Posted: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 9:29 am

Members of the Martin Historic Business District attended the Downtown Revitalization Workshop in Nashville June 28-29.

The Press 7.7.10 Local residents attended the Downtown Revitalization Workshop at the Sheraton in Nashville June 28-29. Members of the Martin Historical Business District attended the event that provides a solid foundation for future economic development in communities across Tennessee.
“We believe that a prosperous and sustainable community is only as healthy as its downtown,” said Olivia Wilson, MHBD president.
Wilson also said that the Tennessee Downtown Program is Martin’s Historical Business District’s foundation for local initiatives to revitalize Martin’s downtown district.
“Tennessee Downtowns represents a valuable opportunity for our community to receive meaningful assistance for revitalizing our downtown, which serves as a foundation for sustainable economic development,” said Kimberly Craddock, director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Martin.
The five-member steering committees of the Tennessee Downtowns communities were given scholarships for the workshop. In addition to conference participants, Leslie Haywood Moore, Warner Pace and Angie Huey, all of Martin helped write the grant application for the MHBD.
The workshop 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.
“It is a comprehensive strategy that will foster incremental improvements in economic restructuring, design, promotion and organization.
“We are focusing on our unique community assets, targeting infrastructure and building improvements, launching community-based, volunteer driven non-profit entities that will empower residents and investors to collaborate for sustainable revitalization,” said Wilson.
The Martin Historical Business District will receive a $15,000 grant to be used for a downtown project after the completion of an 18-month training program.
“Downtown belongs to everybody, and it takes everybody to prosper. The first thing prospective corporations look at is a community’s downtown,” said Wagster, member of Martin Historical Business District. Martin was one of 10 communities selected to participate in the Tennessee Downtowns program in March of this year.
For more information about Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns, visit www.tennesseemainstreet.org.