On Thursday, April 14, Downtown Colorado Inc. presented the Town of Frisco with the Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence in the Pandemic Response- Small Town Category at DCI’s annual In the Game conference, held this year in Colorado Springs. The Governor’s Awards for Downtown Excellence recognizes outstanding projects, people, places, and plans in Colorado that demonstrate creativity and dedication to positively impact communities and advance downtown initiatives.
A statement provided by the judging panel described the Town of Frisco’s entry as an “amazing campaign that benefited businesses, as well as residents. Everyone in the community (businesses and residents) was able to participate and find ways to support Frisco by showing love! Amazing collaborations were established along with tons of community involvement.”
The DCI jury recognized the Town of Frisco for its inclusive, multi-faceted approach to pandemic response that included the establishment of the Main Street Promenade for summers of 2020 and 2021, dedication of staff towards a strategic economic response that directly assisted residents with accessing resources and business owners with grant and loan applications, multiple rounds of shop/dine/stay local programs, four business grant programs, and the provision of several other avenues for businesses to operate, while supporting and complying with public health orders.
“The Town of Frisco is truly honored to receive this award because it drives home the many ways the Town Council, Town staff, the business community, and our residents and visitors came together to support each other through the compounding challenges of the pandemic. There was not a single department left out of response and recovery efforts, and the results spoke for themselves with the number of businesses that have made it through to the other side stronger than ever,” stated Frisco Mayor, Hunter Mortensen
The DCI is a nonprofit, membership association committed to building better communities by providing assistance to Colorado downtowns, commercial districts, main streets, rural communities, and town centers, originally established in 1982 as Colorado Community Revitalization Association.