Globe’s Main Street MOB is on the move

Story by: Darin Lowery

Note: The local committee, MOB (My Own Back Yard) was formed last February as one of many committees tasked with looking into ways to improve Globe’s Downtown district. Headed up by Mayor Fernando Shipley, it includes City Building Inspector Chris Collopy, City Manager Kane Graves, Local Downtown Merchants Ed Gardea of Ortega’s Shoes, Molly Cornwell of the White Porch and Tracy Quick of The Huddle, Builder Jim Ohl, Artists Nora & Frank Balaam, Chris Brusca with the Chamber , Darin Lowery with The Pickle Barrel and Kip Culver, Main Street Director.

The group looked into ways they could effect positive design changes downtown and while they kept an eye on what could realistically be accomplished with the meager resources they had, they none-the-less identified several projects all along the 8-block area of the Historic District which would help direct traffic into the downtown area and other landmark locations such as Besh Ba Gowah, as well as improve the pedestrian walkways and visual amenities of the downtown area

Thanks to a huge stroke of “planned luck,” a large grant for $98,000 pegged for streetscaping the Historic District actually came through earlier this year. Begun over two years ago, the grant was applied for by Main Street Director, Kip Culver with the support of then Congressman Rick Renzi. It entered its final approval stages after the economy had already started it’s melt down and long after the Congressman had stepped down, so it is easy to see why Culver hardly thought the grant had a chance of materializing. Yet materialize it did and the group found themselves in the fortunate position of having much of the planning well underway when the funds for the improvements fell into their laps.

The  grant money is the funding source for all the improvements you are beginning to see Downtown and I asked Darin to outline the progress so far.

MOB Targets Globe

by Darin Lowery

There’s a new gang in town and it’s called the M.O.B. (‘My Own Backyard’). Made up of roughly twelve members (and open to more!), the group is led by Mayor Shipley. MOB meets roughly every two weeks- we started out as an offshoot of a community meeting at City Hall in February, which looked at ways to improve the look and feel of our Historic Downtown.

To date, several projects are under way. The most visible is the Streetscape/Promenade along the east side of North Broad Street, currently under construction. Previously a bland stretch of concrete, the road is being transformed into a widened pedestrian walkway with decorative cement pavers, steel and wood benches (with a Globe logo), and leafy trees and shrubs. The area will be well-lit, with new vintage style lamp posts and custom up-lighting. By next winter, holiday bulbs will be strung through the branches. The foliage will be maintained by underground watering lines, to ensure consistent hydration. Newly designed waste bins will assist in keeping it all tidy.

Very soon, you’ll be seeing a huge addition at the entrance to North Broad Street as you turn into Downtown. Four foot high letters, in two-tone, powder-coated metal, will hang from the railway trestle. These will spell out GLOBE, with the ‘O’ being a 3-D planet Earth. What better way to capitalize on a great name for a City, and what better way to do it? Just think of it- no more visitors missing the turn looking for downtown, and even old Uncle Bill will be able to see the sign. Especially at night, when it’s lit from below.

In addition, the copper globe which currently sits directly below the trestle will be placed on a new, much higher base, and will feature much better illumination.

Other improvements are fancy street sign toppers, some of which are now up. These are in gold and brown, and denote the Historic Downtown path. Cloth banners will be hung along US60, Ash and Willow Streets, announcing all that Globe has to offer. The artwork for this project has been created by local artist Frank Balaam and again continues the ‘globe’ theme.

Also to come are custom bollards- three foot high steel posts, lighted, with a baseball-sized globe on top of each. Most of these will be lit internally, and some will be used with chain swags to define special areas. Several will surround the Historic 1916 Railway Depot very soon. These are all available for sponsorship- just call the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts at (928) 425-0884 and, after writing your (tax deductible) check, let us know how you want your name (or that of a loved one) spelled.

Projects penciled in for next year are gateway improvements at Oak Street/US60, and the US60/Hill Street School intersection. Additional plans are for polymer paver paths at prime Downtown intersections- these look like the real thing, last a long time, and will help in defining crosswalks. More vintage style lamp posts, ‘bulb-outs’ at intersections, additional benches, and possible directory kiosks have been discussed. Sadly, one idea everyone loved- and nobody voted for- was a huge waterfall/fountain in the middle of Broad and Yuma Streets..

What began as a way to stave off the negative effects of absentee landlords and ahas blossomed into a very real, hands-on volunteer community effort.

And best of all, it’s not costing the City anything. Most of the improvements are being funded through the HUD Streetscape Grant Program, and the bollard sponsorships will enable us to keep planning and building.

If you’re interested in joining MOB, lending your expertise in city design, or have a strong back and want to help out manually, please contact the City or the Main Street Program. We welcome your participation! (A special thanks to Lois Monarrez for doing the original GLOBE trestle sign rendering!)