Middlesboro partners with Walk [Your City] of Raleigh to Promote Walking

Middlesboro, Kentucky - This southeastern Kentucky community is one of the first of several hundred communities in the U.S. and internationally to apply for and receive two free complimentary signs from Walk [Your City]. These will be placed at locations in the downtown area and direct people to other areas they may walk to with the approximate time it takes to walk to that location.

The mission of Walk [Your City] is "Getting More Feet on the Street™!" One the initial signs are installed, people in other communities all over the U.S. and internationally will be able to create their own signs through this easy to use web-based service.

Keep your eyes open for where the signs will be popping up the next few weeks in Middlesboro. Better yet, if you see them, share a picture with us on social media via Twitter @DDMBoro or Facebook.com/DDMBoro.

DDM President Keith Nagle Wins Prestigious Preservation Award

Keith Nagle accepting the Ida Lee Willis Award.

  

Ida Lee Willis Memorial Preservation Awards are presented each May, which is National Historic Preservation Month. The awards recognize those who have demonstrated an understanding of and appreciation for the value of preserving and reusing Kentucky’s historic resources, whether through the rehabilitation of an important structure or community resource, or lifetime commitment to encouraging and promoting historic preservation. The awards are named for the late Ida Lee Willis, a former Kentucky first lady who was appointed first executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Commission (now the Kentucky Heritage Council) in 1966.

IDA LEE WILLIS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION PRESERVATION AWARD WINNERS

The Ida Lee Willis Memorial Award is presented to the individual who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the cause of historic preservation in the Commonwealth. The 2013 recipient is Stephen L. Collins, of Shelbyville, vice chairman of the Kentucky Heritage Council, chairman of the Kentucky Historic Properties Advisory Commission, and longtime chairman of the Ida Lee Willis Memorial Foundation. His fellow board members chose to honor him this year for his lifetime of service to preservation.

Preservation Project Awards recognize outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation of historic buildings, or other types of projects that have had a positive impact on Kentucky’s built environment. 2013 recipients are:

·         The Cox Building, Maysville

·         Rockcastle River Historic Truss Bridge, advocate Jim Hayes and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

·         Sadieville Rosenwald School

Service to Preservation Awards honor those who have furthered historic preservation activities or have had a positive impact in their communities, including individuals, organizations, public officials, financial institutions, news media, and/or volunteers. 2013 recipients are:

·         Nancy Adams, Pine Mountain Settlement School

·         Keith Nagle, Discover Downtown Middlesboro

·         Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation deTours Committee, led by board member sponsor Pamela Perlman

New this year, the awards selection committee voted to give special awards to two groups for their personal commitment to taking up a local preservation cause, and going above and beyond to engage others in their efforts. Recipients of Grassroots Preservation Awards are:

·         Obie Fardo, Frank Hussung, Billie Newman and Charlie Pyles, for rehabilitation of Bethel Church and Cemetery in Pendleton County

·         Friends of Sherman Tavern, Dry Ridge

Additional information about recipients and projects will be posted following the ceremony. For questions, contact Diane Comer, 502-564-7005, ext. 120 or email diane.comer@ky.gov.

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An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for the identification, protection and preservation of archaeological resources and historic buildings, sites and cultural resources throughout the Commonwealth, in partnership with other state and federal agencies, local communities and interested citizens. This mission is integral to making communities more livable and has a far-ranging impact on issues as diverse as economic development, jobs creation, affordable housing, tourism, community revitalization, environmental conservation and quality of life.  www.heritage.ky.gov

National Leader in Sustainable Communities and Preservation Named First President of National Main Street Center, Inc.

Patrice Frey, a national leader in community development at the intersection of preservation and sustainability, has been named the first president and CEO of the National Main Street Center, Inc. Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and National Main Street Center, Inc., board chair Barbara Sidway made the announcement today. Frey, who currently heads the National Trust’s Sustainable Communities priority, will lead the newly formed subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Main Street Center, Inc., is an extension of the 33-year old Main Street program of the National Trust, which uses historic preservation as a tool for economic development in downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. More than 2,000 communities have participated in the Main Street program since its inception, leading to more than 235,000 building rehabilitation projects and the creation of nearly 475,000 jobs in those cities and towns. As the National Trust’s director of sustainability, Frey has conceived and grown the National Trust’s work around Sustainable Communities, which includes the Seattle-based Preservation Green Lab as well as offices in Chicago and Phoenix. “Her entrepreneurial skills in building an effective program with national impact led the National Main Street Center board of trustees after a long national search to unanimously and enthusiastically choose Patrice to lead Main Street in a similar way to the next level,” said Barbara Sidway, chair of the National Main Street Center. “As a private business owner, I am impressed by Patrice’s ability to build an organization.” “With her outstanding track record in preservation, sustainability, community revitalization, research, and nonprofit leadership, Patrice brings the skills we need to launch this new subsidiary and expand the Main Street program,” added National Trust president Stephanie Meeks. “Through the development of cutting-edge research, innovative policy solutions and technical tools that make it easier for people to reuse and green older buildings in our Sustainable Communities priority, Patrice has demonstrated that she has the vision and leadership skills to take Main Street to new heights.” Frey, a graduate of Scripps College and the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Masters degree in historic preservation with a concentration in Real Estate Design and Development at the Wharton Business School — has been active in the field of preservation, community development, and sustainability for almost 15 years. In her most recent position, she provides thought leadership in the sustainable communities field and has served as lead author on a number of papers and studies, including The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse. “Patrice has shown a strong leadership sense and an ability to connect historic preservation with new and non-traditional partners that we believe will help us shape the future of the Main Street movement,” said Ms. Sidway, in making the announcement. “We were looking for someone who understood the new directions in community revitalization and sustainability, where Main Street has been an important player over the past three decades. In addition, we were seeking a strong leader who possessed the communication, fundraising, finance, and networking skills required to launch a new venture, and we believe we have found those in Patrice.” Frey will meet with the Main Street community at the annual National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans in April, and will join the National Main Street Center staff on May 1. She will lead the National Main Street Center organization from Chicago, where the program began more than three decades ago. Click here to read press release.