Tyler

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

The theme for the 2008 Heart of Tyler Annual Meeting and Brick Award Presentation was "Destination: Downtown." But, it could've easily been "Tyler 21: Moving Forward."

Thursday's event focused on what the city of Tyler and Heart of Tyler/Main Street have been doing in the past year to create a downtown area that supports the arts, historical preservation and economic development. All of those items are named as goals in the Tyler 21 plan.

"A lot has been done in the past 18 months that has set us on the right course for the future," said Heart of Tyler Board President Mike Butler.

Butler listed off several successful projects the nonprofit organization launched last year. Among them was the Main Street Flower Market, which won a Texas Downtown Association award for Best Downtown Promotion.

"The purpose of the flower market was not to sell flowers, but to bring people in to see the historical buildings of downtown Tyler," said Pene Bridges, chairwoman of the Tyler Promotion Committee. Ms. Bridges was the recipient of Heart of Tyler's prestigious Brick Award for devoting her time and energy to revitalizing the downtown area. She received a standing ovation as she walked to the front of Balance Pilates Studio - another Texas Downtown Association award-winner, for Best Adaptive Reuse of a Historical Building - to accept her award.

"Thank you all so much. I think I'm going to cry!" she said, wiping her eyes.

Ms. Bridges thanked Mayor Joey Seeber and other city leaders for their help developing the downtown area.

"I'm so glad the city is getting more and more involved. We can't do this without you," she said.

Seeber, who won the Brick Award in 2007 for pushing Tyler 21 through during his last term of office, unveiled a new program that fits into the historic preservation portion of Tyler 21, "Half Mile of History." It originated as a recommendation during the Tyler 21 planning process, and he said its goal is to pay tribute to people, places and events that have contributed to Tyler and Smith County's history.

"Two years ago, at the Heart of Tyler annual meeting, I was able to talk about Tyler 21 officially for the first time," Seeber said. "Now, two years later, I couldn't be more pleased with what we've come up with."

Seeber said the Half Mile of History will be a permanent, outdoor, half-mile loop that surrounds the downtown square. Stone plaques, laid into the sidewalks along the half-mile, will commemorate significant people and activities in the area's history. The total annual cost for the project will be less than $5,000, Seeber said.

The Historical Preservation Board will consider nominations for the Half Mile of History at the end of each quarter of the calendar year. Nomination forms are available at www.cityoftyler.org, or at the Planning Department, 423 W. Ferguson.

A judging committee from the board will make final selections based on each nominee's enduring impact on the community, county, region, nation or world. The selections will go on to the Tyler City Council for final approval.

"During the Tyler 21 planning process, the people of Tyler made it clear that they wanted to promote and display diverse aspects of Tyler's history," Seeber Said. "This program is a direct result of that input."

The Heart of Tyler/Main Street program is nonprofit organization dedicated to downtown economic, cultural and historical revitalization. It presents the Festival on the Square each year, as well as clean-up days, a limited-edition ornament fundraiser, arts-related programs, historic preservation programs, and business recruitment activities.

Slide Show: Mayor Joey Seeber guides a group of businessmen and women through a slide presentation on Thursday at the Balance Pilates Studio.
(— Staff Photo By Mark Roberts)