The Georgia Downtown Association and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs announced the winners of the Annual Downtown of Excellence Awards.  Presentations took place during the annual Georgia Downtown Conference September 28 – September 20, 2011 in Rome, GA.

As the premier conference on downtown revitalization in the state, this event promotes downtown and economic development through public awareness, governmental relations and education. The conference provides an opportunity for downtown and community development professionals and state and local leaders to grow their knowledge regarding programs, activities and tools to aid in revitalization efforts. The event brought over 250 of Georgia’s downtown professionals together to develop strategies for bettering their downtown business district.  

The Georgia Downtown Awards were established to recognize individuals, downtown programs and/or businesses that have demonstrated unique efforts in making a difference in their downtowns.  The award categories are based on the 4-Point Approach™ of downtown revitalization as developed by the National Trust’s Main Street Center and focus on Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.

The Georgia Downtown Association selects one city to be honored for Overall Excellence in Downtown Development each year.  The Georgia Department of Community Affairs also presents an Outstanding Leadership Award.

This year’s theme, Mastering the Skills of Downtown Development, emphasizes downtown development as a multi-faceted economic development strategy.  Juggling all of the pieces of downtown or “Main Street” requires a special skill set.  These skills harness opportunities which build local fiscal investment, job creation, sense of place and community in an environment surrounded by the architectural richness of its history. Successfully juggling all of these elements leads to sustainable and economically driven downtowns.  This conference will provide you with tools to continue your important work through these unprecedented, difficult times.

The following awards were presented by the Georgia Downtown Association and the Office of Downtown Development, Georgia Department of Community Affairs. These two organizations co-sponsor the annual award ceremony.

Congratulations to the following:

Category	Community	Project	Organization/Individual Being Nominated
Organization - Creative Fundraising	Nashville	Own This Building for $100	Downtown Development Authority of Nashville and Nashville Better Hometown
Organization - Organizational Outreach	Montezuma	A Drive Down Memory Lane	Montezuma Downtown Development Authority
Organization - Valuable Volunteer	LaFayette		Ronald Underwood
Promotions - Creative Marketing Piece	Woodstock	The Woodstock Activity/Coloring Book for Children	Woodstock Visitors Center /Downtown Development Authority of Woodstock
Promotions - Image Building	Suwanee	Sculptour Program	Suwanee Public Arts Commission/City of Suwanee
Promotions - Retail Booster	Eatonton	Flamingo Daze	Eatonton Mainstreet
Promotions - Special Event	Sylvania	Downtown Fall Scarecrow Event	Downtown Development Authority of Sylvania
Design - Design Improvement Program	Carrollton	Downtown Signage Project	Carrollton Main Street Program
Design - New Construction/Infill	Griffin	The Park at Sixth	Griffin Main Street Program
Design - Sensitive Rehab/Restoration	Homerville	Station No. 11 Depot	City of  Homerville
Design - Sensitive Rehab/Restoration	LaFayette	Chattooga Academy	City of LaFayette
Econ. Restructuring - Commercial Redev.	Statesboro	Georgia Southern University City Campus & Entrepreneur Zone	Downtown Statesboro Development Authority
Econ. Restructuring - Innovative Business Anchor	Eatonton	Blackwell Furniture	Blackwell Furniture
Econ. Restructuring - Problem Solving	Swainsboro	Main Street Market at the Boneyard	Downtown Development Authority of Swainsboro