TAMPA, Fla., June 6, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The St. Louis region, represented by a diverse contingent of 20 citizens and leaders, won the 2008 All-America City Award tonight, presented by the National Civic League in Tampa. St. Louis was the only "region" to make the finalist group from among the nominees, and is only metro region in the nation to be designated an All-America City.

Now in its 59th year, the award is considered the 'Oscar' of community recognition for civic progress and improvement. It is the oldest and most prestigious civic recognition in the nation. This is the first time since 1956 that St. Louis has been recognized as an All American City.

The region will celebrate the All-America City award at Saturday's grand opening of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The bikeway is the latest addition to The River Ring -- a unique, 600-mile web of 45 biking trails and greenways that will encircle and connect the St. Louis region. The River Ring played a key role in the region's winning nomination for the All-America City Award.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay noted, "It has been more than 50 years since St. Louis won this outstanding award. This is a strong acknowledgement by an objective source of the improvement in the quality of life in both the City of St. Louis and the entire region."

"This is a great, great moment for the St. Louis region," said Dick Fleming, president and chief executive officer of St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), which led the rigorous effort. "Being recognized as a region that is building a stronger community by tackling challenges through collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation underscores the theme of our region's branding effort, 'St. Louis: Perfectly Centered. Remarkably Connected.'"

Over 100 communities submitted applications this year for the All-America City award presented by the Denver-based National Civic League. St. Louis was one of 16 communities named as finalists in March. Each finalist community sent a delegation to Tampa this week to perform a community presentation in a three-day award competition before a jury of national business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders.

The St. Louis region's nomination and presentation focused on the challenges of revitalizing the region's central city, the need for connecting the region through trails and parks that was holding the region back from competing with other metro areas in environmentally-friendly mobility, and the need to empower youth to succeed in the arts. Three successful programs were highlighted in the finalist presentation:

 -- Project 1: Downtown Now! is a public/private partnership formed in
   1997 to develop a seven-year plan for revitalizing downtown St. Louis. It was developed and implemented by a diverse region-wide
   coalition of government officials, private citizens, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, and community groups. Over
   $4.25 billion has been invested downtown in the past seven years, with another $1 billion currently underway. This level of
   investment in historic restoration and adaptive reuse has led to Missouri becoming the number one state in the use of federal
   tax credits. -- Project 2: The River Ring, created by The Great Rivers Greenway District, is a unique, 600-mile web of 45
   biking trails and greenways that encircles and connects the St. Louis region. Both the Great Rivers Greenway District and
   the Metro-East Park and Recreation District were established in November 2000 by the successful passage of the Clean Water
   Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative (Proposition C) in St. Louis City, St. Louis, and St. Charles counties in Missouri,
   and Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois. Together, the districts make up the nation's first bi-state, multi-county
   park district to develop an interconnected trail system. -- Project 3: The Boomerang Press, a division of the community-based
   arts collaborative St. Louis Art Works, was launched after winning the 2007 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition
   at Washington University in St. Louis' Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Boomerang Press provides meaningful
   employment and job training, enabling students aged 14-19 to produce commissioned art with real-world clients in paid positions
   under instructor guidance. 

Slay and Fleming were accompanied in the award competition by several community and civic leaders, as well as students/apprentices from the St. Louis ArtWorks. The entire winning contingent consisted of:

   -- Francis Slay, Mayor of St. Louis -- Dick Fleming, President and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association
   -- Linda Leonard - Vice President, St. Louis RCGA -- Tom Reeves - former Executive Director, Downtown NOW! and now president
   of Pulaski Bank -- Jim Cloar - President, Downtown St. Louis Partnership -- David Fisher - Executive Director, Great Rivers
   Greenway District -- Anne Klein - Chairman, Great Rivers Greenway District and Director of Policy Development, St. Charles
   County, Mo. -- Nancy Krelle - Cyclist -- Mike Buehlhorn - Executive Director, Metro East Park and Recreation District -- Ronda
   Sauget - President, Validus Business Strategies in Sauget, Illinois -- Michele Fontaine - St. Louis ArtWorks -- Priscilla
   Block - Executive Director, St. Louis ArtWorks -- Susan Glassman - President, St. Louis ArtWorks and Senior Vice President,
   Urban Strategies -- Lakeisha Joyce - Apprentice/Artist, Boomerang Press -- Kimmika Warren - Apprentice/Artist, Boomerang Press
   -- Justin Wilson - Apprentice/Artist, Boomerang Press -- Cedric Curry - Apprentice/Artist, Boomerang Press -- Tony Mueller
   - STL TV -- Martin Busler - STL TV -- Anne Cloar - Community Volunteer, St. Louis 

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. http://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.

SOURCE St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA)

http://www.ncl.org 

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