Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Selling to the World Training Sessions
Some great opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs follow. Please be sure to take advantage of these resources in our own back yard.
Monday, September 22, 2014
RFP for Redevelopment of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home, Middlesboro, Kentucky
City of Middlesboro, Kentucky
Redevelopment
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home
Project Scope:
The City of Middlesboro is
seeking to hire a consultant to complete a predevelopment report on the
Benevolent and Protective order of Elks Home.
The data collected will be used to evaluate different approaches to rehabilitation
for this property and will be combined with existing documentation and
structural reports. The final report
will present an assessment of potential approaches to rehabilitation on the
property and will clearly illustrate how such work will be carried out in
conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for
Rehabilitation. In addition, the report
will be used to guide all future work on the historic resource.
Qualifications:
Architecture/Engineer with
professional experience working with historic structures and/or a Cultural
Resource Management (CRM) firm with adequate knowledge of historic architecture
and rehabilitations. The final selection
can also be a combination of both an Architect/Engineer and a CRM firm who
choose to work in partnership with each other.
Submission:
Please submit the following
information to:
Isaac Kremer
Discover Downtown
Middlesboro
P.O. Box 1156
Middlesboro,
Kentucky 40965
- Cover letter
- Agency narrative describing the size of the firm and the type of projects regularly completed. Include experience with historic buildings, pre-development, and rehabilitation projects.
- Proposal and/or outline of final report that succinctly addresses the scope of work and the firms capacity to fulfill the project requirements.
- Itemized list of deliverables including their associated costs.
- Timetable of the proposed process, and periodic deliverable.
- Examples of previous projects/experience, particularly involving pre-development of historic resources
- Three references, including telephone and email contact information, of previous clients
- Resumes of primary personnel
Questions:
Any questions about the project
scope or the proposal that arises should be emailed to Mr. Isaac Kremer at
downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com or via phone at (606) 248-6155
Deadline:
Final Proposals must be received
by 4:00 pm on September 29th, 2014.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
$500,000 available for building improvements in downtown Middlesboro
.jpg)
Media Contact: Paul Wright, (859) 986-2373,
pwright@maced.org,
and Isaac Kremer (606) 248-6155, downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
$500,000 available for building improvements in
downtown Middlesboro
Berea, Ky. – The Mountain Association for Community
Economic Development (MACED) will announce on Friday, Sept. 12 its partnership
with Discover Downtown Middlesboro (DDM) and America Saves! to offer Energy
Savings Loans to downtown Middlesboro, Ky., business and building owners.
“MACED is
committed to helping small businesses save money in downtown Middlesboro, and
making downtown buildings more affordable to operate and more appealing to lease,”
MACED Enterprise Development Director Paul Wright said. He added “We support reinvestment
in downtown and commercial corridors, and believe in demonstrating how a local
economy can benefit from energy efficiency improvements.”
America Saves!
is a national program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Preservation
Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main
Street Center. It helps building owners across the country identify long-term
energy cost savings. Discover Downtown Middlesboro is one of America Saves!
first pilot program sites. DDM received a grant from America Saves! to enroll
100 buildings in the energy efficiency program.
“If all 100 buildings enrolled in America Saves! implemented
an average sized energy efficiency upgrade, it could result in at least
$500,000 in new investment in downtown Middlesboro,” DDM President Jay
Shoffner said. He continued, “We’re
so happy that MACED is ready to help downtown Middlesboro businesses and building owners make wise
investments today to strengthen their businesses tomorrow.”
Participants will receive free energy savings potential
analyses in easy-to-understand technical reports with improvements prioritized based
on energy savings and payback. Building
owners who apply for a MACED energy efficiency loan can access up to $50,000 to
help implement energy efficiency projects by December 31, 2015. MACED will
waive loans fees for Middlesboro projects that qualify.
The
announcement about the partnership between MACED, America Saves! and DDM will
be made at the “Achieving Energy Savings Workshop” at the Makers Market, 2008
Cumberland Ave. The workshop is open to the public and will be on Friday, Sept.
12, from 11:30am-1pm. Presenters
will include: Preservation
Green Lab Associate Project Manager
Jeana C. Wiser, America Saves! Project
Manager Lindsey M. Wallace, DDM Executive Director Isaac Kremer, MACED
Enterprise Development Director Paul Wright, and MACED Energy Efficient Enterprises Program Coordinator Josh Bills. Those interested in attending may RSVP
by calling (606) 248-6155 or sending an email to downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com. A free
lunch will be provided.
###
About The National
Main Street Center
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center works with a nationwide
network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization
that utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach.® The Center participated in
the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year
history. Now a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the
National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance,
holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical
preservation and community revitalization issues.
About the National
Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Green Lab
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its
Preservation Green Lab, strengthens the fabric of communities by leveraging the
value of existing buildings to reduce resource waste, create jobs, and bolster
a strong sense of community. The Preservation Green Lab is helping cities and
community development organizations revitalize their economy and community
well-being through various initiatives. The program is a national model for
delivering energy efficiency to small businesses and buildings, driving cost
savings and new investment in existing buildings.
About MACED
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development
(MACED)creates economic alternatives that work for low-income people and
natural places in Kentucky and Central Appalachia. MACED employs three core
strategies—community investment, research for policy change and demonstration
initiatives. Four paths of work flow directly from these strategies:
strengthening the key sectors of energy and forestry; promoting
entrepreneurship; influencing Kentucky’s economic policy; and advancing an
Appalachian Transition.
Image Links:
http://www.preservationnation.org/assets/photos-images/information-center/sustainable-communities/green-lab/america-saves/AmericaSaves_RGB.png - America Saves! logo
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Achieving Energy Savings Workshop and Lunch - Friday, September 12, 11:30am-1pm
Achieving Energy
Savings Workshop and Lunch
Friday, September 12,
2014, 11:30am-1pm
Where: Makers Market, 2008 Cumberland
Ave
Want to learn how to save money
on your utility bills and also get a free lunch? Middlesboro has been chosen as
one of the first pilot communities nationally to participate in “America
Saves!” This program will drive cost savings and new investment in existing
buildings in main street communities across the country. Your businesses is invited
to participate in this exciting program.
Another partner of ours is the
Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). They will
present on the following:
- Most common ways facility owners save money on their energy bills
- Steps to take for an energy savings project
- Calculating the return on investment and potential savings
- Resources available through MACED and other partners
A limited number of energy audits will be provided to businesses on a first-come first-served basis. For more information, please contact Discover Downtown Middlesboro.
Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, September 10, 2014. Call (606)
248-6155 or email downtownmiddlesboro(at)gmail.com for more information. Thank
you!
For more information on this initiative, please read the press release announcing Middlesboro's acceptance as a Pilot Community.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS
Jeana C. Wiser, Associate
Project Manager, Preservation Green Lab, National Trust for Historic
Preservation, JWiser@savingplaces.org
As Associate Project Manager for the Preservation Green Lab, Jeana
plays a key role in research and policy initiatives that build upon the
intersection of preservation and sustainability. Some of Jeana’s current work is with two of
the Green Lab’s primary programs: America Saves! and the Partnership for
Building Reuse, where she lends her expertise in project management,
collaboration with academic partners, GIS mapping, data analysis, and
outreach. Recently, she has become more
involved with exploring the relationship between older buildings and climate
change and the role of adaptation and resilience. This work is currently being applied in
Annapolis, Maryland through Jeana’s participation on the National Trust’s
National Treasure team as well as active involvement with ULI and other
national partners. She attended the University of Washington in Seattle earning
a Master Degree in Urban Planning and a Certificate of Historic Preservation.
Lindsey M. Wallace
Project
Manager, America Saves! – National Main Street Center
LWallace@savingplaces.org
Lindsey Wallace joined the National Main Street Center (NMSC) in May
2014, as the Project Manager of America Saves!, a national program led by the
Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that
focuses on delivering energy efficiency to small businesses and buildings, driving
cost savings, and new investment in existing buildings. In this role, she
connects Main Street communities to the program and helps guide their
participation through its processes and benefits. Prior to working with the
NMSC, Lindsey worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the
Preservation Resources Department. A native Daytonian and Midwest enthusiast,
she received her M.A. in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University
in 2008 and her B.A. in History from the Ohio State University in 2005.
Josh Bills, Energy Efficient Enterprises Program Coordinator, jbills@maced.org
Josh joined MACED in March 2008 to develop and coordinate energy assessments and pursue emerging energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities for client entrepreneurs. Josh assists the Business Development team in developing financing opportunities for energy reduction and renewable energy projects. A former renewable energy installation entrepreneur himself, Josh brings a distinctive perspective to the position, with firsthand knowledge of the needs of, and the demands on energy efficiency and renewable energy installers today. He brings a wealth of knowledge to his role, with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and experience with over 100 renewable energy installations throughout Kentucky, Haiti, and as far off as West Africa.
Paul Wright, Enterprise Development Director, pwright@maced.org
Paul directs MACED's enterprise support and capital programs and serves on the management team. He offers 15 years industry experience, including: community facilities financing, grants management, organizational development and management consulting. Prior to coming to MACED in 2011, Paul developed a nationally recognized comprehensive community development initiative in Houston, Texas, ran his own business coaching/consulting franchise and organized various collaborative networks to achieve common goals. Paul holds a BS in Business Administration from Birmingham-Southern College, an MBA in Community Economic Development from Eastern College, and is an Economic Development Finance Professional certified through the National Development Council. He resides in Berea with his wife and four kids and enjoys hiking, mountain biking and family.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
About The National Main Street Center
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center works with a nationwide network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization that utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach.® The Center participated in the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year history. Now a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical preservation and community revitalization issues.
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center works with a nationwide network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization that utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach.® The Center participated in the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year history. Now a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical preservation and community revitalization issues.
About the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Green Lab
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its Preservation Green Lab, strengthens the fabric of communities by leveraging the value of existing buildings to reduce resource waste, create jobs, and bolster a strong sense of community. The Preservation Green Lab is helping cities and community development organizations revitalize their economy and community well-being through various initiatives. The program is a national model for delivering energy efficiency to small businesses and buildings, driving cost savings and new investment in existing buildings.
About MACED
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED)creates economic alternatives that work for low-income people and natural places in Kentucky and Central Appalachia. MACED employs three core strategies—community investment, research for policy change and demonstration initiatives. Four paths of work flow directly from these strategies: strengthening the key sectors of energy and forestry; promoting entrepreneurship; influencing Kentucky’s economic policy; and advancing an Appalachian Transition.
Image Links:
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Middlesboro Named Pilot Community of America Saves! Program - 1st Project in Promise Zone to Secure Funding
The Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for HistoricPreservation and the National Main Street Center celebrated Middlesboro, KY, as
one of the first pilot communities to participate in America Saves!. The new program is designed to create and support
the economic success of Main Street communities and other small-scale
commercial districts by improving building performance and energy efficiency. Supported
by a $2 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy, America
Saves! will drive cost savings and new investment in existing
buildings in Main Street communities across the country.
An accredited Main Street program,
Downtown Middlesboro will spearhead the project in its community. Using their
relationships and volunteers, they will promote and connect business and
building owners to the America Saves!
project. Main Street networks support participants as they learn how their
facilities use energy and consider options for improving buildings and
energy-using building systems. The Main Street networks will identify community
partners and organize volunteers to support building information collection
efforts in their community. The National Trust is offering small grants to help
in the local program rollout efforts.
 |
| DDM Executive Director Isaac Kremer with Kentucky Highlands Promise Zone Coordinator Sandi Curd. Credit: DDM. |
Discover Downtown Middlesboro President Jay Shoffner said, “We are thrilled to be the first community in Appalachian Kentucky
participating in the America Saves! program. This presents a special opportunity
to achieve cost savings for businesses in our area and to continue
strengthening or local and regional economy. We’re grateful to America Saves!, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and all of our partners for their continued help and support.”
The America Saves! team is comprised of a consortium of national
building, preservation, data analysis and energy efficiency experts that will support communities in their efforts to
help local businesses and building owners
save money on their energy bills. Those participating in the program
receive energy use information guidance around facility improvements and
information on programs and incentives that they can use to implement upgrades.
“National Main Street Center is
grateful for the participation of Downtown Middlesboro in America Saves!, and we look forward to our continued work together
through the project and beyond,” said Carolyn Dellutri, Senior Director of
Programs and Services, National Main Street Center. “This project offers an
exciting opportunity for Main Street communities, and we are thrilled to have
such an eager pilot community like Middlesboro leading the way.”
"For the first time, we’re able to
bring best practices and resources to small businesses and small buildings, and
it’s the strength of Main Streets that makes it possible," said Mark
Huppert, Senior Director of the National Trust's Preservation Green Lab, which
is leading the DOE-funded initiative. “Harvesting energy efficiency from small
buildings is like striking oil, except it's local, clean and keeps dollars in
our local economies. The savings can produce local investment, including
jobs.”
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. In May 2014 Downtown
Middlesboro was one of two communities nationally named "Ones to
Watch" by the National Main Street Center for innovative projects and being on the cusp of a major transformation.
DDM is in the
pre-development phase for the 27,000 square foot Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks Home that the organization owns. Presently a development partner
is being sought to help bring this vibrant mixed-use project to market. In
2013 a total of $2.7 million of public and private investment was made
downtown. Ten new businesses opened and over 100 jobs were created in 2013.
Bell County is one of eight
counties comprising the Kentucky Highland’s Promise Zone. This designation announced in January by President Barack
Obama is the first and only rural Promise Zone in the nation. Grant applications from Promise Zones to
federal agencies receive priority as an investment to create jobs, increase
economic activity, improve educational opportunities, leverage private
investment and reduce violent crime. To
date nearly 30 applications have been submitted to various federal
agencies. Downtown Middlesboro’s
“Achieving Energy Savings in Appalachian Kentucky” is the first grant funded
under The Promise Zone designation.
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) supports the America Saves! program in Middlesboro by helping
commercial facilities energy audits and affordable energy savings loans to help
owners get energy savings sooner.
MACED invests in the
future of Kentucky’s energy systems to create new economic opportunities,
promote environmental health and grow a more diverse energy portfolio in the
state. Growing energy efficiency efforts that reduce consumption and save
money, along with promoting renewable energy sources such as solar, help build
a stronger, more sustainable regional economy.
For more information or to participate in the
program, please contact Discover Downtown Middlesboro at (606) 248-6155 or
downtownmiddlesboro.org. We’re also on Twitter and Facebook @DDMBoro.
About The National Main Street
Center
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center works with a nationwide network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization that utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach.® The Center participated in the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year history. Now a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical preservation and community revitalization issues.
Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center works with a nationwide network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization that utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach.® The Center participated in the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year history. Now a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical preservation and community revitalization issues.
About the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and Preservation Green Lab
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its Preservation Green Lab, strengthens the fabric of communities by leveraging the value of existing buildings to reduce resource waste, create jobs, and bolster a strong sense of community. The Preservation Green Lab is helping cities and community development organizations revitalize their economy and community well-being through various initiatives. The program is a national model for delivering energy efficiency to small businesses and buildings, driving cost savings and new investment in existing buildings.
About MACED
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED)creates economic alternatives that work for low-income people
and natural places in Kentucky and
Central Appalachia. MACED employs three core
strategies—community investment, research for policy change and demonstration
initiatives. Four paths of work flow directly from these strategies:
strengthening the key sectors of energy and forestry; promoting
entrepreneurship; influencing Kentucky’s economic policy; and advancing an
Appalachian Transition.
Image Links:
http://www.preservationnation.org/assets/photos-images/information-center/sustainable-communities/green-lab/america-saves/AmericaSaves_RGB.png - America Saves! logo
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_sWFgbv_BYjhvhVJ6nE7ZJoq9D-3CdqaLNGnYoNKXmBXlrZBFfkez80IQ0VgTs0mEaadDx2-CAw1cfPS35uIPINuFogjw9oemLob2jFPzUKLkW7GUlnaYFxvisJY1iOGvIxwn67u5QY/s1600/20140821_102200.jpg DDM Executive Director Isaac Kremer with Kentucky Highlands Promise Zone Coordinator Sandi Curd. Credit: DDM.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_sWFgbv_BYjhvhVJ6nE7ZJoq9D-3CdqaLNGnYoNKXmBXlrZBFfkez80IQ0VgTs0mEaadDx2-CAw1cfPS35uIPINuFogjw9oemLob2jFPzUKLkW7GUlnaYFxvisJY1iOGvIxwn67u5QY/s1600/20140821_102200.jpg DDM Executive Director Isaac Kremer with Kentucky Highlands Promise Zone Coordinator Sandi Curd. Credit: DDM.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Historic Real Estate Finance Professional Certification Received from National Development Council
 |
| Real Estate Development Finance Professional Certification recently received from the National Development Council. Credit: DDM. |
 |
| Isaac D. Kremer, Executive Director of Discover Downtown Middlesboro. |
The two HHDFP Certification Program courses were developed in partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Development Council with generous support from the 1772 Foundation, and are five days in length and concluded with an exam.
Isaac D. Kremer is Executive Director of Discover Downtown Middlesboro. He received an M.A. in Historic Preservation from Cornell University and a B.A. in Economics and Management from Albion College in Albion, Michigan. He is currently responsible for overseeing a portfolio of $20 million of projects. DDM is in the pre-development phase for the 27,000 square foot Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home that the organization owns. Presently a development partner is being sought to help bring this vibrant mixed-use project to market. www.downtownmiddlesboro.org.
Image download:
Certificate - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZBJ4Mdcu56ly7BW5X8O88kyu78gtYzHfCc4abx_sn0pq_IZMbqQ0p42DdIshlE5xLTBIqcfhYJYDW9lRvoli-oiB6DoQ5FEqL7HbsNd_CYDpJ3yPUSZrlll5hoVIieJOzL62qL_N5y0/s1600/20140813_080730.jpg
Kremer - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHIKy2xgylRZaPlMZh8B9TG1gCkjMzag1H_xt6e5CHBYsYXr5lk37QncBMZBLNCH915yWxBlPXddIFsWgZmikW6DilvRRHVuBgejOA_AXM4EtZdiG1eonwQmu9IT_iuoDRzgoKKg_qGw/s1600/20140305_155533b.jpg
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
What We Learned Attending the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit
When a conference
starts with a gospel choir in flowing red robes belting out amazing sounds,
that’s a pretty good sign you’re in for something special. That was the scene
we saw at the Plenary Session of the National Main Streets conference recently
held in Detroit.
 |
| Drop dead gorgeous Art Deco skyscrapers in Detroit. Credit: DDM. |
 |
| Plenary Session at the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit. Credit: DDM. |
The National Main
Streets Center has also gone through an exciting transformation of its own.
Over the past year the National Main Streets Center successfully spun off as a
subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. While the Trust
stewarded this program for over three decades, the time had come for Main
Street to stand on its own. And that it has done. Under the able direction of
President and CEO Patrice Frey, Chairperson Barbara Sidway, and their founding
Board members – Main Street has a new sense of vitality, energy, and
enthusiasm.
The Plenary Session of
the conference was a highpoint for me at a number of levels. Our community was
one of only two communities recognized nationally as “Ones to Watch” by the
National Main Street Center. How unreal it was to see pictures of our community
and major projects like the Elks Home go up on the big screen before over a
thousand people. Then we got a chance to stand up and get recognized to a
sustained and thunderous applause. This was an acknowledgement of the
incredible change and transformation that has happened in Middlesboro in just
over the past two years. My only regret is that we couldn’t bring
every one of our volunteers, partners, and residents to experience that.
The next morning we
had the pleasure to lead a session on “Using Tactical Urbanism to Preserve
Downtowns.” We were joined by Mike Lydon from Street Plans Collaborative and
Caitlyn Horose with the Orton Family Foundation. These two were instrumental in
our first Better Block project back in October 2013. This is when we reopened a
theater that had been closed 30 years, opened the children’s Exploration Center
in a vacant storefront, and enlisted over 100 volunteers from 17 states to
perform tactical interventions downtown. While our session was in the early morning,
it was so gratifying to see a nearly filled room and the energy of ideas being
shared between people. During that session we announced #BetterMainStreet that
is an initiative for downtowns all over the U.S. to carry out tactical
interventions the first weekend of October. And nearly everyone in the room
agreed to do something.
And as great as
Detroit was, you better bet we’re going to Atlanta for the next National Main
Streets Conference in 2015. Not just that. We’re going to get a bus, fill it
with our Board members and whoever wants to join us, and celebrate the gains
our community makes between now and then. This brings us to our biggest
takeway. Main Street is more than just about one community working at the local
level in isolation – it’s a national movement of people pursuing common sense
strategies to make places better all throughout the United States and beyond.
In order for this movement to take off, we need people with strength in their
convictions and a hunger and thirst for results to show up. So why not join us in
Atlanta from March 30-April 2, 2015 to see what this exciting Main Street work
is all about?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)