9-09-2025 5:17am

BUILDING A BETTER BOYERTOWN DESIGNATED 2025 ACCREDITED PROGRAM STATUS BY MAIN STREET AMERICA

Lesley Misko Editor

Ellen Martignetti, Main Street Manager, proudly announces Building a Better Boyertown's designation as an Accredited Main Street American program.

BOYERTOWN, PA– Building a Better Boyertown has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation — Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are a powerful advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities, and creating lasting impact.

“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”

Building a Better Boyertown’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.

These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proved track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.

In 2024, Main Street America programs across the United States generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.

“Our Accredited designation is both an honor and a responsibility,” said Ellen Martignetti, Main Street Manager of Building a Better Boyertown. “It reflects the hard work of our volunteers, the commitment of our partners, and the exciting progress we’ve made together.”

Building a Better Boyertown is proud to reflect on meaningful progress and reinvestment. In 2024, the organization secured a $30,000 grant from the Boyertown Area Charitable Program of the Berks County Community Foundation, a key contribution that will support the redesign of the downtown Community Walkway—enhancing safety, lighting, landscaping, and accessibility for residents and visitors alike. BaBB is also working with property owners for building façade improvements from a grant awarded in 2023 from the PA Department of Economic and Community Development. BaBB continues to host annual events that bring thousands of visitors to downtown Boyertown. These efforts contributed to a stronger economy and reinforced Boyertown’s reputation as a vibrant, welcoming destination.

ABOUT BUILDING A BETTER BOYERTOWN

Building a Better Boyertown became a Main Street America community in 2003. Over the years, BaBB has grown from a small group of volunteers into a driving force for sustainable growth and community pride. By fostering strong partnerships and utilizing resources from the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and the National Main Street Program, BaBB has transformed Boyertown’s downtown into a thriving, walkable hub of activity, preserved and revitalized historic landmarks, hosted events that bring the community together and strengthened local businesses through economic support and collaboration.

For more information, visit www.buildingabetterboyertown.org

ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, the Main Street Movement has resulted in $115.42 billion reinvested locally, 181,647 net new businesses, 815,895 net new jobs, 345,801 buildings rehabilitated, and 37.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.