BATESVILLE — Main Street Batesville came home a winner after a recent trip to Little Rock.
Mandi Curtwright, Main Street Batesville executive director, said the program was honored with “six out of 20 awards” for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization given to deserving program members and announced by Main Street Arkansas as part of the 2020 Arkansas Municipal League Winter Conference on Feb. 12-14 in Little Rock.
“These awards were given for the time period 2017-2019,” Curtwright said. “They were presented by Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.”
Main Street Batesville received the following awards:
• Best Creative Fundraising Effort — The River Haunt, sponsored by Main Street Batesville.
• Best Adaptive Re-Use Public — Independence County Library , nominated by Main Street Batesville.
• Best Adaptive Re-Use Private — The Royal on Main, nominated by Main Street Batesville.
• Best Public/Private Partnership — Citizens Bank and Main Street Batesville.
• Best Downtown Public Improvement Project, Public Space — Maxfield Park, sponsored by Main Street Batesville.
• Best Facade Renovation — First Community Bank, nominated by Main Street Batesville.
“Receiving these awards solidifies all of the dedication that so many people have to keeping downtown revitalized,” Curtwright said. “The businesses and organizations that received awards all play a large role in keeping our downtown one of the best in the state.
“We have had incredible growth.”
In discussing some of the revitalization projects, Curtwright said, “for a long time, you couldn’t stay on Main Street.
“There were no hotel accommodations for visitors on Main Street until The Royal on Main opened,” she said. “It’s a boutique hotel. They held their grand opening this past October.”
The Royal on Main is a result of the renovation of a commercial building that was built in 1897. The hotel has eight suites.
Curtwright said the Independence County Library acquired an adjacent building, the Barnett Building, as the library expanded.
“The library is now an anchor on Main Street,” she said.
Curtwright said Maxfield Park held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2019, but other amenities may be included in the future.
Curtwright said The River Haunt is “Main Street Batesville’s haunted house and our major fundraising project.”
In presenting the awards to Main Street program members, Stacy Hurst said, “Main Street Arkansas is the perfect combination of historic preservation, community revitalization, economic development, job creation and heritage tourism. It’s a great program that is reaping huge rewards.”
Main Street Arkansas is part of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Nominations for the awards were garnered from submissions from participating Main Street and Downtown Network Community programs from around the state.
For more information about Main Street Arkansas and the awards, contact Greg Phillips, Main Street Arkansas director, at greg.phillips@arkansas.gov or (501) 324-9150.