By Staff
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has announced that 32 communities, including Niles, formerly designated as Main Street, Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns and Blueprints for Michigan's Neighborhoods communities, are now all eligible to be a part of the Michigan Cool Cities initiative.
The 'cool' designation gives the communities access to additional marketing tools to promote revitalization efforts in their downtowns and adjacent neighborhoods.
The affected Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns communities are: Adrian, Battle Creek, Brighton, Buchanan, Charlotte, Cheboygan, Davison, Imlay City, Ionia, Highland Park, Houghton, Howard City, Jonesville, Linden, Mt. Pleasant, Fremont, Grand Haven, Menominee, Middleville, Norway, Saline and Wayland.
The Main Street communities are: Boyne City, Calumet, Clare, Marshall, Muskegon, Niles and Portland.
The Blueprints for Michigan's Neighborhoods (formerly Neighborhoods of Choice) are: Cadillac, Kalamazoo and Muskegon.
As an official part of the Cool Cities designation, the communities now have access to the Cool Cities logos and signs to help them promote their continued revitalization efforts.
The Michigan Cool Cities Initiative began as a competitive pilot program in 2003, that awarded $100,000 catalyst grants to communities for 20 different downtown development projects. Due to the success of the pilot program, the Governor expanded it in 2005 to include the three programs.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) oversees the Michigan Main Street program, and jointly administers the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns program with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The Blueprints for Michigan's Neighborhoods program is administered jointly by the MEDC, MSHDA and the State Historic Preservation Office.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a partnership between the state and local communities, promotes smart economic growth by developing strategies and providing services to create and retain good jobs and a high quality of life.
For more information on MEDC initiatives and programs, visit the Web site at www.michigan.org . For more information about the Michigan Cool Cities initiative, visit www.coolcities.com .