MIDDLESBORO — Bell County Tourism Commission President and C.E.O. Judy Barton calls tourism the “most misunderstood industry in the world.”
Barton and Tour SEKY Representative Jeff Crowe attempted to clarify a few things about the industry and what it means to the Bell County community during the Soup & Sandwich series hosted by the Bell County Chamber of Commerce at J. Milton’s.
Barton and Crowe told the audience that the tourism industry contributed over $36 million to Bell County’s economy in 2007.
Barton spoke briefly about the newly-constructed gazebo on Hwy. 25-E in Middlesboro, built by the Bell County Tourism Commission. Barton indicated that the project is not yet complete, but when finished it will house tourism brochures and information about the area that tourists might find valuable.
She announced that the Bell County Tourism Commission — in association with the Tour SEKY, the Middlesborough Garden Club and the Cumberland Park Garden Club — will host a tree giveaway and tea in honor of Red Bud Month. The giveaway will take place on Friday, April 18 from 1 until 3 p.m. at the American Association Building in Middlesboro.
Barton also promoted the “Cruisin’ the Crater!” car cruise upcoming in May during the Soup & Sandwich presentation. “Cruisin’ the Crater!” was a successful event this past year. The car shows will be on the 3rd Saturday of each month, May through October, from 6 until 10 p.m. at the Middlesboro Mall parking lot. For more information concerning the car show, contact Leeman at (606)246-2099 or Curt at (606)248-1200.
Crowe gave an energetic presentation concerning opportunities Middlesboro might have through Tour SEKY. The Discover Downtown Middlesboro organization recently applied for two grants from Tour SEKY; one for $100,000, the other for $50,000 if the first is rejected.
The money, if obtained, will be used to reorganize Cumberland Avenue from 19th to 22nd Street.
“We have got to slow that traffic down if anything is going to happen in our downtown area,” Barton stated.
The presentation echoed a presentation given by Mark Dennan with Main Street Kentucky, to the Middlesboro City Council Community Development Committee on Feb. 19.
At that time, Dennan informed members he had recently visited downtown Middlesboro and felt there was great potential for revival. He went on to make suggestions as to what could be done to revive Middlesboro’s downtown.
He said downtown was “much larger than expected” and had a “great deal of historic integrity”; however, Dennan felt many of the historic buildings “were being under utilized.”
Dennan felt that the strongly identifiable center of downtown at Fountain Square should be revitalized, and Barton and Crowe agree.
“The square needs to be defined,” Dennan said. “Because it doesn’t currently read as anything but a crossroad.”
Dennan suggested that the town consider creating a fountain on Cumberland Avenue, placing “bump outs” at each crosswalk to shorten the distance in crossing the street, more landscaping, lighting, street furniture and adding banners to street light poles. At that time, Dennan also suggested creating diagonal parking on Cumberland Avenue (as the street was in the past).
If the C.I.T.Y. grant (Community Initiatives and Tourism for You) from Tour SEKY is obtained, many of Dennan’s suggestions will come to fruition and the city could see diagonal parking and a beautified downtown area. The idea is that the arrangement would increase the amount of parking, slow traffic down making downtown safer for pedestrians and give people the chance to notice the buildings and businesses.
Tour SEKY staff members will visit downtown Middlesboro near the end of the month in order to determine if Middlesboro can accomplish their vision if the $100,000 grant is awarded to them.
“We visit downtown merchants sporadically, we talk to people on the streets,” Crowe said. The staff members take an assessment of the community that greatly impacts the decision-making process.
Additionally, Crowe suggested to the audience that the city would greatly benefit from hiring a Main Street Manager. A Main Street Manager would be a paid employee who would see after the town’s acquiring of funds to beautify downtown. The manager would also keep a check on the downtown area, ensuring that proper maintenance and upkeep is done.
“Every town needs a Main Street Manager. You need that representation. It would be money well spent,” Crowe stated.
Discover Downtown Middlesboro Representative Kevin Murphy agreed with Crowe and asked community members to employ their City Councilmen to consider the idea.
Tour SEKY represents “the 47 forgotten counties”, according to Crowe. He stressed that Tour SEKY is not state funded, but rather, they receive 90 percent of their money from the Federal Highway Division, the Small Business Administration, Public Lands, and through the efforts of Congressman Hal Rogers.
“I want something to happen downtown,” Barton stated. “I think we have a beautiful downtown and I want us to be proud of it.”
Brandy Calvert is the Senior Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. Contact her via e-mail at bmurray@middlesborodailynews.com.
Photo: Tour SEKY Representative Jeff Crowe and Bell County Tourism Commission President Judy Barton spoke during Thursday’s Soup & Sandwich series about tourism in the tri-state area. Pictured, from left, is Bell County Chamber of Commerce Administrative Assistant Candice Jones, Chamber Executive Director Nioma Lawson, Crowe and Barton. (BRANDY CALVERT/ Daily News)
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