Grant will help bring additions to downtown Clinton
Historic Downtown Clinton has received yet another state grant for continued development of the shopping district. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Called an Entrepreneurship Fund Grant, the money comes from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
“Historic Downtown Clinton is working to create new amenities and services to advance our downtown revitalization efforts and increase economic development in our downtown business district,” the release said.
“In 2022, our Main Street organization has seen growing interest in establishing food and beverage businesses in downtown Clinton through our Tasty Tuesday Food Truck Rally events and other pop-up offerings that we have coordinated,” said program director Katherine Birkbeck.
“From the success of these efforts, we realize that expanding, recruiting, and creating an array of local restaurants, breweries, etc. is an important aspect of our revitalization efforts, and something Clinton residents and visitors are interested in pursuing.”
The announcement said the grant will allow the organization to take the following actions:
• Perform community analysis and make market recommendations unique to Clinton’s needs.
• Conduct community training.
• Provide a restaurant resilience program and/or consumer goods producers training.
• Implement food and beverage downtown property improvements and tenant recruitment.
• Produce food and beverage event space design and operations.
• And develop food and beverage alcohol-related ordinances and policies.
The Historic Downtown Clinton group was created in 2021 when Clinton was selected as a Tennessee Main Street Community with official accreditation by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
The designation put Clinton in an elite small group of cities in the state to have that status.
“We’re one of now 42 cities to qualify, out of about 312 cities statewide,” Rick Meredith, president of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, said at the time.
The Tennessee Main Street logo was to be added to downtown signs, and the city will be listed on official state tourism websites as a “Main Street” community.
This program is part of Main Street America, a nationwide effort administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which certifies Main Street communities across the nation.
The program “provides training, support and grant opportunities to assist in downtown revitalization efforts,” the June 2021 announcement said. “Each [community] selected areas of their downtown centers where the program will focus on historic preservation, community events and economic vitality.”
Clinton’s focus for its downtown are Main and Market streets, the heart of Historic Downtown Clinton.
The program allows Clinton to compete for ECD grants such as this to improve and preserve the Main and Market street areas.