Oregon Recognizes Eight Projects for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization

Oregon Main Street

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon Main Street announced its 2010 "Excellence in Downtown Revitalization" award winners today at the annual Oregon Main Street Conference in Albany, Oregon. First Lady Mary Oberst and Gary Van Huffel, Business Development Manager, Business Oregon were co-presenters of the awards.

The eight projects honored are:
Outstanding Achievement in Promotion

• Downtown Corvallis Association for their "Rhapsody in the Vineyard" special event.
• Albany Downtown Association for their "Unwrapping Downtown" retail promotion.

• Downtown Dental in downtown Corvallis.

• Hillsboro's Venetian Theatre & Bistro building renovation project completed by Denzil Scheller.
• Rosemary and Larry Abell for the interior renovation of the Pythian Castle for Earth and Vine in Baker City.

• Amity Downtown Improvement Group's "Appetizers for Improvement" fundraiser.

• City of Roseburg for their downtown Upper-Floor Redesign Project.

• Main Street Oregon City for their "Blue Collar Creative" business recruitment campaign.

In addition, awards were given to the following individuals for their outstanding contributions to their communities:
Volunteer of the Year

• Laura Rambo for her contributions to the Main Street Oregon City program.
• Certificates of Appreciation were also presented to John Coleman for his contributions to the Downtown Corvallis Association and to Connie Lanham for her contributions to the Albany Downtown Association.

• Ann Mehaffy, executive director, Historic Baker City.

"These award winners represent the creativity and hard work taking place across the state to strengthen our downtown communities," said Sheri Stuart, coordinator, Oregon Main Street. "We are pleased to recognize them for their dedication and commitment to creating vibrant communities and growing Oregon's economy."

The first annual awards presentation were a highlight of the Oregon Main Street Conference, a popular annual conference that brings together people with an interest in downtown revitalization. Albany hosted this year's event, which included sessions on small business success during challenging times, attracting customers, comprehensive downtown revitalization efforts for small communities, cultural and heritage tourism, fundamentals of building design and renovation, energy efficiency, developing a comprehensive fundraising strategy, and attracting and keeping volunteers.