2007 Annual Awards
Most Creative Fundraising Effort
Duck Derby- Sandusky Main Street
Not just any Duck Race!, Sandusky Main Street partnered with the United Way of Erie County, selling 5,000 rubber ducks in three weeks to raise $50,000. The trick to selling $10 ducks, each duck came with a $35 value pass to the Kalahari Resort Waterpark. The actual Duck Race also took place in the ‘lazy river’ at the indoor Waterpark in early April 2006. Top 3 prizes were a three year lease on a Pontiac G6, 2nd place a Sony 50” flat screen TV, and 3rd weekend accommodation package at the Kalahari resort.
Best Special Event
Sam Hornish Jr. Hometown Hero Celebration
Defiance’s Sam Hornish Jr. won the90th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28th 2006, but the pace of the community leaders who put together a hometown celebration in his honor July 26th matched his speed. Systematically breaking their strategy into three phases to coordinate their “Profile of a Race”:
Phase 1 : was a private media event to welcome Sam home,
Phase 2 : planning and hosting “Sam Hornish Jr. Day”, A crowd of 5000, parade,vendors, speeches, posters, balloons, banners and the Borg Warner Trophy
Phase 3 : creating long-term marketing opportunity from these events which included a granite monument placed in Pontiac Park, a collectors edition book
The sophisticated coordination of materials assembled, the coordination by many community groups as well as Indianapolis and Michigan Speedway, and general thougroughness of the event from start to finish in less than 60 days
Best Marketing Program
Bremen Downtown Revitalization Program
The small Village of Bremen (pop. 1250) had never had a logo, nor had their Chamber of Commerce. As part of the new Downtown Revitalization process the Promotions committee tackled their Image Development through the recognition of their own historic assets. The new logo designed by Laura Steinmaus incorporates appropriate local architecture and the imagery of local Amish influence. The logo has been adapted to brand a variety of events, products, and communication pieces. The community retains the exterior block and the interior block changes to adapt to various purposes. This sophisticated package was put together on a shoestring budget.
Award of Merit
Main Street Scenes Troy Public Access Show
Best Small Rehabilitation Improvement
Xenia Shoe and Leather 21-25 E. Main St., Xenia
Timothy and Lynn Sontag moved their business into this century old building in 1982; interestingly it has housed a shoe store since the early 1920s. After purchasing the building in 2003 they made plans to rehabilitate, hiring architect Craig Dillon and Durable Slate to shepard them through the process. This 4,000 sq ft. building had seen its share of typical storefront “modernization” that had disguised the integrity. The $96,000 project made use of Xenia’s Façade Loan Program made possible through CDBG monies. The historic façade was researched, windows & doors re-made, columns exposed and restored, dropped ceilings removed and the original tin ceiling repaired. Even the signage was based on historic design
Best Large Rehabilitation Improvement
110 West Herrick Ave Wellington
The “Cheese Barons” of Wellington founded the First National Bank, which was housed in this building from 1860 until 1967. Three stories of brick, and 8400 square feet, the large building also housed the International Order of Odd Fellows. Early in the 1900s the bank, being progressive in its image, added a faux stone veneer. By 2005 the separating veneer façade was collapsing. Months of painstaking cleaning, tuck-pointing and repair to damaged brick have returned the building to a late 19th century appearance. The $36,000 project was supported in part by a Community Development Block Grant
Best Residential Rehabilitation
Homestead House Bed & Breakfast- Willoughby
Pressures to provide for more parking in downtown Willoughby almost sealed the fate for yet another historic home. But this story has a happy ending due to Fred and Deanna Rowe.
Built in 1884 by Alonzo Gunn this Italianate home has been through numerous “lives” as an Odd Fellow Hall, church, music school, community fine arts center and now finally restored as the Homestead Bed and Breakfast. Working for two years with restoration architects Chambers Murphy and Burge, this couple with no previous construction experience certainly got an education and their hands dirty, lovingly researching and restoring. As the church had progressively covered the building in aluminum siding and replaced windows, they faced many mysteries. Pieces of the original corbels were found buried in the back yard; while excavating the basement, by hand, they found pieces of the original porch skirting with a distinctive flower pattern. While only one original window remained to which Deanna Rowe made a template of the header scrollwork and manually carved 28 replicas. Another historic treasure saved from the wreaking ball!
Best Public Improvement Project
Zoar Town Hall- Zoar
1887 the Town Hall was used as an all purpose- post office, fire department, dance hall and jail. The restoration architect was Gaede Serne Architects of Cleveland
1994 organized, cleaned out building
Like most rehabilitation projects the $439,666 came from a wide variety of source
Created not only two museums, which help interpret the Ohio & Erie Canal community rooms, council offices, kitchenette, a a tv studio but three part time jobs.
Best Main Street Business of the Year
Constantino’s Market – Cleveland
Nestled in the heart of the Historic Warehouse District in Cleveland, Constantino’s family operated grocery is an up-scale urban market, which covers 9,600 square feet. The market, opened in January 2005 has made use of its location in the historic Bingham Building Hardware store by using the hardware shelving to display groceries. Always active in Warehouse District neighborhood festivals and events, Constantino’s has adapted to meet both the commuting workforce population as well as the growing residential population offering staples, wines, chocolates, flowers and gifts. This successful business has become a fixture here, the kind of place that makes a neighborhood.
Main Street Manager of the Year
Jane Jones Main Street Van Wert
Jane represents a small trend Main Street board members becoming Main Street Managers (the reverse is also a prevalent trend). Jane had served as the Organizational Chair, vice president, and president elect for Main Street Van Wert, and when the manager’s position became available in July 2005 she snapped it up. Her accomplishments have included securing a Tier II CDBG grant, national certification for the program the past two years helped create effective design guidelines, hired an assistant grant coordinator . Her enthusiasm is contagious as last year she raised $15,000 from the community in one day for new Christmas decorations. During her short tenure the downtown has seen nine new business come to town and over 20 jobs have been created.
In addition to Main Street Jane serves on numerous community boards including the YWCA, Economic Advisory Council and Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Visitors Bureau, and the Civic Theater.
Jane epitomizes what a fantastic Main Street Manager can do for a community.
Preservation Hero Award
Sandra Hull
Sandra Hull is not only our Preservation Hero this year, but she also reigns as Queen of Main Street. Sandra is one of the founders of Downtown Ohio, which has grown over the years to become the Heritage Ohio of today.
As a founder of the Ohio Main Street Program, which is grounded on the historic preservation ethic she is responsible for well over 100 communities in Ohio learning about the Main Street Approach, and providing the coordinating program for the current 37 Main Street communities.
She has served on the national level as a National Trust for Historic Preservation Advisor, and now Advisor Emeritus; the state level on the boards of Heritage Ohio and Downtown Ohio, and on the Ohio Historical Society Site Preservation Advisory Board, Ohio & Eire Canal National Heritage Corridor Committee, and is a past board member of the National First Lady’s Library
On the local level Sandra has been the only Main Street Manager for Wooster Ohio. Turning the economy and perceptions around based on partnerships and relationships she has forged. When she began vacancy rates downtown were nearly 50%. Wooster’s reinvestment during her 20 year tenure as the downtown Wooster’s executive director in the will exceed $100 million dollars by the end of 2007. This includes 142 building renovations!
Even those big numbers may not be as impressive as the heart and soul she has put into mentoring dozens of Main Street managers
To Wooster she brought awards: finalist as an All-American City; 2007 Best “Hometown” designation by Ohio Magazine and Winner of a Great American Main Street Award