Main Street Alabama celebrates local program successes with the announcement of the 7th annual Awards of Excellence. The awards honor projects and individuals that make tremendous impacts in their respective communities.
“It’s an honor to recognize outstanding community projects, leaders and volunteers,” said Mary Helmer, state coordinator of Main Street Alabama. “The awards represent the good work being done in Main Street Alabama communities, including those that were initiated after the pandemic, sparking creative ways to promote and help struggling businesses.”
Main Street Wetumpka was the recipient of three awards. First, it won the Excellence in Economic Impact award for its Wetumpka Streetscape Business Mitigation Grant Project, wherein it created a marketing campaign to help mitigate the loss of revenue for impacted businesses downtown during construction. The project also provided grant funds to purchase signage and other elements to help garner visibility and foot traffic for affected businesses.
The second award was the Excellence in Planning and Public Space for its Alleyway Cultivation Project, a project that also recently received commendation from the Alabama Bicentennial Committee. Although The Alleyway is utilized frequently, an official ribbon cutting will take place at a future date. Several community partners and organizations worked with Main Street Wetumpka to make the community project a reality.
Finally, the Main Street Alabama Hero Award was given to Lynn Weldon, economic development director for the City of Wetumpka, for her efforts in helping Main Street Wetumpka achieve Main Street Alabama designation, as well as her continued efforts with the organization.
Main Street Alabama has 28 designated programs and 20 Downtown Network Communities. Alexander City, Anniston, Athens, Atmore, Birmingham, Birmingham’s Historic Fourth Ave Business District, Calera, Columbiana, Decatur, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Florence, Foley, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Headland, Heflin, Jasper,
Marion, Monroeville, Montevallo, Opelika, Oxford, Scottsboro, South Huntsville, and Wetumpka each have designated programs and new communities will be added annually. Applications to become a Designated Program will be available in Spring 2021. Until then, communities interested in downtown revitalization can participate in Main Street Alabama's Downtown Network. Main Street Alabama focuses on bringing jobs, dollars and people back to Alabama’s historic communities.
Economic development is at the heart of our efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
