Members of the Downtown Kingston Association will drive forward after being informed Thursday that their community doesn’t fit the requirements of the Washington State Main Street Program.

While disappointed the program, which helps towns improve their business corridors, will pass Kingston by, DKA members had already planned to go it alone if necessary.

“They have very strict parameters, and they thought the (downtown) area was too small,” said DKA president Nancy Martin. “We kind of envisioned a larger area, but they said just the ferry tollbooths up to Main Street Ale House. That was disappointing to us.”

The boundary DKA had envisioned encompassed State Route 104 from the ferry terminal to Kingston Lumber, but was too large for the program, said DKA member Steve Heacock. The area established by the Main Street representative, who visited on Feb. 16, was too small in scope for DKA.

Kingston’s status as an unincorporated town also worked against it as the Main Street program, thus far, has only assisted incorporated communities.

“There’s still a place for the DKA to work with the (Kingston Chamber of Commerce) and with merchants,” said chamber president Jana Kramberger. “I think, in a way, we’re better off without the Main Street program. I’m not saying better off, I guess, they would have provided some nice grants. But they’re about preservation and revitalizing downtowns that have gone away. We never really had much of one to begin with. We’re out of their element.”

Even so, Martin said the DKA will continue forging ahead, and will likely work to be included in the program again next year.

“Basically we told them we would keep working and reapply next year,” said DKA member Karen Ross, who is also a member of the Kingston Revitalization Association. “Revitalization will continue.”