TDIA To Participate In Missouri Main Street Program

The Trenton Downtown Improvement Association has been selected in a competitive application process to participate in a cost-sharing affiliate grant that provides training, mentoring and technical services to revitalization programs in Missouri’s historic commercial districts.
The grant is being provided by the Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc.
MMSC staff will visit with Trenton’s downtown community leaders to evaluate existing and future needs of the downtown, then schedule a series of customized training and mentoring sessions to assist those leaders in concentrating on their local revitalization goals.
“Trenton has great potential in their historic downtown and MMSC is excited to work with their organization in order to achieve success,” MMSC State Director Gayla Roten said.
The goal of the grant is the development of a sustainable, volunteer-based organization that will carry out an economic development program based on the preservation of historic assets in the downtown, using the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to Revitalization.
With support from MMSC, the Trenton revitalization group anticipates:
• Building on previous revitalization efforts to motivate economic development in the district.
• Utilizing a volunteer base and strong partnerships to accomplish the organization’s goals for downtown.
• Showcasing the community’s unique architecture and history to attract both residents and visitors to experience the historic district.
During the next two years MMSC will provide Trenton with training and mentoring to establish a revitalization organization that will engage the entire community as a participant and beneficiary. The group also will attend regional revitalization workshops and conferences conducted by MMSC.
The affiliate grant is a 40/60 match, requiring the community to contribute 40 percent of the cash value of the services. The total value of the grant in training and mentoring services is $24,000.
Trenton is now also designated as an affiliate in the Missouri Main Street Tier Structure, which ranks progress on standards established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center.
Throughout its history, MMSC has served over 178 Missouri communities.