By Jay Meisel

Meisel@hometownnewsol.com

FORT PIERCE - Beginning in the late 1970s as malls developed, downtown Fort Pierce lost businesses and buildings remained vacant.

"It was a typical scenario of what was going on around the nation," said Doris Tillman, the director of Fort Pierce Main Street.

Then in 1988, a workshop was held to find ways to revitalize downtown and 300 people showed up, despite a "blistering rain storm," Ms. Tillman said.

"That was a real turning point for downtown," she said.

In recognition of the progress since then, Fort Pierce Main Street was named a semifinalist for the 2010 Great American Main Street awards last week.

Fort Pierce will compete with Aledo, Ill., Columbus, Miss., Fairmont, W. Va., Farmland, Ind., Ferndale, Mich., Lee's Summit, Mo., Paducah, Ky., Pontiac, Ill. and Rochester, Mich.

The winner will be announced during the National Main Streets conference in Oklahoma City on May 4.

Fort Pierce could end up being only the second Florida city to win. The first was Deland.

Ms. Tillman said this was the first time Fort Pierce Main Street applied. She said in past years, with numerous projects going on, the "timing wasn't right."

Since 1988, she said, downtown Fort Pierce gained 404 jobs, 88 new businesses, 136 projects to rehabilitate existing buildings and 17 new buildings. There's been $14.5 million in public investment and $25 million in private investment.

But it all started with that workshop when people helped develop a master plan for downtown, said Ms. Tillman, director of Main Street since 1991.

"We were all excited and ready to make a change and it happened," she said.

Ms. Tillman recalled that early on, a woman told her that she was ashamed to go downtown, but had decided to be a part of the change. The woman started a business, she said.

And that was typical of many, Ms. Tillman said.

In only six months, not long after the initial workshop, 60 businesses were attracted to downtown, she said.

In the years since, progress has included the Manatee Center, the rehabilitation of the Sunrise Theatre and renovation of the old City Hall.

More recently, Main Street moved its headquarters to the former residence of landscape artist A.E. Backus and renovated the dwelling.

Efforts to convince St. Lucie County to maintain its presence in downtown Fort Pierce were successful and the results have included a new Clerk of Courts building.

The success came about, in part, because Fort Pierce Main Street has a board of directors that never shied away from major projects, she said.

But it's also occurred because of support from residents and enthusiastic city officials, such as former Mayor Eddie Enns and former city manager Dennis Beach, she said.

Besides all that, she said, success has come because of promoting downtown. That has included holding events, such as Friday Fest and putting information about businesses on its Web site.

For more information about Fort Pierce Main Street, go to www.mainstreetfortpierce.org.