Opelousas, LA – Opelousas Main Street has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs to recognize their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™
“We are proud to acknowledge this year’s 840 nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities. said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These programs deserve recognition for generating impressive economic returns, preserving community character, and celebrating local history. Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of change-makers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in the places they call home is inspiring.
In 2018 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.93 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 5,310 net new businesses, generated 25,301 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,146 historic buildings, and clocked 2.2 million volunteer hours.
The Opelousas Main Street performance is annually evaluated by Louisiana Main Street, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
Over the last decade, Opelousas Main Street has work to developed itself into a public art community, working with several public art projects. Through redevelopment incentive grants, the Main Street program has encouraged and worked with the rehabbing of historic structures and created small business promotion activities. In 2017, Opelousas Main Street was chosen as one of two cities in Louisiana for a national place-making initiative called Sound Places. In addition, Main Street works hand in hand with various tourism and civic events.
Opelousas’ Main Street program, established in 1992, contributes to downtown’s viability through its mission to build long-term sustainable revitalization while embracing projects promoting cultural diversity, tourism and business development as well as beautifying and celebrating the community’s history.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $79.12 billion in new public and private investment, generated 640,017 net new jobs and 143,613 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 284,936 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Last modified: May 6, 2019
