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CHATTANOOGA (September 19) — The county of Carroll, City of McKenzie and the Town of Huntingdon were each honored during the annual Governor’s Conference hosted in Chattanooga on September 19.
The county of Carroll received the ThreeStar award for economic readiness.
ThreeStar is a strategic community development program developed to assist communities in preparing for a better future, for today and tomorrow – and for generations to come.
Certification in the ThreeStar program is based on annual documentation of local activity, evaluation and biennial participation in coordinated local stakeholder goal and activity planning.
Participating counties (and cities in these counties) will be eligible for a four percent discount (for eligible projects) on both the business development and community development ability-to-pay calculations (CDBG and FastTrack) each year the county fulfills the requirements of the ThreeStar program. CDBG also provides a bonus based on ThreeStar participation up to $25,000.
Additionally, only cities and counties that are active participants in the ThreeStar program are eligible to participate in other select TNECD Rural and Community Development programs. Finally, there is a grant available for counties to assist in completing one of the identified and submitted community goals.
Both McKenzie and Huntingdon were awarded Tennessee Downtowns designation.
Tennessee Downtowns is an affiliated program of Tennessee Main Street designed to help communities embark on a comprehensive revitalization effort for their downtown. Using the proven National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach® to downtown revitalization, this 24-month program coaches selected downtowns and their steering committees through the steps of launching an effective revitalization effort. Space in this program is limited and highly competitive. Program activities include training, site visits, regional workshops, webinars, technical assistance and an innovation project grant.
McKenzie received the Main Street designation.
The Tennessee Main Street (TMS) Program serves as a statewide resource for communities seeking to revitalize and manage their traditional downtowns. In 2003, the Tennessee legislature approved a resolution to re-establish the Tennessee Main Street Program in order to assist these communities with their economic revitalization and development efforts. Although TMS serves as a general information source in this capacity, hands-on technical services (including training and research) are typically delivered to local programs that have achieved designation through a structured application process and maintain designation annually by meeting program requirements and submitting an annual report. TMS designated communities have developed an organization specifically focused on downtown revitalization and are effectively applying the National Main Street Center’s comprehensive Four-Point Approach.
