DECATUR - November 13, 2008. The winners of the Lt. Governor's Awards for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization were announced as part of the 15th annual Illinois Main Street Conference.
"These awards recognize the very best work by Illinois towns and cities to promote economic growth, tourism, historic preservation, and civic democracy in their downtown business districts," Quinn said. "I am proud to salute these members of the Illinois Main Street Program for their efforts, and I know the good example they set will benefit communities throughout the Land of Lincoln."
At the ceremony, 20 awards were presented in four categories including: Design; Economic Restructuring; Organization; and Promotion; as well as the Illinois Main Street Executive Director of the Year.
This year's theme, "My Kind of Main Street," was chosen to showcase the diversity of Illinois' Main Street programs. Whether the population of a community is 700 or 150,000, they all contribute to Illinois Main Street's success across the state.
The United States Department of Agriculture recently gave a grant of more than $200,000 to help fund the Illinois Main Street Rural Development Initiative.
Illinois Main Street represents one of the state's most effective public-private partnerships for economic development and community renewal. Since the program's inception, designated communities have reported net gains of more than 1,600 new downtown businesses and created more than 6,000 new full and part-time jobs. The Main Street program has spurred the reinvestment of more than $575 million in Main Street downtowns.
Illinois is one of 40 states participating in the National Main Street program, administered through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Lt. Governor's Office administers the Illinois Main Street program, now the fourth-largest in the nation, with architectural assistance from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. More than 60 communities participate in the Illinois Main Street program.
For more information about the Illinois Main Street program, please visit IllinoisMainStreet.org.
2008 Winners of the Lt. Governor's Awards for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization
Organization Categories
Dwight Main Street - "Alumni Membership Campaign"
Aledo Main Street - "21st Century Communications"
Genoa Main Street - "Dinner and a Movie"
Jacksonville Main Street - "New Life Project: The Pink Palace"
Main Street Momence - "Howdy Partner"
Promotion Categories
Aledo Main Street - "Ladies on the Loose"
Downtown St. Charles Partnership - "Rockin' Block Party"
Pontiac P.R.O.U.D. - "TV Commercials"
Downtown St. Charles Partnership - "Make Tracks to 1st Street"
City Centre Decatur - "Shadows of Lincoln Festival"
Economic Restructuring Categories
Aledo Main Street - "The Livermore Brings More"
Decatur City Centre - "Macon Ice Cream & More"
Jacksonville Main Street - "The Farmers State Bank & Trust Company"
Main Street Lincoln - "Pictures Worth a Thousand Words and a Thousand Visits"
Waukegan Main Street - "Joplin's Java & Ragtime Café"
Design Categories
Batavia Main Street - "Donovan Bridge Reconstruction"
Downtown Mt. Vernon Development Corporation - "The Rex - A Boutique Meeting & Banquet Facility" Aledo Main Street - "The Livermore - Dreaming bigger than most thought they should"
Genoa Main Street - "The Wet Paint Project"
Jacksonville Main Street - "The Pink Palace"
Executive Director of the Year
Pam Myers, Aledo Main Street |