TEXARKANA - Main Street Texarkana has just received formal recognition from the national Main Street organization. According to Main Street Texarkana Executive Director Ina McDowell, this process has to be done annually. "The Main Street national organization sets the pattern that the Main Street state and level organizations follow in their efforts to revitalize their downtowns," McDowell said. "We all follow a four point approach in our efforts, which we log and send to the state level organizations. They in turn send the recommendation to the national level."
Main Street Texarkana, being a bi-state organization, has to go through this process for both Texas and Arkansas. The four points evaluated include:
The organization's efforts in promoting downtown.
Demonstrations of the organization's structure and support.
Design, that is, that buildings downtown follow the national organization's recommendation for presentation of historic downtowns.
Economic vitality, encouraging retention and growth of business activity.
"To be a Main Street Community, we have to be accredited under this organization, " McDowell said." This puts in place a continuous formal procedure for downtown revitalization. We also continue to be eligible for grants and resources which are put towards downtown revitalization."
Texarkana held up throughout the challenges of 2020; downtown was no exception.
"We remained strong through last year," McDowell said. "We were very fortunate. Things look good for this year as well. Downtown Live was great, with people showing up despite the rain. That bodes well for the rest of the year."