somersetkyleads.com/city-of-somerset-receives-downtown-of-the-year-award-at-annual-soar-gala/April 29, 2024
SPEDA nominates city leadership for its success in revitalizing downtown
For its efforts to breathe new life into downtown Somerset and once again make it the heartbeat of the community, the City of Somerset received the Downtown of the Year Award April 27 at the SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) Gala.
The annual event, presented by Kentucky Power, was an evening filled with celebration and recognition of those working across Appalachia Kentucky to create a brighter future. Hosted in the grand theatre of the Mountain Arts Center, the event was a poignant reminder of the talent and dedication thriving in the region.
More than 260 nominations from 42 of Kentucky’s 54 Appalachian counties culminated in 14 individuals and organizations being recognized at Appalachia’s premier awards ceremony. The Downtown of the Year Award honors a downtown or Main Street organization dedicated to supporting existing businesses, attracting new enterprises, and engaging in collaborative beautification initiatives, including enhancing downtown Wi-Fi access.
The Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) nominated the City of Somerset for the award, citing the renaissance that has happened downtown through the addition of free festivals, outdoor art, wayfinding, new businesses and restaurants, and the centerpiece of its revitalization efforts — The Virginia, downtown’s live performance venue. This collectively led to new and increased revenue for the city without raising taxes. Pulaski County has also experienced a 22 percent increase in tourism spending during downtown’s rebirth.
“There was a time when elected officials in Somerset could be heard saying downtown was dead. And for all intents and purposes, it was,” SPEDA wrote in its nomination. “That was until the community’s residents elected a new mayor who ran on a platform of ‘lighting up Somerset’ — a leader who believed downtown is the heartbeat of any community and it should be the epicenter of commerce and entertainment. Mayor Alan Keck and his team have worked to inspire, empower, invest and celebrate the community’s people, and as a result, downtown Somerset as we know it today is thriving.”
SPEDA President and CEO Chris Girdler said downtown Somerset’s economic success is unmatched.
“We were eager to nominate the City of Somerset for this award, as there is not another downtown in Kentucky that has experienced such explosive growth,” Girdler said. “Our community has had its fair share of naysayers about downtown’s viability over the years, but boy, they could not have been more wrong. Downtown Somerset is thriving and its success is reverberating throughout the rest of Pulaski County and beyond. Congratulations to Mayor Keck, Somerset City Council and the downtown business community on this outstanding recognition.”
Keck attended the gala to accept the award and expressed his gratitude to SOAR for recognizing not only the work of the City of Somerset team and Somerset City Council, but the business owners and residents who supported these initiatives.
“When we said we were going to light up Somerset, some people said it couldn’t be done, but so many more said, ‘We’re ready, let’s do this,’” Keck said. “There is an excitement here that is palpable. People were ready for progress and change and our team and city council members were ready to make it happen. So much of my vision for downtown has been to change the narrative of what is possible and unapologetically pursue every avenue to get there. I am so grateful for the support we’ve received from our community, for the hard work and dedication of the City of Somerset team and leadership, and for every person who took a chance on something people said couldn’t be done because they believed in their community. We did it. And this award from SOAR means so much to all of us for that reason.”
Shaping Our Appalachian Region is a nonprofit serving the 54 Appalachian Regional Commission counties of Eastern Kentucky. Born from the economic fallout of the coal industry, SOAR’s mission today is to solve the deep-seated issue of population retention and growth in Eastern Kentucky. To learn more about SOAR and the 2024 Gala, click here.
