First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin joined Main Street West Virginia in honoring the Governor’s Main Street and ON TRAC award recipients. Main Street and ON TRAC communities strive to help boost economic growth and revitalization on a community level. The awards ceremony, held June 25 at the Culture Center in Charleston, honored volunteers from around the state.
With this year’s theme of “Heroes on Main Street,” the program recognized the achievements of the state’s 14 accredited Main Street and 11 ON TRAC (Organization, Training, Revitalization and Capacity) communities.
First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin and West Virginia Secretary of Commerce Keith Burdette presided over the ceremonies. Presentations included ON TRAC Volunteer and Community Awards, Main Street Volunteer Awards and Innovation Awards.
The accredited Main Street communities are Charleston East End, Charleston West Side, Elkins, Fairmont, Kingwood, Mannington, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Philippi, Point Pleasant, Ripley, Ronceverte, Wheeling and White Sulphur Springs.
The state’s ON TRAC communities are Belington, Beverly, Charles Town, Kenova, Marlinton, Parkersburg, Parsons, Romney, Rowlesburg, Shinnston and Sutton.
Locally award recipients:
• Main Street Ronceverte – Board Member of the Year: Sherry McCormick – Hawkins; Business Person of the Year: Lacy and Nancy Thomas, The Ronceverte Feed Store; Local Public Official of the Year: Sonny Zimmerman; Volunteer of the Year: Betty Ralston
• ON TRAC Community Project Awards – Marlinton: Healthy Harvest House Community Garden
A program of the West Virginia Development Office, Main Street West Virginia focuses on economic revitalization of historic commercial districts. The Main Street program provides technical services, design assistance and training in areas such as organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring. A community must be a successful member of ON TRAC for at least two years before applying for Main Street status.
For more information about the Main Street West Virginia and ON TRAC program, visit http://www.wvcommerce.org.
