Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin joined more than 150 volunteers and officials from city, county and state government on May 31, at the Culture Center on the State Capitol Complex for “Spotlight on Main Street,” the Main Street and ON TRAC annual awards program.
“I’m proud to recognize the hard work of this year’s Main Street West Virginia and ON TRAC award recipients and celebrate their accomplishments,” Tomblin said. “The projects these programs support help build a strong foundation for economic growth, rejuvenate downtown areas and revitalize historic commercial districts across the state. These programs are the building blocks to help create a bright future for our communities now and for years to come.”
A program of the West Virginia Development Office, Main Street West Virginia is an affiliate of Main Street America, which focuses on economic development of historic downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. The program provides communities with technical services, design assistance and training to revitalize their historic downtown centers.
West Virginia has 13 accredited Main Street Communities: Charleston, Elkins, Fairmont, Kingwood, Mannington, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Philippi, Point Pleasant, Ripley, Ronceverte and Wheeling.
Main Street Volunteer Awards are given in the form of a certificate to the board member, business person, local public official and volunteer of the year at each Main Street community. Recipients of the Main Street Ronceverte Volunteer Awards include:
• Board Member of the Year: Sharon Schaefer
• Business Person of the Year: Belinda Bostic
• Local Public Official of the Year: Pam Mentz
• Volunteer of the Year: Sue Ella Miano and Barbara Sweetwood
Main Street Ronceverte also received a Continuing Education Award in the amount of $1,300. Eligible communities must have attended both spring and fall trainings provided by Main Street West Virginia and the National Main Street Conference or the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference.
