Board Spotlight: Meet Main Street America’s Three New Board Members
We are excited to welcome Lynda Tran, Tyrone Rachal, and Mary Helmer Wirth to the Main Street America Board of Directors
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Today, T-Mobile named its next 25 Hometown Grant recipients, bringing the total to 225 communities since they announced their massive five-year commitment to small towns in April 2021. The company has now given more than $10 million to kickstart community development ideas across 42 states, with projects like upgrading tech at local libraries, building new hiking trails and revitalizing historic buildings.
T-Mobile works with Main Street America and Smart Growth America to select Hometown Grant recipients. These two organizations have decades of experience helping to build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Application assessments are based on level of detail and completeness, potential community impact, project viability and other factors.
“The T-Mobile Hometown Grant program has made a massive impact in small towns and rural communities across the country,” said Main Street America Interim CEO Hannah White. “Grantees have renovated historic spaces, built new playgrounds and parks, and spurred innovative placemaking projects that are bringing community members together in new and meaningful ways. We are thrilled to partner with T-Mobile and Smart Growth America to continue this important work in places that are too-often overlooked.”
These are the next 25 winners and their projects:
- Springville, Ala.: Renovate the Main Street Farmers Market Pavilion, including a new pergola, concrete pad, concrete stage, exterior lighting, planter boxes and AstroTurf area for community events and gatherings.
- Kingsburg, Calif.: Install restrooms, solar lighting, landscaping, and Wi-Fi access points at Athwal Park as part of a multi-year, master-planned recreation project to add new amenities, including improved digital access.
- Mount Shasta, Calif.: Launch the Fire Toolkit Project through the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, aimed at providing fire prevention and safety resources, equipment, and training to communities across Siskiyou County, including a fully equipped mobile trailer.
- *Calhoun, Ga.: Revamp the Cyber Café at the Boys & Girls Clubs serving Chattooga, Gordon, Murray and Whitfield Counties, by updating technology with routers, tablets with a portable charging station, touchscreen televisions and an interactive virtual educational system for youth to have a dedicated space for homework help and program engagement.
- *Colfax, Iowa: Beautify Downtown Colfax with the addition of a pocket park, including brick pavers, tables, chairs, bicycle racks, planter boxes, a sculptural partition, and other public art, to provide an outdoor community gathering space.
- Independence, Iowa: Put in artificial turf at all five fields at the Independence Baseball/Softball Complex to expand youth sports programs and create jobs across northeast Iowa.
- Highland, Ill.: Install a new, unique playground this fall at Highland’s Silver Lake Park with ropes, logs, boulders, and other elements of nature incorporated into it that will inspire imagination.
- Rantoul, Ill.: Preserve the area’s rich railroad, agriculture and military history by incorporating and installing interactive sculptures and murals around Downtown Rantoul, as a part of the Downtown Streetscape Project.
- Peru, Ind.: Revive seven city blocks of downtown Peru, installing benches, bike racks and trash receptacles to increase walkability and gathering at downtown events and farmers market activities.
- Iola, Kan.: Create four murals depicting historical industries and landmarks that represent the area, in partnership with local designer Max Grundy that will be seen from U.S. Route 54 and 169.
- *Hagerstown, Md.: Support an interactive life safety education program for youth, addressing critical issues like traffic and pedestrian safety, fire and water safety and more at the Children’s Village Skills Training Building, taught by emergency responders and retired educators.
- *Skowhegan, Maine: Build The Kitchen at 185, a shared commercial kitchen and business incubator, aimed to support food producers, purveyors and restaurateurs by cultivating a business ecosystem, including flex spaces for food vendors to market their products and a food hall area for the community.
- Marshall, Minn.: Create a career and technical workforce training center for youth, available to all students throughout the public school system to provide more opportunities for hands-on and skills-based learning.
- Historic Village of Gold Hill, N.C.: Replace worn out wooden boardwalks in the village and add ADA accessibility to areas, increase public safety as well as install benches dedicated to our local veterans throughout the village.
- Franklin, N.C.: Construct a bilingual community health center out of an acquired 16,000 square foot warehouse, including integrated primary/behavioral healthcare and pharmacy, dental care, social services agencies, meeting spaces, health and fitness classes, community groups and arts to provide needed resources for the community.
- *Lovington, N.M.: Revamp the historic art-deco style Lea Theatre, including updates to the building’s roof, exterior, electrical and plumbing, to provide the community with an entertainment venue.
- Pahrump, Nev.: Install a water splash pad at Simkins Park, providing a way for children in the community to cool off and a sustainable, economical water solution in a water-restricted desert climate.
- Anadarko, Okla.: Beautify the historic downtown Miller Theater by adding an outdoor greenspace area, including a raised stage and amphitheater, restrooms, outdoor seating, concession stand and mural honoring the town’s rich history of the Native American community.
- *Guthrie, Okla.: Renovate the Hope House, a temporary haven for families and individuals, including updates to living resources like laundry services, bathrooms and storage, and an updated surveillance system, security doors and fencing to help ensure the safety of residents.
- *McMinnville, Ore.: Transform a high traffic alley passageway into the McMinnville Community Art Alley, a beautiful, safe culture focal point in the downtown area, with the partnership of 10 local businesses.
- Warm Springs, Ore.: Create the Warm Springs Commissary, reclaiming a 125-year-old former Bureau of Indian Affairs commissary building and turning it in to a sustainably built co-working space with retail (barber shop, café, art store), food carts, outdoor pavilion and community gathering spaces supporting 40 aspiring or current tribal small businesses.
- DuBois, Pa.: Launch the Dubois Area Middle School eSports program, providing technology equipment like gaming computers and consoles, wall-mounted televisions and seating to encourage e-sports competitions across the region.
- *Derry Township, Lewistown, Pa.: Build two new playgrounds (Tot Lot and Youth), remodel restrooms and add native plantings to provide the community with much needed outdoor family recreational space.
- *Dyersburg, Tenn.: Repair the Dyersburg Farmers Market, a highly attended outdoor space, by replacing uneven concrete floor slabs, metal siding and installing handrails to improve public safety.
- Mount Carmel, Tenn.: Create an outdoor classroom in City Park for students from Mount Carmel Elementary, Mount Carmel Library summer reading program, and area homeschool groups, to have a dedicated, creative space to learn ecology, gardening and crafts.
*Main Street America Member Community
T-Mobile awards Hometown Grants each quarter for up to 25 towns with a population of less than 50,000 people. Anyone with a vision for how to make their community even stronger than it is today can apply. For more information or to apply, click here.
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Meet the latest graduates of our certificate program for leaders in commercial district revitalization.
Main Spotlight: Developing a Toolbox to Help Manage Growth on Main Street
Georgetown has developed a strong Downtown Master Plan that helps serve as a guide-point for planning efforts in downtown
Announcing the 2020 Mary Means Leadership Award Recipient
Meet Sharon Jablonski, the Director of Morganton Main Street in Morganton, North Carolina, and the first recipient of the Mary Means Leadership Award.
Announcing the 2020 Great American Main Street Award Winners
Congratulations to these Main Street programs for their fantastic work!
Community Spotlight: Missouri Main Street Connection Leads the Iowa Community Expedition
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) had the opportunity to take Missouri Executive Directors and other community representatives on the Iowa Community Expedition
District Spotlight: Pontiac, Michigan
In response, UrbanMain and Main Street Oakland County joined forces in March 2018 to assist Pontiac stakeholders in putting their downtown organization back on a positive track, making Pontiac the first community in Michigan to participate in the UrbanMain initiative.
2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Winning Sites
American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America announced the winners of the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign.
2018 Community Transformation Workshop Recap
An essential component of the Main Street America Institute, the three-day in-person workshop gives participants hands-on tools to enact revitalization projects in their communities.
A Statewide Movement Improving West Virginia Main Streets
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
