Ferndale Wins Big in 2013 Main Street Oakland County Awards
The event honors member communities of the Main Street Oakland County program for their downtown development efforts.
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The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority took home several awards given out Friday night at the Main Street Oakland County awards celebration at the Royal Oak Music Theater.
The event honors member communities of the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) program for their downtown development efforts. More than 200 people attended the event, which was sponsored by ITC.
Pontiac was another big winner at the event - together with Ferndale, the two towns brought home 16 out of the 30 awards presented.
“Main Street Oakland County is a model for other Main Street programs across the country,” County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in a press release. "I’m exceedingly proud of the progress Pontiac has made in bringing its downtown to life and Ferndale continues to amaze with the energy and passion it brings to the program. I congratulate both cities as well as the other winners for the contributions they make to create desirable and viable downtowns.”
MSOC, which created the awards program in 2008, recognizes excellence in downtown revitalization in five categories: Special, Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.
Ferndale was honored for Outstanding Board Member (Stacey Tobar, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority), Volunteer of the Year (Scott Wright, Ferndale DDA) and Volunteer Recruitment Program among others.
Pontiac’s honors included the Lafayette Lofts and the Lafayette Market. Pontiac also won the MSOC Spirit Award. A total of 11 MSOC communities won awards.
“Main Street is an economic development program that works and it continues to grow as we added Birmingham to the family this year,” Patterson said in the release. "This is a vital tool that improves our
downtowns and our county."
Joann
10:01 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Goes to prove the worth of Ferndale DDA. Thanks to all the volunteers and to the office staff that works so hard. Without them, Ferndale would be a ghost town again!!!!
Frank Castronova
5:21 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
I don't think the DDA deserves all the credit. Ferndale has a lot of creative business owners and there are a few non-DDA events that keep this city moving along.
Joann
3:56 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
No one deserves all the credit for anything, but the DDA certainly deserves credit. Before the DDA was created in Ferndale, the downtown was a ghost town. I have lived here my entire life and have seen the changes.