Lt. Governor Holcomb and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announce the City of Petersburg as the newest member of the Indiana Main Street (IMS) Program. The program encourages economic development, redevelopment and improvement to the downtown areas in Indiana cities and towns.
“The Indiana Main Street Program plays an important role in motivating communities to develop all aspects of their downtowns that can attract business and residents equally,” said Lt. Governor Holcomb. “Petersburg has done an excellent job at ensuring their designation will be focused on bettering their town for visitors and citizens alike.”
Discover Downtown Petersburg, Inc. is a group of business leaders and community members dedicated to improving the quality of life and instilling a strong sense of community pride in their residents by creating and supporting events and programs that will encourage the revitalization and restoration of downtown Petersburg. They have also divided their organization into four committees, each with a defined purpose, goal and objectives. The committees include: beautification, events & tourism, operations and economic development.
“The Main Street designation allows us to include many more citizens in the planning process and in activities for our community. We plan to add more people to the committees and encourage even greater involvement,” said James Pell, President of Discover Downtown Petersburg. “We understand the important of our downtown district for our future economic development ad realize that “downtown” is the heart and soul of any community. The Indiana Main Street Program will help us revitalize our downtown and enhance the quality of life for all Pike County residents.”
The Main Street Program, administered by OCRA, is founded on a four point approach to downtown development: organization, design, promotion and economic vitality. Petersburg, along with 118 other Indiana Main Street communities, work towards these four aspects of their downtowns in order to focus on restoration and revitalization efforts within their communities.
