By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
The Ortonville Downtown Development Authority has received their national Main Street America accreditation, as well as two grants from Main Street Oakland County and Genisys Credit Union.
“Without collaboration, leadership, and the hard work of all the DDA volunteers, this accreditation could not be possible,” said DDA President Courtney McClerren. We are truly powered locally. Moving forward, our focus will be to continue to make a significant investment in our downtown, accelerating our economic recovery, revitalizing our district, engaging our community and ensuring business longevity post-pandemic. That’s just what we do.”
The Ortonville DDA’s performance is evaluated annually by Main Street Oakland County, in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet the 10 national performance standards. This year, 889 nationally accredited Main Street Programs were recognized.
Also, the Ortonville DDA received a grant for their Ortonville Online Marketplace for $2,500 from Main Street Oakland County and Genisys Credit Union. The grant will support e-commerce for the Ortonville DDA businesses, and will create a robust online shopping destination for local shoppers.
The second grant went to a new DDA business, 5th and Pinned, which had their grand opening on Friday. The retail powersports gear, parts and accessories business is located at 4 N. Ortonville Road, suite A, and will go towards building renovations and preparations for their building within the DDA district.