Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street Receives 2015 National Main Street Accreditation
Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the national 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 their outstanding accomplishment in meeting the National Main Street Center’s 10 Standards of Performance,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “As the National Main Street Center celebrates its 35th Anniversary, it is also important to celebrate the achievements of the local Main Street programs across the country, some of whom have been around since the beginning. These local programs work hard every day to make their communities great places to work, live, play and visit while still preserving their historic character.”
The Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street organization is evaluated annually by Missouri Main Street Connection, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten 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 fostering strong public-private partnerships, tracking economic progress, preserving historic buildings and more.
Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street met both the national and state accredited-level criteria, which is the highest designation level in the Missouri Main Street connection program.
“Everyone who contributes to the accreditation achievement of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street can be proud of the recognition,” said Gayla Roten, State Director for MMSC. “Downtown Lee’s Summit has built a strong foundation of supporters and partnerships for the program and has made an excellent awareness campaign that Downtown Lee’s Summit is Your Downtown. They have made great progress over the past year. Lee’s Summit is also to be congratulated on the image building events which attract many new visitors and locals to enjoy the downtown.”
“Having just celebrated Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street’s 25th anniversary, we are profoundly grateful to all those countless individuals and businesses who have so generously given their time, talents and energy in a collaborative effort to revitalize, preserve and strengthen Downtown as the heart of Lee’s Summit. We are proud to have earned the 2015 National Main Street Accreditation and look forward to supporting the continued success of downtown Lee’s Summit,” said Jody Fristoe, executive director of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street.
For more information about the national program accreditation program, visit http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/about-main-street/the-programs/national-programs.html.
Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Downtown Lee’s Summit, Mo. Downtown Lee’s Summit is a multiple state and national award-winner for excellence in downtown revitalization, including the 2010 Great American Main Street Award, which the National Trust Main Street Center gives to only five communities across the nation every year.
Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, the National Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,000 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 35 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $61.7 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 528,557 net new jobs and 120,510 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 251,838 buildings, leveraging an average of $26.52 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.