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St. Louis Residents to Lead “Spending Caravan” Along Gulf Coast
St. Louis Residents to Lead “Spending Caravan” Along Gulf Coast
Organizers Take Unique Approach to Raise Awareness, Hope for Small Businesses and Gulf Residents
ST. LOUIS—As clean-up continues from the country’s worst environmental disaster, a group of concerned St. Louis residents plan to spend a week in August leading a caravan of support across the Gulf Coast, spending money at small businesses along the route with funds raised from around the country.
The team’s mission is to be ambassadors of hope, spend money in the Gulf region, visit businesses along the Gulf to show the Nation’s support, raise awareness about the impact of the oil disaster, and encourage continued support of businesses in the region. The Caravan has been collecting money through its website, and word of mouth, all of which will be spent from Aug. 9-13 at small businesses along the Gulf. Participants are covering their own transportation, gas and lodging costs for the trip.
Organizer Dennis Gorg said, “We’ve learned of so many businesses in the Gulf region that are losing their customers, employees and dreams because of the impact on fishing and tourism. As a small business owner myself, I can’t imagine the impact on the people and community who depend on me. We can do something here. We can become tourists with a purpose.”
All along the Gulf the Caravan will stop at businesses. On Tuesday morning at 9 AM, August 10, 2010 the kick-off of the Gulf Caravan will be in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi at The Buttercup on Second Street. In addition to the beginning of the Caravan, collected canned goods will be turned over to Hancock County Food Pantry.
“Our efforts aren’t just about us visiting, but also local community leaders, residents, and business owners coming out and supporting their businesses as well,” said Gorg. “We’re proud to be kicking off the tour in Bay St. Louis”. Gorg said, “We hope that these efforts lead to more spending and tourism for the long-term, not just during this week.”
Gulf Caravan Full Itinerary at http://www.GulfCaravan.com
Tourism group focuses on small town charm
Tourism group focuses on small town charm
BAY ST LOUIS, MS (WLOX) - Thousands of people travel I-10 through Hancock County everyday. Tourism leaders say one of their challenges is getting those drivers off the highway and into area businesses.
"Rural areas have a disadvantage that most of the time people think of us as a pass through to get to another destination," President Mississippi-Louisiana Rural Tourism Association Wilbert Carmouche said. "Our goal is to let the people know what there is to do when they're passing through."
Tourism has been tough for many small coastal communities the last five years. First hurricane Katrina; then the economy soured. Now, this year, the BP oil spill kept visitors away from the coast.
"It is unfortunate that storms and other things such as BP that happened as well this year. Those are things that you can not change, you have absolutely no control over," Carmouche said.
According to Carmouche, the key to overcoming natural and man-made disasters, is to accent the positive.
"Let's say the beaches are closed but yet downtown is thriving, changing your focus work on downtown," Carmouche said.
He said tourism leaders should concentrate their financial resources on advertising what the community does have to offer.
Sherri Bevis is the Executive Director of the Bay-Waveland Main Street Program.
"What we're specifically targeting is really small town tourism. It's how our unique small town can really pull people in," Bevis said. "It's the special shops. It's the little restaurants. It's not that big town you go to like Washington, D.C., or New York, but it's a different niche."
A niche she hopes to sell to the rest of the world.
Copyright 2010 WLOX. All rights reserved.
National Trust, Project for Public Spaces select downtown Tupelo for pilot project
National Trust for Historic Preservation and Project for Public Spaces Announce Tupelo, Miss. as Pilot Site for Placemaking and Community Revitalization Project
Washington, D.C. – The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Project for Public Spaces (PPS) announce that Tupelo, Mississippi has been chosen for a pilot demonstration project that will operate on the principles of Placemaking to revitalize the Mississippi Main Street community.
The project will engage a wide range of Tupelo stakeholders, community members and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to enliven its Main Street corridor, a state highway which links downtown to the birthplace of Elvis Presley and other public spaces and local destinations. This cutting-edge effort will result in an integrated transportation plan that puts streets to work for the community, supporting destinations, residents and visitors.
“Creating a sense of place is critical to not only keeping a community alive, but thriving,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “We look forward to working with Project for Public Spaces and the community of Tupelo to create a unique, walkable environment for residents and visitors.”
The city was selected through a competitive selection process in which each applicant city or town, in partnership with its state Main Street organization, outlined transportation proposals that could spur economic revitalization and community development. Working collaboratively with Mississippi’s Department of Transportation and executed by the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association and the Mississippi Main Street Association, the project will demonstrate new opportunities to engage state DOT’s and local Main Street programs.
To enable the lessons from Tupelo to be replicated in other communities, PPS and Mississippi Main Street will host a Placemaking training program for managers of its 49 programs across the state. The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association will receive a 2-day Placemaking workshop centered on a four-block section of downtown which has seen increased truck traffic, higher traffic speed and concerns about pedestrians using this part of the downtown district. The Mississippi Main Street Association will also receive a one-day workshop open to all of its members.
“We are pleased that the Project for Public Spaces and the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Tupelo – and Mississippi – as the site for the Placemaking project. With the number of tourist attractions along Tupelo’s downtown corridor, the principles of Placemaking will help connect these historic and cultural landmarks and make downtown Tupelo an even more appealing place,” said Bob Wilson, executive director of the Mississippi Main Street Association.
"This project was the missing piece we needed to make our Main Street Master Plan move from good to spectacular,” said Debbie Brangenberg, director of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association. “We are so thrilled to have been chosen for the pilot project and believe that the concepts, ideas and education will be invaluable in future planning for Tupelo and all of Mississippi."
This is the latest effort in a new partnership between the National Trust and PPS, aimed at enriching towns and cities across the country through the power of Placemaking. This collaboration unites two powerhouse community development strategies – the National Trust Main Street Four-Point Approach®, a proven tool and foundation for revitalizing commercial and neighborhood districts, and Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking, a process that fosters the creation of vital public destinations by promoting collaborative community involvement. Creating Main Streets that are pedestrian-friendly with balanced transportation options is a particular focus of the partnership and a major component of the Tupelo pilot project.
At the center of the PPS approach is a concept called the Power of 10: any great destination needs to offer at least 10 things to do or 10 reasons to be there. These could include a place to sit, playgrounds to enjoy, art to touch, music to hear, food to eat, history to experience, or people to meet. Ideally, some of these activities are unique to that particular spot and are interesting enough to keep people coming back. Communities play a critical role in the Placemaking process and the National Trust and PPS will help local Main Street and preservation programs become further involved in the planning and development of their towns and cities, starting with places like Tupelo.
“We are excited about the possibility to link Placemaking and preservation in a dynamic community like Tupelo, which is so committed to making things happen,” said Fred Kent, president of Project for Public Spaces.” Their success can serve as a model for Mississippi, the region, and, in fact, the rest of the country.”
About Project for Public Spaces
Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. It’s pioneering Placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs. PPS was founded in 1975 to expand on the work of William (Holly) Whyte, the author of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Since then, PPS has completed projects in over 2500 communities in 40 countries and all 50 US states. Through research, conferences, and strategic partnerships, PPS promotes Placemaking as a transformative agenda to address some of the most pressing issues of our time. In its broadest application, Placemaking is a catalyst for build ing healthy, sustainable and economically viable cities of the future.
About The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, eight regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.
About the Mississippi Main Street Association
The Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) is a non-profit, economic development program based in historic preservation with a mission to provide leadership, guidance and counsel to Mississippi Main Street communities to help make Mississippi's cities and towns better places to work, live and play. The Main Street Four Point Approach® focuses downtown revitalization efforts on organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring. MMSA has been responsible for nearly $4 billion in combined public and private investment across the state since recording began in 1993. MMSA currently has 49 active community programs across the state as well as more than 30 Downtown Network, Association and charrette communities. MMSA is a designated program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mississippi Development Authority.
Downtown Tupelo selected for national community program
Downtown selected for community program
by Carlie Kollath / NEMS Daily Journal
TUPELO – Tupelo will be the topic of national buzz soon, considering the city will serve as a pilot program to create a more livable community.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Project for Public Spaces officially will announce Monday that downtown Tupelo beat out applicants from around the country to be the site of the organizations’ “placemaking” demonstration.
For the demonstration, the two national organizations will help local and state leaders improve downtown Tupelo, with an emphasis on transportation enhancement. The program includes a $10,000 grant.
“This is a huge opportunity for us to broaden our thinking about how we plan our infrastructure and build for the future,” said Debbie Brangenberg, executive director of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association. “It is not about making radical changes from the way we have done things, but learning to embrace new ways to deal with the needs and issues with the future in mind.”
As part of the program, the Washington, D.C.,-based National Trust and the New York-based Project for Public Spaces will have a team conduct workshops and training sessions in Tupelo. The multiple-day event, which is open to the public, is planned for the week of Oct. 4.
The goal is to come up with ideas to make downtown a more pedestrian-friendly area.
Create incentives to walk downtown
The key is to come up with incentives for people to walk around downtown, said Lauren Adkins, the assistant director of the National Trust Main Street Center, which is a part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Incentives include attractive paving patterns, sidewalk dining, safe sidewalks, attractive storefronts and buffers created by trees and bike lanes.
“You know your community much better than we do,” said Steve Davies, the senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces. The process is set up so people in the community come up with their own ideas for improvements with a little inspiration from us.”
PPS is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization that has completed projects in more than 2,500 communities in 40 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Some of its projects include Times Square and Bryant Park in New York City, Chinatown’s Central Plaza, West Plaza and Bamboo Lane revitalization in Los Angeles, Congress Street master plan in Tucson, Ariz., and the Miami Baywalk in Miami.
Davies said Tupelo’s application stood out from the 10 communities that applied because it was enthusiastic and it conveyed the sense that “there’s a lot going on already.”
Adkins said all the applications were outstanding, but the selection committee picked Tupelo because the local Main Street organization already had a master plan and had a project in the works.
Plus, Adkins said, the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association has had a “history of success” during its 20 years of existence.
Tupelo, she said, just needed a little more expertise to hit its tipping point.
Make downtown a destination
Main Street’s master plan is geared toward making downtown more of a destination, plus making it more appealing to pedestrians and cyclists. The plan, which was unveiled last year, calls for sidewalk beautification, traffic light synchronization, pedestrian amenities, a downtown park and the three-laning of a section of Main Street to include bike lanes, auto lanes, a center turn lane and on-street parallel parking.
Earlier this year, Main Street, at the recommendation of the state Department of Transportation, expanded the project to include bike lanes to the Elvis Presley Birthplace.
The project is estimated to cost $2.9 million. Main Street is seeking federal funding for the project. The City Council in July committed to provide the 20 percent match of about $573,000 if the grant is awarded.
The master plan has not been approved by the City Council, which is a needed step before the changes can take place.
Yet, in order to be considered for the placemaking pilot program, the City Council approved a letter of agreement that it would implement a “tangible transportation improvement” idea from the workshops within the next year.
Brangenberg said the improvement isn’t clearly defined and could include sidewalks, crosswalks or additional signage.
Mayor Jack Reed Jr. on Friday said he was on board for the project and was “absolutely committed” to sidewalk improvements for safety and health reasons.
“They’re an absolute must for us to become a more livable city,” he said. “Build them and they will come.”
Contact Carlie Kollath at (662) 678-1598 or
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NEMS360.com
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