Agreement: Grant for market study will go directly to Renaissance, with all the responsibilities

Midway Renaissance and the city have agreed that the $15,000 state grant the non-profit group obtained for a market study to help local businesses will not be run through city coffers but will go to Renaissance, along with all the responsibilities.

"It's a win-win," Mayor Tom Bozarth said after the Renaissance Committee of the City Council and representatives of Renaissance and the Midway Business Association agreed on the approach at a City Hall meeting this evening.

The arrangement will require a three-way agreement between the state, city and Renaissance instead of separate agreements by the city with the other entities, and a new council resolution to replace the December resolution that approved the grant application by Renaissance.

"It looks like things have been resolved very nicely so everybody can live with it," said Tad Long of the Kentucky League of Cities, who acted as the facilitator for the meeting. Long is at far right in the photo. From far left are Renaissance members Becky Moore and Joy Arnold; business owner Mary Thoreson; Renaissance member Bob Rathbone; council and committee member Doris Leith; business owner John McDaniel of the Thoroughbred Theater; council and committee member Charlann Wombles; Main Street Director Marcie Christensen, of Renaissance; Bozarth; council and committee member Sharon Turner; and business owner Eric Thoreson of Damselfly Gallery.The Thoresons are obscured in the photo. Eric Thoreson suggested that the study should go beyond the city limits, saying that a survey had found as many as 80 entrepreneurs living or working in Woodford County north of Old Frankfort Pike, often regarded as the southern boundary of Greater Midway. He spoke in agreement with Wombles, who said the entire community needs to be aware of the study. Renaissance has created a Web page to "report on the progress and make accessible all documents generated," it says. "As the project moves forward, input and participation from the broader community is important as it provides fresh ideas and community ownership of this valuable study." (Read more; click on photo for larger image)

Council's Renaissance panel to meet with groups Tuesday; Renaissance creates web page for study

The Midway Renaissance Committee of the Midway City Council will hold a meeting Tuesday, July 27 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss alternative funding, understanding the Memorandum of Agreement, timelines, and request for proposal concerning the grant for a market study to help develop business in Midway.

The meeting will be facilitated by Tad Long of the Kentucky League of Cities. The council's Renaissance Committee members are Sharon Turner, Doris Leigh and Charlann Wombles. The representatives of Midway Renaissance will be President Randy Thomas, Becky Moore and Bob Rathbone, along with Main Street Director Marcie Christensen. A committee of the Midway Business Association, John McDaniel and two other representatives, will also take part, according to Renaissance.

The Midway Renaissance website now has a page about the proposed market study, http://www.midwayrenaissance.org/market-study.htm. Renaissance's Main Street director, Marcie Christensen, says in an e-mail, "I hope to make the entire project as transparent and accessible as possible in order to improve our success in attracting broader participation when the time comes for public meetings and input from the community. I’ll be updating the page regularly and encouraging folks to read the latest news and stay informed."

Mosquito spraying rescheduled for Monday night

The state Department of Agriculture will be in Midway on Monday, July 26 at 9 p.m., weather permitting, to spray for mosquitoes. The spraying was scheduled for last Monday evening but was called off because of rain.

Streets Committee to discuss the 'horse olympics' Monday; Water Committee to hear pleas Thursday

The Streets and Lights Committee of the Midway City Council will meet Monday, July 26 at 10 a.m. to discuss sidewalks and parking for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the horse world's equivalent of the Olympics, to be held Sept. 25 through Oct. 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park. The meeting will be held upstairs in the Community Room of City Hall at 101 E Main St.

The council's Water, Sewer and Garbage Committee will hold a meeting Thursday, July 22 at 10 a.m. in the Community Room "to discuss two citizen requests for pool adjustments," according to the notice from City Hall. All city council and committee meetings are open to the public.

Council expected to discuss business study for city

The published agenda for Monday evening's City Council meeting is scant, but the 5:30 session is expected to include a discussion with representatives of Midway Renaissance about the grant it recently received for a market study to develop a strategy for the development of downtown business in Midway.

Renaissance wants the council committee formed to work with the group (council members Sharon Turner, Charlann Wombles and Doris Leigh) to meet soon to establish a broader committee to develop the formal Request For Proposals from consultants, "create a review and selection process, develop recommendations regarding financial issues related to the grant administration, and set up a schedule for proceeding with the project," Renaissance Main Street Manager Marcie Christensen said in an e-mail. She added that Mayor Tom Bozarth has asked Renaissance President Randy Thomas to attend the meeting.

City gets $15,000 from state for study to create strategy for downtown business development

The state has given the City of Midway $15,000 for a market study to create a strategy for downtown business development. Midway Renaissance, whose contractor doubles as director of the city's Main Street program, said in a press release today that it "will work with representatives of the city and the Midway Business Association to hire a consultant and engage the whole community in the project."

The release said market studies are "used by businesses, developers, governments, and citizens for making better-informed decisions. The process includes documenting details about the downtown's current condition, exploring changes occurring in the marketplace, verifying what consumers want from downtown, discovering what businesses the downtown market will support, and creating a downtown business development strategy.  . . . Once a detailed picture of the downtown economy emerges, Midway Renaissance will work with all stakeholders to shape a business retention campaign that includes providing assistance and training to existing businesses, and participate in a recruitment campaign to compliment existing businesses. Recruitment will target businesses that people want and that the market will support."

Renaissance said the study will include public meetings: "Input and participation from the broader community is important so that recommendations resulting from the study reflect both market conditions as well as the preferences of the community. Local input provides fresh ideas and community ownership of the project. This buy-in is especially important after the analysis is done and its time to implement the study's recommendations."

The grant comes from from the Department for Local Government. Renaissance President Randy Thomas said in the release, “Our proposal was a joint effort and I believe that the market study will provide all of us with very valuable information as we work together to make Midway an even better place to live, work and prosper.” For more information contact Main Street Manager Marcie Christensen at 846-4049 or Thomas at 312-9891. News and updates on the project will be posted at http://www.midwayrenaissance.org/.

Sparks in the Park! Gather at firehouse 4:30 for parade at 5 to Bradley Park; event to start at 6

The annual Sparks in the Park celebration for Independence Day starts with the parade at 5 p.m. today. All are welcome to march in the parade; gather at the Firehouse beginning at 4:30. The parade will go from the Firehouse to Gratz, right on Higgins, cross Winter Street to Turner, take a right to Bruen, take a right at the stop light, turn left on Winter to Main and turn right to Gratz, then left to Dudley and right to the Walter Bradley Park, arriving around 6 p.m.

After music by City Coulcilman Aaron Hamilton, the National Guard will present the colors and "The Star-Spangled Banner" will be sung. Dr. Jim Roach will give a patriotic reading, Pastor Mary Seeger Weese will give the invocation, and the Hilltop Rockers will perform from 6:30 to 7. The Midway Musicians (Billy and Lauren Hill, Margaret Lyle, Blake Jones, and Bill and Leslie Penn) will perform for half an hour, then the Rockers will return.

Councilwoman Diana McQueen says barbecue "will be available while it lasts... and music until about dark! Children's games will be going on throughout the evening. I hope you will consider walking in the parade . . . Please join me tonight in thanking Christian Care Communities for their generous $1,500 sponsorship of the barbecue. We are so fortunate to have this support! My sincere thanks to Tom, the council, and all the city employees who really contributed to making our celebration possible! It's going to be a special and wonderful evening!"