HAWKINSVILLE BETTER HOMETOWN
RECEIVES 2012 NATIONAL TRUST MAIN STREET ACCREDITATION

Hawkinsville, Georgia April 27, 2012- Hawkinsville Better Hometown has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center®. Each year, the National Trust and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street® programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four-Point Approach® methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings.
 
“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the recession head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable.”
 
The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Downtown Development which works in partnership with the National Trust Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings. For more information on the national program accreditation program, visit preservationnation.org.
 
Board Chair, Jill Hardin said, "I am thrilled that Hawkinsville Better Hometown has been designated once again as an accredited National Main Street Program.
Without the endless effort and diligent work of our Director Karen Bailey and all of our dedicated volunteers, we would not have this prestigious award. Thank you for making our community a special place to be."

Karen L. Bailey, Director added, “ We are celebrating our thirteenth year as a Georgia Main Street program and I am excited to have such engaged volunteers and valuable partnerships involved who are as passionate about our mission as I am!” “ Together we have accomplished important tasks included in our work plans such as providing leadership and support in forming the Ocmulgee River Blueway Partnership; planting trees downtown on Commerce Street, starting plans for the rehabilitation of the historic fire house located next door to City Hall, sponsoring a successful downtown fall festival, acquiring a grant and working to produce a new historic tour guide that should be available this fall, developing a comprehensive building inventory, attending many state sponsored trainings for program support and development, sponsoring an Oral History Forum featuring Black History month, sponsoring Keep Georgia Beautiful cleanup campaign and Bring One for the Chipper annual Christmas tree mulching event, being involved in local leadership development , providing support for two Communities of Opportunity grant projects that include a super successful Teen Maze and website and internet skills development program and by assisting with paddle events to promote our river, parks and blueway development efforts, assisting the Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism Resource Team helping facilitate local tours and with development of the team report, as well as hosting regional Better Hometown / Main Street managers meeting.

We have partnered with our city, county, Hawkinsville Downtown Development Authority, Hawkinsville Historic Preservation Commission, Hawkinsville Garden Club, University of Georgia Archway Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, United Pulaski Economic Development, Hawkinsville Pulaski County Arts Council, our local schools, Hawkinsville Rotary Club, Pulaski Historical Society, UGA Small Business Development Center, Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Middle Georgia Regional Development Authority, Middle Georgia Technical College, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, Georgia Conservancy, Rivers Alive, as well as our local merchants and businesses to be able to achieve these goals and mile stones.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.PreservationNation.org.

Established in 1980, the National Trust Main Street Center® helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 30 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $53.6 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 448,835 net new jobs and 104,961 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 229,164 buildings, leveraging an average of $18 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.