Main Street program takes Kingston by storm

Published 8:00 am Saturday, November 25, 2006

KINGSTON — With roughly 28 ferry-loads of cars driving through Kingston each day, not to mention all the vehicles rushing to the ferry terminal, the newly formed Downtown Kingston Association is wondering how to entice those drivers and passengers to stay in Kingston longer than “the next boat.” Perhaps some new store signs, fresh paint and a little economic restructuring will do the trick, as the Main Street approach they are putting to use suggests.

Inspired by other towns that have utilized the National Trust Main Street Center’s program with positive results, Downtown Kingston Association members Nancy Martin and Karen Ross dove into the suggestions and advice with gusto. The two decided the best way to ensure the changes were put into effect was to form a committee that will oversee the process.

“We’ve had our first meeting, and we decided the best way handle this was to divide into committees to work on different projects,” Martin said. “We are all going to work on different parts of revitalizing downtown Kingston.”

Those subcommittees will focus on promotion, design, organization and economic restructuring in the Little City by the Sea, said DKA member Debbie Anderson. Blended in with the organization’s charge will be an attempt to ease the frustrations that have been expressed about the lack of downtown parking.

“Bainbridge has used this program from years,” Anderson said. “It’s really revitalized their downtown core. Downtown really completes the circle of the town, and by making the downtown more exciting, Kingston will become a destination spot.”

Before getting ahead of themselves, DKA members are focusing only on spreading the word around town and gaining new members and volunteers to help with the undertaking, Martin said. To raise money and get its name out, the group will have a booth at the Kingston Country Christmas on Dec. 9, selling posters created by local artist Shrecko Kramberger, she said.

“What I like about the the committee is it’s absorbing the Kingston Revitalization Association,” said DKA member Pete DeBoer jokingly. “We’re not making a new group, there will still be the same number of groups as before in Kingston. We have a lot of groups doing a lot of things in this village.”

“I’m really excited about this group,” Martin said. “We’ve got a good cross-section of the community already signed up for the committee. Now we are looking for the opportunity to bring in even more people to work with us.”

As for timelines and future projects, the DKA is still in its infancy and doesn’t have anything lined up, Anderson and Martin agreed. First they need to get organized and raise money, with more detailed plans being made sometime in 2007.