2/18/2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Thirteen communities have been chosen as the state’s first-ever designated ON TRAC Communities, Gov. Joe Manchin announced during a news conference Feb. 18 at the Governor’s Mansion.
“ON TRAC illustrates one way the residents of this state have pulled together to improve the quality of life and business opportunities in their respective communities,” Manchin said.
ON TRAC – an acronym for Organization, Training, Revitalization and Capacity – is a new program created by Main Street West Virginia to help communities boost economic growth with evaluation, education and networking resources. ON TRAC is the precursor to becoming a fully designated Main Street Community; participants must be an ON TRAC Community for at least two years before applying to become a Main Street Community.
The following towns are designated as ON TRAC Communities:
1. Belington, Barbour County
2. Beverly, Randolph County
3. Elkins, Randolph County
4. Madison, Boone County
5. Matewan, Mingo County
6. Oak Hill, Fayette County
7. Ranson/Charles Town, Jefferson County
8. Romney, Hampshire County
9. Rowlesburg, Preston County
10. Shinnston, Harrison County
11. Sistersville, Tyler County
12. Sutton, Braxton County
13. Webster Springs, Webster County
To be eligible for ON TRAC, a community must be located within an incorporated area, served by downtown infrastructure and resources and have a sponsoring organization. Communities selected for ON TRAC will receive training in downtown and neighborhood revitalization, an assessment of strengths and weaknesses, a technical design visit, action-planning services, access to an online library of databases and resources, telephone consultation, scholarship and grant information, and participation in the mentoring program from the certified Main Street Programs.
“This program helps towns get ‘ON TRAC’ to revitalization by capitalizing on the history and the resources of the community itself,” Manchin said.
Main Street West Virginia, a program of the West Virginia Development Office, focuses on economic revitalization of historic downtown and neighborhood commercial districts by providing technical services, design assistance and continuous training of board and committee members and program managers using the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Four-Point Approach®. Main Street West Virginia provides a liaison between various state agencies and organizations with the designated communities.
However, unlike the Main Street program, ON TRAC Communities are not required to set up 501c3 nonprofit organizations or hire staff, said Monica Miller, coordinator for Main Street West Virginia.
“Participants have the flexibility to work toward becoming a Main Street Community, or they can choose to remain at the same level and continue to reap great benefits from being part of a statewide network.” Miller said.
Contact Information
Andrea Bond
304-558-2003 x 347