The Connecticut Light and Power, Representative Bill Grant and Hurricane Katrina Affected Communities Honored for their Leadership by the National Trust
Posted August 3, 2009 | Contact pr@nthp.org or 202-588-6141
NEW ORLEANS (June 6, 2006) – Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center®, recognized the key leaders of the commercial district revitalization movement during the 2006 National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans. The Connecticut Light and Power company received the Business Leadership Award; Representative Bill Grant of the Washington State Legislature was presented with the Civic Leadership Award; and Main Street organizations and individuals who were affected by Hurricane Katrina and those that responded with support and aid were honored with the Main Street Hero Award.
"This year's honorees represent the best of the community revitalization movement," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It is because of the dedication and commitment of our Main Street award winners that communities that were once in peril are flourishing today."
THE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD recognizes outstanding leadership by a small business, an industry, or a corporation for commercial district revitalization in their field or community.
THE CONNECTICUT LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, BERLIN, CONNECTICUT
The National Trust for Historic Preservation honors The Connecticut Light and Power Company with its 2006 Main Street Business Leadership Award for making the vision of vibrant historic and traditional commercial districts in Connecticut a reality and for its steadfast financial and administrative commitment to the Connecticut Main Street program.
Since the 1980s, Connecticut preservation and advocacy organizations believed that creating a statewide Main Street program would help local communities use the National Trust's Main Street Approach™ to revitalize their older, traditional business districts. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to secure funds via legislative means. However, they found a partner in a utility company, The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P), which was also interested in ensuring that the state's older and historic commercial districts remained vibrant hubs of commerce. In 1995, CL&P provided the funding and administrative support needed to start a statewide Main Street program. As the statewide Main Street program expanded, CL&P worked to broaden support for the program by partnering with public and private entities and establishing the Connecticut Main Street Center as a nonprofit organization that could leverage private and public funding.
Eleven years later the Connecticut Main Street program is going strong thanks to The Connecticut Light and Power Company's investment of over $1.6 million. Its nine designated local Main Street programs have created over $428 million in public and private reinvestment, 1,861 net new jobs and 304 net new businesses, which represents a $74.51 reinvestment for every $1 spent on a local Main Street program. Today, The Connecticut Light and Power Company remains the only private corporation in the country to solely sponsor and administer a statewide Main Street initiative.
THE CIVIC LEADERSHIP AWARD recognizes outstanding contributions by an elected official, a government staff person, public agency, or a nonprofit organization at the local, state, or national level.
REPRESENTATIVE BILL GRANT of the WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE
The National Trust for Historic Preservation honors Representative Bill Grant of the Washington State Legislature for his efforts to champion local Main Street communities through his unwavering support of the Main Street Bill and awards him its 2006 Main Street Civic Leadership Award.
Since the Washington State Main Street Program began in 1984, the statewide coordinating program has supported the efforts of comprehensive local Main Street programs, which in turn work actively to support the revitalization of their historic and traditional neighborhood commercial districts. Like Main Street programs across the U.S., the Washington local programs constantly struggle to raise and sustain funds to support their efforts. Six years ago, the Washington Main Street Program and its advocacy partners galvanized their members and legislators, like Rep. Bill Grant, to support a Bill that would codify the statewide Main Street program and help provide a funding stream to support local downtown revitalization organizations. Despite their concerted efforts over four legislative sessions, the bill did not pass. In 2005, the fate of the Main Street Bill appeared to be the same. However, Rep. Grant refused to let it die again. Literally on the last day and in the final hour of the 2005 legislative session, Rep. Grant rallied members on both sides of the aisle and included the Main Street Bill language in a House Appropriations Bill. When the end-of-session gavel fell at 10:30 PM, the Main Street Bill had passed. The Main Street Bill:
- codified the Washington State Main Street Program as part of the Department of Community Trade and Economic Development;
- established a statewide Main Street Advisory Committee; and
- created a tax credit incentive that encourages businesses to make qualifying contributions to a designated local downtown revitalization program. Even though the credit is capped at $100,000 for any one organization, this resource would allow Washington State's Main Street programs to essentially double their annual budgets.
Since its passage in 2005, businesses across the state of Washington are opting to contribute or increase their existing contributions to local commercial district revitalization efforts including Banner Bank, which recently made a $133,000 donation to the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, the Walla Walla Main Street program organization.
THE 2006 MAIN STREET HERO AWARD recognizes outstanding efforts contributions toward the revitalization of historic commercial districts.
MAIN STREET COMMUNITIES AFFECTED by HURRICANE KATRINA and those that RESPONDED with SUPPORT
In recognition of the Main Street communities that were directly hit by Hurricane Katrina, and those Main Street organizations and individuals who responded with support, the National Trust for Historic Preservation awards its 2006 Main Street Hero Award to all communities involved in responding to and surviving Hurricane Katrina. Directors of commercial district revitalization organizations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi struggled to help their downtown property owners recover from physical damage, merchants salvage their businesses, and residents find the goods and services that they needed to rebuild their lives. Many of the local Main Street directors themselves were displaced and tackling personal post-disaster challenges.
The day after the hurricane hit, the National Trust Main Street Center staff experienced a surge of telephone calls and emails from the Main Street Network expressing concern and seeking ways to help. This network of over 1,800 commercial district revitalization professionals and organizations readily identified with their Main Street colleagues in the Gulf Coast region and sprang into action. Main Street communities in the region hosted evacuees, turning their downtown parks and hotels into shelters and coordinating donations and information services for the evacuees. Main Street organizations outside of the region offered monetary aid and technical assistance by sharing
information, reports, and ideas. Many Main Street revitalization professionals traveled to the Gulf Coast to help formulate and implement recovery strategies. The strength of the Main Street network around the nation was evident. Main Street organizations rallied in the face of disaster, and their colleagues in revitalization throughout the U.S. readily came forward to lend a hand.
For more information about Great American Main Street Awards program and the 2006 winners, visit www.mainstreet.org/awards or call (202) 588-6219.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately-funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.PreservationNation.org
