The Kansas Department of Commerce last night announced the winners of the Main Street Awards of Excellence at the annual Kansas Downtown Symposium at the Riverfront Community Center in Leavenworth.
The Symposium, which began Wednesday and ends today, is sponsored by the Department’s Kansas Main Street program and provides community developers and business leaders a chance to network, attend workshops and discuss downtown development in Kansas. The annual event typically draws nearly 200 business and community leaders interested in downtown development, including city and county officials, entrepreneurs and small-business owners, as well as Main Street directors, board members and volunteers.
The Kansas Main Street program helps community volunteers revitalize their city’s historic business district. The program tackles the complex issues of revitalization, capitalizing on downtown’s history and identifying the resources of the community itself. The Kansas program started in 1985 and provides management training, consultation visits, program evaluation, design assistance, business enhancement strategies, incentive dollars and training for board and committee members and program directors. Kansas Main Street is a self-help program. Staff provides technical assistance, but the responsibility and credit for success rests with the community leaders who offer time, expertise and enthusiasm to revitalizing downtown.
For details, contact Joe Monaco, Public Information Officer with the Kansas Department of Commerce, at (785) 296-3760 or jmonaco@kansascommerce.com.
Main Street Awards of Excellence Winners are as follows:
Community Award
Belleville – Blair Center for the Arts
Chanute – Ken & Cathy Matney
Coffeyville – Jana Kastler
El Dorado – Frontier Refinery
Emporia - Emporia Farmer’s Market – Tracey Graham
Garden City – Commerce Bank
Hoisington – Kathy Burt
Hutchinson – Nan Hawver
Leavenworth – Wanda Thrasher
Marysville – Tony Duever
Ottawa – Youth in Government
Peabody – Jayne Timm
Seneca – Nemaha County Historical Museum
Sterling – Barbara Randolph-Benson
Winfield – Cindy Goertz
Excellence in Historic Preservation
Belleville – Historic Walking Tour & Kiosks
Leavenworth – Meredith Timmons
Phillipsburg – Walking Tour
Seneca –Chris & Cathy Holthaus
Excellence in Planning and/or Public Design
Garden City – Banner Art Project
Leavenworth – Haymarket Square
Marysville – LifeTile Murals – City of Marysville
Excellence in Architectural Design
Chanute – 4 E. Main Ken & Cathy Matney
Coffeyville – 128 W. 9th
Leavenworth – 626 Cherokee
McPherson – 123 N. Main Street
Winfield – 119 E. 9th
Excellence in Business Promotion
Independence – Farmer’s Market
Seneca – Seneca Bridal Show
Excellence in Promotion
Chanute – St. Pat’s Celebration
Hoisington – Welcome Center Chili Cook-off
McPherson – Home for the Holidays
Excellence in Downtown Marketing
El Dorado – Image Campaign
Garden City – GC Vision Website
Hutchinson – Third Thursday
Leavenworth – Outside Marketing
Ottawa – Image Campaign
Sterling – Sterling Gazette
Winfield – Upstairs Downtown Tour
Excellence in Business Development
Belleville – Do it Yourself Market Analysis
Emporia – Home Based Businesses
Leavenworth – KU Small Business Development Center
McPherson – Business Seminars
Parsons – Foundations of Small Business
Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships
Coffeyville – City of Coffeyville
Emporia – Flint Hills Technical College
Leavenworth – Network Kansas
Phillipsburg – Discover Phillips County
Excellence in Volunteer Development
Emporia –Adopt a Garden Project
Peabody – Volunteer Development
Excellence in Fundraising
Coffeyville – “Our Town” Dinner Theatre
El Dorado – Frontier Western Celebration
Inside Track
Dodge City
Osage City
Reinvestment Awards
Hoisington $1 Million
Seneca $1 Million
Coffeyville $3 Million
Augusta $5 Million
Sterling $5 Million
Winfield $5 Million
Leavenworth $20 Million
Hutchinson $50 Million
Kansas Main Street Director’s Recognition
Garden City - Beverly Schmitz Glass
Hutchinson - Jim Seitnater
Kansas Main Street Leadership Award
Phillipsburg - Phillips County Economic Development
Secretary of Commerce Award in Community Economic Development
Emporia – Community Initiated Development – Granada Lofts
Total Awards (By City)
(1) Augusta: $5 Million Reinvestment
(3) Belleville: Community Award – Blair Center for the Arts, Historic Preservation Award – Historic Walking Tour &Kiosks, Business Development Award – Do It Yourself Market Analysis
(3) Chanute: Community Award – Ken & Cathy Matney, Architectural Design – 4 East Main Street, Promotion – St. Pat’s Celebration
(5) Coffeyville: Community Award – Jana Kastler, Architectural Design – 128 W. 9th Street, Public/Private Partnership – City of Coffeyville, Fundraising – “Our Town” Dinner Theatre, $3 Million Reinvestment
(3) El Dorado: Community Award – Frontier Refinery, Downtown Marketing – Image Campaign Splurge, Fundraising – Frontier Western Celebration
(5) Emporia: Community Award – Emporia Farmer’s Market, Business Development – Home Based Businesses, Public/Private Partnerships – Flint Hills Technical College, Volunteer Development – Adopt a Garden Project, Secretary of Commerce Award in Community Economic Development – Community Initiated Development/Granada Lofts
(4) Garden City: Community Award – Commerce Bank, Planning and Public Design – Banner Art Project, Downtown Marketing – Website, Kansas Main Street Director Recognition – Bev Glass
(3) Hoisington: Community Award – Kathy Burt, Promotion – Welcome Center Chili Cook-off, $1 Million Reinvestment
(3) Hutchinson: Community Award - Nan Hawver, Downtown Marketing – Third Thursday, $50 Million Reinvestment, Kansas Main Street Director’s Recognition – Jim Seitnater
(1) Independence: Business Promotion – Farmer’s Market
(8) Leavenworth: Community Award – Wanda Thrasher, Historic Preservation – Meredith Timmons, Planning and Public Design – Haymarket Square, Architectural Design – 626 Cherokee, Downtown Marketing – Outside Marketing Campaign, Business Development – KU Small Business Development Center, Public/Private Partnership – Network Kansas, $20 Million Reinvestment
(2) Marysville: Community Award – Tony Duever, Planning & Public Design – City of Marysville
(3) McPherson: Architectural Design – 123 N. Main Street, Promotion – Home for the Holidays, Business Development – Business Seminars
(2) Ottawa: Community Award – Government in Action, Downtown Marketing – Image Campaign
(1) Parsons: Business Development – Foundations of Small Business
(2) Peabody: Community Award – Jayne Timm, Volunteer Development – Peabody Main Street
(3) Phillipsburg: Historic Preservation – Walking Tour, Public/Private Partnerships – Discover Phillips County, Kansas Main Street Leadership Award – Phillips County Economic Development
(4) Seneca: Community Award – Nemaha County Historical Museum, Historic Preservation – Chris & Cathy Holthaus, Business Promotion – Seneca Bridal Show, $1 Million Reinvestment
(3) Sterling: Community Award – Barbara Randolph-Benson, Downtown Marketing – Sterling Gazette, $5 Million Reinvestment
(3) Winfield: Community Award – Cindy Goertz, Downtown Marketing – Upstairs Downtown Tour, $5 Million Reinvestment, Architectural Design – 119 E. 9th Street
(2) Inside Track: Osage City & Dodge City
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