Presented in downtown Skowhegan on June 10th by the Maine Downtown Center, the day focused on downtown economic development within the context of historic preservation. Keynote speaker Kennedy Smith, former Director of the National Trust Main Street Center, drove home the need for downtowns to constantly create and innovate in order to thrive. Maine singer-songwriter David Mallett performed two original songs and the conference concluded with the annual Downtown Achievement Awards.

Portland s Downtown District (PDD) and Portland Buy Local (the Portland Independent Business and Community Alliance) shared the award for Outstanding Special or Retail Event, presented for the Downtown Worker Appreciation Day. PDD Executive Director Jan Beitzer accepted the award on behalf of both organizations. “We are thrilled that the Maine Downtown Center recognized our collaborative work to thank all the employees and their employers who are so critical to the economic revitalization of downtowns. Our program has been so well-received by downtown workers that we now do two a year (April and September).”

“Downtown Worker Appreciation Day is at once a celebration of those who choose to work every day in downtown Portland and a valuable promotional opportunity for Portland s local businesses who are seeking to connect with those workers. It s really a win-win scenario for everyone involved, and we are very happy to help coordinate it,” says Susan Tran, President of Portland Buy Local.

Belfast became the newest Main Street Maine community to receive the coveted designation, joining eight other communities statewide. Our nine Main Street communities join ranks with hundreds of professionally managed downtown programs across the country affiliated with the National Trust Main Street Center. These special places are intent on preserving their historic character while revitalizing their local economies, stated Roxanne Eflin,Maine s State Coordinator with the National Main Street Center and Senior Program Director of the Maine Development Foundations Maine Downtown Center. Our Town Belfast, the downtown-focused nonprofit organization, will receive a variety of resources, including an in-depth personalized Resource Team report and a multi-year package of training services valued at $30,000.

Stonington, Bar Harbor, Eastport, Houlton and Van Buren were also announced as the 2011 additions to the Maine Downtown Network amidst applause and cheers. These five communities bring to 17 the number of downtowns in the Network representing every county in Maine. They will receive guidance, resources and professional training in the art and science of downtown revitalization though the Maine Downtown Center staff, the Center s 24-member volunteer Advisory Council and the National Trust Main Street Center. The Maine Downtown Network was created in 2009 as a first step to help organize around the Four Point Approach® and/or potentially apply for Main Street designation in the future. Interested communities are invited to contact Roxanne Eflin at reflin@mdf.org for a presentation and application.

The Vital Maine Communities Conference opened on June 9th at Lewiston s historic Kora Temple. Presented by Maine Preservation, Day One was devoted to historic preservation development and adaptive use solutions and featured 30 speakers. Greg Paxton, Executive Director of Maine Preservation, opened by stating that twenty four privately developed historic preservation projects investing $135 million using Maine Historic Preservation Tax Credits since 2008 are a bright spot during our current challenging real estate climate. The day concluded at the historic Franco-American Heritage Center with the annual Maine Preservation Honor Awards.

The first Green Downtowns award presented by the Maine Downtown Center went to the Heart of Biddeford for their efforts in partnership with the City to rehabilitate and landscape Shevenell Park in downtown Biddeford. The Outstanding Public/Private Partnership award was presented to the City of Gardiner and the Bank of Maine for the Gardiner Waterfront Park. The Farmington Downtown Association received the award for Maine Downtown Network-of-the-Year. Saco Spirit was named Main Street Maine Community-of-the-Year and Rodney Lynch, Rockland s Economic Development Director, was presented with the Downtown Visionary of the Year award. Rockland s
Reading Corner also received the award for Outstanding Window Display.