Annual Assessment

A Georgia community that wishes to be eligible for a Classic Main Street Program or a Georgia’s Exceptional Main Street designation as well as a Main Street America™ designation from the National Main Street Center, must complete the Georgia Annual Standards for Accreditation and submit it to the Office of Downtown Development each year.

The Georgia Annual Standards for Accreditation document, referred to as the annual assessment, evaluates communities according to the National Accreditation Standards of Performance. These 10 standards, developed by the National Main Street Center (NMSC), in cooperation with the Georgia Main Street coordinating program, provide guidelines on how Main Street revitalization programs should optimally function and serve as an incentive for programs to operate more effectively. In the annual assessment the Office of Downtown Development identifies benchmarks for measuring each program’s success in meeting each of the standards.

National Accreditation Standards of Performance

1. Broad-based community support 2. Vision and mission statements 3. Comprehensive work plan 4. Historic preservation ethic 5. Active board and committees 6. Adequate operating budget 7. Paid professional staff 8. Program of ongoing training 9. Reporting of key statistics 10. National Main Street Network membership More details on the National Accreditation Standards of Performance on page 10.

The purpose of the Georgia Main Street Program’s annual year-end assessment is to recognize program accomplishments made during the calendar year, to address and discuss additional downtown revitalization issues, and to eliminate barriers to achieving work plan goals and activities. It is not meant to be a qualitative ranking to compare your community’s downtown revitalization and management activities with other programs, and no official “report card” will be issued. Main Street programs vary considerably in scope, staffing and available resources, so direct comparison between communities is not always possible. Instead, this evaluation examines the effectiveness of the local Main Street program within its own context and outlines a level of activity

Annual Assessment Timeline

January 15: Annual assessment document and supporting documentation due in Dropbox.

January 20-March 15: Review of assessments and presenting community presentations

March 15: Each community’s finalized annual assessment review form is uploaded to Dropbox

March 31: Recommended designations sent to the National Main Street Center.

the organization and community are prepared to undertake in the coming year to accomplish the local program’s overall goals and objectives.

During the annual assessment, information might be collected from several sources, including input from municipal partners and on-site interviews with the board, committee members and staff. The annual assessment is important for many reasons. Locally, the annual assessment can serve as an essential tool for tracking the progress of your current projects and goals. Assessments are a great way to keep track of your activity for end-of-the-year reports to your local government

Athens, ExploreGeorgia.org

Sweet Auburn Central Atlanta Progress

and board of directors. On a state level, the annual assessment gauges your local program’s impact on the community and the downtown. The annual assessment is an opportunity for the local Main Street program to tell its story in a way that highlights its qualitative and quantitative impacts.

The annual assessment for each community must be submitted to the Office of Downtown Development by Jan. 15 and will always be based on the information collected and implemented during the prior calendar year. Annual assessments are submitted to the Office of Downtown Development staff through each community’s Dropbox folder and are thoroughly reviewed by staff.

After reviewing this document the Office of Downtown Development will make recommendations to the National Main Street Center regarding the appropriate designation for each community. The National Main Street Center will then accredit local programs based on these recommendations as long as they maintain an active membership with the National Main Street Center. The local Main Street program will receive feedback regarding its accomplishments, and staff can use this opportunity to address any areas that may need improvement.

Check out the Resource Library on the Georgia Main Street Program’s website for a full detailed copy of the current Annual Standards for Accreditation. You can also email the Office of Downtown Development staff at mainstreet@ dca.ga.gov for an updated copy of this document.