FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Issued by: Main Street Hanover

Hanover -June 21, 2016 – On June 15, Main Street Hanover held their first Annual Meeting Reception & Update event, as well as announced their new status as a 2016 Main Street America Accredited Program. The Main Street America program accreditation process evaluates local Main Street programs according to 10 performance standards and provides national recognition to those that meet these standards.

The national accreditation program strives to: Provide local and national visibility to local Main Street programs that understand and fully utilize the Main Street Four-Point Approach® and eight Main Street principles and that continue to evolve organizationally to meet new challenges; Provide national standards for performance for local Main Street programs; and Provide realistic goals and a tangible incentive for local Main Street programs that do not yet meet the criteria for national recognition. The full list of the 10 standards of performance is explained in detail at the link provided here.

Main Street Hanover welcomed over 30 guests to the Bare Center of the Guthrie Library to celebrate the past year and look to the future of downtown Hanover. During this event Main Street Manager, Justine Kilkelly Trucksess presented the brand new 2015 Annual Report. Some of the most exciting successes of 2015 included:

• Welcomed 29 new businesses that opened in the Central Business District
• Launched a new website, featuring a business directory and event calendar (Launched Nov. 2014)
•  Received two Department of Community and Economic Development Grants as a Designated Keystone Community, $40,000 Façade Grant funding and $10,750 for an architectural study to be completed at 22 Carlisle Street, as part of a Planning Grant.
• Raised over $6,810 in event sponsorships
• Released the Business Recruitment brochure for downtown business attraction
• Unveiled new public art piece in downtown, ‘Past, Present and Future’ by Jeff Asper (Nov. 2014)
• Assisted the Borough of Hanover in enacting a new parking permit system
• Hosted three new successful downtown events; Main Street Mini-Golf, Sip & Stroll and Oktoberfest
• Participated in two local events, Utz Summer Bash and Hanover Chamber’s Dutch Festival
• Reinvigorated the merchant group

Trucksess also laid out the following priorities and projects for the coming year.

Priorities:

• Organizational Development
• Financial Sustainability
• Funding Strategies
• Volunteer Recruitment

Projects on the Horizon:

• Anchor Building Redevelopment
• Downtown Property Inventory
• Comprehensive Streetscape Plan
• Expanding the Beautification Program
• Comprehensive Sponsorship Program
• Marketing Plan for the Downtown
• Downtown MSH Flags

There is so much more to read in the annual report about the work Main Street Hanover has done in the past year. For a full copy of the report and presentation click the links below.

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Main Street Hanover is a collaborative effort between Hanover Borough, Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for Economic Development of York County, and York County Economic Alliance. The mission of Main Street Hanover is to expand the economic capacity of downtown Hanover, thus improving the business environment, enhancing the quality of place, and increasing community synergy.

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Justine Kilkelly Trucksess
Manager, Main Street Hanover
York County Economic Alliance
146 Carlisle Street
Hanover, PA 17331
717-637-6130 ext. 101
jtrucksess@ycea-pa.org
www.MainStreetHanover.org
www.ycea-pa.org