AFFILIATE COMMUNITY
Board members, community members and H of E staff gather in front of city hall on Franklin street to celebrate Ellsworth’s Affiliate Community accreditation.
From left to right - top row: Rebeca Leamon, Beth Fendel, Danielle Mace, Amy Reisman, Jon Stein, Nate Hanson. Left to right - bottom row Peter Lione, Cara Romano, Lori Chase, Ann Rassenberger - Keefe, Phyllis Young.
In March of 2020, Ellsworth became the 18th city in the state of Maine to be accepted into the Main Downtown Center (MDC) and Main Street America (MSA) programs. As an Affiliate Community, Heart of Ellsworth uses the same framework as a Main Street program but operates at a less rigorous pace.
MDC services help communities build an appropriate organization and funding base for a comprehensive downtown program. A core feature available to Affiliate communities is access to training by state and national downtown economic development experts, the opportunity to learn about best practices in the field, and networking with peers from around the state.
In the 1980s, the National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation developed one of the most successful models for place-based economic development. The Main Downtown Center joined this nationally accredited program in 1999 to advance economic development in Maine downtowns using the nearly 40-year-old Main Street Four-Point Approach®.
In January of 2020 Heart of Ellsworth joined the ranks of 18 nationally accredited Affiliate Communities in the state of Maine. Over the course of 2019 community volunteers, board members, small business owners, and city officials worked countless hours to support this application effort. To review the year of work click on the buttons below.
Affiliate community application team members
From left to right - top row: Amy Reisman, Rebeca Leamon, Charlene Churchill, Suze, Danielle Mace, Janna Richards Left to right - bottom row: Lori Chase, Krista Little - Seibold
Click the logos below For more information about our state and nationwide affiliations:
