As one decade ends and another begins, one can only wonder what the future holds for Main Street Winchester.

Not only is it a new decade, but 2020 marks the 40th year Winchester has been a Main Street Community.

With record-setting investment for the fourth year in a row, 2019 set a high mark. 2019 investment topped $10 million, up from just $600,000 in 2015.

For every dollar of public investment there was $198 of private investment.

Not only was reinvestment at an all-time level, but there were new events, new businesses, new rehabilitation projects and an overall new synergy in all of downtown.

For the first time, we saw the North Main Street area be a catalyst and a driving force for Winchester.

We saw mounting interest and improvement leading us to think back to the building blocks Main Street Winchester helped to initiate — things like the Beer Cheese Festival, Rock the Block’s partnerships with new embellishments, the Hemp Harvest Festival, a new partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Design and CEDIK at the Winchester Design Studio on Main Street, implementation of the Downtown Master Plan, and the first round of grants through the Downtown Development Investment Fund (DDIF), just to name a few.

Winchester received numerous state-wide honors in 2019.

Main Street Winchester achieved accreditation by the National Main Street Center and the Kentucky Main Street Program.

Graham Johns posthumously received the Spirit of Main Street Award and the Beer Cheese Festival was named Best Main Street Event.

The Best Beautification Project went to the Clark County Courthouse bell tower restoration project.

Individually, Executive Director Rachel Alexander achieved Kentucky Certified Main Street Director status.

In 2019, we saw improved downtown code enforcement, refurbishing and new paint on our five-globe lampposts including the new Christmas garland, new colorful concrete planters, interactive murals, a temporary shade canopy and increased social media presence in conjunction with the George Rogers Clark High School Smoke Signals staff and Campbell Junior High students.

Nine historic buildings were restored and five grants were awarded by the DDIF.

Twelve new businesses were recognized, as well as 11 existing businesses recognized for milestones of ongoing and continuous operation in downtown Winchester.

On a more personal note and one that went unnoticed by most, was an unexpected visitor to Winchester late this summer.

Our first Main Street Executive Director Eric Eisemann (who now is an attorney in Portland, Oregon) made a one-day stop here and got to meet with our current director.

To say he was impressed with the progress since he started here in 1980 would be an understatement.

He was not just excited by the physical improvement, but also by the commitment of local people and businesses to continue to work to make Winchester the best it can be.

We have come a long way, and with continued dedication and hard work, the sky is the limit for Downtown Winchester and our community.

Robert Blanton is a magistrate on the Clark County Fiscal Court and former city planning director for Winchester.