Main Street annual report.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear recently announced that 27 Kentucky Main Street Program communities finished last year strong with a reported $45.5 million cumulative investment in downtown commercial districts in 2020.
That includes Maysville Main Street, one of the oldest Main Street programs in the state and perhaps even in the nation, officials said.
The total represents $28.1 million in private spending matched by $17.4 million in public improvements encompassing building rehabilitation, new construction, infrastructure and special projects offset by rehabilitation tax credits, grant funds and local city and county budgets. Additionally, these communities finished the year with a net gain of 842 new jobs, 122 new businesses and 66 rehabilitation projects completed in Main Street districts.
In Maysville, reinvestment in the Main Street district totaled more than $6 million in 2020, with public investment totaling $3.8 million and private investment totaling $2.2 million.
“The positive news continues for the commonwealth with our Main Street communities investing millions, creating jobs and giving tourists more reasons to visit,” said Beshear. “This is another good day for Kentucky with more great news about continued investment in our state that is creating a brighter future for our people and our economy.”
“The pandemic was a time where the value of being a Main Street community really shone through,” said Maysville Main Street Director Caroline Reece. “All cities and towns were struggling, but we Main Street directors regularly met through Zoom and helped each other out by sharing ideas of how other towns were coping and what was working, and then adapting those strategies to our own communities.”
“Kentucky Main Streets are critical to the success of our local communities and serve as the foundation for generating travel revenue in historic downtowns across the commonwealth,” said Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry. “As Kentucky continues to focus our efforts on a safe return to travel, encouraging tourism development in rural communities will continue to play a key role in the commonwealth’s future economic success and recovery.”
“Every Main Street community works hard to make its historic downtown the best place possible to live, work and play. To be recognized for these efforts by the governor is a real thrill,” Reece said.
In celebration of National Historic Preservation Month, this week is dedicated to Kentucky Main Streets, with a new theme each day to encourage support of local businesses and historic downtowns.
“This success proves the Main Street Approach™ works – and these communities bounced back due to the resiliency of local directors and their ability to take advantage of tools they had learned to utilize through participation in the statewide program,” said Kitty Dougoud, Kentucky Main Street administrator. “These included assisting businesses to create space for open-air retail and dining, encouraging a shift to online sales and networking with other directors to see what was working in their communities and apply different approaches.”
That success was the result of cooperation throughout the community, Reece said.
“Any success Maysville Main Street has is due to the supportive, collaborative rapport we have with the tourism department’s Lacey Holleran, Economic Development Director/Judge-Executive Owen McNeill, City Manager Matt Wallingford, and the mayor and commissioners.”
Kentucky Main Street was created by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office in 1979 to reverse economic decline in central business districts through historic preservation and redevelopment of commercial buildings. Participation requires local commitment and financial support, with a community Main Street director administering the program with a volunteer board. KHC provides technical and design assistance, on-site visits, a resource center and access to national consultants through Main Street America.
The statewide program also recently announced that 23 communities achieved national accreditation for 2021 as certified by both Kentucky Main Street and the National Main Street Center. They are Bardstown, Beattyville, Campbellsville, Carrollton, Covington, Cynthiana, Danville, Guthrie, LaGrange, Maysville, Middlesboro, Morehead, Murray, Perryville, Pikeville, Pineville, Scottsville, Salyersville, Shelbyville, Springfield, Taylorsville, Williamsburg and Winchester.
“Kentucky Main Street continues to prove transformative, especially for rural communities seeking to attract and maintain small, locally owned businesses that invest back into the community and together create strong downtowns that anchor additional growth,” said Craig Potts, Kentucky Heritage Council executive director and state historic preservation officer. “This has been especially important as the entire state works to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and a shift in the way business is done.”
Kentucky Main Streets has generated more than $4.7 billion of investment throughout the commonwealth since its inception.
