MURRAY- Murray Main Street program director Deana Wright updated her board last week on progress toward a building cleanup loan application and several upcoming downtown events.
The former 32,000 square foot Thurman Furniture building at 208 Main Street was donated to Murray Main Street at the end of 2020, and an environmental site assessment conducted earlier this year estimated it would cost around $292,000. $ to replace the roof and an additional $250,000 to clean the building. The council voted in July to apply for a $600,000 loan through the Cleaner Commonwealth Fund (CCF) to complete the cleaning and replacement of the roof.
The CCF is overseen by the Kentucky Brownfield Program within the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, which received funding in 2012 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a revolving loan fund for brownfield cleanup. industries in the state. Wright said the CCF allows the recipient to take out a loan and repay it over 15 years at 0% interest, and it’s also possible that 20% of the loan will be granted if all the proper procedures are followed.
“For 208 Main Street, we applied for the Cleaner Commonwealth Fund loan,” Wright said after last week’s board meeting. “Talking to them, of course, it’s a whole bunch of paperwork stuff, but (the firm) said it would be at least two months before we heard. So it’s going to be towards the end of the year. before we even know, which means we won’t be able to start anything before the start of the year. I was a little disappointed, but that’s the way it is. We can make some other things to try to prepare us for that by then.
Wright said that while waiting to hear whether or not Murray Main Street would be approved for the loan, it planned to solicit other bids for the project. She said Murray Main Street can also work on some of the more minor cleanups, such as removing old furniture and similar items.
“We can do these things ourselves to prepare for major work,” Wright said.
The board also discussed events for the next few months, including the Menu Market Dinner, which will be served at Renaissance Park. Board member Shanna Smith said the dinner had been moved to October 20 from its last scheduled date so it wouldn’t be the same day as the chamber’s Breakfast on the Farm event. of Commerce of the County of Murray-Calloway and the State of Murray. University’s Hutson School of Agriculture.
Wright said the plan was to start dinner at 6 p.m. so it wouldn’t get dark too quickly. Board chairman Matt Falwell said he would be working on booking live music, which could be a bluegrass act.
The board also discussed the Holiday Downtown Farmers Market on Dec. 2-3, which will coincide with Main Street Merriment on Friday, Dec. 2, and the Rotary Club of Murray Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 3. Promotions Committee Chairman Steven Hunter said the Kelso family would again be offering carriage rides for Main Street Merriment, and train rides would also be back. In addition, the popular skating rink will be back for the weekend on the south side of the court square.
Hunter said his daughter and boyfriend helped direct traffic last year, but were ignored by many drivers driving through downtown, so he suggested the possibility of contacting the armory of Murray’s Kentucky National Guard to ask if any service members would be available to help. He said he believed uniformed personnel could be taken more seriously by motorists, providing a safer environment for children and families attending the celebration.
