FRANKLIN

The Downtown Franklin Association has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs to recognize their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

“We are proud to acknowledge this year’s 840 nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities. said Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These programs deserve recognition for generating impressive economic returns, preserving community character, and celebrating local history. Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of changemakers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in the places they call home is inspiring.

In 2018 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.93 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 5,310 net new businesses, generated 25,301 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,146historic buildings, and clocked 2.2 million volunteer hours.

The Downtown Franklin Association’s performance is annually evaluated by Virginia Main Street, Department of Housing and Community Development, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

In 2018, The Downtown Franklin Association had a total of 2,527 volunteer hours from citizens, DFA Board members and staff. They provided a co-op advertising program which assisted downtown businesses in advertising. They also provided a façade/security grant program that assisted downtown Franklin businesses. The Downtown Franklin Association brought forth the First StartUp Downtown Franklin Program in 2017 and the program is now in its third round with great support from organizations and surrounding communities. Fundraising events were also put on and had total attendance of over 5,585 people.