By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
ATCHISON, KS - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced the selection of Atchison, Baldwin City and Junction City as the newest members of the Kansas Main Street program Tuesday.
Speaking at the Santa Fe Depot in Atchison, Kelly says she was thrilled to announce this news in a timely fashion, and in an ideal location.
"I can't think of a better time, Women's History Month, or a better place to make this announcement than the hometown of aviator Amelia Earhart," Kelly said.
Atchison mayor Abby Bartlett says her city's historic qualities and attributes made it an appealing choice for state leaders to add it to the list of Main Street cities.
"It's one of the things we thrive on," Bartlett said of that history. "We love our brick streets. We love the buildings like (Santa Fe Depot). This is the heart of Atchison right here."
Atchison is one of the first new additions to the Kansas Main Street program since its reintroduction in 2019. With Baldwin and Junction City included, there are now 28 designated Main Street communities in the state.
"Becoming a part of the program will give us framework and knowledge to further develop and execute the full measure of the Main Street program," Bartlett said, "maximizing our full, economic development potential as a community."
When Main Street was relaunched in Kansas just over a year ago, leaders from the 25 cities already enrolled in the program signed up for Kansas Main Street's inaugural training.
A 26th community signed up, too. It was Atchison, but the training was only for community leaders who were already members of Kansas Main Street.
“We had to make an uncomfortable phone call," Kansas Lieutenant governor David Toland recalled, "and say, 'I'm sorry, this is just for those who are already in, but we're going to open up a competitive round (in December 2020).' So, how nice it is to be able to come full circle."
Communities interested in joining the program participated in a competitive application process this past December. Like Mayor Bartlett, Governor Kelly recognized Atchison's historic value, which made the city an appealing choice to state leaders.
"Atchison is just so full of history and historic structures," she told The Post in an interview. "They can leverage this Main Street program, both the financial and technical assistance resources that it brings, so they can build on their historic roots."
Kansas Main Street is a self-help technical assistance program administered by the Community Development Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The program targets preservation and revitalization of downtown districts based on four points of organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring.
"It also allows local officials to prioritize the restoration and preservation of unique, historic, downtown business districts," Kelly added.
The Kansas Main Street program, which started in 1985, helped mostly rural cities maintain and enhance their downtown districts before its shutdown in 2012.
"That included the opening and expansion of 3,800 small businesses," Kansas Main Street program director Scott Sewell said. "That resulted in over 8,600 new jobs to the state during that time."
Kansas Main Street was then brought back in late 2019 under Governor Kelly's administration.
“Main Street is about a lot of things, but at its core, it's about economic development," Lieutenant Governor Toland reiterated. "The Kelly administration is all in on building Kansas communities and strengthening our economies."
The Kansas Main Street program is affiliated with the National Main Street Center. While there's no federal funding that goes directly to Main Street communities, designated cities are eligible for training and technical assistance to help them become self-sufficient in their downtown revitalization.
Kelly credited Atchison's leaders for their efforts to restore their downtown, specifically the restoration of the Fox Theatre, a $2.5 million project which brought the 109-year-old building back to life "after being dormant for almost a decade," according to the Governor.
Mayor Bartlett says Kansas Main Street can be a huge asset for future projects, like the Pedestrian Mall demolition project, which just began in late February and is set to be complete by this June.
"We're looking to truly build our downtown and to truly build our main street," Bartlett said. "To feel that Hallmark movie feel. So, this program adds to that. This definitely enhances what we're trying to do down there for those businesses and for growth in Atchison."
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