Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street has been designated as an accredited National Main Street program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Each year, the National Trust and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four-Point Approach methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” said Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the recession head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by Missouri Main Street Connection, which works in partnership with the National Trust Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings.

For more information about the national program accreditation program, visit http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/about-main-street/the-programs/national-programs.html.

“Receiving accreditation from the National Trust validates the many efforts of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street and its volunteers in revitalizing Downtown Lee’s Summit and preserving its history,” said Trisha Drape, executive director of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Downtown Lee’s Summit, Mo. Downtown Lee’s Summit is a multiple state and national award-winner for excellence in downtown revitalization, including the 2010 Great American Main Street Award, which the National Trust Main Street Center gives to only five communities across the nation every year.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.PreservationNation.org. Established in 1980, the National Trust Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 30 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $53.6 billion in new public and private investment.  Participating communities have created 448,835 net new jobs and 104,961 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 229,164 buildings, leveraging an average of $18 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.