Historic Manassas, Inc. Receives Virginia Main Street Milestone Award

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

On Friday, March 20, Historic Manassas, Inc. and the City of Manassas weres presented with a Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Award for $40 million private investment contributed toward downtown revitalization.

The award was presented at the annual Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Awards ceremony, this year held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va.

The Honorable Patrick O. Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia, addressed the attendees of the luncheon, which acknowledged the achievements of Main Street volunteers, local leaders, businesses, local governments and private investors. 

“Through the revitalization of Virginia’s downtowns, jobs are created, and the quality of life for those in the community is enhanced,” said Gottschalk. 

 Other speakers at the event included Bob Adams, and respected community revitalization practitioner and president of HDAdvisors. Speaking on the importance of positioning now for the economic recovery, Adams said, “A recessionary period is a good time for self assessment, planning, and collaboration. Towns should participate as part of a regional strategy and organizations should find ways to share marketing and operations costs.”

 Bill Shelton, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development took part in the awards presentation and praised the collaborative energy demonstrated by communities that effectively carry out Virginia’s Main Street programs. 

 “The City of Manassas is pleased to be recognized by the Virginia Main Street Program for our efforts in the revitalization of our downtown.  We plan to keep the momentum going and even in these trying times the City is moving forward with several exciting initiatives designed to support our local businesses,” said Elizabeth Stamoulis Via, Director, Office of Community Development for the City of Manassas.