Last Friday, Gov. Gregoire signed the Main Street Bill preserving the Washington State Main Street Program into law.

This is strong confirmation of the widespread support and understanding of how valuable the Main Street Program is to so many of our communities across the state.

This accomplishment represents the tireless efforts of our leading Main Street directors and managers throughout Washington who kept the pressure on what was needed to get this bill through both the House and the Senate during a short session.

Rep. Appleton, Rep. Rolfes and Sen. Rockefeller receive enormous credit for being willing to sign on in support early, and stay with each of the bills as they moved through committee and onto the floor for the all-important vote.

Their involvement was absolutely essential to our ability to save the program by moving it to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP).

This support for Main Street at the state and national level is a valuable sign that our recovery will begin with the small, independent, locally owned businesses that keep communities like Bainbridge Island alive.

A very special thank you to Bainbridge Island Downtown Association board members who wrote letters of support and reached out to various legislators and sub-committee members reinforcing the importance of preserving our state Main Street program.

Because of your efforts we will continue to have the tools and resources to help our Downtown Winslow merchants and property owners remain viable.

As an organization, we wish to express our appreciation to members of City Council for preserving the city’s Main Street funding to BIDA’s 2010 budget. We will continue to provide strong evidence of the Downtown Association’s value and stewardship of the city’s funds, as we deliver the Main Street program to our community in the coming year.

Andrea Mackin,

executive director

Bainbridge Island Downtown Association