BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT -- Eric Avner said the city's Main Street Program was in need of a little boost, and just in the nick of time it was recognized recently as one of 277 National Main Street Communities.
"The city's riverfront projects, most particularly the new aquarium, have gotten most of the attention lately," said Mr. Avner, the Main Street Program coordinator. "We had reached a plateau with the program. I think our group needed a little reassurance that we were on the right path."
The Main Street Program, begun in 1993, is intended to revitalize Newport's downtown section through a variety of initiatives including rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing structures and promotion of downtown businesses.
This has been seen by city leaders, particularly city commission members, as another tool in their endeavor to change the image of this river town from the Sin City of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to a good place to live and a solid tourist attraction.
Mr. Avner said Newport's program easily met the criteria established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center for inclusion as a National Main Street Community.
"This recognition is a real morale-booster for everyone involved in the program," he said. "This award is almost a justification of our efforts, and shows the commitment the city has in this area." He said that when the Main Street Program was introduced in 1993, "This was it. We weren't at the point where we were looking at a $40 million aquarium or a $60 million entertainment complex or a $100 million tower. The program got all the attention."
Which is not to indicate, he said, that the Main Street Program isn't advancing. In 1997, 39 new jobs and seven new businesses were created downtown, nine building improvement projects were completed and $475,000 was reinvested from private and public sources into downtown.
"This program is not intended as a quick fix," Mr. Avner said. "It is very much a grass-roots effort that will continue over a period of years. It is another of the city's economic development endeavors, while at the same time we work closely with historic preservation."
Kennedy Smith, director of the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C., said Newport "should be proud of the achievements in program development. These elite programs represent some of the finest community initiatives and most important revitalization efforts in the country."
Other standards met by the program in achieving national stature include:
Broad-based public support. In Newport's case, private support including help from Trauth Dairy and Dixie Chili in sponsoring the annual Monsters on Monmouth Halloween event.
Comprehensive work plans to revitalize the core city, such as the Monmouth Street Committee's objective to compile a parking management plan, create a downtown directory and walking tour, and oversee streetscape improvement plans.
An active volunteer work force and non-profit board, in this case the Monmouth Street Committee with 20 volunteers working on five committees.
"We are especially blessed with the volunteers on the Monmouth Street Committee," Mr. Avner said. "We have a diverse group of people who continue to work very hard to make this program successful."
