MONROE - The Green County Development Corporation on Thursday heard about what four Southern communities have done to revitalize themselves. Then people at the GCDC annual meeting got a promise of what was to occur in Monroe.
"Changes in the coming year are going to be dramatic," said Tripp Muldrow, the meeting's keynote speaker.
Muldrow is a community planning associate with Arnett Muldrow and Associates of Greenville, S.C. He has been an integral part of Monroe Main Street's "Downtown ... and Beyond," a project designed to revitalize the city's downtown area.
Muldrow talked about four towns that have met challenging circumstances to promote their communities and economic development. Their incentives could give Green County ideas about how to stimulate its own economy.
Pacolet, S. C., a rural, historic textile center of about 2,000 people, had fallen into economic hardship after a mill closing. Although the county around it was economically robust, Pacolet was quite the opposite.
Muldrow said the community established a covenant with itself, which defined who it was and what it did. It led to being a standard against which all it did was tested.
With only one mill building left in the town, and its historic background, Pacolet began to build ideas based on its legacy with a spark of contemporary energy, Muldrow said.
Pacolet used a design from the old mill's yearbooks for its new trademark, and renovated the one remaining mill building, a cloth room, as its center for community events.
Since its renovation plan was implemented five years ago, Muldrow said it has leveraged $9.1 million in grant money.
Culpeper, Va., an hour from Washington, D.C., found itself being marketed by housing developments as a "compromise" - lower housing costs in exchange for 30 minutes of extra driving to the city.
But rather than accept its fate, Culpeper started marketing itself as "the one and only Culpeper," using a unique color palette and the simple idea of the circle in all its advertising campaigns. Local businesses and organizations hooked into the same idea, reinforcing the brand the city had chosen for itself.
Shelby, N.C., likewise grabbed a one-of-a kind concept for itself by staking its claim as the Carolinas' Regional Music Showplace. Home of Earl Scruggs, the town centers around an abandoned courthouse which they have dubbed Earl Scruggs' Front Porch. The town square is now considered the community hearth, said Muldrow and gives a warm feeling to both residents and visitors.
Pound, Va., is on The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, which meanders through the heart of the state's country and bluegrass music festivals, museums and schools, including the Carter Family Fold.
Pound had "30 thriving businesses behind some terrible looking buildings," Muldrow said. Simple facade improvements helped the town become a place of destination, rather than just a bend in the road. In an innovative approach, Pound store owners turned their storefronts over to the town for five years, allowing it to use federal grant money on private property.
Outfitted with new facades, way-finding signs and colorful banners, Pound now markets itself as the place "Where the Crooked Road Bends."
Muldrow said Monroe has its own treasure in its courthouse Square. He presented a portion of the Monroe Main Street master plan, with artistic renderings of what the downtown could look like with a few trees, way-finding signs, and identified 13 locations which could be developed or redeveloped. He also gave an example of what a culinary center might offer with a mock brochure.
"Changes in the coming year are going to be dramatic," said Tripp Muldrow, the meeting's keynote speaker.
Muldrow is a community planning associate with Arnett Muldrow and Associates of Greenville, S.C. He has been an integral part of Monroe Main Street's "Downtown ... and Beyond," a project designed to revitalize the city's downtown area.
Muldrow talked about four towns that have met challenging circumstances to promote their communities and economic development. Their incentives could give Green County ideas about how to stimulate its own economy.
Pacolet, S. C., a rural, historic textile center of about 2,000 people, had fallen into economic hardship after a mill closing. Although the county around it was economically robust, Pacolet was quite the opposite.
Muldrow said the community established a covenant with itself, which defined who it was and what it did. It led to being a standard against which all it did was tested.
With only one mill building left in the town, and its historic background, Pacolet began to build ideas based on its legacy with a spark of contemporary energy, Muldrow said.
Pacolet used a design from the old mill's yearbooks for its new trademark, and renovated the one remaining mill building, a cloth room, as its center for community events.
Since its renovation plan was implemented five years ago, Muldrow said it has leveraged $9.1 million in grant money.
Culpeper, Va., an hour from Washington, D.C., found itself being marketed by housing developments as a "compromise" - lower housing costs in exchange for 30 minutes of extra driving to the city.
But rather than accept its fate, Culpeper started marketing itself as "the one and only Culpeper," using a unique color palette and the simple idea of the circle in all its advertising campaigns. Local businesses and organizations hooked into the same idea, reinforcing the brand the city had chosen for itself.
Shelby, N.C., likewise grabbed a one-of-a kind concept for itself by staking its claim as the Carolinas' Regional Music Showplace. Home of Earl Scruggs, the town centers around an abandoned courthouse which they have dubbed Earl Scruggs' Front Porch. The town square is now considered the community hearth, said Muldrow and gives a warm feeling to both residents and visitors.
Pound, Va., is on The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, which meanders through the heart of the state's country and bluegrass music festivals, museums and schools, including the Carter Family Fold.
Pound had "30 thriving businesses behind some terrible looking buildings," Muldrow said. Simple facade improvements helped the town become a place of destination, rather than just a bend in the road. In an innovative approach, Pound store owners turned their storefronts over to the town for five years, allowing it to use federal grant money on private property.
Outfitted with new facades, way-finding signs and colorful banners, Pound now markets itself as the place "Where the Crooked Road Bends."
Muldrow said Monroe has its own treasure in its courthouse Square. He presented a portion of the Monroe Main Street master plan, with artistic renderings of what the downtown could look like with a few trees, way-finding signs, and identified 13 locations which could be developed or redeveloped. He also gave an example of what a culinary center might offer with a mock brochure.