"Christmas on Roller Mill Hill" a Success

On the evening of December 3rd the Revitalization Committee hosted the second annual Christmas event around the community Christmas tree. Roughly 65 were in attendance and the program went very well. The handbell chorus from Faith Christian School did an outstanding job, and the event was highlighted by a visit from Santa Claus who lit the tree. Ramseur Wesleyan Church provided hot drinks on site and then offered additional refreshments and a visit with Santa at the church's fellowship hall following the event on the hill.

Greenway Planning Grant Back on Track

On Monday of this week I received official authorization from the CWMTF to move forward with the Town's greenway planning grant. The grant allocation of $35,000, along with the Town's $8,000 match, makes this a $43,000 project. The money will be used to map the route which runs along Deep River along the former rail bed, do some basic landscape design, identify the appropriate means of crossing a creek, and enter discussions with property owners in an attempt to begin acquiring property and/or easements. Our ultimate goal is to put a trail on the ground which will connect with the trail that our neighbor, the Town of Franklinville, is currently seeking to expand toward Ramseur. Franklinville presently has a 3/4 mile stretch of the Deep River Rail Trail open, a portion of which is pictured here.

Catching Up

It's been a while since the last post, so here's a brief summary of what's been happening over the past couple of months:

• On October 17, the Committee manned a booth at the annual Ramseur Fall Festival and solicited donations for a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the proposed greenway. This was the first public presentation of the greenway plan, and feedback was extremely positive. After splitting donations with a luck winner, $206 was raised to put toward the greenway plan.
• On October 31, the Committee sponsored "Halloween in Ramseur" by encouraging downtown area businesses and churches to hand out candy and provide a safe trick-or-treating opportunity for area youth. The event was a great success, with several hundred children coming out. Although not downtown, the annual Halloween Open House at the Fire Station (also advertised on the "Halloween in Ramseur" flyer) saw over 600 visitors.
• On November 12, the Committee kicked off a new series of art exhibits at Town Hall. Local artist Dale Akers opened the series with a well-attended evening reception. Titled "The Fine Art and Photography of Dale Akers," the exhibition will be on display through January 7. The Committee hopes to see a rotating monthly display of art with an opening reception held the second Thursday of the month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

March Committee Meeting

The Revitalization Committee convened last Friday for the March meeting. Our discussion centered around developing some ideas for events downtown which can feasibly be implemented within a three to six month period. Everyone really liked the idea of providing space in Town Hall for local artists to showcase their work. We should be able to get something like this off the ground within a month or two. Committee members also liked the idea of hosting a collection day for recyclables. We'll touch base with Cooperative Extension and Asheboro Recycling who recently worked together to host a successful electronics recycling day at Randolph Mall. Not only would this bring people downtown, it would also help promote environmental awareness and give area residents a means to properly dispose of things such as old TVs. Another event idea that the Committee would like to develop is a bluegrass festival downtown. We would probably need a year to put something like this together, but with the local interest and lots of local talent, everyone feels that a festival would be well received and well attended.

Greenway Project on Hold

I just learned that our greenway planning grant has been put on hold for the time being. Due to the state's budget shortfall, Governor Bev Perdue has tapped $100 million from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund to hold in reserve until further notice. Although Ramseur's grant has been approved, CWMTF has not yet executed the contract we have sent them, and as a result funding for our project has been put on hold. If and when the funding is released, we will be able to move forward with the plan, but given the current economic situation there are no guarantees. This is quite a disappointment, but we will simply have to wait a bit longer before this project can be completed, either through the existing grant or through other funding resources which may become available.

Streetscape Project Kicks Off

The Revitalization Committee met today and brainstormed ideas for Brian, the NCA&T student who will be working to develop a downtown streetscape for the Town. Brian will be integrating ideas from a variety of categories into his plan, including infrastructure, landscaping, buildings, river access and amenities, etc. Brian will be back in Town several times over the next several months as he gathers information and puts his plan together.

One of the Committee members has contacted the owner of the Post Office property on Main Street and has received permission to replace the existing shrubs and plantings in the front of the building with something more visually pleasing. It's great to see an individual step up and take the initiative to work on a specific project!

Downtown Masterplan

A senior student in the Landscape Architecture program at NCA&T has offered to work on a downtown masterplan in fulfillment of his senior project requirement. He and his class adviser plan to attend the February 13 meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Committee in order to gather information and discuss ideas. This is a great opportunity for the student to get some hands-on experience on a real world project and for the Town to obtain a useful planning document at no expense to the taxpayers.