05/12/2026 MinutesMINUTES OF THE MAIN STREET ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS
May 12, 2026
The MAIN STREET ADVISORY BOARD of the City of Paris met for a
regular session at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at the PARIS CITY COUNCIL
CHAMBERS 107 E. KAUFMAN PARIS, TEXAS 75460.
PRESENT Board Members: Kevin Moore, Kim. Kalina, Tyrone Hayden,
Mary Hart, Glee Emmite, Karen Dougherty,
VCC
City Representatives: Cheri Bedford, Main Street Manager, Hayley
Reynolds, Assistant, Rose Beverly, City
Manager
ABSENT Board Members:
Will Walker, Melissa Jones
1. Call meeting to order.
Chairman, Kevin Moore, called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. He shared the Vision and
Mission statements.
Citizen Forum:
No one spoke at citizens forum
2. Approve minutes from the meeting of March 10, 2026.
A Motion to table this item was made by Board Member Mary Hart and seconded by Board
Member Tyrone Hayden. Motion carried, _5—ayes – _0_ nays.
3. Receive report/presentation from Businesses applying for Building Improvement Grants.
Gary Waite applied for a fagade and Building Improvement Grant for his building related
to the First St. Project downtown. He had the meters removed and placed to the back of the
building. The board had approved a $5000 grant to assist with the removal of the overhead
wires. Cheri Bedford reviewed his application and states that he meets spending
qualifications for the BIG grant. A Motion to approve this item was made by Board
Member Glee Emmite and seconded by Board Member Mary Hart. Motion carried,
_5_ayes – 0 nays.
4. Committee Reports:
.A. Workplan Updates from Committee Members:
Kevin Moore- Reviewed information from the VIP event at Winefest. We did have
challenges with pre -sales. Most comments were positive about the event with some
suggesting two servers for the vineyards at each location. The trolley was a nice surprise
for the attendees. Kevin asked about the parking lot going in across the street from the
location of the Art Fair. Kevin also suggested that we have a contract in writing for the
sponsor of the VIP event to prevent misunderstanding.
Mary Hart- Attended the VIP event at Winefest and enjoyed it very much. Mary
complimented Kevin Moore for his great job at the event. The Paris Art Fair is coming up
very soon. It was fun, exciting, and scary preparing the numerous moving parts of the
event. Mary shared the schedule with the committee. We are preparing for 30 artist vendor
booths, and over 90 juried art pieces. The reception for the Art Fair will be the Friday
evening before, and it is open to the community. The Art Fair will be at The Gibraltar
Hotel, Bywaters Park, The Paris Public Library, the Farmer's Market and the Skate Park.
There will also be an elephant to paint.
B. Chamber/VCC- Karen Dougherty attended Winefest and rode the Trolley. She heard
lots of positive comments. May was mini boats. Saturday was canceled due to high
winds. The Slade Baker had a great turnout. Uncle Jessie had a good turnout. Archers
for Christ event turnout was a little down. Outlaw Boat Races added Bull Fighting and
riding at Crook Lake. There were a ton of people in attendance. Saturday was good
but was rained out Sunday. The boats travelled 215 mph on the lake. The quilt shows
at the civic center had over lk visitors. This weekend we will have archery, bowling
tournament and the art fair to look forward to. 82 Yard Sale with Red River Valley
Tourism is coming up. If you plan to participate, send me the address so I can include
it in the information. 903 Concert series is in June. Paris without Passport program is
coming more information with the PDA.
C. Coordinator's Report- Cheri Bedford shared: First Street project is progressing. The
concrete work is done, and we are ready for pavers to be laid soon. The removal of the
utility's poles: 3 of 5 were removed. Some overhead utilities have been placed
underground.
Regarding Winefest- more advertising was done this year: the web, radio, newspapers,
and Facebook. Also, Paris Life Magazine featured the wine fest. It was suggested that
we look to placing out event on Facebook local wine event pages in the future. We had
a lot of great comments from out-of-towners. The VIP event was costly with additional
services for profit made. We may need to reconsider this part of the wine fest in the
future. There was a misunderstanding with the advertising for the sponsor, and we also
need to consider this. A survey was carried out; it was reviewed prior to the meeting.
important to read so that we can learn and make improvements. One comment to note:
we need more dry wines and less sweet wines.
Over 135k has been given in BIG so far. Art Fair is a great partnership. The Main
Street project assisted with permitting fees and street closures, and did some parking
lot repairs. Cheri and Mary Hart attended the National Main Street Conference in
Tulsa. There were two sessions/ideas that seemed pertinent to downtown Paris. 1.
On downtown parking. 2. Downtown Digital Gift Cards (Yifty). Arts and Murals: We
have a mural ordinance in downtown. ORD 9.06.003. A new Certificate of
Appropriateness was developed to assist with others who want to develop mural
concepts.
Hayley Reynolds, Assistant: Farmer's Market- She is researching vendor guidelines
for improvements. One consideration is an increase in vendor fees as well as a change
in times. There were over 1400 people in attendance on opening day. Momma's
Market (Mother's Day) Bags and Shirts sponsored by PDA has been successful.
Festival of Pumpkins- sponsor packet fees have not changed in 15 years. Adding new
ideas and making the festival longer by adding a concert. The VIP Parking area for
sponsors, hospitality tents and other attractions are being considered. We want to put a
committee together to support the event. We are also thinking about incorporating the
Farmer's Market with the Pumpkin Patch.
Future Agenda Items: We will review both sets of minutes. We want to get downtown
business owners together to look at the Yifty program.
5. Adjournment.
There being no further business, A Motion to adjourn was made by Board Member Glee
Emmite and seconded by Board Member Mary Hart. Motion carried, 5 ayes —0 nays.
Kevin Moore, Chairman, adjourned the meeting at 5:53 p.m.
Kevin Moore, Chairman