Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra recently presented 24 awards to 14 Illinois cities for work in the Main Street program. The program, administered by the Lieutenant Governor's Office, is designed to help improve downtown areas of Illinois communities.

Participating communities have begun to show considerable economic gains, according to economic development statistics collected for the period of January 1, 1995, through March 31, 1996. The data shows a total reinvestment of $5.8 million in their downtown business districts resulting in:

* 83 net new downtown businesses;
* 122 full-time and 55 part-time jobs created;
* $650,000 of private funds invested in building facade improvements;
* $2.8 million of private funds invested in other downtown building improvements;
* over $600,000 spent on new downtown construction; and
* $1.7 million in public improvements downtown.

Main Street Awards for Excellence were presented to the following communities or community organizations:

• Pontiac P.R.O.U.D., for an "Academy Awards" annual meeting;
• Golconda Main Street, for a commemorative brick fundraising project and newsletter, "River Town Crier";
• Main Street Flora, a "Year in Review" newspaper supplement;
• Consolidated Communications, Midtown Mattoon and the City of Mattoon, for their major corporate commitment to downtown;
• Midtown Mattoon, for hosting the 1995 Illinois Main Street fall conference; and
• Genoa Main Street, for organizational documentation as an introductory community.

• Galesburg Downtown Council, for a property improvement grant program;
• Main Street Flora, for a facade renovation of a historic building;
• Main Street Rushville, for the restoration of the Princess Theatre;
• Golconda Main Street, for construction of the new First American Home Care Building;
• Stockton Main Street and owners Karen and Henry Clay, for renovating the Hermann Clothing Company, a 100-year-old landmark;
• Macomb Downtown Development Corporation and the City of Macomb, for Courthouse Square-streetscape improvements; and
• Main Street Prophetstown, for a guided walking tour of second-story developments.

• Main Street Salem, for "Days of our Lives" festival;
• Main Street Rushville, for "Rushville Goes Chocolate";
• Galesburg Downtown Council, for a "Come Home to Galesburg" ad campaign;
• Main Street Lincoln, for an image campaign highlighting downtown businesses in Lincoln; and
• Macomb Downtown Development Corporation, for its Dickens Christmas activities.

• Galesburg Downtown Council, for an expansion of the city's enterprise zone;
• Main Street Lincoln, for Schick's Clothing, a small business success;
• Savanna Main Street, for a business recruitment brochure;
• PRIDE in Paxton and owner Royce Baier, for restoration of Remembrance Hall; and
• Galesburg Downtown Council, for research study on downtown Galesburg. •

June 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 19