The primary Partnership project in recent years has been the development of Pacific Station Plaza, located on South First Street.

The Partnership created the Plaza by combining a former recycling collection point and street department storage yard, an aging trailer park and vacant property adjacent to the McHugh-Dailey building.

Bill McLaren, who served as president during the construction of the pavilion in Pacific Station Plaza, is stepping up to the Partnership Advisory Committee, where he says he still hopes to have a voice in Partnership activities.

"It was time to see new faces on the Partnership," McLaren said.

"Last year we began the practice of rotating partnership board terms," he said. "As longtime board members' terms expire, we will see new faces in the organization."

Former Mayor Jill Pigg and Pacific Ring Founder Jim McHugh created the Partnership nine years ago with the goal of encouraging and promoting economic development in Old Town Pacific.

The Partnership, working with Sheila Steelman, community and economic development director, adopted the city's railroad heritage as a tourism-marketing theme and crafted a plan that centered on developing Pacific Station Plaza as a train watching venue.

Working with Jim Schwinkendorf, former Partnership president, the group organized the first Railroad Day celebration around the final run of the Frisco steam engine 1522 which stopped in downtown Pacific during the celebration.

The old engine attracted thousands to downtown Pacific and set the stage for the annual Railroad Day celebration.

With McLaren at the helm, the partnership took over organization of several community events, including Railroad Day, Cruise Night and Christmas on the Plaza.

The primary goal of the organization remained the development of Pacific Station Plaza. This year, the pavilion and public restrooms were completed and named for the late Bob Schmidt who served as treasurer of the organization until his death.

Another new face on the Partnership board of directors is Ginny Devine, a Meramec Valley R-III School District art teacher, who will serve as vice president beginning in January.

Devine has helped bring schoolchildren into Partnership activities by organizing exhibits of children's art and by teaching art classes in the Art's Alive in Pacific summer camps. Art's Alive is a partnership committee.

Monica Mahler, a perennial partnership member, will serve as secretary next year. Don Hazelwood stays on as treasurer of the organization.