Brownsville represented at Downtown Revitalization Workshop

Twelve second round Tennessee Downtowns communities were announced in December.  Pictured are those who attended the recent two-day workshop. Representing Brownsville are Sharon Hayes, Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Pat Cummins, Pat Bailey and John Ashworth.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development hosted a two-day Downtown Revitalization Workshop in Nashville June 27 – 28. Representatives from Tennessee’s 24 Main Street Program communities and 12 newly selected Tennessee Downtowns communities attended the free educational workshop, which was made possible through a $50,000 sponsorship from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The second round of Tennessee Downtowns communities was announced in December and included Brownsville. Representing Brownsville at the workshop were Sharon Hayes, Pat Cummins, John Ashworth, Pat Bailey and Sonia Outlaw-Clark.

To qualify to participate in the program, the downtown commercial districts must have been established at least 50 years ago and have demonstrated their readiness to organize efforts for downtown revitalization based on the successful “Main Street Four-Point Approach to Downtown Revitalization.”

“Revitalizing downtown commercial districts enhances the quality of life for our citizens and makes our communities more attractive to business investment,” said Commissioner Bill Hagerty, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “I congratulate our Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns program participants on their hard work and dedication to making their communities even better places to live and work.”

The 2010 Community Reinvestment Statistics reported Tennessee Main Street Program communities generating more than $89 million in public and private investment in downtown districts, creating 400 net new jobs, 94 net new businesses and 222 building rehabilitation projects.

Main Street revitalization is a comprehensive, incremental, self-help economic strategy that also focuses on developing public-private partnerships to enhance community livability and job creation, while maintaining the historic character of the district. 

For more information about Tennessee Main Street Program and Tennessee Downtowns, visitwww.tennesseemainstreet.org.