City leaders in the small community of Centreville in Bibb County are celebrating because the community has become a fully designated Main Street Alabama city. Centreville has a population of 2,781 residents.
Centreville Mayor Mike Oakley said he hopes this will help increase tourism and growth and boost the economy in his community.
“And really the bottom line is it brings people and jobs back to the community, and it makes your community proud of what they’ve got,” Oakley said.
Oakley told CBS 42 getting chosen as a Main Street community is a huge accomplishment. According to the mayor, a developer wants to renovate the old bank building and put a restaurant inside. There are also plans for some of the other older buildings that date back to the 1800s.
Main Street Centreville Director Melissa Thompson said this is going to really put Centreville on the map, and the possibilities are endless.
“It’s neat to come to a small town just to see all the possibilities that are here,” Thompson said. “Like, all the old buildings that are falling down around us that we want to bring back to life and hang onto that historic beauty of it and to utilize it instead of just tearing them down.”
Oakley said it was a difficult application process that was worth it.
“What it really means is that in one and two and three years this whole area where we are standing will look completely different than what it is right now,” Oakley said. “It helps the retail guys by bringing people in and spruces their businesses up, and it makes people want to come back and shop in downtown areas again.”
Main Street Alabama was launched back in 2013 as an organization that helps communities spur growth and attract visitors. Russellville was also designated as a Main Street community. In the past 10 years, 32 cities in Alabama were chosen to be on the list.
Source: CBS 42
