Main street: How it going any suggestion

Date: Aug 17, 2007

Main street: How it going any suggestion

Date: Aug 17, 2007

Take the by -pass,maybe it will go away

Angela B · Senior Member

Sounds like you might want to take your own advise

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Well stated, Angela B.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Everyone needs to be working together on every aspect of our town to improve it. All committees should work together. Who is on this board and what are they doing to improve down town. What is the managers name?

Date: Aug 18, 2007

The main street people should work more closely with the established boards like tourism and the chamber instead of trying to work around them

Date: Aug 18, 2007

I believe you have it backwards, the tourism and chamber should be contacting the main street people and be asking what they need.

Right now, Estep and Carpenter are mad because they have no control over main street in any way, and they don't like that because they can't control what she does. Typical of Estep and Carpenter if you've ever talked more than 90 seconds with them.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

The main street people should work more closely with the established boards like tourism and the chamber instead of trying to work around them

I think its the other way around. I've been to the Thursday night Main Street events, been to a couple of the meetings, attended the Main Street forum, read both newspapers including the editorials (the weekly paper I've discontinued), and know many of the board members. Some are team players, like Suzi Rasmus, Missy Shelton, Steve McBurney, Mayor McBurney, Dennis Lynch, Joe Shelton, Bill Hanson, and many others. Then there are several of the same old control freaks who want to be involved only for the PR aspect, and want to control everything. This group bad mouths the people involved behind their backs - I hear it all the time, even at city hall - and undermine the programs, doing whatever they can to make sure these people and programs fail. Everyone knows who I'm talking about, always the same individuals you hear undermining people that are a threat to their egos - not constructive criticism, but badmouthing or making up rumors about someone or some group trying to accomplish some good because it's not them getting the recognition. Its actually kind of funny the things they make up about people, almost like 12 year old middle school kids. Fortunately, most of the town see's right through these folks, and it becoming more obvious everyday, and everytime they open their mouths.

Its been said before, it holds this town back. We as a community are capable of so much more. It's time we get people who truely care about what is right in these positions, not insecure individuals who at any cost clamor for recognition.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

I think all the propety and business owners should be approached, and asked if they would support, for example, a sitting bench being placed in front of their business, or a planter box. I know some would.

There is very little retail stores left on main, and those that are close at 5pm or so. So bench's would be a lot for looks, but I know you'd see people using them after the sun goes down.

The planter boxes, I know also it would take someont to maintain them, weeding, watering, pruning, but, I think you'd get some volunteers.

One thing I know wouldhelp, is to make downtown some kind of "special enterprise zone", and enable the commission to give tax breaks or credits for any visual improvements to their buildings. Give them money off their property taxes or someting.

They register with the building inspector that they are going to improve the front of their buildings. The building inspector monitors the project to ensure it is being done within code of course, but also to justify the expense and the bills they will present to him when finished. SO, Don Estep puts a new awning and some decorative stuff around his office area entrance, and say it costs $3500.00 He presents his bills to the building inspectory, and he gets a $1750 credit to be used and taken off the buildings property taxes, half of his buildings taxes until the credit is used up. By then, he may want to do more, and then the same applies.

Or, the Alley Stuff store puts in a new, very stylish sign. It costs $1500, give them a credit for 750 off their taxes.

You've got to give and offer something to entice people to do something. Money is tough to make.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

The last post sounds like someone who feels like an outsider. The commission members that you think are holding the city down are actually just conservative people that don't jump at every flash in the pan idea that is brought up. They love Corbin and will be here when you move on. Lighten up on them , plastic trains are not worth getting torn up about.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Benches and planter boxes are good ideas. I will mention to them to the Tourism Commiss. I'm sure they will agree with me and provide funds. Possibly we will reconsider the train at some latter date, just not now.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Whether someone is born here or not, if they live here we should welcome their ideas and involvment. When you start asking if someone was born here you may be surprised at how many of the people in our area were not born here.

This is their area if they now live here. Many of the people born here, left here.
Thank goodness our buisinesses have attracted new people to our area.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

My point is that when people move in here they come with a clip on their shoulder and get mad when everyone doen't agree with them on all of their wonderful new ideas, ie plastic trains. Those outsiders move on ie newspaper people and we are still here in the place we love.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Wow, what gaul. There are over 7000 people in Corbin, another 15 to 20,000 within 10 miles, and you are trying to stare into your crystal ball and say that my opinion is one person's, an outsider's at that, opinion? You think that being from here nobody shares this opinion? Quit making excuses for these few people. Yes, some of them have good intentions, and some don't, and still make some bad decisions and for completely the wrong reasons - the train project is one of several.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

Some of us sound like we are cowboys living in the 1800's.

Here we go again with this "Outsiders" stuff.

Its 2007, not 1867.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

I copied this from the "our local boards, who are they" thread on this site, just to bring it over here so we could all see it. It's a good post. Check out some of these.

Here are some projects I came across online. Other towns find tourism opportunities with their history, even with squirrels. This would have been a 1 1/2 year long art project. If our downtown is "Too Ugly" as Estep put it, and he "doesn't want tourists in downtown Corbin" as he stated (strange comment from a Tourism Board Director), then where is the plan to clean it up?

Ashland, KY - http://www.dailyindependent.com/opinion/local_story_120181146.html

Athens, GA - http://www.weletthedawgsout.org/gallery/2.htm

Boyertown, PA - http://www.bearfever.org/

Catskill, NY - http://www.cat-n-around.com/

Eau Claire, WI - http://www.cmec.cc/HAEC/handlocations.htm

Gaithersburg, MD - http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/arttrain/overview.html (CLICK THE GALLERY LINK ON THE LEFT)

Glendale, OH - http://www.glendaleohio.org/squirrels.html

Granby, CT - http://www.giddyuptogranby.org/index.htm

Helena, MT - http://www.downtownhelena.com/lcbears2004.htm

These are only a few I came across.

Date: Aug 18, 2007

I would also like to know who is manager and who is on what committee?

Date: Aug 19, 2007

I am in favor of the trains. I think it is a great idea for our community. We need to first clean up and fix up a lot down town 1st. I understand the position of Tourism and that took some guts to stand up and do some other things. The flowers is a great way to help along with the trees. These are very inexpensive things we can do to help. If we are still in need of money for the trains why don't we go to different railroad co. or different people in community and see if they would sponsor a train. Don;t give up on the idea, lets just fix somethings first and try again.

UK Wildcat · Senior Member

I'm not sure how many out there read the News Journal anymore, but I find it amazing that after Mr. Estep's bus tour of Michigan and Southern Canada last week that he actually ended this week's editorial with this:

"Tourism is a huge industry. As our population ages it seeks things to do. The bus tours are not terribly expensive. You don't have to worry with luggage, meals or tickets.

I think we're missing the boat here by not having a greater attraction built around Col. Sanders and the railroad. The KFC restaurant in north Corbin attracts many, but more could be done.

People on the buses have money to spend and they could be spending it right here."

Does this guy forget what he does and writes from week to week? Missing the boat? They called John Kerry the flip-flopper, but go back over the past year or two and read his self-contradicting editorials. It is truely, truely amazing. One day he roasts the chamber and questions the funding of nibroc, the next day he is washing the car and shining the shoes of the chamber director. One day he votes down the train project because, he claimed, Corbin's downtown is too ugly and that he doesn't want tourists to see our ugly downtown, then only a few weeks later writes that we are missing the boat by not having a greater attraction around the railroad and that the people on the buses could be spending their money here.

What????????

I think you missed the boat, or train in this case, Mr. Estep.

Date: Sep 6, 2007

I don't read the News Journal anymore. Thanks for the flip flop update. That is ridiculous the way he rejects something and the next thing you know he claims the thing he rejected as his idea.

wkugirl · Senior Member

UK Wildcat, you see things very clearly, and articulate things exactly the way they are. We need people like you in leadership positions in our town!!!

Date: Sep 7, 2007

I think things will change drastically when the new Restaurant Association gets a member on the tourism board, and also if a new Hotel Association is formed, they will get two members on it I believe. By then, we will probably have a new chairperson as well. Suzy Razmus would be an excellent one in my opinion.

After reading the flyer inserted in the local paper last week, and looking at the committee members, there is a lot of dead weight on those committees. The names are stand outs, but most of them are not "do-ers". They were appointed by someone, and they just picked some names out of the hat so to speak.

Ms Meyers is picking up steam, and she'll be ready to charge when she gets her certification complete. I look forward to seeing what she has to suggest.

Date: Oct 3, 2007

Do you think anything can ever be done with the old gas stations on Main Street? I know its a free country but one guy changing oil or washing a car and a half a dozen others standing around to watch just don't belong on main street. Even Wallys service station in Mayberry was not downtown.

And then there's the pet shop with a bunch of people standing outside of it all the time. Surely they can't all be buying pets and pet food. When cars and trucks park in front of this place it is hard to make a left turn from main on to fourth street.

The city can put up all of the lamp posts it wants and hold concert after concert but these places will still drag down main street.

Any suggestions?

Date: Oct 3, 2007

I saw where Castle Pets is opening up in London where Angela's Baby Store was located, so maybe they are moving. I couldn't imagine them having a store in both Corbin & London

Date: Oct 3, 2007

To the poster 2 up, BY THE BUILDING AND OPEN YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

Date: Oct 3, 2007

Which station are your referring to?

Date: Oct 3, 2007

Would you rather these buildings be empty? And no one on the streets? Maybe once our Main Street Program is eligible for grant funding there will be monies to help these businesses to look more presentable, but for now, we should be grateful for what we have.