Left to Right: Melbourne Main Street Manager Laird Gann, Melbourne City Council Member Kathy Meehan, Keynote Speaker Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. (Charleston, SC), and sponsor Peter Flotz of Legacy Southeast Investments. Visit our Florida Main Street Facebook page to see all of the great photos from the 2009 Annual Conference and Awards Dinner!

By Joan Jefferson

Congratulations to Melbourne Main Street Program Manager Laird Gann, volunteer extraordinaire Amy Myers, Melbourne board members, volunteers, and all others responsible for planning and executing a memorable and successful 2009 Florida Main Street Conference and Awards Dinner! This year’s conference attracted more attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors than in any prior year.

I want to thank the conference exhibitors and sponsors whose support during this time of economic uncertainty afforded many conference amenities. The conference was also a true community event, and I want to offer a special thank you to all of the local participants who helped make the conference such a success: Shellie Williams and the Brevard Cultural Alliance for supplying gift bags and baskets, volunteers, square-dancers, artists, musicians, and other performers during the three days of the conference; the Brevard Zoo for sharing live animals as exhibitors; the Henegar Center for supplying a wonderful conference facility and an efficient and hospitable staff; the Crown Plaza Melbourne for providing a great host conference and dining hotel; Greg Gaddis for acting as guide on the Kennedy Space Center tour; Dee Gaddis for preparing the delicious breakfast and lunch dishes; and especially, Peter Flotz of Legacy Southeast Investments for giving his employee Amy Myers full emotional and financial support during the past year as she tirelessly worked to coordinate the conference.

The conference sessions began Wednesday morning with a challenging and inspiring presentation by keynote speaker  MayorJoseph Riley of Charleston, South Carolina. He offered a clear demonstration of how enlightened local leaders can work with the development community to create urban projects that reflect indigenous culture and heritage. Also on Wednesday, exhibitors displayed products and services designed to assist Main Street communities and hosted a luncheon (sponsored by Island Pasta). In the evening, attendees enjoyed a warm welcome to Melbourne at a reception sponsored by the City of Melbourne CRA and the Mainstreet Pub.

During the three days of the conference, 14 seminars and workshops offered valuable information on a variety of topics including “green� and sustainable development, cultural tourism, marketing, volunteer management, social networking, farmers’ markets, Web site and Internet management, and building entrepreneur success rates. This year’s conference also featured a grantwriting workshop facilitated by Nonprofit Management Consulting, one of our conference sponsors. All of the presenters provided useful information and inspirational examples and received high evaluation marks from conference attendees. Visit our Florida Main Street Web site (www.floridamainstreet.org) for digital copies of conference handouts.

Thursday morning’s activities included a Networking Breakfast facilitated by Peter Flotz and several educational sessions. After lunch, some attendees toured the Kennedy Space Center, while others headed downtown to visit shops and galleries. Later that night, the Secretary of State’s Awards Dinner, sponsored by the City of Melbourne, was held at the Crown Plaza Melbourne hotel. Prior to the awards ceremony, the Brevard Cultural Alliance dancers entertained attendees, a number of whom were lucky enough to win gift baskets provided by the Cultural Alliance.

Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning welcomed the diners and thanked Melbourne Main Street for creating a great conference experience. He gave a special welcome to State Representative Debbie Boyd who was at the dinner to honor award winner Rocky Voglio. The Secretary also expressed his strong support for downtown revitalization and historic preservation and spoke of his Main Street experiences as board president of Dade City Main Street.

Secretary Browning ended the ceremony by presenting awards to all of the deserving recipients. Members who joined me on the Selection Committee this year included Robin Husbands-Cauchi, Wayne Carter, Sandi Moore, and Phillip Wisley. Of the 34 applications received by the Selection Committee, 10 received recommendations for honor awards representing the “best of the best� submissions, and 18 received recommendations for merit awards representing the exceptional accomplishments of Florida Main Street communities.

The last day of the conference began on Friday with the CRA Breakfast facilitated by Gail Hamilton, who changed hats in the afternoon to chair a Friends of Florida Main Street board meeting. Educational sessions wrapped up early in the afternoon, and folks headed home fired up with new ideas, energy, and enthusiasm.

Congratulations to all of the 2009 Secretary of State's Award winners! Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning (pictured above) presented the awards at the Annual Conference Awards Dinner held September 17, in Melbourne. The awards acknowledge local Main Street program accomplishments that advance the preservation and revitalization goals of the Florida Main Street Program. They are based on the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Florida Main Street Awards Committee, which convened in June to consider the applications received for 2009. The Committee included Joan Jefferson, Florida Main Street Program coordinator; Phillip Wisley, Florida Main Street Program architect; and three local Main Street program managers: Wayne Carter, Eustis Main Street;  Robin Husbands-Cauchi, Old Palm Harbor Main Street; and Sandi Moore, Leesburg Downtown Partnership. This year’s honor and merit award recipients are:

Outstanding Local Florida Main Street Program Supporter
Honor Award:  Gary L. Jones, Grand Central District, St. Petersburg
Gary L. Jones’ volunteer service and professional leadership on projects have been invaluable to his community. Since 2001, he has provided technical assistance to two local Main Street programs in St. Petersburg and serves as a dedicated committee member. With his phenomenal talents he has secured millions of dollars in funding, created and maintained the program Web site, and administered contracts between the City and both local Main Street organizations. Gary has successfully developed a team to address commercial property, public safety and infrastructure problems and issues. His efforts are unprecedented.
Merit Awards: C.D. Lewis Jr., P.A., Attorney at Law (St. Cloud Main Street); Rocky Voglio (Newberry Main Street); and City of Wauchula (Main Street Wauchula)

Outstanding Florida Main Street Fundraising or Membership Development Effort
Merit Award: Membership Drive (Venice Main Street)

Outstanding Private-Public Partnership
Honor Award:  Osceola County Commissioner Ken Shipley, St. Cloud/Osceola County
Commissioner Ken Shipley has served as a board member and the economic restructuring chairman of St. Cloud Main Street for many years. He has been responsible for attaining large private contributions for events and projects in the community and provided $100,000 from his Commission district budget to assist Main Street. The funds were used for St. Cloud arts, streetscapes, an entry arch, murals, façade renovations, and St. Cloud Main Street overhead and payroll. Without the generous contributions of Commissioner Shipley, many projects would not have been possible. He has significantly helped the St. Cloud Main Street Program and the community.

Outstanding Supporter of the Statewide Florida Main Street Program
Honor Award:  Doris Tillman, Main Street Fort Pierce
As Main Street Fort Pierce program manager for 17 years, Doris Tillman is truly a role model to other Florida Main Street communities. She has worked with her board to rehabilitate the Sunrise Theatre, Historic City Hall, and the Backus House; and she also administered the construction of the Manatee Observation Center. Doris is always ready to provide mentorship and valuable assistance to other communities throughout the state - often at her own expense. Upon discovering that the funding for the Florida Main Street Program was in jeopardy this year, she marshaled assistance from all of the state programs to work with the National Trust and the National Trust Main Street Center to make legislators aware of the historic and economic value that Florida Main Street programs provide to the state. Her effort proved to be successful.

Outstanding Florida Main Street Rehabilitation Project
Honor Award:  Maxwell & Maxwell, P.A., Okeechobee
The historic structure that houses the law firm of Maxwell & Maxwell, P.A., is listed as being built in 1935, but during the restoration process, it was discovered that many of the underlying structural components were salvaged from other buildings that could have been much older. During rehabilitation of the building, extreme care was taken to match the original material whenever possible, in order to preserve the historic character of the building. The work was performed by Maxwell Classic Construction with the help of Close Construction. The owner, Devin Maxwell, Attorney at Law, is chairman of the Okeechobee Main Street Design Committee.
Merit Awards: Robert Beauchamp, Chime & Time Clock Repair (St. Cloud); and Cassandra Sharp and Denise Ward, Old Post Office (Milton)

Outstanding Florida Main Street Public Improvement
Honor Award:  City of Wauchula and Kimley-Horn & Associates, City Streetscape, Wauchula
The City of Wauchula persevered through the long process of planning, acquiring funding, and carrying out a streetscape project on Highway 17, from 4th Avenue to 7th Avenue. Design services were provided by Kimley-Horn & Associates. With six years devoted to the project and $1.6 million in grant funding, the City of Wauchula never lost sight of the goal. Today, they have beautiful and inviting streets with attractive landscaping, brick sidewalks, and planter benches. This project is another reflection of the exceptional pride that Wauchula has in its downtown.
Merit Awards: Melbourne Main Street Design Committee, AIA Space Coast Chapter, and City of Melbourne, Gateway Entrance Feature Project; Okeechobee Main Street, Butterfly Garden – Park 6; and New Port Richey, Railroad Square

Outstanding New Construction Project
Honor Award:  Charlotte County and City of Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, Punta Gorda
A partnership between Charlotte County and the City of Punta Gorda provided the resources necessary to replace the old auditorium center that was destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004. The new 45,230 square-foot building has a multi-purpose hall, performance stage, meeting rooms, and a full-service kitchen and food serving area. In addition, the surrounding park areas support outdoor activities for the entire community. This facility has provided Punta Gorda’s downtown district with a state of the art building that highlights the beautiful waterfront.

Outstanding Florida Main Street Sign/Display Project
Merit Award: Dian Schexnayder, Shabby Schex, Window Display (Milton)

Outstanding Florida Main Street Special Event
Honor Award:  Coconut Craze Day, Main Street Punta Gorda
Coconut Craze Day events have spurred interest, funding, and nationwide awareness of the Punta Gorda Main Street program. The promotions committee revived the Punta Gorda International Coconut Races, a tradition started by a local hotel owner who used the proceeds to help non-profit organizations of Charlotte Harbor. Now, the new and extensively improved Coconut Craze Day features a cook-off, cream pie eating contest, coconut decorating contest, parade, and games - all themed after coconuts. Spin-offs introduced a Coconut Recipe Cookbook, “In a Nutshell� e-newsletter, and a traveling coconut named “Phelps.� The “U.S. Main Street Tour of Phelps, the Racing Coconut� attracted media attention with visits to 40 cities.
Merit Awards: Okeechobee Main Street Halloween Celebration (Okeechobee Main Street); and Honoring Volunteers Week (Venice Main Street)

Outstanding Florida Main Street Image Campaign or Promotional Material
Honor Award:  Gauged Creative House, “New Port Richey Business Information Guideâ€�
New Port Richey’s Economic Restructuring Committee contracted with advertising agency Gauged Creative House to develop a promotional brochure package to be distributed to prospective business owners and commercial realtors. Targeting those in search of new business locations in downtown, the result was an innovative package that is attractively edgy in its size, configuration, and graphics. Gauged Creative designed the package and graphics, and the text was handled by City and Greater New Port Richey Main Street staff. The marketing packet has pockets that can accommodate additional brochures or informational pieces, and its adjustable expansion feature makes the material adaptable to whatever the situation warrants.
Merit Awards: Main Street Milton, “Discover Milton Brochure;� and Main Street Punta Gorda, “Main Street Punta Gorda Brochure�

Outstanding Economic Restructuring Program or Project
Merit Award: St. Cloud Main Street and St. Cloud Arts “Studios, Gallery, & School� Gallery Project

Outstanding Florida Main Street Retail Sales Promotion
Honor Award:  Downtown Dade City Main Street and Dade City Merchants, “The UnWrapâ€�
To unveil the 2008 holiday shopping season, Downtown Dade City Main Street and the Merchants of Downtown Dade City worked together to launch a new in-store shopping promotion called The Un-Wrap. The merchants covered their windows with paper and signs that read “Christmas Construction� and spent the day decorating their stores and setting up their holiday merchandise and displays. On Saturday, when the Historic Clock Tower began to chime at 10:00 a.m., the merchants pulled the paper off their windows and revealed their creations. The event was well received by the public and is planned to continue on an annual basis.

Outstanding Florida Main Street Business of the Year
Honor Award:  Rocky Voglio, Backyard Bar-B-Q, Newberry
As owner and operator of Backyard Bar-B-Q, Rocky Voglio has given back to the community 100-fold. He is a strong Newberry Main Street supporter, who provides funding and free food for meetings, helps to recruit new members, promotes downtown businesses, and volunteers whenever necessary. For two consecutive years, he has donated the proceeds from his Labor Day fireworks show to the local program. Backyard Bar-B-Q provides substantial support to the local public schools, recreation programs, and charity events. Rocky is an asset to the community and to Newberry Main Street.
Merit Awards: Ron and Claudia Thomas, The Tropical Store (Punta Gorda); and Patricia Detwiler, Quilter’s Inn Bed and Breakfast (Wauchula)

For additional photos of all the winners at the Awards Ceremony, visit Florida Main Street’s Facebook page.

The Florida Main Street Program wishes to thank all of this year’s Annual Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors. Their generosity and support helped make the conference an unqualified success!

Awards Dinner:
City of Melbourne

Welcome Reception:
City of Melbourne Redevelopment District (CRA)

Platinum Sponsor:
The Henegar Center

Gold Sponsors:
Crowne Plaza Melbourne
Land Design Innovations, Inc.
VISIT FLORIDA

Silver Sponsors:
Chamber of Commerce—Melbourne, Palm Bay Area
Lawandales Planning Affiliates
Nuvox
Sign Printers
Sternberg Lighting
Zies Widerman Malek

Bronze Sponsors & Exhibitors:
Banner Works of Florida
BCI Engineers & Scientists
Christmas Cottage
Dickey Consulting Services
Dondi’s Moonstruck
Florida Beer Company
Florida Bicycle Association
Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Real Estate Journal
Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin
IM Solutions
Island Pasta Company
Kilwin’s
Legacy Southeast Investments
LoPressionism Gallery
LPG Urban & Regional Planners
Mainstreet Pub
Meehan’s
Meg O’Malley’s
Nonprofit Management
Pyrotecnico-Tampa
Service Group, Inc.
The Lofts at Waverly
Kasica Accounting
Tightline Productions
Touch Poll of South Florida
USDA Rural Development

Click on image to learn more about the Historic Derby Street Chapel.

By Angie Tomlinson

On September 19, 2009, Cocoa Main Street celebrated the completion of a long-term project to restore the Craftsman-style Derby Street Chapel. Built in 1924 by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the building changed owners several times in the following decades, and by the mid-1990s, it was slated for demolition. Concerned neighbors persuaded the then owner, First Baptist Church, to halt the destruction, and in 2003, Cocoa Main Street signed a long-term lease with the church to restore the building for use as the Derby Street Chapel Community Cultural Arts Center.

A grant from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation covered part of the costs, with the remainder of funding coming from donations of labor and cash, garage sales, and a loan from a member of Cocoa Main Street's Historic Derby Street Chapel Restoration Committee. Restoration work included repairing the damaged floor, refinishing the front door and windows, replacing the rusted stamped tin roof, and replacing or restoring interior fixtures, including the pews, organ, pulpit, altar railing, and stained glass windows. The restoration was done in accordance with historic preservation standards, and amazingly, except for work requiring a licensed contractor, it was accomplished entirely by volunteers. Congratulations to Cocoa Main Street on a job well done!

For more information, contact Joanne Youngblood at 321.633.0806 or cocoamainst@bellsouth.net.