Portland Named Winner in Michigan Main Street Photo Contest

Great news! The city of Portland has been named a winner of the Michigan Main Street Photo Contest sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Portland was the winner of the Design category, which focused on photos that display downtown public spaces, building renovations, signage, and streetscape. Portland’s Downtown Development Authority will receive $1,000 for its winning submission.

“These photos visually represented the heart and soul of our Michigan Main Streets and gave communities an opportunity to showcase their downtown revitalization efforts and accomplishments as Main Street communities. MEDC received many strong submissions and the judges had a hard time deciding on winning images,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “Portland’s submission, which shows charming historic storefronts and an attractive streetscape, best represented the Design category.”

In order to submit photos, a community had to be either a Select or Master Level Main Street Community in the Michigan Main Street Program. Administered by MEDC, the program provides technical assistance for communities desiring to develop their own local Main Street program by utilizing the Main Street Approach™ – a common-sense approach to tackling the complex issues of revitalization by capitalizing on downtown’s history and identifying the unique assets of the community itself. For more information on the Michigan Main Street Program, visit https://www.miplace.org/communities/mms/.

The Michigan Main Street Photo Contest was created to allow communities to showcase their downtown revitalization efforts and highlight their accomplishments as Main Street communities. The contest was an opportunity for Main Street communities to highlight the work they are doing and get local people interested in what their community has to offer. The contest ran from September 11 and December 22, 2017, and had five separate segments, each running for three weeks. Four other communities will be announced as contest winners later this week.

To view all of Portland’s photo submissions or for more information, please contact Tina Connor Wellman, Main Street/DDA director, at 517.647.5027 or ddamainstreet@portland-michigan.org.