Congratulations Milestone Achievement Award Recipients!

On March 31, 2011, community leaders from the 21 Designated Virginia Main Street Communities met to celebrate achievements built over the course of their efforts.  The crowd of 95 gathered for the Milestone Achievement Awards luncheon and ceremony at Richmond’s historic Jefferson Hotel.

At the ceremony, Mary Rae Carter, Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Rural Development congratulated the communities and pointed out the visible results of their leadership. Next, DHCD Director Bill Shelton highlighted some of the cummulative outcomes across Virginia: this year’s net job gain of 663 jobs and the more than $275 million privately invested over the past five years.

The keynote speaker of this year’s luncheon was nationally recognized sustainable preservation expert Jean Carroon, FAIA, LEED AP. Ms. Carroon reminded the audience how important their work is in preserving their communities and protecting the planet. “People often forget that before we recycle, we can reduce consumption and reuse existing products,” she said. “A building is the one of the largest handmade objects we have. Reusing a building reduces our environmental impact in a way far greater than recycling an aluminum can.” 

Virginia Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Rural Development Mary Rae Carter presents Culpeper Renaissance Inc. Board Treasurer Elana Clements and Manager Jessica Brewer with the Special Recognition Award for the Be A Culpeper Local campaign.

Finally, Virginia Main Street presented the Milestone Achievement Awards. Fifteen communities received awards in categories such as building rehabilitation, private investment, and volunteer investment. A milestone for the entire group was the first $100 Million Award for Private Investment, earned by the Old Town Development Board and the City of Winchester. Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. received special recognition for their Be a Culpeper Local campaign. The full list of award recipients is available here.

Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients.

Milestone Achievement Awards Luncheon speakers announced

Virginia Main Street is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for the 2011 Milestone Awards will be nationally recognized sustainable preservation expert Jean Carroon, FAIA, LEED AP. Ms. Carroon’s focus on the renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings has culminated in a portfolio of award-winning civic, institutional, and religious structures, many of which are landmark buildings.

Ms. Carroon’s book, Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings (available from Wiley Books), takes a nuanced look at the hundreds of choices that adaptive reuse requires architects to make—from ingenious ways to redeploy existing structural elements to time-honored techniques for natural ventilation. Additionally, the book provides case studies of 50 successful sustainable preservation projects.

Virginia Main Street is also pleased to announce that The Honorable Mary Rae Carter, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Rural Economic Development, will speak at the luncheon, discussing  the role of downtown revitalization in regional and state economic strategies.

The Milestone Awards luncheon will be held March 31 at Richmond’s Jefferson Hotel. In addition to Ms. Carroon’s presentation, it will include the presentation of Milestone Awards, celebrating private investment and volunteer contributions in the commonwealth’s 21 Designated Main Street Communities.

Invite your downtown leaders and building code specialists to attend this informative talk and annual Main Street celebration. Online registration will be posted soon at www.dhcd.virginia.gov/mainstreet.