It’s a Paver Party for Broad street

Spreading gravel to complete streetscaping on Broadstreet

The Historic Downtown District of Globe and the City will be completing the final stages of a major streetscaping project on the north end of Broad street this month. The monies came through a $98,000 grant tagged specifically for this type of improvement which took 2 years to move through the approval process. It was awarded last Fall. The project has involved enhancements to a pedestrian walkway and the entrance off Hwy 60 to the Historic Downtown District.  The City has enlarged the pedestrian walk-way on the north end of Broad to include trees, lighting and benches. This time, plans were made to run underground electrical and water lines to the area which, among other benefits,  will allow for automatic watering for the trees (something which was not done years ago when trees were planted in central downtown and which now requires hand watering).

Still to come is signage to enhance the trestle entry-way and installing a walkway which will tie the east and west side of Broad street together and make it pedestrian-friendly.  The walk-way project will be happening this month, on the 20th.

New Street lighting at the North end of Broad will help to pull traffic into the Downtown area and light the pedestrian walkway which now extends the entire length of Broad street.

…. On Saturday, March 20th, the MOB (My Own Backyard), a group of business and civic leaders- we will be hosting a “Paver

Party” to lay the concrete pavers on the north end which will tie in the walk way between El Ranchito and Yuma street. They are asking for volunteers and encouraging anyone who would like to help out, or simply lend support to the workers to show up at 8am. For more information you can contact Pat Dodd at the Center for the Arts.  928-425-0884.

KipCulver: Caring for the Downtown District

By: Linda Gross

Cities outgrew them long ago and towns have over looked them in a rush to attract box stores and strip malls. Yet memories of a time when the main streets of our childhood literally held the lifeblood in the community is one reason why nearly 30 years ago the National Trust for Historic Preservation developed a program to put the emphasis back on Main Street. The Program was designed to retain that elusive quality lost in Suburbia; community character, and to bring back an economic framework which would reinstate Main Street as a valuable player in a community’s future.

Globe’s own Main Street program began in 1986 when it’s eight-block commercial district was designated a Historic District. Today, it is one of just 15 Main Street communities in the State and 12,000 in the country. The success of these programs can be seen in the numbers; Since 1980 there have been 199,519 buildings rehabilitated, 82,909 businesses added to aging downtown districts, and over 40 Billion dollars invested in physical improvements through private and public sources.

Caring for Main Street

In the last four years, Globe’s Main Street Program has begun to rack up so many small successes that even to the uninitiated the Big Picture is taking shape and making itself felt by locals and visitors. The force behind many of these improvements is Main Street Director, Kip Culver who took over the position in 2005, and today heads up both Main Street and the Center for the Arts. … Continue Reading