Submitted
It was announced Thursday that Salina Downtown Inc. is a designate of the Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards.
Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
In 2023, the Main Street America programs generated $5.68 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,630 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 35,162 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,556 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,664,763 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $18.03 of new investment back into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.
“We are incredibly excited to celebrate this year’s 800 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their remarkable efforts to reenergize their local economies and public spaces,” said Main Street America President and CEO Erin Barnes. “Main Street leaders are visionaries that see things that no one else can see and create the future world we all want to live in. The size and impact of our network demonstrates that great things happen when visions are realized through strategic, grassroots collaboration.”
Salina Downtown Inc. performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and Kansas Main Street, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward.
To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
Salina Downtown Inc is pleased to highlight that in 2023, it gave $60,000.00 in façade funding to our local business that are in downtown Salina within the Business Improvement District. In 2024, it is on target to give the same amount in façade grants. Salina Downtown Inc. has provided consistent programming and it has made major additions to the general aesthetics of downtown Salina.
“Receiving our 2024 Main Street America accreditation speaks volume about the commitment that April, Dian, our board of directors and I have to Salina Downtown. We are incredibly proud to represent all of our downtown business owners in their efforts to achieve their dreams. Receiving our accreditation for the third year in a row allows Salina Downtown to remain one of the very best downtown districts in the state of Kansas," said Leslie Bishop, Executive Director – Salina Downtown Inc.