Brangenberg to retire as downtown Tupelo Main Street Director
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – The longtime director for the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association is stepping down after thirty years on the job.
It may be her last full week on the job as director of Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, but Debbie Brangenberg is busy.
On this day, before lunch, she was going over DTMSA business with Lucia Randle, who has been picked to step into the director’s role once Brangenberg retires. Earlier in the day, during the annual DTMSA Awards ceremony, Brangenberg presented Randle with a crown, and a baton, to symbolize the transition in leadership.
Brangenberg is the longest-serving Main Street Director in Mississippi and has seen many changes over the years.
“Thirty years ago the Mall at Barnes Crossing had just opened, the city purchased the downtown mall property and they were in design phase for the arena and conference center and we had our national resource team in the spring of 1991,” Brangenberg said.
That Main Street resource team encouraged the city to develop the old Fairgrounds property and in 1999 when the city issued 22 million dollars in urban renewal bonds, the Fairpark project picked up steam.
That has led to more than 150 million dollars in private investment in the downtown area.
Brangenberg had two main goals before retiring. One was to see Phase Four of Fairpark Development Underway. That has happened, with residential lots selling, and construction underway. The second goal was realized in 2019 when DTMSA won the Great American Main Street Award. In 2020, DTMSA brought the award home.
“We have set the bar and people ask how we do certain things, but I have to say, it’s been a team effort, totally, our partners are the ones that have helped us, it’s been the city, the CVB, CDF, redevelopment agency, all these players working together to make good things happen,” Brangenberg said.
Incoming Director Lucia Randle plans to build on the foundation set by Brangenberg and her team through the years.
“My goals are to continue Debbie’s vision, Debbie the staff, board of directors, there are already wonderful things in place, we are on the right path, I don’t have any goals other than to continue what Debbie has started, and like she said there are projects and things they have been working on for years and hopefully we can bring those to fruition,” Randle said.
Brangenberg officially retires on October first.
Randle is familiar to many, as a former DTMSA Board President, She was also communications director for the City of Tupelo, she has also worked with Reed’s and the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi.
