Main Street Arkansas Update - October 26, 2009

Main Street Arkansas Calendar October 26 - 30, 2009
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MONDAY Susan – Blytheville; Greg, annual leave
TUESDAY Cary & Caroline – Ozark (branding); Susan – Blytheville; Greg, annual leave
WEDNESDAY Cary & Caroline – Ozark (branding)
THURSDAY Cary & Caroline – Ozark (branding); Greg, Susan, Mark & Nancy at the unveiling, p.m.
FRIDAY
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Clinton Ave Among 10 Great Streets, says the AIA
Downtown Jonesboro Pedestrian Zone
Main Street Texarkana Press
Downtown Searcy Thriving
Downtown Siloam Springs Video
Obama Administration Sets Sights on Urban Renewal
Localism
Nov 5 International Volunteer Managers Day
Downtown Then & Now Book
Recap of NTHP Conference
Museum Promotes Downtown with Silent Tours
Paragould Press
AHPP Offers National Register Training
Google Trike

Clinton Ave. Among 10 Great Streets, per AIA
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=117531

Downtown Jonesboro Creates Pedestrian Zone
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=117450

Main Street Texarkana Press
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/localnews/2009/10/14/main-street-texarkana-is-wanting-to-educ-67.php

Downtown Searcy Thriving
http://ar72143.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/downtown-searcy-thriving/

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/oct/11/series-square-main-street-director-downto-20091011/

Downtown Siloam Springs Press
http://www.4029tv.com/video/21299947/index.html

Obama Administration Sets Sights on Urban Renewal
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100601259.html?wprss=rss_politics
- worth noting is the naming of the Cities Czar Adolfo Carrion Jr & the Green Impact Zone pilot project
- you can read more about the Green Impact Zone here: http://www.marc.org/greenimpactzone/

Localism
http://www.newsweek.com/id/217029/page/1

November 5 - Remember to Celebrate!
International Volunteer Managers Day 2009 is almost here. This is OUR day to celebrate the critical roles we play in our organizations and our communities -- as well as an excellent opportunity to educate someone else about our profession! For more information about this day and how it is observed around the globe, visit www.volunteermanagersday.org

Downtown Now and Then (The Hanley book)
http://adg.nwanews.com/news/2009/oct/18/downtown-then-and-now-20091018/

ReCap of NTHP conference
http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=6775

Museum Program Promotes Downtown
Museum to Conduct “Silent city’ Tours
http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1578731.html

Converted downtown Paragould Building to NE History
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/oct/17/paragould-building-converted-ne-ark-history/

AHPP OFFERS FREE GRANT-WRITING WORKSHOP JANUARY 12

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will hold a grant-writing workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at 501 W. 9th St. in Little Rock for people interested in applying for the agency’s County Courthouse Restoration or Historic Preservation Restoration grant programs, AHPP Director Frances McSwain announced today.
Admission is free, but reservations must be made by Tuesday, January 5, by calling Joia Burton at (501) 324-9883 [TDD 501-324-9811] or sending e-mail to joia at arkansasheritage.org.
The AHPP’s grant programs to be covered in the workshop are:
• County Courthouse Restoration Subgrants, which are financed through Real Estate Transfer Tax funds distributed by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council for rehabilitation of historic county courthouses across Arkansas
• Historic Preservation Restoration Grants, which distribute funds raised through the Real Estate Transfer Tax to rehabilitate buildings that are listed on the Arkansas or National Registers of Historic Places and owned by local governments or not-for-profit organizations

Google Trike
At www.google.com/trike, you can suggest interesting and unique spots in six categories:
• Parks & Trails
• University Campuses
• Pedestrian Malls (e.g., outdoor shopping areas, boardwalks)
• Theme Parks & Zoos
• Landmarks
• Sports Venues (e.g., golf courses, racing tracks, stadium grounds)
Nominations will be open until October 28. We'll then comb through all of the suggestions and let all of you cast your final votes on a winner from each category for the Street View trike to visit. For any privately-owned or operated location, like a campus or theme park, we'll work directly with the relevant organization prior to collecting the imagery.

Main Street Arkansas Update - October 19, 2009

I sent out last week’s update Friday before my departure to the National Trust/Main Street Coordinators meeting. I later learned no email sent from our office Thursday or Friday made it outside the department. Sorry about that. I’d have resent this last Monday but cannot access my address book remotely, so here it is again. It’s all still applicable,

Please take note of the calendar below. I won’t send as detailed calendar again. Not everything is necessarily applicable to you but the dates are worth noting as you might either consider attending or scheduling around.

Also, please note that we have scheduled the next Quarterly Training for February 9-10, 2010 in Little Rock. We’ll have more details closer to the event.

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 22 – Arkansas Community Development Society Conference – Little Rock
October 29 – Branding Unveiling in Ozark
November 12 – Branding Unveiling in Blytheville
November 20 – Nominations due for Preservation Awards
NEW!! February 9-10 – Quarterly Training – Little Rock
March 7-9 – Governor’s Conference on Tourism – Eureka Springs
April 15-17 – Arkansas Preservation Conference – Helena
April 29-30 – Summit on Volunteerism – Springdale
May 2-5 – National Conference on Main Street – Oklahoma City, OK
May 25-27 – Rural Development Conference – Eureka Springs
May 26-29 – Neighborhoods USA Conference – Little Rock
July 29-Aug 1 – National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, Grand Rapids, MI
September 13-15 – Destination Downtown, somewhere in Louisiana

Main Street Arkansas Calendar October 19 - 23, 2009
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MONDAY Mark & Susan - annual
TUESDAY Cary – Nashville, AR; Caroline – Eudora, Dumas, Lakeport; Mark & Susan - annual
WEDNESDAY Susan & Mark – annual
THURSDAY Susan – Searcy; Cary, Caroline, Nancy – AR Community Development Society Conference – LR
FRIDAY
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Great Places: Streets – President Clinton Avenue
http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2009/index.htm#EN

The Buy Main Street Video Story
http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=6608
- Joe confirms my theory that the real work happens after 5pm and in the Hospitality Suite.

2010 Henry Awards
http://arkindustryinsider.com/henry-awards/
The annual ceremony honoring Henry nominees and winners will serve as one of the highlights of the 36th anniversary of the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism, which is scheduled March 7-9, 2010 in Eureka Springs. Each year we strive to recognize individuals, communities, and organizations that have performed above and beyond the call of duty in their contribution to the success of Arkansas’s tourism industry.
- you can now submit your nomination online or download the form on the website should you want to submit hardcopy
Deadline is October 30

Main Street in Black & White Press:
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/Entertainment-Blog/2009/10/08/main-street-in-black-and-white/

Main Street Russellville Fall Fest
http://www.couriernews.com/story.php?ID=22802

Main Street Hardy See Arkansas First Press:
http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1576933.html

Hometown Crawfordsville Festival Press:
http://www.crittendencountyarkansas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:hometown-crawfordsville-harvest-festival&catid=36:crawfordsville&Itemid=57

Arkansas Entrepreneurial Conference
http://www.dws.arkansas.gov/News/Get%20In%20The%20Game/GITGEntrepreneurs.html

Trade ideas and compare notes while participating in an array of powerful workshops including:
• Start Up Tips
• Business Planning
• Financing
• Marketing
• Taxes
• Insurance

There is no registration fee for this conference. If you have potential small business owners looking to locate in your downtown, encourage them to come to this event.

The Soul of the City
http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/richard_florida/2009/10/soul_of_the_city.php
- the Top 3 Factors that make up the Soul of the City/ones attachment to their community, per this survey are:
1. Openness
2. Social Offerings
3. Aesthetics

The United Nations of Main Street
http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=6552

3 Great Social Media Policies to Steal From
http://mashable.com/2009/10/02/social-media-policy-examples/ \

See Moore Colors

Downtown warehouse gets fresh look






The Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer computer software, which Main Street Arkansas design consultants Susan Shaddox and Nancy Lowe began using in 2009, is a fast and easy way for them to show downtown constituents the transformative powers of paint. “It’s great for property owners to be able to see possibilities with their buildings. It helps them see things in a new light before ever picking up a paint brush,” says Interior Designer Susan Shaddox. Design changes can be abstract to talk about, and people often need to visualize them before they can begin to make rehabilitation plans. “This is a great way to get that conversation started,” says Lowe, who is Main Street Arkansas’s exterior design consultant.

The software allows Shaddox and Lowe to import digital photographs of downtown buildings and digitally render them in preservation-friendly colors to their constituents’ likings. There are nine Benjamin Moore paint collections from which to choose, although Main Street Arkansas’s purpose with the program is primarily to show clients color concepts. Sometimes, a new color rendering will inspire a property owner to intensively rehabilitate the interior or exterior of his or her property. In such cases, the Benjamin Moore program is used as a starting point for a larger project requiring high-tech design software that Shaddox and Lowe use, such as AutoCad and Adobe Photoshop.

Still, at its most basic level, the program shows how far a little paint can go. Shaddox and Main Street Arkansas design intern Erik Holbrooks just wrapped up a project for Abilities Unlimited, Inc, a non-profit consignment store opening in downtown Blytheville. “We wanted to give them a fresh, modern look, one that was not too uppity or upscale,” Shaddox said of the non-profit’s need adapt quickly to a property that consists of two adjacent warehouse buildings.

With the click of a mouse, Shaddox and Holbrooks gave the façade a fresh, two-tone green color scheme that helped define the entry and exit points of the buildings and visually connect the two properties. “We carried the fresh clean exterior look into the store’s interior to continue the store’s branding,” said Shaddox. The interior floors and walls were likewise painted to define the men’s and women’s clothing sections, which, Shaddox noted, “has increased profits.” When Shaddox and Holbrooks presented their exterior and interior renderings to Abilities Unlimited, the non-profit responded immediately by implementing the new color schemes. In fact, they will be using the same design layouts for their two other locations in Paragould and Jonesboro.

The Benjamin Moore program is a service to all Arkansas Downtown Network and Main Street communities. Anyone interested should call Shaddox at susans@arkansasheritage.org or Lowe at nancy@arkansasheritage.org, or call either of them at (501) 324-9880.

Goodbye, Slipcover!

Jaw-dropping change: A recent rehabilitation in downtown Paragould is the talk of the town this fall. Owners Rita Ellington and Madelyn Holifield began work on their historic property, located at 209 and 211 South Pruett Street, in early Spring of 2009. Today, the building is virtually unrecognizable, unless you’ve time traveled from the 1920s, the period to which the building’s exterior was restored.

The historic façade on Pruett Street is one of many hidden architectural gems that lie beneath metal surfaces all over small town America. As was happening to historic buildings all over the country in the 1960s, a metal slipcover was placed over the façade in an attempt to compete with modern shopping malls of the era. On the bright side, the slipcovers have kept original facades considerably intact, as is the case in downtown Paragould. Still, much work was needed to appropriately restore the 1920s character of this building. The brick work was cleaned, tuck-pointed, repaired and replaced where needed. After a masonry primer coat was applied, the façade was painted a masonry spiceberry color. A new cornice was fabricated to resemble the original that had long since been removed. The project was finished with the installations of custom-made awnings and valances in the traditional style.

“The look of Pruett Street has greatly improved, thanks to this newest example of what interested, committed owners and a talented informed contractor can accomplish,” said Main Street Paragould executive director Gina Jarrett. Much of the work on the Holifield-Ellington building was done by a local contractor who is today the go-to person in Paragould for restoration work. The contractor, Chris Bass, one of the first advocates for Main Street Paragould, bought his first historic downtown property ten years ago when the program first started. Lacking a formal background in restoration but ever-willing to learn, the contractor trained himself over the years by using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, preservation briefs, and online resources. Now a skilled craftsman in historic building rehabilitation, he has bought and restored three buildings downtown.

The new hallmark of downtown Paragould, the Holifield-Ellington rehabilitation is a catalyst for further economic growth in the Main Street area. Such projects create “a little bit of peer pressure on owners who know their buildings need work,” says Jarrett, which causes them to make improvements. Jarrett has also seen such changes impact the community in ways that are not measurable. “All of the [slipcover removals] have made an impact on the downtown area, not only in terms of design and how things look, but in a feeling of pride of ownership.”

Main Street Arkansas Update - October 5, 2009

Just a reminder about the unveiling of the exhibit Caroline is the Curator of:

Main Street in Black and White, a traveling exhibit of historical photographs featuring three downtowns in their heyday. The exhibit features downtown Blytheville, Texarkana, and Batesville. Photographs date from the late 1880s to the 1940s and range from circus elephant parade scenes to World War II marches.

Join us for this celebration of Main Streets at a reception during 2nd Friday Art Night on October 9, 2009, beginning at 5 p.m. 401 Clinton Ave, Little Rock. I hope you can make it.

Also, if you haven’t seen the Michigan Main Street Center’s “Shop Main Street” video, definitely check it out
http://www.michiganmainstreetcenter.com/video.aspx

Main Street Arkansas Calendar October 5-9, 2009
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MONDAY
TUESDAY Nancy – ArtLinks
WEDNESDAY Nancy- out, seminar
THURSDAY Mark & Susan – Rogers
FRIDAY Mark & Susan – Rogers; all staff – Main Street in Black & White unveiling, Arkansas Studies Institute
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Changing the Grid: LR Considers the End of One-Way Streets
The Architecture of Place
Social Media & Third Places
Businesses Use Festivals to Keep Afloat
How Pittsburgh Bounced Back
Sonic City
Creative Class in the Country
Rock Island Bridge

Changing the Grid: LR Considers the End of One-Way Streets
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=1ccc1945-49e9-4736-9b17-2bf6a083b8c8
- SoMa is a part of the working group

The Architecture of Place
http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/The_Promise_of_Architecture_for_the_Future/ArchofPlace

Social Media & Third Places
http://citiwire.net/post/1360/

thanks to Mark Givens for this one
Businesses Use Festivals to Keep Afloat
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09232009/takonew181419_32527.shtml

How Pittsburgh Bounced Back
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/24/cohon.pittsburgh.renewal/

Sonic City: The Evolving Economic Geography of the Music Industry
http://www.martinprosperity.org/research-and-publications/publication/sonic-city

The Creative Class in the Country
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Creative+Class+country/2030974/story.html

Rock Island Bridge Gets Stimulus Money
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125427218723151321.html