Main Street: Greeneville Receives 2023 MAIN STREET AMERICA Accreditation
Main Street: Greeneville has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”
Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce, of 1.1 million people, contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.
Main Street: Greeneville’s performance is annually evaluated by Tennessee Main Street Program housed within TN ECD, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To quality for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
Main Street: Greeneville saw within the eighteen block District during 2022 fifty building rehabilitation projects, with a value of private investment spent at $1,297,071 dollars and eleven public improvement projects with a value of $5,423,799 invested. The district had a net gain of 46 jobs and 5 new businesses. Volunteers supported projects and events in the district donating 9,107 hours of their time. Main Street is currently providing financial assistance to rehabilitate five properties downtown through the TN ECD Downtown Improvement Grant (DIG) Program. The award for this round of grants was $150,000 and is the third grant within six years awarded to the local program for a combined total of $350,000 being invested within the community. The local program also coordinates the downtown urn program, flying of American flags and banners, Lyrics on the Lawn Summer Concert Series, Barrel & Leaf, Halloween Happenings and Christmas in Downtown. It’s tour division provides two professionally guided tours that you can’t miss – “A Walk with the President” walking tour and a tour of the Dickson-Williams Mansion.
“Main Street: Greeneville celebrates a milestone in 2023 having served this community for forty years. It has been a pleasure to work in and support this community. Seeing what has been and continues to be accomplished when you are fortunate to be aligned with great supporting partners is very rewarding. Being a state and nationally accredited program allows us to apply for and provide valuable programs to those here at home that would otherwise not be accessible to us. For that opportunity we are grateful. It is an exciting time for Greeneville/Greene County, and we look forward to seeing a vibrant lifestyle return to downtown, the heart of our community.” Stated Jann Mirkov, Executive Director.
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ABOUT Main Street: Greeneville
Main Street: Greeneville is a non-profit 501 (c)3 corporation formed in 1983 as the first of Tennessee’s five original Main Street communities. It is governed by an all-volunteer board with an executive director on staff. It is a program of Main Street America, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It supports sustainable community driven revitalization efforts through design, economic vitality, organization, and promotion. The local Main Street District is an eighteen-block area in historic downtown Greeneville that includes both commercial and residential properties. Visit www.mainstreetgreeneville.org for more information.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org