I'm not sure that's possible or practical. If you only kept the middle there wouldn't be any use for it. I think the thing you're looking for though is a dock. You can just hide the task bar all together using the below tutorial. Taskbar Auto-hide - Turn On or Off
You can then download a dock and add icons to it like you would to the taskbar. I recommend something like RocketDock but other docks such as Stardock are also great. About RocketDock - RocketDock.com
System Manufacturer/Model Number Custom Build OS Windows 7 Ultimate x64/Windows 8 Consumer Preview x64/Ubuntu 11.04 CPU Intel Pentium Dual Core E6700 3.2GHz Motherboard ASUS P5G41T-M LX Memory Strontium 8192MB DDR3 1333Mhz Graphics Card msi GeForce N560GTX-M2D1GD5 1GB Sound Card Realtek HD Audio Monitor(s) Displays CHIMEI CMV 221D 22" Screen Resolution 1680x1050
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 1000 Mouse Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2000 PSU SHAW Viper-1500w Gaming PSU Case Black eMaxx ATX Mini Tower Case Hard Drives Seagate Barracuda LP Green 3.5'' 2TB Internal HDD 5900RPM + WD Elements Desktop 1TB External HDD 7200RPM Internet Speed 100GB @ 4.76Mbps