Main Street Oakland County communities receive record number of accreditations

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson recently announced that a record number of Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) communities have received accreditation for 2012 from the National Main Street Center. The 10 Oakland County downtown communities to receive national accreditation are: Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Highland, Holly, Lake Orion, Oxford, Ortonville, Pontiac, and Rochester. "Congratulations to all of our nationally accredited Main Street communities and to all of the individuals in each community who make that happen," Patterson said at a morning news conference at Leon & Lulu in Clawson. "Their hard work reflects well on all of Oakland County." Each accredited community received a score of 10 out of 10 on their 2012 national evaluations. The accreditations were announced in May at the National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans. The 2014 National Main Streets Conference will be in Detroit from May 18-21. During the news conference, Patterson highlighted Downtown Rochester which also received the distinct honor of the Great American Main Street Award for 2012 in May. Ferndale achieved that national recognition in 2010. Patterson also acknowledged two communities that joined MSOC earlier this year as associate level members: Oak Park and Lathrup Village. The county executive was joined by representatives from the 10 accredited communities, the two new associate level member communities, and Oakland County's Economic Development & Community Affairs Department. Members of the Clawson High School orchestra, cheerleaders and a baton twirler performed prior to the news conference. MSOC is Oakland County's economic development program for its 32 downtown communities with a historic preservation philosophy and an emphasis on "sense of place." It helps local governments develop their downtowns as vibrant, successful districts that serve as the heart of their communities. Patterson established MSOC in 2000 as the nation's first county-wide Main Street program. Since its inception through 2012, more than $685 million in public and private Investment has created a net of 8,000 new fulltime jobs and established 818 new businesses. There are currently 18 member downtown communities in the MSOC program. The 12 selected level/full service member communities are Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Highland, Holly, Lake Orion, Oxford, Ortonville, Pontiac, Rochester and Walled Lake. The six associate level member communities are Birmingham, Clarkston, Lathrup Village, Leonard, Oak Park, and Waterford. For more information, click on AdvantageOakland.com. Published: Tue, Jul 16, 2013