March 18, 2008

For more information, contact
Gary Broome at (314) 444-1171
gbroome@stlrcga.org

For Immediate Release:

St. Louis Region Named Finalist for 2008 All-America City Award

Nomination for 'Oscar' of Community Recognition
Highlights Innovation, Collaboration and Progress
in Central City Revitalization, Parks & Trails, and the Arts

ST. LOUIS --(March 18, 2008) - Following a rigorous nomination effort led by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), the Denver-based National Civic League has announced that the St. Louis Region is a finalist for the 2008 All-America City Award, an honor considered the 'Oscar' of community recognition for civic progress and improvement. This award, now in its 59th year, is the oldest and most prestigious civic recognition in the nation.

"It's very gratifying that the National Civic League has recognized our region's collaborative approach to economic development and civic improvement," noted RCGA President and Chief Executive Officer Richard C.D. Fleming. "Being recognized as a region that is building a stronger community by tackling challenges through collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation underscores the theme of the region's branding effort, "St. Louis: Perfectly Centered. Remarkably Connected." The brand is built on the strong connection between our region's quality of life attributes and our economic development competitiveness." He concluded, "The last time St. Louis was recognized as an All American City was in 1956. It would be a wonderful affirmation of the many civic collaborations in the region to be so honored in 2008."

Over 100 communities submitted applications this year that required a number of details on the region's civic infrastructure - how a community engages in the process of becoming strong, healthy and vibrant; two of the most pressing challenges/opportunities in the community and two projects designed to proactively address these challenges and opportunities; and, lastly, details on a project dealing with a critical issue facing children and youth in the community.

Spearheaded by the RCGA, the St. Louis region's nomination for the All-America City Award focuses on the challenges of revitalizing the region's central core, and a lack of trails and parks that was holding the region back from competing with other metro areas in environmentally-friendly mobility. To get to the final round, the RCGA --- with the assistance of community partners, the Downtown St. Louis partnership, Great Rivers Greenway District, Metro East Park & Recreation District, and St. Louis ArtWorks --- submitted a 16-page application to the National Civic League Award Jury several weeks ago. The nomination of the St. Louis Region focused on the challenges and progress in revitalizing the region's central city, as well as in significantly expanding the region's parks and trails.

The three significant St. Louis regional projects that addressed these two challenges and opportunities are:

• Project 1: Downtown Now! -- a public/private partnership formed in 1997 to develop a seven-year plan for revitalizing downtown St. Louis. It was developed and then implemented by a diverse region-wide coalition of government officials, private citizens, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, and community groups. The City of St. Louis has generated over $5 billion in reinvestment in the region's central city in the past 8 years, with most of the investment in the revitalization of residential neighborhoods and downtown, and a national-leading level of investment in historic restoration and adaptive reuse.
  
  
• Project 2: The St. Louis Regional River Ring -- a unique, 600-mile web of 45 greenway biking trails that will encircle the St. Louis region along the natural flow of the area's rivers and streams. The region created the nation's first bi-state, multi-county park districts to develop the interconnected system of greenways, parks and trails. The unique 5-jurisdiction district includes the City of St. Louis, St. Louis, St. Charles, Madison and St. Clair Counties.
  
  
• Project 3: ArtWorks Enterprises (AWE), a division of St. Louis ArtWorks, a community-based arts collaborative, that was launched after winning the 2006 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition at Washington University in St. Louis' Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. The first venture of AWE is Boomerang Press, a venture that provides meaningful employment and job training for economically disadvantaged students aged 14-19. Boomerang enables youth to produce commissioned art with real-world clients as a paid position under instructor guidance.

"Community involvement sounds like a cliché, but our success proves its power," noted Downtown St. Louis Partnership President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Cloar. "It's great to have the National Civic League recognize not just the revitalization, but the fact that giving everyone a seat at the table in the Downtown Now! effort is what made it all happen."

David Fisher, executive director of the Great Rivers Greenway District, which is collaborating with citizens and officials from over 100 communities and government organizations to build the River Ring, said what makes the nomination so valuable is its focus on citizen and community action.

"This nomination recognizes the tremendous momentum generated when people in the bi-state region work together," Fisher noted. "It's gratifying to have such a prominent national organization call attention to what we do here every day. Community involvement is the litmus test of successful legacy changes."

"It has been more than 40 years since St. Louis was named as a finalist for this outstanding award," said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. "This is a strong third party acknowledgement of all the positive changes we've worked for both in the City of St. Louis and throughout the entire region overall."

Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan, said, "We're delighted with this recognition. Our region has been creative about reinventing itself to successfully compete with other regions. The 600-mile River Ring is an excellent example of how we can achieve both local and region-wide objectives."

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley agreed, noting, "Working as a team is ultimately the only thing that really works. St. Louis being named as a finalist for the All-America City Award is a strong testament to what can be accomplished when we work together as a unified region."

St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann added, "Building a strong Regional Parks and Trails District is vital to creating a "connected" region and enhancing a region's quality of life. It is widely recognized that quality of life directly impacts a region's ability to attract and retain an outstanding labor force. Our Parks and Trails District is a national model other communities will want to emulate."

The bi-state, 16-county St. Louis region is one of 17 finalists that includes communities in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

Each community will send a delegation to Tampa to present its case in a three-day awards competition and innovations forum, June 4th through 6th. During the three-day competition, each community will present its programs and solutions to a jury of experts from throughout the United States. On June 6th, a jury of national business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders will name 10 national winners of the 2008 All-America City Award.

Dating back 59 years, the All-America City Award has been achieved by several hundred neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, and regions across the country. Several have won the award multiple times.

A brief sampling of recent major All-America City Award winners are: Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; and Spokane, Washington.

About The National Civic League
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the National Civic League strengthens democracy by increasing the capacity of our nation's people to fully participate in and build healthy and prosperous communities across America. We are the nation's best at the science of local government, the art of public engagement, and the celebration of the progress that can be achieved when people work together. Founded in 1894 by Theodore Roosevelt, Louis Brandeis, and Marshall Fields and other government reformers, NCL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that accomplishes its mission through training, technical assistance, publishing, facilitating community-wide strategic planning and awards programs. Its board chairs have included the late John Gardner, Henry Cisneros, and Bill Bradley.

It publishes research on government structures and reform and community building innovation (The National Civic Review, The Civic Index, and The 8th Edition of the Model City Charter). In addition to the All-America City Awards, NCL conducts the MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Awards to be announced in April. www.ncl.org

About the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA)
The St. Louis RCGA is the chamber of commerce and economic development organization for the 16-county, bi-state region. With nearly 4,000 member companies, it is the largest chamber of commerce in the state. The mission of the RCGA is to unite the region's business community, and to engage dynamic business and civic leadership to develop and sustain a world-class economy and community.

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