Stamped Crosswalks Installed at Cumberland and 19th Street in Middlesboro

Stamped and textured crosswalk that just went in on Cumberland Ave at 19th St in downtown Middlesboro. Credit: DDM.

Beautiful crosswalks just went in at 19th and Cumberland in downtown Middlesboro! The idea was first suggested to TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky as part of their C.I.T.Y. grant program in March 2010. At the time it was estimated that crosswalks at 19th, 20th, and 21st would cost around $50,000.

Same intersection at 19th and Cumberland as it appeared around March 2010. Credit: DDM.

While that initial grant was not received our volunteers and our Board President Jay Shoffner in particular did not forget the idea. So when the Transportation Cabinet approached us about a repaving project for Cumberland Avenue in April this year, we revived the crosswalk proposal and made clear what a great help this would be to making the downtown more walkable and welcoming to residents, customers, and visitors who regularly use our downtown. With help from Mayor Bill Kelley and officials from the Transportation Cabinet we were able to revive the crosswalks proposal and have it included in the project to repave Cumberland Ave.

Design proposal showing 2 mile inner loop along Canal, Yellow Creek, and Cumberland Ave, and 7 mile outer loop along Cumberland Ave, Yellow Creek, and Levee. Credit: UK Department of Landscape Architecture.

This proposal also fit in well with work being done with the University of Kentucky and Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program to connect the downtown area with the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. A two mile "Inner Loop" has been proposed connecting Cumberland Avenue, the Canal Walk, and Yellow Creek with the National Park around 13th Street. This would also help to advance our bid to become a Kentucky Trail Town by creating a walkable route that connects the National Park and the downtown.

So in a way these crosswalks at Cumberland Ave and 19th may be considered as the first visible steps of a much bigger project to connect our downtown with the National Park. More is soon to follow with bid documents going out shortly on repaving of the Canal Walk and creating a trailhead to go along with that. This eight foot wide shared use asphalt path, once completed, will provide a valuable amenity downtown for residents and visitors alike.

Discover Downtown Middlesboro is a Nationally Certified Kentucky Main Street Program and in 2014 was one of two communities nationally named "Ones to Watch" by the National Main Street Center. The grassroots Main Street Approach® to commercial district revitalization has attracted millions of dollars of public and private investment to downtown Middlesboro since our program was founded in 2006. In 2013, downtown Middlesboro reported $2.7 million of investment, 100 new jobs, and 13 new business created.

For more information please contact Discover Downtown Middlesboro at (606) 248-6155 or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @DDMBoro. www.downtownmiddlesboro.org.

This Moment in Appalachia - Notes from Pikeville

As morning rose over Pikeville, we wondered what the future holds for Eastern Kentucky.

We woke this morning in the pre-dawn hours to view the rolling hills of Pikeville. This was a sort of Homecoming because our first visit to this area was in December last year. At that time we joined with around a thousand other Eastern Kentuckians to participate in the Shaping our Appalachian Region initiative kick-off. The genesis of this initiative was the loss of thousands of coal jobs over the past several years, and the economic crisis this has created.

The mission of SOAR is as follows:

SOAR's mission is to expand job creation, enhance regional opportunity, innovation, and identity, improve the quality of life, and support all those working to achieve these goals in Appalachian Kentucky.

A series of listening sessions have been held all throughout our region since then. There is a SOAR Report, a website, and an Executive Board chaired by our Governor and US Congressman Hal Rogers who are working hard to advance our region in several key areas. Last night we had our first opportunity to provide input and to join with about a dozen other people for a Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Listening Session. This was held at the Kentucky Highlands Innovation Center in Pineville. For two hours we had a wide ranging conversation about the constraints that communities in our area face - from limited resources, gaps in expertise at the local level that are not being filled, but the most important theme that emerged was limited regional collaboration and sharing from one community to the next.

As if a perfect counterpoint and answer to the many hopes, dreams, and aspirations expressed by participants from Clay, Estill, Knox, Bell, and Laurel counties - today we are in Pikeville again for the Capitalizing on Culture conference. Over the next two days we'll participate in a variety of trainings, discussions of the more formal and less formal varieties, and have a chance to network with leaders not just from Eastern Kentucky but from all throughout the Commonwealth. The convener of the conference is the Kentucky Heritage Council along with several partners including Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) and Community Trust Bancorp Inc. Other presenting partners are Preservation Kentucky Inc. (PKI), the Kentucky Main Street Program, Friends of Kentucky Main Street, Pikeville Main Street Program, the City of Pikeville and Pike County. A full schedule of the proceedings is here.

Hopefully this convening will build on earlier events, and infuse an appreciation for heritage, arts, and culture in to these discussions about the region that we're having. For many people heritage and art may seem to be intangible things that the region simply cannot afford given the stark economic challenges we face. In Middlesboro we have taken a slightly different take - we realize that our history, historic buildings, natural resources, and local artisans and crafters are assets that need to be cultivated.  

These lessons were reinforced in January when we were one of seven communities in four states invited to participate in the Appalachian Gateways workshop held in Abingdon, Virginia, by The Conservation Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. There we learned about asset based approaches to community and economic development and how to apply them to our most pressing challenges. What came out of that was formation of the Passage Through the Gap Partnership and a plan to develop a regional Certified Tourism AmbassadorTM training program. This program will help to train ambassadors who will tell the story of our arts, heritage, and unique Appalachian culture for the more than million visitors who pass through the Cumberland Gap each year. Already a $7,500 grant has been secured to launch this program and we're partnering with the Tourism Ambassador Institute® that has already trained over 10,000 ambassadors in 16 states.

Our activities in Middlesboro don't stop there. In the past year we've developed a Makers Market in a vacant storefront now representing two dozen artists. We've become a nationally recognized leader utilizing tactical urbanism to transform our downtown through low-cost DIY interventions. This is what helped us become one of two communities nationally named "Ones to Watch" by the National Main Street Center in May. 

What has worked in Middlesboro better than anything else is our volunteer grassroots-led approach to revitalization. Since 2006 our hundreds of volunteers have spent thousands of hours holding popular events to draw people downtown, restored buildings to make them attractive, and worked to transform the business environment to support entrepreneurs and local businesses. Last year we reported our best economic impact yet with over $2.7 million of investment, 13 new businesses, and over 100 jobs created. We're on track to surpass those numbers for 2014. Even despite our great success, we are excited to hear what leaders from throughout the Commonwealth and beyond have to share that will make our place based revitalization efforts even more successful.

Editorial note: Periodically through the conference we will post updates below. At the close of the conference we'll share our thoughts about what these couple of days meant and where we go from here as a community and region.

Notes from Pikeville

• Friday morning, breakfast, 7:45am. Waiting for the Capitalizing on Culture folks to wake up and head down for breakfast. Had some good discussions from the DAR that are having a separate conference. While watching WYMT in the hotel lobby wondered whether they plan to show up and cover the event.
• Friday morning, post-breakfast, 8:22am. Rep. Hal Rogers just retweeted our post. Nice to see that our national leaders are following our proceedings in Pikeville. Few Congressional districts have had a greater champion for heritage tourism that Rep. Rogers. Thanks for your hard work. By the way, we never would have been able to get to Pikeville last night after the listening session without that Parkway. A double thanks to you for that.
• Friday morning, post-breakfast, 9am. Just had a great conversation with Betsy Hatfield, Executive Director of Preservation and Rachel Alexander, Chief of Operations for the same. Both were eager to hear about our work in Middlesboro and enthusiastic to explore areas to collaborate with communities throughout Eastern Kentucky.

Our ED posing by the Nationally Accredited Main Street program sign. We want one just like it for the Boro! 

• Friday morning, downtown Pikeville, 9:45am. Saw the great Nationally Designated Main Street Community signs about to go in for Pikeville. Proud for Middlesboro to be one of among two dozen communities to receive national certification. So proud, in fact, that we just had to take this photo.
• Friday morning, Expo Center, 10:00am. Just heard introductions from Craig Potts, State Historic Preservation Officer and Executive Director of the Kentucky Heritage Council.
• Friday lunch, 11:30am. Headed out for lunch with Sandi Curd from the Promise Zone and several community leaders from within the Zone including Bobbie Gothard from Cumberland and us in Middlesboro. Kitty Dougoud with the Kentucky Main Street Program joined in the discussion, talking about the role of downtowns to generate economic development and job creation benefits.

Panel on heritage tourism at Pikeville conference Friday afternoon.

• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 1:25pm. Talking about National Park Service Heritage Tourism itineraries right now. One of speakers from Lexington mentioned the Lewis & Clark Expedition Travel Itinerary that passes right through Middlesboro. Another mentioned the iron furnaces in the Daniel Boone National Forest as an attraction and how one is also located in the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 1:50pm. SHPO Craig Potts asks to go beyond creating great visitor experiences, to ask the role of historic sites promoting economic development in their host towns. Suggest possibility of tying all EKY downtowns together in to a NPS travel itinerary, similar to a travel itinerary that has been developed for downtown areas throughout Kentucky.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 2:30pm. Betsy Hatfiled, Executive Director of Preservation Kentucky calls for forming a regional and local preservation non-profit group that brings preservation, heritage tourism, and economic development under one umbrella... A few minutes later the concept of sharing our ideas, sharing our donors, and sharing our resources was emphasized. Nice to hear such a collaborative approach. This is DEFINITELY something that EKY needs more of.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 2:45pm. Tim Belcher from the Elkhorn City Area Heritage Council speaks about role as the gateway for the Breaks Interstate Park that covers Kentucky and Virginia. 
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 3:00pm. Just received word that @ExploreKentucky has been following our proceedings and will be joining us in Pikeville later today. They have a great project where they work with local partners to promote special places from throughout the state.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 3:08pm. Helen Dedman from Harrodsburg talking about attracting money from outside of Kentucky to help with historic preservation. Rocky Point Manor as an example of local property being sold to out-of-state investor site unseen and they proceeded with restoration.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 3:26pm. Conversation on a regional organization shifts to community philanthropy and inviting a younger generation in to the process. Health care sector from University of Pikeville mentioned along with others to be on the ground floor of such an organization. Request for Preservation Kentucky asked to be a convener of conversations regionally. Absence of a single local elected official was mentioned.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 3:30pm. Announcement made that the University of Pikeville is convening a gathering next week to schedule next year of activities for Pikeville and surrounding counties, also to market collectively rather than individually.  Call for folks interested in forming an organization to meet by a couch in the lobby after the session.
• Friday afternoon, Expo Center, 4pm. Had a group of about a dozen leaders from EKY gather to discuss forming a heritage tourism and preservation organization. Passed off the names to Preservation Kentucky that has agreed to have a series of one-on-one discussions with those interested in participating, and to facilitate a large group meeting later this fall.
• Friday evening, Main Street Live, 7pm. Had a great discussion with Superintendents of Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. Met an aspiring Main Street program from Louisa, Kentucky, and caught up with our SHPO Craig Potts a bit. Sometimes what's nice at these events is just planting down in one spot for a while and seeing what comes your way.
• Friday evening, Main Street Live, 9pm. Gerry Seavo with Explore Kentucky arrives in Pikeville. We meet for the first time ever at Main Street Live, then spend the next couple of hours talking and getting to understand one anothers work better. Spoke with him about Better Block, #SharetheLex, and had a great talk about his work too. Put Explore Kentucky stickers in several spot all over downtown Pikeville. Probably one of the smartest and most talented guys I've ever met. Glad he made it to the conference.
• Saturday morning, breakfast, 7am. Had a great conversation with staff from The Center for Appalachian Philanthropy. 
• Saturday morning, Expo Center, 9am. Main Street managers gathered for an update. Brilliant presentation by Diane Comer who serves as public information officer for the SHPO. She had several insightful and at times challenging recommendations for how we can do a better job managing our downtown programs as a brand, and improve the connection with our state and national partners in this effort. Encouraged her afterwards to share her presentation with the National Main Street Center.
• Saturday morning, Expo Center, 11:45am. Heard the creator of Shop Local Kentucky speak. He's working to get the first week of December named Shop Local Kentucky week by the Governor.
• Saturday morning, Expo Center, 12:00pm. We say good bye and then head off for Middlesboro to participate in the Ducky Dash later that day. While driving back along US-25 towards Virginia, reflected on the beauty of the mountains, how isolated each of these towns are from one another and the vast open spaces in between. 
• Saturday afternoon, streets of Pikeville, 12:05pm. Meet Rachel Alexander from Preservation Kentucky as she is heading back to the hotel to check out. Have a nice recap of the conference. Spoke about how excited we both were about the regional preservation organization that PK is now helping to form. Left her with the words, "new we have to go and perfect preservation in Kentucky."

There is a long way to go, to be sure, though some important connections were made and steps taken by all the people who came to Pikeville for this event. More to follow.

A Mountain Town Has Gone to the Ducks

The Makers Market that opened in August. This has attracted over 1,000 people downtown to view and buy the products of area artists, crafters, and food producers.

You could say the small Southeastern Kentucky downtown of Middlesboro, Kentucky has quite literally gone to the ducks. Ever since more than eight inches of rain fell within 36 hours in June 2011, the more than 10,000 residents of this mountain town have proven their resilience. After the flood an event was quickly held to raise money for flood victims. The Ducky Dash that year brought in several thousands of dollars to assist with the cleanup. Community leaders have go on to hold the event every year since.

Taking a look at the Yellow Creek that runs through town and potential for restoration.

Since then the turnaround of the downtown has been nothing short of impressive. Dozens of buildings have been renovated and new businesses placed in them. Public space improvements have brought new life and vitality to the streets downtown. A Markers Market that was launched in April now features nearly two dozen artists and has attracted over 1,000 people to the downtown. In May 2014 Downtown Middlesboro was one of two communities nationally named "Ones to Watch" by the National Main Street Center for their innovative approach to downtown revitalization. As impressive as these gains are, far more work remains to be done.

In 2013 a strategic plan was completed for the downtown. It calls for creating 1,000 jobs in the next five years. Building blocks to help achieve that plan include a renewed emphasis on historic preservation, restoring the Canal and Yellow Creek, and building a trail system that connects Middlesboro to other areas regionally and nationally. These are just a few of the highlights. The full plan can be read on the DDM website.

Executive Director Isaac Kremer with Bobbie Bryant and Tad Long from the Kentucky League of Cities.

Another area that the community hopes to move ahead in is developing the Bell County Endowed Fund. A grant from the Appalachian Rural Development Philanthropic Initiative allowed facilitators from the Kentucky League of Cities to come in and help prepare a strategic fundraising plan. While the efforts to develop this fund are still a work in progress, when successful organizers hope to attract $5 million that will help to grow the local economy and improve the quality of life for Middlesboro and the surrounding area for decades to come.

That brings us to the Ducky Dash. This event has been held once a year since 2011. The next event will be this Saturday, August 2, 2014, with the race starting at 6pm. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at Mikel's Pharmacy, the Makers Market, and Home Federal Bank. A ticket buys you a chance at cash and prizes if your duck is the first to cross over the finish line. For more information, please RSVP on Facebook or call (606) 248-6155.

Ducky Dash Brings a Celebration of Freedom and Art to Downtown Middlesboro

Middlesborough, Kentucky – This summer downtown Middlesboro is preparing to celebrate those qualities that make America great. Our popular annual Ducky Dash will be joined with a day-long celebration of our veterans with live music, food, and a solemn dedication of two new names to the Tri-State Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  

Artists and crafters will be invited to join the festivities sharing their unique handmade products. Since April the Makers Market has been displaying and selling the work of local artists, crafters, and food producers in the old T.H. Campbell & Brothers storefront at 2008 Cumberland Ave.

Reflecting on the unique nature of this event, Jay Shoffner, President of Discover Downtown Middlesboro said: “The freedom that our armed service members have fought so hard to protect is a key ingredient that allows our artists to create, imagine, and dream. We will celebrate both our freedom and the arts.”

Throughout the day on Saturday, August 2, 2014, there will be live music on the City Hall parking lot at Lothbury and North 20^th Street. Free hamburgers and hot dogs will be served to veterans. Later that day at 7pm there will be a dedication of the Tri-State Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Meanwhile, the popular Ducky Dash will go on as planned. This will start at 6pm in the historic Canal between 20^th and 21^st Street. People are welcome to line the sides of the canal and watch to see the first duck cross the finish line. Ducks are for sale in advance for $5 at Mikel's Drive in Pharmacy, the Makers Market, and Home Federal Bank. Each ticket gives you a chance at cash and prizes if your duck is the first to cross over the line.

A few other surprises are in store including making patriotic lawn furniture out of shipping pallets, and plenty of music, dancing, and food.  For more information or to get involved, please contact Discover Downtown Middlesboro at (606) 248-5603 or www.downtownmiddlesboro.org. We are also on Facebook and Twitter @DDMBoro.

Image Source:
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdpgfqwoiptYnSHIBETLOCOuMe5Hi6hj42u3fcZEtswJGoefHvuKi_kWDYCFjCOlHEcLfPuAEOHVKsdnb9DGh-tGHcmMrE7-EnPD911BNU1uSOxHUcezrx9vMCLvViyEpIjgwQqhuViE/s1600/Ducky+Dash+2011+069.jpg

Contact:

Isaac D. Kremer, Executive Director

Discover Downtown Middlesboro

(606) 248-6155

downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com

www.discoverdowntownmiddlesboro.org

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Discover Downtown Middlesboro Receives 2014 National Main Street Accreditation

Members of the DDM Design Committee in front of the Elks Home which they are working to restore.

Middlesborough, Kentucky (June 24, 2014) – Discover Downtown Middlesboro  has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street® programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to historic preservation and community revitalization through the Main Street Four Point Approach®.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for their outstanding accomplishment in meeting the National Main Street Center’s performance standards,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs create vibrant communities by using a comprehensive strategy to preserve their historic character and revitalize their commercial districts, which helps make these great places to work, live, play and visit.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Kentucky Main Street Program, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Certificate recognizing DDM as a nationally certified Main Street program.

In 2013 Discover Downtown Middlesboro reported $2.7 million of investment downtown, 13 new businesses created, and over 100 new jobs. During that same period of time the organization managed to attract over $150,000 in grants to carry out a strategic planning process, to build a trail connecting the downtown with the National Park, and to assist with pre-development work on the Elks Home which the organization has owned since December 2012. These accomplishments were recognized at the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit this past May when Middlesboro was one of two communities nationally named “Ones to Watch.”

Discover Downtown Middlesboro is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2006. Since that time the organization has worked to spearhead revitalization of the downtown area. This is accomplished through coordinating grassroots action by volunteers on four committees - Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring. Some recent DDM projects include organizing the Christmas Parade and decoration of the downtown, addition of four fountains and seating at Cumberland Avenue and 20th Street, and encouraging the restoration of several buildings downtown.

Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, the National Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 34 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $59.6 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 502,728 net new jobs and 115,381 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 246,158 buildings, leveraging an average of $33.28 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.

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Middlesboro Receives Seed Grant to Help Build a Thriving Economy for Cumberland Gap Area

Group created action plan at Appalachian Gateway Communities Regional Workshop focused on enhancing and capitalizing on the area’s natural and cultural assets

One of the many events that attract visitors to Fountain Square each year. Credit: DDM.

Middlesboro, KY. (June 11, 2014) – Discover Downtown Middlesboro has been awarded a $7,500 grant from the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative to help the Passage Through the Gap Partnership to implement a plan to establish a tourism ambassador training program.

As an important entry point to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, communities in the Cumberland Gap area between Barbourville in Kentucky and Martin’s Station in Virginia sent a diverse team of local leaders, land managers as well as tourism and community arts representatives to participate in a three-day program earlier this year. The Appalachian Gateway Communities Regional Workshops focused on helping communities to spark economic development while maintaining and enhancing their quality of life.   The participating communities extended from Alabama to New York and engaged in action-planning exercises designed to identify the unique Appalachian characteristics that make their communities appealing places to live, work and recreate. Working with national and regional experts on sustainable tourism, economic development, the arts, natural and cultural resources, transportation and branding, the Passage Through the Gap Partnership team crafted a new vision that aims to enhance tourism, economic development, and job creation efforts in our area.

Team leader Isaac Kremer, Executive Director with Discover Downtown Middlesboro explained: “Through our strategic planning over the past year we identified enhancing tourism and regional collaboration as major goals. The Appalachian Gateways workshop served to simply accelerate plans we already had. We’re thrilled to bring the Certified Tourism Ambassador^TM program to our area ─ an approach that has successfully aligned businesses to enhance the visitor experience in 17 states, with over 11,000 front-line CTAs.”

The workshops and accompanying seed grants were presented by the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative, a partnership by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Conservation Fund, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation that aims to help Appalachian gateway communities build thriving economies while protecting and conserving their precious natural and cultural heritage qualities and strengthening the overall quality of life. Fourteen teams participated in the workshops and nine teams were awarded seed grants totaling $60,000 to carry out their on-the-ground plans.  

“The Passage Through the Gap Partnership was an ideal candidate for an Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative seed grant because it demonstrated a clear need with a proposed project that is well-crafted, achievable, and designed to address the need,” said Kris Hoellen, Vice President of Sustainable Programs at The Conservation Fund.  “The project’s potential for both expanding and diversifying access to the artistic, cultural and natural heritage of the area will help to strengthen the community and spark sustainable economic development.”

The Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative was developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2007.  The Gateway Initiative has helped gateway communities across Appalachia expand tourism and other economic development opportunities through community assessments, tourism planning workshops and grants for project implementation.  The Conservation Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have partnered to strengthen the leadership capacity of towns, cities and communities that neighbor publicly protected natural and recreational lands in distressed, transitional or at-risk counties.  

The regional workshops were held this winter at the Heartwood Center in Abingdon, Virginia, and at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government.  Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC provides funding for several hundred projects each year in the Appalachian region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation. These projects create thousands of new jobs; improve local water and sewer systems; increase school readiness; expand access to health care; assist local communities with strategic planning; and provide technical and managerial assistance to emerging businesses. www.arc.gov

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the largest annual funder of the arts in the United States.  An independent federal agency and the official arts organization of the United States government, the NEA’s mission is to support excellence in the arts; bring the arts to all Americans, and provide leadership in arts education.  The NEA awards more than $100 million annually, investing in every state.  www.arts.gov

About The Conservation Fund

At The Conservation Fund, we combine a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect your favorite places before they become just a memory. A hallmark of our work is our deep, unwavering understanding that for conservation solutions to last, they need to make economic sense. Top-ranked, we have protected more than 7 million acres across America. www.conservationfund.org  

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. For more information, visit www.PreservationNation.org.

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Contact:

Isaac Kremer, 606-248-6155, Discover Downtown Middlesboro, downtownmiddlesboro (at) gmail.com

Katie Allen, 304-876-7925, The Conservation Fund, kallen@conservationfund.org

Molly Theobald, Appalachian Regional Commission, mtheobald@arc.gov

Tony Tighe, National Endowment for the Arts, tighet@arts.gov

Middlesboro Singled Out for National Recognition Among Nearly Two Dozen Kentucky Communities

Press Release

22 Kentucky Main Street Program communities achieve National Main Street Center accreditation; up from 17 in 2013

Release Date                                                                     Contact: Diane Comer

Thursday, June 5, 2014                                                  502-564-7005, ext. 120

                                                                                               diane.comer@ky.gov

Frankfort, Ky. – The National Main Street Center (NMSC) has announced that 22 Kentucky Main Street Program (KYMS) communities have achieved national accreditation, up from 17 in 2013. KYMS is administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office (KHC), and the center is a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Accredited programs are Bellevue Main Street, Carrollton Main Street,Covington Downtown Renaissance, Heart of Danville, Downtown FrankfortInc., Georgetown Main Street, Guthrie Main Street, Harrodsburg First, Downtown Henderson Partnership, Discover Downtown LaGrange, LondonDowntown, Maysville Downtown, Discover Downtown Middlesboro Inc.,Murray Main Street, New Castle Main Street, Perryville Main Street,Pikeville Main Street, Main Street Russellville, Heart of Scottsville,Shelbyville Development Corporation, Springfield Main Street andWilliamsburg Main Street.

Of these, LaGrange, New Castle, Perryville, Pikeville, Russellville, Scottsville and Williamsburg achieved national accreditation for the first time. Additionally, Kentucky Main Street serves 23 affiliate Main Street programs and three network communities.

Created in 1979, KYMS is the oldest statewide Main Street revitalization program in the nation, based on NMSC’s Four-Point Approach® emphasizing organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring. The goal is to encourage downtown revitalization and economic development within the context of historic preservation. Participation requires local commitment and financial support, with a Main Street manager to administer the program through a volunteer board. KHC provides technical and design assistance, on-site visits, a resource center, national consultants and grant funding.

The national accreditation process evaluates and recognizes local Main Street programs according to 10 performance standards. These include broad-based community support for the commercial district revitalization process from both public and private sectors, a relevant mission statement and comprehensive work plan, paid professional program manager, adequate operating budget and commitment to reporting key statistics.

“This increase is a testament of the commitment these communities have to the Main Street approach, and demonstrates its value,” said Kitty Dougoud, KYMS program administrator. “These local directors and their boards are working really hard to make sure their communities understand how all the components of this comprehensive approach work in tandem to make their downtowns more viable and vibrant.”

At the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit May 18-20, Discover Downtown Middlesboro was also singled out – along with Rawlins, Wyoming – as  “Ones to Watch,” cited as “exceptional communities working on very innovative projects, and… poised on the cusp of major transformation.”

According to NSMC, “Discover Downtown Middlesboro has been at the forefront of downtown revitalization since it was founded in 2006, making impressive efforts to recruit public and private support. In 2013, the group secured $136,000 in grants and recorded its highest level of private giving ever. Even more impressive, more than $1.2 million in grants is pending for 2014, and Middlesboro plans to create 1,000 jobs in the next five years.”

A featured speaker at the national conference, noted preservation economist Donovan Rypkema, cited the Main Street revitalization program as “the most cost-effective economic development program in the nation.”

The Kentucky Main Street Program bears this out, with proven success in reversing the economic decline of many downtown commercial districts. Through the Main Street program over three decades, Kentucky can document investment of more than $3.7 billion, leveraged through private and public sources.

In 2013 alone, Kentucky communities reported nearly $122 million total investment, representing, cumulatively, $48.6 million in public investment from all sources, matched by nearly $28.4 million in private investment, as well as 531 net jobs added in Main Street districts and 364 downtown buildings rehabilitated.

For more, visit www.heritage.ky.gov/mainstreet.

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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