Heritage Ohio Announces Newest Ohio Main Street Community
Heritage Ohio, Inc. announced Coshocton has been selected as the newest community to join the Ohio Main Street Program. Our Town Coshocton has been participating in Heritage Ohio’s Downtown Affiliate Program since 2011, building the capacity needed to be successful in revitalizing downtown. Heritage Ohio hosted a member selection committee over zoom on May 27th. During the community review process the Our Town Coshocton board had the opportunity to present their program of work as well as answer questions put forth by the selection committee. Coshocton will join an elite group of 22 additional communities dedicated to a comprehensive and highly successful trademarked Main Street revitalization strategy.
Current Ohio Main Street Programs include: Cambridge, Cleveland, Delaware, Kent, Lebanon, Marietta, Medina, Middletown, Millersburg, Mount Vernon, Painesville, Piqua, Portsmouth, Ravenna, Tiffin, Tipp City, Troy, Van Wert, Vermilion, Wadsworth, Wellington, and Wooster.
Main Street communities receive intensive training and technical support needed to restore their central and neighborhood business districts to centers of community activity and commerce. The assistance includes volunteer and program manager training, marketing and promotion, business recruitment, market analysis, design, historic preservation and fundraising. The Heritage Ohio Main Street Program will also conduct on-site visits to help each community develop its work program and plan for success.
“Coshocton has demonstrated a local commitment to establishing a downtown revitalization program as well as the procurement of stable funding for a sustained revitalization program. We are looking forward to seeing what Coshocton will do next!” commented Joyce Barrett, Director of Heritage Ohio.
The Heritage Ohio Main Street Program is modeled after the Main Street America’s comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization. The Main Street movement grew out of a recognition that a community is only as strong as its core. In an era when many people had given up hope about the commercial and cultural viability of downtown, and when suburbs, shopping malls, and big box retailers were dominating the American landscape, this seemed like an unlikely proposition. But, over the last four decades, the Main Street movement has proven that downtowns are the heart of our communities, and that a community is only as strong as its core.
Heritage Ohio began as Downtown Ohio, Inc., organized in 1989 as a statewide non-profit corporation that encouraged the development, redevelopment, and improvement of downtowns and neighborhood commercial district areas throughout Ohio. Heritage Ohio works as a catalyst for downtown and neighborhood district development by gathering together revitalization organizations, conducting statewide seminars and conferences and providing a network of members to share knowledge, common experiences and challenges concerning downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. Heritage Ohio is dedicated to assisting self-motivated communities through technical assistance, training and networking in all facets of downtown and commercial district development. Heritage Ohio advocates for revitalization and historic preservation issues at the state and federal levels. Additionally, the organization publishes Revitalize Ohio, a quarterly statewide preservation/revitalization magazine. Membership in Heritage Ohio is available to any community, organization, corporation or individual interested in comprehensive downtown or commercial district revitalization.
For more information regarding the Ohio Main Street Program or assistance available to communities, contact Heritage Ohio at 614.258.6200 or visit www.heritageohio.org.