics and building strategic partnerships, Main Street Columbus was honored at the Main Street Awards Ceremony during the National Main Streets Conference in Oklahoma City.

The National Trust Main Street Center’s annual GAMSA winners are recognized for their exceptional accomplishments in revitalizing the nation’s historic and traditional Main Street commercial districts by using the proven Main Street Four-Point Approach®. Main Street Columbus, a 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destination, worked with the city to create a regulatory environment that supported a mixed-use downtown with popular upper-floor apartments. With a harmonious combination of retail, dining, business services, and housing in a downtown that renovated nearly every building, Columbus continues to be enlivened by revitalization projects.

“Downtown Columbus leads the state in upper-floor housing,” said Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Its vision to make downtown a great place to live – not just to work and play – has created a true 24/7 community. This is an exemplary Main Street that successfully used planning tools and partnerships to achieve its revitalization goals.”

The other four winners include Downtown Fairmont, Fairmont, W.Va.; Downtown Ferndale, Ferndale, Mich.; Downtown Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit, Mo.; and Paducah Main Street, Paducah, Ky.

GAMSA winners demonstrate exemplary achievement in the process of strengthening their downtowns and commercial districts based on the following selection criteria:

• Active involvement of the public and private sectors;
• Broad-based community support for the revitalization effort;
• Quality of achievements over time;
• Innovative solutions to significant problems;
• Commitment to historic preservation;
• Evolving track record of successful commercial district revitalization;
• Comprehensive revitalization effort: activity in all four points of the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization;
• Economic impact of the revitalization program; and
• Successful small business development.

The winners were selected by a national jury composed of former award winners, community development professionals, governmental agency representatives who are active in community economic development and historic preservation.

The 2010 Great American Main Street Awards are sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, one of the leading producers of natural gas in the U.S. and the most active driller of new wells in the country. The Oklahoma City-based company has long been in the forefront of promoting increased use of clean-burning, abundant and domestic natural gas.

The Main Street Four-Point Approach® is a proven methodology for historic preservation-based economic development that was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation 30 years ago and is used in more than 2,000 communities throughout the U.S.

For more information check out:
http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/