For Immediate Release
November 16, 2001
Contact: Terry Sebastian (502-330-0706) or Rusty Cheuvront (502) 564-2611

Renaissance communities advancing to higher levels

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- F. Lynn Luallen, chairman of Renaissance Kentucky and CEO of Kentucky Housing Corporation, recently announced, on behalf of Governor Paul Patton, the advancement of five Kentucky communities into higher levels of achievement in his downtown revitalization initiative, Renaissance Kentucky. 

Renaissance Kentucky, a program launched by Governor Patton in 1997, currently has 72 participating communities from across the Commonwealth.  Communities are divided into designated levels - bronze, silver or gold - according to the criteria they met upon application.   

Meeting the criteria requires a strong commitment by the community’s leaders that reflect the community’s goals to preserve, rehabilitate or restore their downtowns as active and vital centers of business, retail and housing opportunities.  The program encourages communities to reach the highest level possible by offering funding opportunities to those in the silver and gold levels.   

The four communities recognized for their achievement at Kentucky Housing Corporation’s Governor’s Housing Conference in Louisville on November 16, 2001 were:

Advancing from silver to gold:
Dawson Springs
Maysville

Advancing from bronze to silver:
Bellevue
Madisonville

“The concept of Renaissance Kentucky is working because of the successful partnerships being formed between state, local and federal governments to return our downtowns to vibrant, healthy centers of activity,” said Governor Patton. “Through this redevelopment of affordable housing, retail and business centers and cultural opportunities in the heart of our cities, future generations will reap the benefits of this initiative to restore our heritage.”

The goal of Renaissance is to recognize and honor communities that have maintained or restored their central downtown areas as safe, efficient and functional urban cores.  The program promotes the restoration and preservation of downtown buildings to create affordable housing and to help enhance the local economy through the development of retail, business and cultural opportunities.

Renaissance is administered by an alliance of agencies including the Kentucky Heritage Council, Kentucky Housing Corporation, Kentucky League of Cities, Kentucky Department for Local Government, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and Fannie Mae.  The program also brings together the full capacity of state government through representation of all executive branch cabinets.

Governor Patton’s Renaissance Kentucky program was selected as one of ten semifinalists from 90 entries in the 1999 Council of State Governments Innovations Awards Program.  The program also received the 1999 Blue Ribbon Best Practices Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Governor Patton received the Wilson Wyatt Award from the Kentucky League of Cities in 1999 for his creation and implementation of Renaissance Kentucky.

All incorporated Kentucky cities are eligible to apply for Renaissance designation.  The next application deadline to participate in Renaissance Kentucky will be announced in the spring of 2002.  For more information, call Penny Young, (502) 564-7630, extension 305, or e-mail Pyoung@kyhousing.org <mailto:Pyoung@kyhousing.org>.

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