Third Wednesday Of Each Month
Bicentennial Library
Meetings are open to the public;
all community organizations are encouraged to send representatives
Business affairs of the corporation are conducted by an elected seven member Board of Directors who are elected for two or three year terms.
301 South Main Street
Palmyra, M0, 63461
Palmyra Area Community Betterment Association (PACB) is a Missouri General Not-For-Profit Corporation established for the purpose of rural community development and the fostering of socioeconomic growth. The mission of PACB is to address issues important to the community and to bring together resources that will improve the quality of life and economic conditions for citizens in the area
Background:
In 1996, residents of Palmyra came together to decide how to handle the collapse of a building on Main Street. They observed other changes: as highways improved, superstores in nearby communities had begun to attract customers away from Palmyra’s smaller stores, which offered friendly service, familiarity, and convenient location but less variety. The downtown shopping area needed a facelift: new lighting, signage, and landscaping. Irene Meyers, owner of Palmyra Hardware, located on Main Street, did some research and located some assistance from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. She began to organize the Palmyra Area Community Betterment organization, which would sponsor town meetings, conduct surveys, and complete the first MoCap survey. The MoCap (Missouri Community Assessment Program), by cataloguing the level of services offered in the area, provided a blueprint for planning. The survey, coupled with several town meetings and other surveys over the next three years, had pointed out the need for infrastructure improvement, library expansion, public park management and improvement, economic development, promotional materials, and a multipurpose community center that would provide additional sports/recreational/activity space for all ages, a performing arts theater, gallery space, meeting and classroom space, and possibly the library and nutrition center.
Actions:
With assistance from MECO Engineering Company in 2000, Palmyra received a TEA-21 grant from the Department of Transportation, which would provide new historic lighting and banners for Main Street, heating and cooling for the historic Gardner House Museum and Visitor’s Center, landscaping and an historic garden for the Gardner House, permanent planters and trash receptacles on Main Street, highway and local signage, and 13 permanent park benches and tables around the County Courthouse and on Main Street.
Acting on the town meetings and surveys, the City of Palmyra and the Palmyra Bicentennial Library board installed bike racks, designated Handicapped Parking, and bought an adjacent building that considerably expanded the library space.
The City of Palmyra took up the issue of park management and created a position of Park Director. After receiving a gift of approximately 100 acres in a bequest from a local doctor, the City developed bike and walking trails, another need that had surfaced in town meetings led by PACB.
PACB, working with the City, held a special meeting in June 2001 just to discuss the possibility of building a community center. Out of that meeting, a task force was formed to solicit citizen input on the nature and activities that would be offered in a community center, as well as to assess the willingness of local residents to support it. In 2003, after numerous meetings and surveys that indicated 93% of the residents wanted a center, the City appointed a Building Committee.
More urgent concerns--downtown revitalization, economic development, and preservation issues--have refocused the attention of PACB and its constituent committees, and the issue of a community center is currently on hold.
In 2004, PACB, working with the City of Palmyra, the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations, created and printed a new full-color Quality of Life Brochure, for use in promoting the community.
From the beginning, PACB worked with youth through Key Club at Palmyra High School; Key Club members attended regular PACB meetings and went to the statewide Community Betterment conferences every October. Several individual youth members received recognition for their activities. In 2003, they organized the first local effort for “Make a Difference Day” and were recognized for the number of projects they carried out. In 2005, working with PACB and board member Judy Maas (librarian at Palmyra High School), Key Club members organized a Mayor’s Youth Council, establishing criteria and a process for membership on the Council. In 2006, five high school students were selected for the first Mayor’s Youth Council: Sean Frankenbach, Kale Gosney, Brian White, Cari Wolfmeyer, and. Alison Wright. They met several times and agreed to develop three educational campaigns during the 2006-07 school year. As these students moved on in school, they were replaced in 2007 by new members.
In 2005, PACB, working with the City, the Chamber, and a marketing class at Hannibal-LaGrange College, conducted a Survey of Existing Businesses to find out more about the economic climate in Palmyra. A city-wide meeting was held to discuss the results and several projects developed from that meeting:
The five local banks collaborated to create a low-interest loan program to owners of commercial buildings to stimulate property improvement;
- The Business Class at Palmyra High School agreed to create a database of local businesses and update it annually;
- The need for three educational campaigns was identified:
- The dangerous crossing at Ross Street and Highway 61;
- The importance of spending locally (shopping, licensing, etc.)
- Reducing the high cost of utilities (primarily to businesses) through informed peak period usage.
The Mayor’s Youth Council, formed in 2006, agreed to assume responsibility for these educational campaigns and, through a grant from the Tracy Family Foundation, completed them in 2007.
The MoCap program in the state was renamed MoCAPP (Missouri Community Assessment Planning and Program?). PACB sought support from the City in the form of a salary for a person who would guide the process of updating information on Palmyra and write the report, completed in winter 2007-8. and approved by the state in February, 2008. Findings were reported in a city-wide meeting in January, 2008, along with results of a business survey conducted by Jean Morriseau-Kuni of the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis. Over 100 citizens discussed these two surveys and made numerous suggestions for future goal-setting. These collaborative efforts will provide a blueprint for improvement in the areas of economic development, social services, infrastructure, housing, education, municipal services, cultural life and historical preservation.
Also as a result of that citywide meeting, a group of Stakeholders was formed. The goal is to raise $52,000 through 1000 individual “stakeholders” who will pledge one dollar a week to support a new community planner position. This person will work with the city, the chamber, and PACB in carrying out stated goals of the community.
In June of 2006, the State of Missouri announced the D.R.E.A.M. (Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri) project. PACB had begun forming a Downtown Palmyra task force to address the problems that had, since 1996, become more critical. The Task Force met several times over the summer and submitted an application to the State of Missouri to become designated as a D.R.E.A.M. community, which entitles ten Missouri communities to technical assistance, planning, and financial guidance in revitalizing their downtown areas. Although Palmyra’s application for the D.R.E.A.M. Initiative was not approved in 2006, the city has been encouraged to reapply in 2008. A committee is currently working on that application.
2008 Little Panthers
PACB is a NOT-FOR-PROFIT Corporation and is an IRS approved tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. The registered office of the corporation is at 301 South Main Street, Palmyra, Mo, 63461.
Three subcommittees operate under the Community Betterment aegis: Palmyra Food Pantry, Palmyra Community Chorus, and the Palmyra Area Arts League.
Wider public input is included through surveys and an annual town meeting.
Palmyra Little League Baseball
PACB has, from its inception, seen itself as a catalyst for action, first in pointing out issues that need attention, then in bringing them to the attention of the appropriate body for resolution. As a group with representation from the city, the schools, religious leaders, civic organizations, and social services, it is in a position to identify critical needs that share community responsibility. Sometimes its role is to prod and remind specific organizations that problems have not been solved; sometimes it is to initiate a project through collaboration and seek creative and cooperative funding sources.
Girl Scouts in
Homecoming Parade
PACB was among the founding organizations of a Northeast Missouri Economic Development consortium; the mayor, members of the City Council, local business men and women, and University of Missouri Extension consultants have joined PACB members in attending meetings to discuss regional issues and explore solutions to problems. The Palmyra Chamber of Commerce in 2006 created a paid position as Executive Director; that position is now held by former mayor, Jim Browning. The Chamber has also recently joined regional development groups.