It’s not official yet, but it appears next month downtown Oxford will once again be certified as a Nationally Accredited Main Street community.
‘Basically, what it means is they’re one of the better managed downtowns in Oakland County, in Michigan and in the country,? said Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) representative Bob Donohue, Jr., who works as the principal planner for downtown development.
MSOC is an economic development program specifically targeted to provide technical assistance to the traditional downtowns in the county.
Oxford scored a perfect 10 out of 10 during the annual year-end assessment conducted by MSOC.
‘It was a very good year,? said Donohue, noting the assessment is ‘a checkup to make sure they’re doing everything they can to manage the downtown as best they can.?
Oxford became an official Main Street community in 2004 and received national accreditation in 2006 and 2007. However, in 2008 and 2009, the downtown didn’t receive the necessary points to retain the title.
Fortunately, things have changed.
‘I think there’s closer cooperation lately with the village hall,? Donohue said. ‘Because of politics, there’s no perfect situation, but I think there have been definite improvements made over the past couple of years.?
‘You can definitely see signs of progress throughout Oxford,? he continued. ‘There’s a very low vacancy rate. There have been a lot of storefront improvements. Some new businesses coming in. New signage. Big projects ? like they did some parking lot improvements. . .They’re getting more people involved on the committees. They really value the public’s opinion.?
‘I just think they’re doing a great job overall,? Donohue added.
Donohue gave much of the credit to DDA Executive Director Madonna Van Fossen.
‘I think Madonna’s done a great job of getting more people involved,? he said. ‘She’s out on the street, which is important. You can’t be a desk jockey. You’ve got to be out on the street a significant amount of time, listening to the property owners and businesses. That’s something that has improved with Madonna.?
Downtown Oxford’s 2010 accreditation won’t become official until the county’s recommendation is approved by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Founded in 1980, the National Trust’s Main Street Center’s Four Point Approach ? organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring ? has been successfully utilized in more than 2,000 downtowns in 40 states.
Once it’s officially nationally accredited, Oxford’s name will be announced by county Executive L. Brooks Patterson during a special pep rally/press conference to celebrate MSOC’s 10th anniversary.
The event will take place Thursday, Feb. 18 at The Crofoot Ballroom (1 S. Saginaw St.) in Pontiac beginning at 9:30 a.m.
‘I strongly encourage anyone who is able to plan on attending as this is huge for Oxford,? wrote Van Fossen in a Jan. 21 e-mail. ‘I would love to fill the Crofoot with hundreds of Oxford people so everyone knows we are serious about getting noticed.?
According to Donohue, being a Nationally Accredited Main Street community comes with many promotional opportunities for a downtown.
‘We will be doing press releases and feature stories in different media outlets,? he said. ‘They could be potentially eligible for a feature story in the National Main Street News.?
Oxford will be one of the communities recognized at the National Main Street Conference in Oklahoma City May 2-5.
Currently, there are 11 Main Street communities throughout Oakland County.
‘We’ve got about three or four more to (assess), but I think most of our communities will be accredited, if not all,? Donohue noted.