Patrick Hoskins in front of the new restrooms. (Courtesy Photo)Silver City MainStreet and the Freeport McMoRan Foundation along with the Grant County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. May 16 for the new restroom building at the Main Street Plaza located between Seventh and Eighth  streets just off of Bullard Street next to the Big Ditch Park.

The Main Street Plaza has been a part of the Downtown Action Plan for a number of years and Phase I, funded by the Freeport McMoRan Foundation, was for much needed public restrooms.

“We have residents who come to shop downtown and most businesses do not have public restrooms. Shoppers leave to go home if they cannot find a restroom,” said Patrick Hoskins, Silver City MainStreet Board President. “The completion of Phase I has in turned been leveraged to acquire additional funding for Phase II and hopefully for Phase III to complete the project. We are truly grateful for the Freeport McMoRan funding and for support from the Town of Silver City.”

The Main Street Plaza project will transform the parking lot into a multiple use area for events, farmers market, as well as continued parking.  This project will benefit residents and tourists alike increasing the economic vitality of downtown by providing a much needed event venue along with the public restrooms.  The Plaza is so named because it is on the last remnant of Silver City’s Main St. before it became the Big Ditch.

The Silver City MainStreet Project is one of the oldest and most successful MainStreet programs in the state.  The MainStreet program is a national program fostering economic development in local communities and operates under the NM MainStreet program and the state Economic Development Department.  

Silver City MainStreet has accomplished many projects since 1985 including the downtown street lights, downtown gateway arch, improvements to the Big Ditch Park, numerous beautification projects, and most recently, the restoration of the historic Silco Theater. In 2011, Silver City MainStreet won the Great American MainStreet Award given to only three programs each year.

The mission of Silver City MainStreet is, "To encourage a vibrant, historic downtown Silver City which is recognized as the heart of our diverse community." Please visit our website, www.silvercitymainstreet.com to learn more.