BOULDER CITY, NV (FOX5) — Boulder City is one of three Nevada communities that earned national Main Street accreditation this week, a designation that recognizes areas for having a strong commitment to economic development and community revitalization.
Jill Lagan with the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce said the accreditation did not happen overnight. The community has been working toward it for years, checking off a long list of requirements to show its investment in revitalization.
“We all want to make sure that we’re protecting and admiring and making sure that the different buildings are protected, but that means you also have to spend a little bit extra to take care of the inside as well, right?” Lagan said.
For Boulder City, the recognition means more opportunities to compete for grant funding that can help preserve and improve buildings that make up the heart of downtown. The chamber said that is important because about 400 out of 500 buildings in the historic part of town were constructed in the 1930s and 1940s.
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“So to bring them up to code, to make sure they’re handicap accessible, to make sure that we are offering this, and it is an accessible community,” Lagan said. “So in order to do that, people have to invest a little bit more.”
Lagan said economic vitality is always a goal. She credited Boulder City’s controlled growth ordinance, along with the fact that there is no gaming, for helping the community maintain its distinct look and feel.
“So making and having beautiful streetscapes, beautiful places for pedestrians to walk,” Lagan said. “But if they’re coming for adventure, we want to make sure we’re telling the story of the history of Boulder.”
Lagan said that the story is personal for her. She was raised in Boulder City, her family came to work on the Hoover Dam in the early 1900s, and now she is raising her own family here as a fifth-generation.
“And that’s really important because there’s such a rich history here in Boulder City,” Lagan said.
The chamber said they are working on a planting program, sponsoring planters and encouraging businesses to add more greenery to bring sustainable beauty to downtown in hopes of drawing more visitors and business for years to come.
Yerington and Midtown Reno were also accredited this week.
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