By Buddy Forbes

Published: Mar. 14, 2024 at 7:14 PM EDT|Updated: Mar. 14, 2024 at 11:25 PM EDT

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) -Rosenberg Square invites the Prestonsburg community to coexist in a comfortable, colorful corner of the city.

“We aimed to create a space that feels like an Eastern Kentucky front porch,” said Prestonsburg Tourism Executive Director Samantha Johnson.

Prestonsburg Tourism spearheaded the project with a T-Mobile Hometown Grant, creating a space to encourage tourists and neighbors to sit and chat while visiting the downtown area. That vision of coexisting and community cultivation brought to mind a couple in the city whose life’s work has been just that.

“Throughout planning, it became clear that two pillars of our community distinctly encapsulated everything we hoped to accomplish in this physical space.”

John and Jean Rosenberg have been working to build an inclusive community since they put down roots in the Star City. From AppalRed Legal Aid and the East Kentucky Science Center, to working with incarcerated individuals and developing educational programs, the duo has had a hand in many innovative and inclusive ideas in the area.

“They said, ‘I guess we were always just trying to build the kind of world we wanted to live in,’” said Johnson. “Because of your values, because of your efforts, because of your vision and compassion, this little corner of the world has certainly been made so much better.”

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