Main Street Pauls Valley has been designated an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.
The news is naturally very positive for the local program director, Samantha Robb.
“This has been my first year as program manager for Main Street Pauls Valley, and I’m so very thankful for the guidance and instruction of our Oklahoma Main Street program,” Robb said.
“With cooperation and support from Oklahoma Main Street, our local board of directors, our city government and downtown businesses and community organizations, this past year has been incredibly successful in re-energizing Main Street Pauls Valley,” she said.
As part of that success, Robb pointed to the return of the Sweet on Main Street awards banquet and the “incredibly popular” BrickFest despite some bad fortune with some very stormy weather for this year’s festival.
There was also the introduction of the Toy and Action Figure Museum Summer Block Buster Scavenger Hunt, which partnered with downtown merchants, and the expansion of the 2007 Quilt Show into the Oklahoma Heritage Quilts and Arts Festival, she said.
Another positive for Main Street PV came when the local program helped the downtown area by acquiring a Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Fresh Paint Days grant.
Money from that grant paid for an exterior paint job for the Honest Bus Pawn Shop, which later was the victim of more bad fortune when the historic building housing it was destroyed by a fire in March.
While deeply saddened by the fire, Robb said she looks forward to working with new building owners and Oklahoma Main Street consultants as plans for repairs and restorations are made.
Better news from PV’s downtown area came with the start of the three-block streetscape project on Paul Avenue and the restoration of the Royal Twin Theater.
Each year, the National Trust and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and have demonstrated their ability to follow the Main Street methodology.
The center also works in partnership with coordinating Main Street programs throughout the nation to identify the local programs that meet the Trust’s 10 basic performance standards.
“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” said Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center.
“Rebuilding a district’s economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support, in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success.”
