The West Virginia Development Office announced awards for nine projects totaling $49,500 in funds for Main Street West Virginia and West Virginia ON TRAC projects.
A total of 20 applications were received and the communities below were awarded funds based on the following projects:
ON TRAC:
$8,000 – Beverly – Historic Beverly Business District Development Plan and Project
$5,500 – Parkersburg – Downtown Brand Recognition Project
$3,000 – Sutton – Sutton Art Park
Main Street Small Population Communities:
$8,000 – Ripley – Rally Round Ripley Campaign
$5,500 – Philippi – Anglin’s Ford Trading Post
$3,000 – Ronceverte – Ronceverte Community Garden
Main Street Large Population Communities:
$8,000 – Wheeling – Show of Hands
$5,500 – Fairmont – Citizen Building Project
$3,000 – Elkins – Art of Elkins
Main Street West Virginia is a program of the West Virginia Development Office and focuses on economic development of historic downtown and neighborhood commercial districts using the National Main Street Center’s Main Street Four-Point Approach®.
Main Street West Virginia created ON TRAC — which stands for Organization, Training, Revitalization and Capacity —  to help the state’s communities boost economic growth with evaluation, education and training in downtown or neighborhood revitalization.
A community must be a successful member of ON TRAC for at least two years before applying for Main Street status. Main Street members receive more advanced technical services, using the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Four-Point Approach®. The Four-Point Approach includes comprehensive work in organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring.
The state’s Main Street communities are Charleston East End; Charleston West Side; Elkins; Fairmont; Kingwood; Mannington; Martinsburg; Morgantown; Philippi; Point Pleasant; Ripley; Ronceverte; and Wheeling. The West Virginia ON TRAC cities are Belington; Beverly; Charles Town; Kenova; Marlinton; Parkersburg; Parsons; Romney; Rowlesburg; Shinnston; and Sutton.
