Achievement Award nominations sought

    AUGUSTA — Nominations for the 2012 Maine Downtown Achievement Awards are currently being accepted by the Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center (MDC), now through March 30. The awards, celebrating excellence in downtown revitalization in 15 categories, will be presented on May 18 during the annual Maine Downtown Conference in Farmington. 
    “These Achievement Awards honor the dedication and passion Maine citizens have for their historic downtowns. They spotlight significant achievements from façade improvements and small business entrepreneurship to visionary leadership,” stated Terry Ann Stevens, MDC’s Awards Selection Committee chairwoman. 
    Nomination criteria, submission form and requirements are found at www.mdf.org/mdc_overview.php.
    MDC is also announcing the Call for Applications for the 2012 round of Maine Downtown Network (MDN) communities. The MDC serves as the Maine state coordinator for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center and utilizes their successful Main Street Four-Point Approach as the foundation for assistance to communities. Applications are being accepted from communities with engaged volunteers who are actively organizing their downtown revitalization efforts around the Main Street Four-Point Approach of organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring. The deadline for applications is March 30.
    Currently 17 communities representing every county across the state are designated within the MDN program, including: Houlton, Presque Isle and Van Buren.
    The MDN program provides a range of services and assistance to meet a variety of community commitment and readiness levels. MDN designation is for communities involved in developing their downtown revitalization efforts and/or for those communities hoping to achieve Main Street Maine status in the future. MDN services help communities build an appropriate organizational and funding base for a comprehensive downtown or neighborhood commercial district revitalization program. A core service to MDN communities is access to training by state and national downtown development and preservation experts.
    Vibrant, economically healthy downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts are assets to communities endeavoring to sustain or grow their local economy and create or retain jobs.
    Visit www.mdf.org/mdc_over view.php to view or download the application criteria. For more information, contact Roxanne Eflin, senior program director, at 626-3117, 202-229-9465 (mobile) or reflin@mdf.org.