Falls Chamber-Main Street receives national designation

Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street has been designated an accredited National Main Street Program for 2010 for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.

Each year, the National Trust and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs.

The programs have been selected based on the ability to build strong revitalization organizations and to follow the Main Street methodology for strengthening the local economy and protecting historic buildings.

“We congratulate Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street for meeting our established performance standards,” said 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 revitalization programs we recognize each year as National Main Street Programs are those that have demonstrated the skills needed to succeed in Main Street revitalization,” he said.

The National Trust Main Street Center works in partnership with coordinating Main Street Programs throughout the nation to identify the local programs that meet the National Trust Main Street Center’s 10 basic 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.

The evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts. They include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress and preserving historic buildings.

“A healthy Main Street district is vital to a healthy community,” said Nancy Verstrate, executive director of Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street. “Not only do Main Street districts reflect their communities’ evolution and personalities, they also generate significant revenues for local governments.”

In the 22 years since the Sheboygan Falls program began, more than $17,370,000 in public, private and Main Street funds have been invested in 210 various building, infrastructure and improvement projects.

This has resulted a 108-percent increase in property values, which have generated increased city and county tax revenues.

The Sheboygan Falls programs’ performance was evaluated by the Wisconsin State Main Street Program, which is the statewide coordinating organization for Main Street programs in Wisconsin, as operated by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

“Rebuilding a district’s economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement, active support from both the public and private sectors and sound management,” added Verstrate. “Having a solid organization at the foundation of that revitalization effort is so important to long term success.

“A successful, well-run Main Street program creates a vibrant downtown of many uses, where people come not only to shop but to meet or even live,” she said. “By increasing economic vitality and focusing on reusing historic buildings, it creates an environment that defines the community,” she said. “The designation of Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street reflects a well-run downtown revitalization initiative, and the citizens of Sheboygan Falls should be proud of their 22 years of effort, and their commitment to making the downtown area the best it can be.”

The Main Street program has been successful, due in part to a partnership between the Wisconsin State Main Street Program and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center, as well as the dedication and entrepreneurial spirit of the local Sheboygan Falls business community.

“Sheboygan Falls is both proud and challenged to receive this designation for a remarkable 10th consecutive year as a National Main Street City,” continued Verstrate. “We are proud that we have continued on the path of success begun in 1988 and marked with the 1995 designation of Sheboygan Falls as a National Main Street City of the Year. We are challenged to continue the program with renewed energy and a look to the future of this outstanding business community”.

Since 1980, The National Trust Main Street Center has helped hundreds of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the nation reclaim the unique quality of life that only a thriving community center can provide.

Through the Main Street four-point approach to commercial district revitalization, which combines historic preservation and economic development, the center has forged a nationwide movement for the revival of America’s historic and traditional commercial districts.

The center provides a nationwide membership network, comprehensive on-site consulting services, indepth seminars and conferences, technical publications and training materials and national advocacy for commercial districts.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them.

By saving the places where great moments from history and the important moments of everyday life took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability.

With headquarters in Washington, D.C., nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites and partner organization in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.

For more information on the work of this organization, visit www.preservationnation.org To learn more about Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street, visit www.sheboyganfalls.org