April 8, 2022
By:
The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber is excited to share the news coming from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Commissioner Bob Rolfe has announced that Alexandria is one of 10 Tennessee communities selected to participate in the eighth round of the Tennessee Downtowns program.
The Chamber made application on behalf of Alexandria. According to Chamber Director Suzanne Williams, “Getting this positive result makes all the long hours and months of work worth it. Alexandria has so much potential, and the Alexandria business and property owners are so motivated to make their downtown the best it can be.” Williams expressed her gratefulness for the many people that helped get the information for the application together. “I’m not sure I could have met the deadline without the much-needed help of others including Matt Boss on the narrative, Ria Baker with history info, and Angie Gay taking pictures and collecting letters of support. I also appreciate Mayor Armstrong, City Recorder Liz Tetlow, and the Alexandria City Council for having a Special-Called Meeting to pass the required Resolution and Letter of Intent.”
The Tennessee Downtowns program helps local communities revitalize traditional commercial districts, enhance community livability, spur job creation and maintain the historic character of downtown districts. The two-year program coaches selected communities and their steering committees through the steps of launching effective renewal efforts. Tennessee Downtowns includes community training in the Main Street America program and a $15,000 grant for a downtown improvement project. The Tennessee Downtowns Steering Committee Members for Alexandria are Matt Boss – chair, Judy Sandlin, Pat Parkerson, Phillip Holmes, and Ria Baker. Suzanne Williams will also be working with this group.
“Strengthening rural Tennessee remains a top priority for TNECD as we continue to ensure that our communities are equipped with the tools needed to develop strategies and revitalize our historic downtowns,” Rolfe said. “The Tennessee Downtowns program is an essential part of our rural development strategy, and we look forward to working with these 10 new communities as they establish sustainable renewal efforts in their commercial districts.”
“We are proud to welcome 10 new communities into the Tennessee Downtowns program and look forward to helping these towns create and meet their goals for downtown revitalization,” TNECD Main Street Program Director Nancy Williams said.
The ten newly selected communities all have downtown commercial districts established at least 50 years ago and have demonstrated their readiness to organize efforts for downtown revitalization according to Main Street America principles. The highly competitive selection process was based on historic commercial resources, economic and physical need, demonstrated local effort, overall presentation and probability of success.
Tennessee Downtown communities that complete the program are eligible for additional Downtown Improvement Grants as well as Main Street designation. Each application was supported by the community’s senator and representatives in the Tennessee General Assembly.