North Carolinians will receive top honors tonight for their focus on downtowns across the state during the N.C. Main Street Awards Ceremony in Goldsboro. Fourteen award winners will be recognized for excellence in downtown revitalization efforts in categories that include design, economic vitality, organization and promotion.
Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III and Assistant Secretary Dr. Patricia Mitchell, CeCD, will present the awards to Main Street recipients tonight at 6 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Goldsboro at 139 S. Center Street.
“This year’s winners represent some of North Carolina’s best ambassadors promoting business friendly downtowns, historic preservation, and artistic streetscapes,” said Commerce Secretary Skvarla. “We want to shine a spotlight on their hard work of revitalizing downtowns all across our state and providing job opportunities in our local communities.
The North Carolina Main Street program helps small towns preserve their historic fabric and, using local resources, build on their unique characteristics to create vibrant central business districts. A panel of independent judges selected this year’s winners from dozens of applications submitted by Main Street participants throughout the state.
2015 N.C. MAIN STREET AWARDS
DESIGN
Best Façade Rehabilitation Project for More than $15,000
• Person County Award of Merit – Kirby Rebirth and Uptown Renewal Project
Best Outdoor Space Improvement
• Goldsboro Award of Merit – Center Street Streetscape Project
• Spruce Pine Award of Merit – Spruce Pine Main Street Central Park Project
ECONOMIC VITALITY
Best Adaptive Reuse Project
• Wilson Award of Merit- Wilson Furniture Lofts Mixed-Use Rehabilitation Project
Best Infill Building Project
• Goldsboro Award of Merit – GWTA Bus Transfer Center
Best Endangered Properties Rescue Effort
• Salisbury Award of Merit – 1820 Fulton-Mock-Blackmer House Rehabilitation
ORGANIZATION
Best Public-Private Partnership in Downtown Revitalization
• Salisbury Award of Merit – Lee Street Theater and Performing Arts Center and Streetscape Improvements
Best Innovation
• Kings Mountain Award of Merit –The Small Business
Best Public Relations Effort
• Cherryville Award of Merit – The Cherryville Communications Campaign
PROMOTION
Best Downtown Special Event or Event Series
• Mt. Airy Award of Merit -The First Annual Public Art Fiddle Crawl
• Hendersonville Award of Merit –Downtown Hendersonville Designer Showcase
Best Image-Building Campaign
• Clinton Award of Merit – Clinton Main Street Program Branding
• Concord Award of Merit – Downtown Concord Rebranding.
• Goldsboro Award of Merit – Whatever You Do – Do It Downtown!