Jefferson selected as Great American Main Street Award semi-finalist

Jefferson, IA  (February 2020) – Jefferson is one of eight communities selected as a semifinalist for the Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). Given out by the National Main Street Center, the award recognizes communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization.

“The Great American Main Street Award is a top honor within the commercial district revitalization field,” said Patrice Frey, President and CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These eight outstanding semifinalists have demonstrated the impressive economic and community growth that is possible when commercial districts harness the power of the Main Street Approach. They’re a model for Main Street programs across the country working to achieve comprehensive, preservation-based revitalization.”

GAMSA semifinalists were selected from a nationwide pool of accredited Main Street America applicants based on their successful and innovative uses of the Main Street Approach™. Criteria includes: volunteer, partner, and community engagement; community transformation; commitment to historic preservation; impactful public/private partnerships, entrepreneurship development; people-centered design; and the community’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 100 communities have been recognized as winners since the award’s inception in 1995.

Executive Director Peg Raney shared, “This recognition is the result of the progressive-thinking of  our community’s leadership and volunteers to take the steps needed for Jefferson to move forward.  Jefferson Matters: Main Street’s president Jamie Daubendiek has embraced the Main Street principles along with the current and past board members to create projects for a vibrant downtown starting with historic preservation practices. Each of our five teams have been successful with creative projects for our beautiful downtown that have inspired other small rural communities.”

The reinvestment statistics from this year’s batch of semifinalists show the true impact of their hard work. Together, the eight semifinalists have brought in over 1 billion dollars in public investment and half a billion dollars in private investment, generated 9,498 jobs, opened 459 new businesses, rehabbed 734 buildings, and logged 192,371 volunteer hours since their programs’ inceptions.

The GAMSA winners will be announced on May 18, 2020 at the National Main Street Center’s Main Street Now Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Click here for link to website highlighting each of the semifinalists.