News
Russellville has been named a Main Street Community
Posted on June 9, 2023
Originally published in the Times Daily.
Being designated a Main Street Alabama city will bring a variety of opportunities to improve the city’s downtown area with programs and grants that can help revitalize and restore old buildings, said Ann Epperson McDermitt, the executive director of Main Street Russellville.
Russellville is one of two communities that are being recognized as a Main Street Alabama Designated Community, a Man Street Alabama news release announced.
Main Street Alabama is an organization dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts of cities across the state.
This year, Russellville and Centreville are the 2023 designated communities.
Starting this month, the two communities will benefit from Main Street Alabama’s comprehensive technical services.
“It’s a great day in the city of Russellville to be chosen as a Main Street Alabama Designated Community,” Mayor David Grissom said.
According to the Main Street release, the designation program is a significant milestone for communities aiming to revitalize their core districts and foster economic growth.
Main Street Alabama’s rigorous selection process ensures that designated communities access expert guidance, resources, and tools with a proven track record of success.
“We have worked with Main Street Alabama as a network community since 2016,” Grissom said. “Our Downtown Team looks forward to working with Main Street Alabama to take our downtown district to the next level.”
By selecting Centreville and Russellville, Main Street Alabama acknowledges these communities’ immense potential and commitment to preserving their unique character and enhancing their downtown districts, the release states.
“We look forward to our Main Street Alabama Designated Community Kickoff on June 22,” Grissom said.
According to the Main Street Alabama website, at its core, Main Street is an economic development tool that enhances the tax base of a community, fosters entrepreneurship, builds community capacity, and creates partnerships among key groups in a community.
McDermitt said a group was formed in 2016 to pursue the designation. She said Main Street Russellville is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, which was one of the suggests the state Main Street organization suggested.
A board of directors and executive director were also established.
“The opportunities it provides are ones our community can use to grow and restore lot of the historic buildings, and support small businesses,” McDermitt said. “Main Street focuses on downtowns like ours.”
She said Main Street has a variety of programs that aim to create a well-rounded community through businesses, visitors and residents. There are also grant opportunities for business owners to renovate buildings.
The county seat of Franklin County, the city of Russellville, the release states, expressed interest in improving building facades and creating an inviting downtown area for residents and visitors alike.
With a population of 10,099, Russellville was founded in 1819 by John Russell, a pioneer from North Carolina. The city was incorporated in 1824.
In recent years, the city has made streetscape improvements, added eight loft apartments, and a five-room boutique hotel.
Since June 2022, Russellville reported six new businesses creating seven jobs and private investment of $805,531.