Fifty miles south of Greenville, Kentucky (previously featured here), the Pennyrile Area Development District (PADD) has been a partner in another transformative small town redevelopment project in Guthrie.  This past August, the town broke ground on a planned Transportation Museum and Welcome Center, a $1.4 million project almost a decade in the making.

Guthrie, home to 1,400 residents, is located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border and is steeped in transportation and American history.  Known as the “Crossroads of the South,” the town is named after James Guthrie, former US senator from Kentucky and one-time president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad – the company that built the first major switch track in the city.  Throughout the years, other rail lines would be routed through Guthrie both north-south and east-west, solidifying the town as a major destination during the golden era of the railroad.  The town also has its place in one of the darker episodes of American history as Native Americans on the Trail of Tears entered Kentucky by way of Guthrie on the journey westward.

Abandoned for decades, the two-building structure in downtown Guthrie known as the “Jenkins Building” will be home to a new transportation museum and Trail of Tears route welcome center when it opens in summer 2013. (Photo courtesy of De Leon and Primmer Architectural Workshop)

Though the railroad industry and Guthrie itself has changed much since its boom years, this town has not forgotten its roots and continues to embrace the culture of the industry that led to its development almost two centuries ago.  The transportation museum and welcome center for those touring the National Trail of Tears route will be located in a 120-year old two-building structure located downtown, known locally as the “Jenkins Building.”  Vacant since the early 1980s and currently in major disrepair, this 8,000 square foot space was the former site of a pharmacy and later the Jenkins Department Store which served the residents of Guthrie and surrounding areas for decades.  The red brick building was donated to the city after Mayor Scott Marshall reached out to the owner and discussed the plans for a museum.

Small Town, Big Expectations  

The museum and welcome center will be located in downtown Guthrie near the very train tracks (visible to the right and top of the photo) that helped shape the history and culture of this small Kentucky town. Click to enlarge map. (Image created using Google Earth)

Guthrie has set high expectations for this locally-driven project.  “Our goal is to have the museum be the same quality as one you would find in much larger cities, such as Louisville or Lexington,” says Tracy Robinson, Executive Manager of the city’s Guthrie Partners for Main Street.  Much of that high-end quality will come from enlisting the services of the De Leon & Primmer Architectural Workshop, a Louisville-based firm which specializes in designing modern projects that embrace local themes and history.  “A key part of the design concept was heavily influenced by common and familiar elements specific to the railroad and transportation industry that was so important to the city’s early growth,” explains principal Roberto de Leon.  Once completed, visitors will experience a renovated building which highlights the town’s past through the use of steel plate framing, concrete walls, and even color gel fluorescents which will elicit transportation-themed colors of red, yellow, green, blue, and brown.  The inside will mostly be gutted to make room for the modern exhibits, but the exterior façades and beautiful brick walls will be preserved, including a hand-painted vintage Coca-Cola mural advertising the soft drink for five cents a bottle.

Community involvement and buy-in was crucial while planning the museum.  “Throughout the design process, we worked closely and collaboratively with the Guthrie community and city leaders, organizing a series of workshops to maximize the value of the community’s investments in the project.  Most importantly, we were interested in the community’s aspirations,” says de Leon.

A rendering of the proposed exterior design for Guthrie’s transportation museum and welcome center. (Photo courtesy of De Leon and Primmer Architectural Workshop)

What was once an eyesore in downtown Guthrie will now attract visitors to learn about the city’s past, the transportation industry, and the larger surrounding region.  It is anticipated that visitors to the museum will benefit local businesses as people will shop and eat while downtown, an area that currently has 17 commercial buildings.  More importantly, the transportation museum is expected to serve as a larger catalyst for economic development in addition to the immediate local jobs created during the renovation stage.  “By renovating the Jenkins Building, this project can inspire other projects across the street, then down the street, and overall instill a sense of pride in the community,” says Robinson of Guthrie Partners for Main Street.  Finally, in addition to the economic development the museum is expected to bring to Guthrie is the priceless role that the museum will serve in celebrating the town’s past and reminding the residents, particularly children, of their own vibrant heritage.

‘You Must Be Persistent’

While the interior of the building will mostly be gutted, the building’s historic façade and brick exterior will be preserved, including this vintage Coca-Cola advertisement. (Photo courtesy of De Leon and Primmer Architectural Workshop)

Funding for the project was pooled from a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and $900,000 from two Kentucky Transportation Enhancement (TE) grants.  “During the grant process, you must be persistent,” explains Robinson.  “We had to compete with much larger communities vying for limited amounts of money which means you have to be creative.  A project like this means a lot to a community like ours and we were stubborn enough not to give up.”  That persistence was clearly demonstrated by Mayor Marshall who made numerous trips to the state capital in Frankfort to seek funding and support for the project.

PADD supported the city in preparing the application and are also administering the CDBG funds.  “The interstate highways today take you around the towns that used to be the jewels of the region,” says Jason Vincent, PADD’s Assistant Director.  “With this new museum, Guthrie will have an opportunity to showcase its rich transportation history by attracting visitors to town.”

Through this new museum and welcome center, Guthrie has been able to turn a community liability into a true asset.  When it opens in the summer of 2013, it will have been after years of hard work, struggle, and dedication – much in the same spirit of Guthrie’s original residents who built this railroad town many years ago.

This case study was researched and written by Brett Schwartz, NADO Research Fellow.

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This is part of the NADO Research Foundation’s Vibrant Rural Communities series of case studies, which describes how rural regions and small towns across the country are growing local and regional economies and creating stronger communities. This series shows how communities can leverage a wide range of tools and resources to build on their assets, protect their resources, and make strategic investments that offer long-term benefits.

This project is based in part upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Agreement No. DTFH61-10-C-00047. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FHWA or the NADO Research Foundation.

Five years ago if you took a stroll down Main Street in Greenville, Kentucky on a Saturday night you would have likely walked on deteriorated sidewalks, peered into vacant storefronts with dilapidated façades, and felt enveloped by silence and darkness.  Like many other small towns throughout the United States, Greenville’s downtown had slowly deteriorated as development and investments were directed elsewhere.

However, thanks to a forward-thinking mayor, a proactive tourist commission, an involved local community, and a supportive area development district, that same walk down Main Street today looks and feels very different.  In this town of 4,300, as many as 8,000 people have been known to fill the streets of Greenville on a weekend night in the summertime to enjoy live outdoor music, find something to eat at a variety of food stands set up by local establishments, and enjoy each other’s company.  Previously vacant buildings are now abuzz with activity, many now home to new retail stores and restaurants.  A mature woodland area off the downtown area has been preserved as a 12-acre nature park, complete with trails, bridges, and a manmade waterfall.  Sidewalks have been built and repaired, historic-looking street lights now shine down on the streets below, planters and trash receptacles have been installed, and engraved brick pavers line new curbs.  Residents in the region no longer think of Greenville merely as a lazy county seat with a historic courthouse, but rather as an economic and entertainment focal point in Muhlenberg County.

A citizen-supported restaurant and hotel tax established a Tourism Commission which has financed downtown façade improvements as well as free festivals and concerts, including the popular summer music series, “Saturdays on the Square.” (Photo Courtesy of Greenville photographer Amy Hourigan)

This positive change in Greenville was neither an accident nor left to chance; rather, it was the result of a small community with a vision for how to build on its local assets and infrastructure, seek innovative financing, and cultivate partnerships in a challenging economic environment.  This southwestern Kentucky town’s revival can serve as a model for other small communities throughout the country working to revive their historic downtowns and Main Streets.

Progressive Leadership and Active Partnerships

In 2006 at the urging of many of Greenville’s citizens, Eddie DeArmond ran for city mayor.  A retired state policeman, DeArmond won the race and took office in 2007 where he set in motion a major effort to redevelop the downtown business district and the surrounding areas.  “The mayor had a vision to make a difference in Greenville and leave the town better than when he found it,” says Ben Van Hooser, the city administrator tapped by DeArmond for the position.  “The downtown and other parts of the community had been deteriorating.  We wanted to breathe new life into the city.”

Sidewalks have been upgraded and now feature brick pavers and historic-looking streetlamps, not only improving pedestrian access and safety downtown, but also creating a distinct sense of place. (Photo courtesy of the City of Greenville)

Soon after taking office, Mayor DeArmond and City Administrator Van Hooser began a vigorous push to seek funding opportunities for streetscape and façade improvements along three blocks of Greenville’s Main Street.  With the support of City Council, they tackled the project by embracing the Mayor’s bold motto which is printed on a banner hanging in City Hall: “Don’t tell me why we can’t do it.  Just tell me how!”  Looking for support, Van Hooser reached out to Jason Vincent at the Pennyrile Area Development District (PADD), western Kentucky’s regional planning and development organization that serves nine counties and 33 cities.  Vincent, at the time a grant writer and today PADD’s assistant director, was excited about the prospect of collaborating with Van Hooser and Mayor DeArmond, whom Vincent regarded as a “progressive mayor who recognized the downtown area as the lifeblood of the community and had idea after idea about how things could be improved.”

PADD has worked with the city in seeking funding opportunities, preparing grant applications, and assisting with procurement activities.  “PADD helped guide and direct us in our efforts, particularly in how to make our grant applications stand out to someone who would be looking at a few hundred or so of them,” says Van Hooser.  Over the past five years, over $1.6 million has been raised to fund local redevelopment, streetscape, and recreational improvements.  This money came from grants such as Kentucky’s Transportation Enhancement Program, the Safe Routes to School Program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, revenue raised by the local Tourism Commission, and even donations from hometown residents.

Façades, Festivals, and Footpaths

Supported by the city and the Tourism Commission, downtown business owners and volunteer residents worked together to paint and restore around 15 storefront façades through the “Let’s Paint the Town” initiative. (Photo courtesy of the City of Greenville)

Since redevelopment began, nine new businesses have located to the downtown area – many into previously vacant buildings – creating new jobs and instilling a sense of community pride.  These businesses include two new restaurants, two gift shops, a women’s apparel store, and a costume/accessories shop.

By investing in downtown through streetscape improvements and increased pedestrian access, the city has made Greenville an attractive place for entrepreneurs to open new businesses.  The city and the Tourism Commission (discussed further below) launched a “Let’s Paint the Town” initiative which joined business owners and volunteer citizens to paint building façades and restore many to their original colors and designs.  Around 15 buildings were given a facelift through painting and façade restoration, including one where mid-century hand painted signs were discovered and restored after vinyl siding was removed.  Other projects have included renovating the historic theatre’s marquee with neon and running lights, constructing new welcome signs entering the city, and installing outdoor speakers on downtown lights that play non-stop music from Sirius XM radio. 

Early in the redevelopment process, DeArmond and Van Hooser met with staff from the Kentucky League of Cities who encouraged the city to implement a restaurant and hotel tax that would fund a Tourism Commission to sponsor downtown events and activities.  A full-page ad was placed in the local newspaper with the headline “City of Greenville Seeks Your Support” and explained that the money would be used for festivals, sporting events, theatre productions, welcome signs, and other improvements.  The ad urged residents to support the tax, stating that it would “bring ‘life and business’ back to the downtown and will benefit all the citizens of Greenville.”  The tax was passed with zero opposition as the community rallied behind it to raise additional revenue.  It has brought in around $275,000 a year and has funded a variety of activities and events such as the “Let’s Paint the Town” program, the “Squash and Gobble” fall arts festival, and the popular “Saturdays on the Square” free summer music series which features live bands playing a variety of genres of music Saturday nights on the brick plaza in front of the town’s newly restored courthouse, originally built in 1907.

Greenville’s 12-acre nature park consists of a graveled trail, footbridges, birdfeeders, picnic tables, and a manmade waterfall and running stream, pictured here. The park has attracted many visitors from Greenville and throughout the region. (Photo Courtesy of Greenville photographer Amy Hourigan)

The changes taking place in Greenville have not only been accomplished using brick, cement, and paint.  While other projects were underway, a resident came to the city with the idea of establishing a nature park just two blocks from the downtown area near the elementary and middle schools.  When the city reached out to local landowners to acquire their land, three donated their properties to the city on the condition the land would be used for the park, while two others sold it at market value.  A combination of local donations from residents and grants from the Recreational Trails program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund have provided the finances to create what is now known as the Brizendine Brothers Nature Park.  This 12-acre wooded area consists of a half-mile graveled trail, three footbridges that run over 200 feet, birdfeeders, picnic tables, a four-foot manmade waterfall, and 150-foot running stream.  Deer, turkeys, raccoons, squirrels, birds, and other animals have been spotted in the area.  The park has attracted visitors not only from Greenville but from throughout the region, providing an economic boost to the city and county.

Despite the success achieved in Greenville, maintaining momentum has not been without its challenges, especially related to the general fund in this tough economy.  Additionally, over the past five years Greenville has experienced three federally declared disasters, including a deadly tornado, a debilitating ice storm, and damaging winds from Hurricane Ike.  In spite of these challenges, the local leadership and residents of Greenville continue to remain focused and resolute on creating a brighter future.

An Inspiration for Other Small Towns

While every town and city is unique with its own assets and challenges, Mayor DeArmond and City Administrator Van Hooser believe that the success achieved in Greenville can be replicated in other communities that have the vision and willpower to make positive changes.  They have shared their city’s story with other leaders, city councils, and citizens throughout Kentucky at best practices seminars and workshops.  “Our success is the result of a strong, progressive mayor working with a citizenry that was anxious to see deterioration turned around.  That, along with the support of the Tourism Commission and Pennyrile Area Development District, has led to success here in Greenville,” says Van Hooser.  Jason Vincent at PADD agrees:  “This town did the right things, at the right time, and in the right way.  It really came down to strong local leadership that sought community buy-in and support which has made a huge difference.”

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This case study was researched and written by Brett Schwartz, NADO Research Fellow.  Preliminary research was provided by Parrish Bergquist.

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This is part of the NADO Research Foundation’s Vibrant Rural Communities series of case studies, which describes how rural regions and small towns across the country are growing local and regional economies and creating stronger communities. This series shows how communities can leverage a wide range of tools and resources to build on their assets, protect their resources, and make strategic investments that offer long-term benefits.

This project is based in part upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Agreement No. DTFH61-10-C-00047. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FHWA or the NADO Research Foundation.

This work is supported by the Federal Highway Administration under contract number DTFH61-10-00033. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FHWA or the NADO Research Foundation.

View the entire report here (PDF) in a downloadable or printable format, or use the links below to read specific sections.

Table of Contents

Report Introduction

RPO Characteristics

Rural Transportation Leadership

Planning Tools and Techniques

Regional Transportation Planning Activities

Regional Long-range Transportation Plans

• Spotlight: Virginia’s Statewide and Rural Long-range Plans
• Spotlight: Kentucky’s Regional Concept Plans

Statewide and Regional Transportation Improvement Programs

Case Study: North Carolina Develops Statewide Performance-based Prioritization Process

Case Study: North Central Pennsylvania’s Project Prioritization Process

Case Study: Flexible Process Enables Yakima Valley Region to Quickly Respond to Changing Priorities

Conclusions

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Released March 2009, 24 pages

Click here to view Progress in Motion: Regional Strategies, Solutions and Partnerships That Achieve Economic Growth and Improve Local Communities (PDF).

Get Adobe Reader to view PDF files here.