Baker City Downtown designated as a 2024 affiliate program by Main Street America
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — (Release from Baker City Downtown) Baker City Downtown has been designated as an Affiliate Main Street America program for meeting significant performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their commitment to create meaningful improvements to their downtowns using 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 388 Affiliate 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.”
Baker City Downtown’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and Oregon 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 Affiliate status—Main Street America’s second designation tier—communities must demonstrate a strong commitment to the Main Street model and dedication to achieving outcomes 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.
Baker City Downtown is incredibly proud to be recognized on the national level for our continued dedication to historic preservation and economic vitality in downtown Baker City. In 2023, BCD won the most grants for Baker – five grants totaling $257,320. BCD also became the steward of Festival of
Trees and reimagined the event to support our new Community Grant fund – giving out $40,145 to fourteen different local projects and groups.
Baker City Downtown Board President, Amy Briels, stated “With the addition of a dedicated Executive Director this past year, Baker City Downtown has been able to not only meet our goals, but surpass them. We are proud to have achieved national recognition in Main Street America accreditation and look forward to what Baker City Downtown accomplishes next!”
ABOUT BAKER CITY DOWNTOWN
Baker City Downtown is a local 501(c)3 dedicated to preserving and enhancing the vitality and character of our community through the beautification, promotion, and development of downtown Baker City. For more information, visit bakercitydowntown.com.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation- based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $107.62 billion in new public and private investment, generated 175,323 net new businesses and 782,059 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 335,675 buildings, and levered over 35.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
