subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Thu, Nov 26 2009 

Resources

print this story   Print this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Photos


Fort Gibson Chamber of Commerce President Gary Perkins says areas of downtown would be revitalized with the Main Street Program.
Staff photo by Jennifer Lyles /


Fort Gibson is Oklahoma’s oldest town, and officials are applying for the Oklahoma Main Street program.
Staff photo by Jennifer Lyles /


Published December 02, 2008 11:35 pm -

Fort Gibson, Eufaula seek to improve downtowns
City leaders say Main Street program would help

By Cathy Spaulding
Phoenix Staff Writer

FORT GIBSON — Town Clerk Debby Daniels walks through downtown, pointing out a sidewalk embankment that could have been made by German war prisoners and an empty corner building from 1906 that once housed a drug store.

“You never realize what you’ve got in your own back yard,” Daniels said.

Officials in Fort Gibson, as well as Eufaula, hope to capitalize on their historic downtowns as they apply to become Oklahoma Main Street communities for 2009. The Main Street program, administered through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, helps communities with historic preservation and economic development.

Other communities applying for the 2009 program were Alva, Atoka, Laverne and Stroud. The Midtown (Plaza Court) District in Oklahoma City also applied. The communities will make formal application in January and could know by March, Daniels said.

She said the Main Street program could help with the revitalization of Fort Gibson’s downtown.

“We want to entice people to come to town,” she said.

“We hold the distinction of being Oklahoma’s oldest town,” said Fort Gibson Chamber of Commerce President Gary Perkins. Fort Gibson was established in 1824.

“We also have a small town and community atmosphere that is second to none,” Perkins said, listing other amenities such as a quality school system, Fort Gibson Reservoir and proximity to river and highway transportation.

Eufaula also could play up its historic downtown buildings and lake recreation, Eufaula Mayor Dean Smith said.

“We have several buildings on the National Historic Register,” he said. “We see a need that these old buildings must be preserved.”

Smith said Eufaula had been part of the Main Street program several years ago but had not been involved. He said officials are working on updating information about the city.

Involvement in Main Street not helps a community preserve historic buildings, but also strengthen its downtown business core, Smith said.

“The health of downtown is to have individual private businesses, not a big box store,” he said.

Since 1986, more than 60 communities have participated in the Oklahoma Main Street Program, reinvesting more than $589 million in commercial districts across the state. Tahlequah and Checotah have had Main Street programs for several years. Muskogee joined the program in 2008.

Oklahoma Department of Commerce said the Main Street Program has resulted in the creation of more than 3,500 new businesses and more than 11,000 new jobs throughout Oklahoma.



print this story    email this story   






autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide


Premier Guide

Premium Jobs

5429-Bindery

bindery
Franklin Graphics is seeking a responsible individual to work in the bindery department; experience p
...>MORE

5423-Water/Waste
Water/Waste
Water Operator
Interested parties can submit a resume by mail or fax City of Boynton, PO Box 266,
...>MORE

5453 JAMes Hodge Hyundai
Sales People James Hodge Hyundai now hiring Salespeople. We need friendly, positive,outgoing people who are willing to w...>MORE

5430-Drug Court Counselor

DRUG COURT
COUNSELOR
McCoys
4009 Eufaula Ave.
Muskogee, OK
Licensed or persuing license,
...>MORE

5446-Part Time Office
Part Time
OFFICE
Position open. Evenings and possible Saturdays. $7.25/hr. Must have a strong work ethic and b
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Extras

5439 horses
horses 5 black females Bert & Oklahoma Star. Red Roan ponies, wagon & harness, black Shetland Gelding, 3 yrs old, Bucksk...>MORE

5425 fiberglass camper
FIberglass camper shell for '07 Titan, CTC Century Brand, dark gray, like new. Pd $1100 take $875. 918-463-2487...>MORE

5437-2004 Chevy
2004 Chevy 2500 HD Dura Max Diesel, 4x4, Extended Cab $12,900. 918-843-1605 - 682-4646...>MORE

5454 Catalina Hot Tub
Catalina Hot Tub, works great, lots of extras $1500. 918-630-8119....>MORE

5439 7 fancy black angus
7 fancy black Angus weaned heifers 8-2 yr old springer heifers. 918-617-0454.689-9524....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index