Brazil explains Main Street organization
By JOANNA BRAZIL
PMSA Director
The Peabody Main Street Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to ensure that Peabody continues to grow and thrive while preserving its historic character through community involvement.
PMSA uses a comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization that focuses on four areas: promotion, economic restructuring, design, and organization. The four areas each have a committee to plan and implement projects. All committee members are volunteers in the community working to direct our community to a bright future.
The promotions committee, led by chairman Peggy Radisewitz-Weir, develops projects that bring people to town, bring dollars to our businesses, and media attention to our community. Current projects include the "How Does YOUR Garden Grow?" women's series, holiday shopping promotions, summer concerts, and other fun events located downtown. These events require a great deal of planning, funding, and energy, and I would like to thank them for their work.
The economic restructuring committee, led by newly-elected president, Kip Pohlman, has many projects in the works. Currently, the group is working on development of a community brochure, welcome signage, destination signage, and business development and recruitment strategies. You may have noticed directional signs popping up on county roads to assist in directing drivers to Peabody.
The city provided the funds for this project, and with their support and the help of Ronnie Harms and Gary Markham in erecting the signage, the ER committee is now helping people find their way to Peabody. Other signage projects include working with USD #398 FFA students to repair the signs in need along U.S.-50.
The community brochure and welcome packet will be ready for print upon finding the sponsorships to help fund it. Working on a welcome sign is a project that the group is working on with the streetscape committee.
The streetscape committee, a subcommittee of the PMSA design committee led by chairman Mary Avery, has been continuing development of the Peabody Strategic Plan. The consulting firm of Bucher, Willis and Ratliff, is assisting in its development.
The plan, paid for in part by the community capacity building program of the Kansas Department of Commerce, is a tool that our community will use as a roadmap in preparing for our future. It identifies issues and concerns that need to be addressed, and will list the steps, timeline, projects, and costs needed to tackle these issues. The streetscape committee is now working on researching the various issues, including costs and desired outcomes of each project. The public is invited to be a part of this process.
The PMSA design committee is back in action with the new chairman, Jeanne Strotkamp, leading the effort. This committee works to see that the community is in top physical shape. They are beginning to work with area businesses in preserving our historic buildings. One of their first projects will be the Peabody Senior Center. The committee members are experts in interior and exterior building design, especially that of Victorian style.
The organization committee, led by chairman Steve Hamous, also is busy keeping PMSA in smooth operation. This newsletter is a project of this committee.
Thanks to the PMSA organization committee, Susan Marshall, editor of the Peabody Gazette-Bulletin, Peabody Alumni Association, and the Marion County Record staff, the quarterly newsletters find themselves in alumni mailboxes all over the country, compliments of Main Street.
The organization committee is the fundraising arm of Main Street, and develops projects such as the benefit auctions and sales of Peabody items (look for the ad for our ornaments, mugs, and note cards in this edition).
They also developed the membership drive campaign also found in this edition. Funds benefit Main Street projects like the ones listed above and the development of additional projects.
The committees are hard at work to keep Peabody moving forward. They all are volunteers, and continue to dedicate their own time, money, and energy into making a difference in this community.
