Community Development Director Connie Tabor Receives "Starr Award"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       Aug. 9, 2021

Contact: Kelli Bennett                                     Amanda Coyne

  Office: 678-686-6242                        Office: 678-538-3794

  Cell: 404-796-5508                           Cell: 404-772-0574

  kbennett@gacities.com                 acoyne@gacities.com

 

Toccoa Community Development Director Connie Tabor Recognized with

Starr Award from Georgia Cities Foundation

 

SAVANNAH – Toccoa Community Development Director Connie Tabor has been recognized for her tireless efforts in restoring her city’s historic downtown district with the Starr Award, presented by the Georgia Cities Foundation (GCF). The award was presented Aug. 9 during the Georgia Municipal Association’s Annual Convention.

Tabor has led the city’s effort to restore its downtown since 1990, securing $1.4 million in state and federal funding and returning the area to its original aesthetic. She established an active Historic Preservation Commission for the ongoing effort, and her work has been recognized by the National Main Street Center as one of the top 10 Great American Main Streets.

Under her direction, the Historic Downtown District in Toccoa sees over 50 annual events, has been awarded 48 grants totaling more than 4.6 million dollars in funding, and has seen over $36 million invested in public and private dollars, creating real jobs and supporting families in the community.

Tabor led the visioning team during the large-scale update to the City of Toccoa’s Comprehensive Plan in 2017 that directly influenced Main Street Toccoa being designated one of the first nine Rural Zones in the State of Georgia in 2018, a PlanFirst community in 2018, and a Georgia Trend Live, Work, Play Community in 2019.

Connie’s forward-thinking approach to downtown development has brought hundreds of jobs into Downtown Toccoa, has garnered community support for the downtown that has increased the quality-of-life in the city, and has instilled a passion for downtown development in all.

About the Georgia Cities Foundation: The Georgia Cities Foundation was originally established in 1999 by the Georgia Municipal Association as a 501(c)(3) organization.   In December 2010, the Foundation was designated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) by the United States Department of the Treasury's CDFI Fund. For more information, visit www.georgiacitiesfoundation.org.

 

From Left to Right: Connie Tabor, Community Development Director; Susan Starr, Wife of Mike Starr (for whom the award is in memoriam); Pam Sessions, Georgia Cities Foundation President