FRANKFORT, Ky. – Seven Kentucky Main Street communities – Bellevue, Elizabethtown, Fort Thomas, Henderson, Murray, Springfield and Winchester – were honored Wednesday evening during a first-ever awards ceremony hosted by the Kentucky Main Street Program to recognize outstanding building rehabilitation and downtown revitalization projects created and managed by Main Street communities.
The event was the highlight of a three-day “best practices” conference and 30th anniversary celebration which began Tuesday and ended Wednesday.
The Kentucky Main Street Program is administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office and is the oldest statewide Main Street revitalization program in the nation.
Main Street works to build local businesses, support public-private partnerships and enhance economic development while preserving unique local architecture and existing community infrastructure.
Awards were presented in four categories that mirror the four objectives of the Main Street approach:
- Design
- Promotion
- Organization
- Economic restructuring
Winners received a custom platter designed by Louisville Stoneware.
Winning projects and programs were:
- Promotion/Event: Junior Renaissance Camp – Fort Thomas Renaissance
- Promotion/Public Relations: Shop Bellevue! and Rain or Shine Promotion – Bellevue Renaissance Committee
- Design/Building Rehabilitation: Historic State Theater – Elizabethtown/Hardin County Heritage Council
- Design/Beautification: Wayfinding Signage and Audubon Sculptures – Downtown Henderson Project
- Organization: (tie) Preserve the Past…Imagine the Future annual publication – Murray Main Street Program, Inc., and Springfield Ambassador Program – City of Springfield Main Street Renaissance
- Economic Restructuring: Downtown Living – Winchester First
For photos and descriptions of the projects, see the Kentucky Heritage Council Web site, http://www.heritage.ky.gov/.
The program also honored community volunteers of the year and recognized Main Street managers for their years of service (listed below). The ceremony took place at the recently restored Grand Theatre in Frankfort and was hosted by Chris Black of Paducah, Kentucky Heritage Council Chair. Lauren Adkins, Assistant Director of the National Trust Main Street Center, gave a keynote presentation on Main Street in the 21st Century, noting how small, locally-based businesses are uniquely positioned to survive and thrive in financial downtowns and why rural Main Streets are the economic lifeblood of Kentucky.
Guest presenters were Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Marcheta Sparrow, Deputy Secretary Lindy Casebier, Kentucky Heritage Council Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer Mark Dennen, and Kentucky Main Street Program Coordinator Becky Gorman.
Since 1979, the Kentucky Main Street Program has provided technical assistance and training to more than 100 Kentucky communities. Program managers are hired locally, directed by a volunteer board and work closely with business owners, volunteers and elected officials to achieve local objectives.
In partnership with Renaissance on Main, the Kentucky Main Street Program has generated more than $3.2 billion of public-private investment in Kentucky communities over the last 30 years.
In 2007 alone, Kentucky Main Street Programs reported more than $620 million invested in downtowns, representing the creation of 777 new jobs in Main Street districts, 330 new businesses, 264 downtown buildings rehabilitated, and 64,000+ volunteer hours invested.
Kentucky Main Street Program Volunteers of the Year:
- Laura Popham, Bellevue
- Linda Smith, Beattyville
- Tom Wheatley, Cloverport
- Paula Gearon, Hodgenville
- Martha Alls, Murray
- Jeff Crowe, Tour SEKY
- Wanda Hawkins, Shelbyville
- John Parker Wharton, Springfield
- Dorcas Gilbert, Vanceburg
- Judy Woolums, Wilmore
Kentucky Main Street Program Service Awards:
5+ Years:
- Danny Craig, Ashland
- Rita Riley, Bardstown
- Jody Robinson, Bellevue
- Donna Logsdon, Campbellsville
- Sam Burgess, Carrollton
- Kathie Hickey, Covington
- Dana Beth Lyddan, Elizabethtown
- Traci Robinson, Guthrie/Trenton
- Elizabeth O. Powell, Harlan
- Matthew W. Meunier, Jeffersontown
- Diane Bonfert, Lexington
- Carol Hensley, Louisville
- Daron Jordan, Madisonville
- Terri C. Alderman, Morehead
- Nell R. Haydon, Springfield
- Laura Tipton, Mount Sterling
- Deana Wright, Murray
- Bob Yoder, Newport
- Pati Porter, Olive Hill
- S. Darlene Gooch, Russellville
- Patty Kennard, Vanceburg
- Margaret Morgan, Wilmore
- Lara Thornbury, Winchester
10+ Years:
- Cheryl Blaine, Bowling Green
- Julie Wagner, Danville
- Sonny Monroe, Franklin/Simpson
- Mary Lou Brock, Lebanon
- Donna Clements, Morganfield
- Eilene Collins, Shelbyville
- Mary Middleton, Stanford
15 Years:
20 Years:
- Julie K. Turnipseed, Henderson
