The City of Rainsville has been selected by the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) Program based on what is seen as "great potential for the the future".

The ACE team came to Rainsville last Thursday night for their first comprehensive on site visit and met with members of the community.

The Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) program uses a comprehensive, three-phase approach to assist participating communities in planning and preparing for a more vibrant future. Throughout each of these phases, ACE partners from the private sector, government agencies and universities work with each community to successfully achieve its goals.

Created in 2002 as a 501 (c)3 non-profit corporation organized for the purpose of utilizing the collective expertise of its partner organizations, ACE provides participants with a “one stop shopping” type of experience—community development programs and tools needed to insure long term success found through one organization.

To participate in the ACE program, communities must first submit a completed application and be selected as a participant. At the beginning of each selection process, applications are mailed to the mayors of those communities having the qualifying population of 2,000 to 18,000.

The main criteria used in selecting ACE participants are: 1) the level of local commitment to the ACE program, 2) the community’s capacity to support the ACE program, and 3) the provision of complete and accurate information in the application.

Once a community has been accepted into the ACE program, it begins with Phase I, known as the assessment phase.

For more information on the ACE Program, visit: http://www.alabamacommunitiesofexcellence.com/