The Roanoke Rapids Main Street program received its fifth consecutive national accreditation, Main Street Development Director Christina Caudle confirmed this evening.
Roanoke Rapids was one of 46 in the state designated today by the National Main Street Center as an accredited Main Street America program, according to a statement.
Caudle said the Roanoke Rapids program met 10 accreditation standards — categories including its organizational structure and vision and mission statements to design management and the evaluation of the board and the director.
“Because we’re meeting these standards we get to be recognized as a leading program nationally,” Caudle said. “It means our foundation is good, our board is sound which allows us to focus on the programming to revitalize our historic district. Earning this honor is a testament to the people involved in this project from the board to the partnership with the city.”
State Secretary of Commerce Anthony M. Copeland said in the statement, “The Main Street and Rural Planning Center builds capacity in our rural and small-town communities. These nationally-accredited communities work closely with the community development experts in the Department of Commerce to create vibrant downtowns that attract investment and create jobs all across our state.”
Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center, said, “We are proud to acknowledge this year’s nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities.
“These programs deserve recognition for generating impressive economic returns, preserving community character, and celebrating local history. Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of changemakers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in the places they call home is inspiring.”
Each community’s performance is annually evaluated by the North Carolina Main Street staff in partnership with the National Main Street Center. The staff identifies the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determine the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.
In fiscal year 2018, North Carolina Main Street programs generated $222 million in local public and private reinvestment, helped open 247 net new businesses, generated 1,288 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 255 buildings and 372 façade improvements.
“These communities have established a strong foundation that supports transformational downtown economic development initiatives and they are committed to the principles of the Main Street program,” said Liz Parham, director of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center.
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for nearly 40 years.
In 2018 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.39 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 5,310 net new businesses, generated 25,301 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,146 historic buildings and clocked 2.2 million volunteer hours.