About Paducah Renaissance Alliance
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605 Broadway
Paducah, KY 42001
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ph: 270.444.8649
fx: 270.441.7263
em: [email protected]
The Paducah Renaissance Alliance (PRA), a national Main Street program, serves to develop and enrich Paducah’s Renaissance Area. The Renaissance Area is made up of the LowerTown Arts District, the historic downtown and the riverfront development project.
PRA’s Mission:
- PRA partners with business owners, property owners and our citizens through historic preservation and effective marketing.
- PRA maximizes the potential of our unique Renaissance District by focusing on business and artist recruitment and retention.
- PRA believes that promotion of the Renaissance District will make Paducah a thriving, vibrant, and attractive destination, benefiting the entire community.
PRA works with private citizens, businesses, and other civic organizations who desire to see the Renaissance Area continue to thrive as an historic district, and premier arts and entertainment attraction.
The City of Paducah provides generous support to the organization through funding and various city support services. In addition to this, PRA coordinates fundraising events including commemorative brick sales, vending space at the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and various other events held throughout the year.
- PRA provides networking opportunities, and allows participation in professional educational seminars, special events and promotions in the Renaissance Area, and previews of upcoming projects such as the Riverfront Development project.
- PRA provides stakeholders with a voice to the Mayor’s Office, the City Commission, and other city organizations.
- PRA is proactively engaged with government agencies to tackle issues pertaining to downtown, the LowerTown Arts District and riverfront development, including creative design, land & building use, signage, lighting, parking, public safety, streetscape improvements and transportation issues.
- District businesses have access to PRA’s media contacts, marketing services, e-mail updates, monthly e-newsletters, discounts at other District business, as well as a complete library of props used for retail window displays.
- Stakeholders also have access to Matching Marketing Funds, where PRA will match marketing expenditures dollar for dollar for businesses, artists and cultural venues located within the Renaissance Area.
Our Approach
The organization utilizes a four-point approach to developing and retaining the historic integrity and significance of the Renaissance Area. The four-point approach includes economic restructuring, promotion, design, and organization.
- Economic Restructuring strengthens a community’s existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. PRA helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today’s consumers’ needs. Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district. Coincidentally, the four points correspond with the four forces of real estate value, which are social, political, physical, and economic.
- Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, and invest in the Renaissance Area. By marketing the district’s unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the Renaissance Area and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.
- Design means getting the Renaissance Area into top physical shape. Capitalizing on its best assets such as historic buildings and pedestrian-oriented streets is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere, created through attractive window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping, conveys a positive visual message about the Renaissance Area and what it has to offer. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the Renaissance Area, enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long term planning.
- Organization involves getting everyone working toward the same goal and assembling the appropriate human and financial resources to implement an effective revitalization program. A governing board and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of the volunteer-driven program. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director as well. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders.
*A more complete description of the Four Points Approach can be found at www.nationalmainstreet.org
PRA Advisory Board and Committee Meetings Dates and Times
Regular Board Meetings
3rd Wednesday of the month
4:00 p.m.
Design Committee
1st Thursday of the month
605 Broadway
Noon
Promotions Committee
1st Thursday of the month
605 Broadway
8:45 a.m.
Economic Restructuring Committee
2nd Wednesday of the month
605 Broadway
4:00 p.m.
Organization Committee
605 Broadway
3rd Thursday of the month
Noon
PRA Staff
Lisa Mullins Thompson
Executive Director
[email protected]
Melisa Mast
Events and Promotions Manager
[email protected]
Susan Gibson
Office Manager
[email protected]
PRA Advisory Board
Maurie McGarvey, Chair
John Campbell
Allan Rhodes
Robert Hopper, Secretary
Sharon Poat, Design Committee Chair
Landee Bryant, Promotions Committee Chair
Darlene Mazzone, Organization Committee Chair
