MARYSVILLE – A rustic home, corner pharmacy and central business block that have symbolized historical downtown Marysville for generations, and a newly arrived national drugstore looking to help define the cityscape for the next generation, are this year’s winners of the Pride of Marysville neighborhood improvement awards.

The awards, now in their third year, drew nominees submitted by community members.

“All of this year’s nominees make a great first impression for our community, enhancing Marysville’s appearance through the care they have put into their homes and businesses to look their best,” said Mayor Jon Nehring, who launched the awards program in 2012. “Hopefully their beautification efforts and attention to keeping up their owner property will inspire others to do the same.”

Here are this year’s winners:

• Best Home/Pride of the Neighborhood – 1702 Second St. Awarded to a home that is well-kept, with manicured lawns and colorful landscapes, or enhanced with new paint, landscaping or other aesthetic improvements, the home owned by Steve and Peggy Richard meets many of those criteria. The home built in 1902 is yellow with white trim, with a white picket fence and arched entryway arbor accented by purple heather and greenery. While the home looks historical, it incorporates elements and improvements that keep the home resilient in the modern day. The owners are consistent in decorating the home to match the seasons.

• Best Business – Hilton Pharmacy. The corner building at Third Street and State Avenue owned by Scott and Mary Kirkland has been a centerpiece store in Marysville’s original downtown since Jeffrey Hilton, Mary’s great-great grandfather, opened the doors in 1919. The independent pharmacy added exterior improvements and repainted in conjunction with Third Street aesthetic improvements and design updates of the Kwak Building opposite of Hilton on State. The Kwak property was the first building to adopt the city’s new downtown design standards, and was one of the first recipients to earn a Pride of Marysville award.

• Best Block/Neighborhood – Historic Downtown Third Street. This business corridor along Third Street from State Avenue and heading east brings together the best of Marysville’s vintage past, and blends it with a mix of contemporary stores and pedestrian fixtures that today’s shoppers want. Hilton Pharmacy, Carr’s Hardware, the Dutch Bakery, Trusty Threads, Finders Keepers Furnishings and Wrenhaven Vintage Market and other quaint collectible and antique shops, fitness centers, ethnic grocery and restaurants give Third Street its rustic, unhurried charm and coziness.

• James Comeford Award (Mayor’s Choice) – Walgreens. This award, named after Marysville’s visionary town founder and original trading post operator, is presented to the most-improved home or business in the downtown or waterfront district. This year’s winner is the new Walgreens property at Fourth and State. Walgreens did a complete renovation of the old Safeway and O’Reilly Auto Parts building, and incorporated a new brick wall, bench seating, decorative street lighting, trees and landscaping along the sidewalks, which had previously been an old parking lot

The winners will be honored at the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2nd Floor in City Hall, 1049 State Ave. They will also be presented with decorative Pride of Marysville lawn/wall markers to place at their home or business.

Nehring noted that a general lack of cleanliness around the community and downtown is a concern. Officials resolved to carry out more concerted cost-efficient cleanup efforts in the downtown and waterfront area (such as road re-striping, painting and roadside right-of-way maintenance), as well as citywide.

Past Clean Sweep Week spring-time volunteer cleanup initiatives have focused on the downtown area, encouraging well-kept businesses, homes and streets, and addressing code enforcement issues, as well as criminal and drug-related activity.

“I view the Pride of Marysville awards as one solution toward creating a cleaner, more attractive community by recognizing those individuals who set an example for others, starting with their own property,” Nehring said.