MADISONVILLE, Tenn. — Madisonville became the 43rd community to get a Tennessee Main Street accreditation on Wednesday, joining 42 other communities receiving training and support to revitalize their downtown areas.
The program focuses on sustainably reusing historic commercial buildings for community events and developing the community's economy. Madisonville recently completed a new downtown food truck park and had already gotten grant funding to help revitalize a long-vacant downtown building, prompting the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to give the city its accreditation.
“At the heart of every vibrant Tennessee city is a thriving downtown district,” said Commissioner Stuart McWhorter. “The Tennessee Main Street program is an integral part of our rural and community development efforts, and we are eager to partner with Madisonville community leaders as they develop sustainable revitalization efforts in their downtown.”
The Tennessee Main Street program requires communities to show they are committed to revitalizing the downtown area, demonstrating commitment in local government and in major local organizations. They also need to have an organizational budget for downtown revitalization and show strong historic preservation ethics.
Some other communities in the program include Johnson City, Kingsport, Lebanon, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Sevierville, Sweetwater and Union City.