Wyatt named new W’burg Main Street Manager

Williamsburg now has its second Main Street Manager in town history.

Mayor Roddy Harrison said Friday that he had appointed Johnathan Wyatt as the new Main Street Manager.

“He has accepted the job. He has the five block parties ready to go,” Harrison said.

Wyatt replaces Nannie Hays, who died on April 23 at her home.

Hays became the town’s first Main Street manager in 2007.

“Johnathan came to mind early on. He really helped us all of those other years. He just helped Nannie do whatever. He was familiar with the events that we had. He is enthusiastic about it. He loves Williamsburg. It was just a natural fit,” Harrison said.

Wyatt is a music teacher, who is currently at the Corbin Independent School District.

Wyatt is a Williamsburg graduate, and a former student of both Harrison and Hays.

“He has known us for years. We have known him for years. It seems like a natural progression. He has embraced it,” Harrison said Friday. “We went on a walkabout today, and I introduced him to the merchants. He already has some ideas.”

Williamsburg is among 23 communities in Kentucky, whose Main Street programs have achieved national accreditation for 2021 from both the Kentucky Main Street program and the National Main Street Center.

Harrison said that last Tuesday several national and state Main Street leaders along with some historic preservation officials spent all day meeting with Williamsburg officials about its Main Street program and the historic preservation district.

Harrison said that it is unusual for these officials to spend all day in one town, and they walked local officials through all the things that Hays had already done.

For instance, Harrison noted that officials have been working on a facade grant for about 18 months.

“Nannie had taken some applications for the grant when obviously everything changed (due to the pandemic). We are kicking that back up, and getting ready to start helping these merchants downtown the best we can,” Harrison added. “We are going to try to help everybody as far as the Main Street program goes.”