(KAIR)--The City of Atchison is named as one of the three newest members of the Kansas Main Street Program.

Announcement of the three selected cities, including Baldwin City and Junction City, was made in a release from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.

The new additions, the first added to the program since it was reinstated in Kansas in 2019, bring the total number of designated Main Street communities in the state to 28.

The addition of Atchison to the program follows the City’s approval January 19 of a resolution supporting the creation of the Atchison Main Street District, as part of the Main Street Program.

The Atchison organization, and an independent Board of Directors to provide oversight and guidance, will be funded through a portion of the City’s transient guest tax revenues.

Kansas Main Street, a self-help technical assistance program administered by the Community Development Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce, “targets preservation and revitalization of downtown districts through the development of a comprehensive strategy based on the four points of Organization, Design, Promotion and Economic Restructuring.”

According to the release, the program was originally launched in 1985, but came to an end in 2012 through a decision of former Governor Sam Brownback’s administration.

Restored in 2019 under Kelly’s direction, with support from the Kansas Legislature, the program is cited in the release for helping “dozens of mostly rural communities work toward maintaining and enhancing the visibility of their downtown districts.”

Kelly came to Atchison Tuesday, along with Kansas Main Street Director Scott Sewell, and spoke at the Santa Fe Depot during a ceremony held to announce Atchison’s inclusion.

The Governor also met with County leaders, including all three County Commissioners, during a first-hand look at the County’s COVID-19 vaccination site.