by Aaron W. Hughey

The Murray Main Street Program is a preservation-based economic development initiative that is working to make downtown Murray a viable business and cultural center again.

“The Murray Main Street Program is a part of the National Main Street Program,” according to Robin Taffler, director of the program. “It is also a part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.”

Taffler has been the fulltime director for over three and a half years. She coordinates the day-to-day activities of the group, which includes a core of about 50 volunteers; overall, the Main Street program has close to 400 members.

The Murray Main Street Program is also a part of the Kentucky Heritage Council and Renaissance Kentucky, which the governor put into place to foster and revitalize downtown areas across the state.

“The Program grew out of the efforts of several individuals who wanted to revitalize the downtown area,” Taffler says. “In order to get things done and be ultimately successful, you really need a managed program.”

“No amount of money will ‘fix’ downtown,” Taffler notes. “There has to be a buy-in from both the public and private sectors of the community. We work very closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the local city and county governments.”

“The Murray Main Street Program is pretty active,” Taffler observes. “We are actively involved in a number of tangible projects that affect every aspect of the downtown area.”

“For example, we write grants for financial support from Renaissance Kentucky,” Taffler continues. “These projects include replacing the downtown facades, conducting market analyses for potential work, and providing professional seminars for downtown businesses.”

“We also started the downtown Saturday market,” Taffler adds with pride. “Moreover, we are getting ready to spend about $750,000 on downtown improvements.”

“In addition, we have about $400,000 in funding that will go toward the renovation of a 1931 Post Office Building,” Taffler explains. “This historic facility is being redeveloped in the downtown area.”

Taffler is quick to share the credit for the overall success of the Main Street program.

“We have an incredible Board of Directors which includes 18 regular members and several ex officio members,” Taffler explains. “The Board and all the volunteers associated with the program have enabled us to move quickly and effectively on most projects. They are simply incredible.”

“We also work in consultation with the Calloway 2020 Master Plan that was developed for the entire community,” Taffler asserts. “In the last six months, for example, we have seen a proliferation of restaurants as a result of some recent changes in the local codes.”

“How this will eventually affect the downtown area has yet to be seen,” Taffler adds.

“What it really comes down to is trying to determine where we want Murray to be in a few years,” Taffler concludes. “The Murray Main Street Program is definitely helping to make a difference.”

For more information on the National Trust for Historic Preservation, please visit their website at: http://www.nthp.org.