Downtown district to continue to be accredited Main Street Program
Downtown Minden has once again been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. “It wasn’t an easy task,” downtown director Becky White said. “The Main Street Board as put in a lot of hard work to reach our goals for the year.” Each year, the National Main Street Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street approach. Lieutenant Gov. Billy Nungesser, in a letter to White, congratulated the city on the accomplishment.
“As part of the Louisiana Main Street Program, you represent the core of what community means to us in Louisiana,” Nungesser wrote in the letter. “Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to brighten up the small towns and cities that make Louisiana what it is today.” The Minden Main Street Board is made up of chairman Terry Gardner, Thomas Adams, Alisha Adams, Betsy Mathews, Cathy Copeland, Larry Gipson and Deborah Cooksey. “Downtown Minden and Main Street is the heart of the community. The work that goes on downtown creates quality public spaces and boosts local entrepreneurship, which is more important than ever,” Gardner said. “This past year has been an exciting year in downtown Minden.” In June, the board held the second Grilling on Main, which drew cooks and spectators from all over the region. Money raised from the two-day grill competition is being used to revitalize the downtown gazebo in Jacqueline Park. Local contractors Bobby Weeks Construction and Perryman Welding are currently working on replacing the railing, which had rotted and started to become unsafe, Gardner said. The new railings will last for years to come he said. This is the second project for the board to revitalize the downtown area. Last year, the board used money raised at the inaugural Grilling on Main to erect the iron fence around the iconic Arizona Ash Tree in front of city hall. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.