Friday, July 11, 2008

There is Incentive to Redevelop!

Things are looking good and people have noticed. Owners of property in downtown Reidsville are eligible for the RDC’s Redevelopment Incentive Grants Program. Business and property owners within the Central Business District currently pay an extra .25 per $100 assessment on their property tax. That tax revenue is being directed back into the downtown community through the RDC’s Redevelopment Incentive Grants Program. There are currently two grants available through this program: The Façade Grant and The Interior Renovation Grant.

The Façade Grant gives business owners an economic incentive to renovate the exterior facades of their buildings and encourages good design projects that complement the unique historic character of the buildings.

This grant provides a 50% match on an approved façade improvement with a cost up to $5000. For example: your new awing and trim paint cost $2200. The Façade Grant would pay $1100, you would pay $1100. There is even more incentive for major façade improvement that total more than $5000. The formula for funding these projects is 50% of the first $5000 of cost plus 20% of any additional cost up to $30,000., providing a maximum grant of $7500. Removing paint or metal siding or “slipcovers” that cover up the original façades of our beautiful buildings would make a tremendous difference in the overall appearance of our downtown. The Façade Grant applications are reviewed by the Design Committee of the RDC. This committee is also available to help you with your façade improvement design.

The Interior Renovation Grant is designed to provide property owners an economic incentive to undertake careful interior renovation and restoration projects. This program encourages good rehab projects that respect the architectural integrity and unique historic character of the building. These improvements can include the restoration of wood floors, concrete floors, tin ceilings, damaged plaster or sheetrock walls, electrical and plumbing work required to bring building to code compliance and any other improvements deemed acceptable by the Economic Restructuring (ER) Committee of the RDC. This is a 50% matching grant for projects up to $7000. It is important to emphasize that this grant is a redevelopment incentive and not to be considered for cosmetic or “redecorating” types of projects.

The guidelines and application for both of these grants are available for download at http://www.downtownreidsvillenc.com/

Art & Brad Gayhardt are recent recipients of both The Façade Grant and The Interior Renovation Grant. They are renovating the building at 111 Gilmer St. They plan to open Reidsville Sporting Arms in just a few weeks. We will report and show photos of their progress as they work to renovated the old “Sweet Shop”.


Waiting for a new ceiling
A new floor will replace the old rotten one

This back room will be the business office























































Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Energizer “Keep Going” Hall of Fame Finalist is the Featured Artist at The Gallery


Virginia Kassay’ s daughter, Emily, has autism. About three years ago, Virginia began drawing Emily’s favorite cartoon characters on a sheet of paper. “She paid attention” says Virginia. With no formal art training, Virginia began to draw and paint more of Emily’s favorite things and watched her come alive and move from severe autism to mild/moderate. This remarkable turnaround for Emily has come from their common love of art and color. Now Virginia uses her painting to educate others on autism and the power of being positive.

Virginia is being honored and recognized for her determination to help her daughter Emily and to share her discovery with other parents of autistic children. She is one of ten finalists for the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame for her never stop, never give-up resolve. You can vote for Virginia at www.energizer.com/halloffame . You can vote once a day, everyday until 11:59pm on July 25th. The winner receives $10,000 plus $5,000 for the winner’s favorite charity. Virginia said the $5,000, if she wins, will go to autism research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

The Gallery, 217 SW Market St. in downtown Reidsville, will feature Virginia Kassay’s ‘Artizzm’ show, “Unlocking Autistic Minds with Every Brush Stroke” from July 3 – July 26. Because of so many 4th of July celebrations, the opening reception will be held on Thursday, July 3rd, 5:00-9:00pm instead of Friday. Come enjoy the food, the wine, the friendship and the guitars of Steve & Eric Moran. Please mark your calendars for the “First Thursday at Five” for the July show!

Virginia will be at The Gallery again on Saturday, July 19th at 1:00pm to sign prints of her artwork with a portion of the proceeds going to the autism research at Wake.
Let’s show Virginia and Emily a huge Reidsville welcome and “All-America” support!!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Reidsville Wins All-America City Award!!!



Reidsville was named one of 10 winners of the National Civic League’s All-America City Award Friday night at the banquet meeting held in Tampa, Florida.

A delegation of 51 members, including representatives from the Free Clinic of Rockingham County, the Reidsville Outreach Center and the Reidsville Teen Center, traveled to Florida on the “Trek to Tampa.” The National Civic League announced the ten winners, in no particular order. Reidsville was called up to the stage second after Akron, Ohio.

Mayor James K. Festerman and the delegation took to the stage, shaking hands with the judges and other NCL officials. The judges said they had been moved by the City’s presentation, which included patients from the Free Clinic, clients served by the Outreach Center and youth who participate in the Teen Center programs.

The year-long process, spearheaded by the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce, included some 150 people who had worked on the application. Once Reidsville was named one of the 17 finalists, Chamber and City officials worked with representatives of the three projects on their presentation.

Each finalist had 10 minutes to make their presentation, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer period.

“We are thrilled to win this award on our first time as a finalist,” Mayor Festerman said. “This means so much to our City, which has pulled together to provide these humanitarian services to our community.”

The other 9 winners were Akron, OH; Gladstone, MO; Newhaven CT; Aurora, CO; Kissimmee/Osceola County, FL; Goodyear, AZ; St. Louis Region, MO/IL; Cerritos, CA and last but not least, Lenoir, NC!!!

Congratulations to all!! Written by Angela Stadler

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

2008 Second Friday Cruise-Ins

May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8 and September 12
6:00-9:00pm in
Downtown Reidsville
Come join the
EZ Street Cruisers Car Club
Live Music
located in the
SW Market St. parking lot
Many shops and restaurants open for the event. The Reidsville Downtown Merchants’ Association will be collecting canned and nonperishable food items at each of our 2008 Cruise-Ins for the Outreach Center.For more information call Diana at 349-1045

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

The Cruise-Ins Are Back!



2008 Second Friday Cruise-Ins Season Kick-off Friday, April 11, 6:00-9:00pm
Come join the EZ Street Cruisers Car Club for a fun-filled evening at the
“Reidsville Downtown Cruise In”
Live Music by “The Swell”


For more information call Diana at 349-1045



The 2008 Downtown Spring Shop & Stroll
Friday & Saturday, April 11-12, 10:00 - 5:00
Sidewalk Sale ~ Special Shop Sales ~ Art Galleries
~ Dining ~ Beauty & Body Salons ~ & More


“Future Stars of Rockingham County”
We are looking for young bands to showcase at our
Second Friday Night Cruise-Ins in Downtown Reidsville
Please contact Mason King, RDC Promotions Committee Co-Chair
at 255-8942 if you have a band whose members:

  • live in Rockingham County
  • attend Jr. or Sr. High School
  • play an instrument
  • are willing to audition (live or recorded)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The National Civic League announced the finalists in the annual all-America City Award today. The finalists are: Goodyear, Arizona; Marana, Arizona; Cerritos, California; Aurora, Colorado; New Haven, Connecticut; Kissimmee- Osceola County, Florida; Sarasota County, Florida; Somerville, Massachusetts; Gladstone, Missouri; the St. Louis Region, Missouri-Illinois; Lenoir, North Carolina; Reidsville, North Carolina; Akron, Ohio; Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania; Abbeville County, South Carolina; Selma, Texas, and Caroline County, Virginia. Each finalist completed an extensive application providing detailed descriptions of the challenges they face and the impacts of three community projects to address those challenges. The next step is for each community to send a delegation to Tampa, Florida, for a three-day awards competition and innovations forum (June 4-6). The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday, June 6. The All-America City Awards recognizes communities for collaboration, inclusiveness, and successful innovation. All-America Cities demonstrate community-wide civic accomplishments, cross-sector cooperation, grassroots participation, and creative approaches to issues such as the need for low-income housing, support for at-risk youth, downtown revitalization, and healthcare for the uninsured.
“The original community award, the All-America City Award is the ‘Oscar’ for communities of all sizes,” noted National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “It recognizes the efforts of entire communities and exemplifies extensive civic engagement. When people attend the event for the first time, they are energized by the can-do spirit, excitement and optimism of the participants. The spirit of community-pride and unlimited possibility is contagious.”
During the three-day competition, a delegation from each community will present its programs and solutions to a jury of national experts from across the United States. Their presentations will address the community’s social and economic issues, including at least one project that focuses on the needs of young people.
A jury of national business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders will select the top 10 communities based on their presentations and applications. The 2008 All-America City Award winners will be announced Friday June 6 at a ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.
This year the awards program will feature Innovation Forums to promote peer-to-peer dialogues among the finalist communities and regional and national leaders. The topics include best practices of All-America Cities, effectively marketing your community, a youth forum, and a chief elected and appointed officials forum on civic issues. Hot topic workshops are being developed on green solutions, immigrant integration, the community-side of the subprime lending crisis, and other issues.
Now in its 59th year, the All-America City Award is an honor achieved by more than 500 neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, and regions across the country. Some have won the award multiple times.
This year’s AAC Awards are sponsored in part by Jones Day, MWH, RBC Capital Markets, Southwest Airlines (The Official Airline of the AAC Awards), Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina (The Sole Official Headquarters Hotel of the AAC Awards), and Marriott International.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

YOU'RE INVITED!

First Quarter Breakfast Meeting of the “Friends of Downtown” will be held Saturday, March 8th, 9:30-11:00am at Café 99, 128 S. Scales St. We will provide a light breakfast buffet. If haven’t signed-up as a “Friend" before, we welcome you to come join us! There will be an “Update” presentation on all of the revitalization projects underway. We will review and discuss all of the suggested names for the new “market park” and pick a favorite or two.

The “Friends of Downtown” is made up of citizen interested in downtown revitalization and serve in a support, advisory and advocacy capacity to the Reidsville Downtown Corporation. We also just have a lot of fun.



ALSO...MAKE YOUR CALENDER...
The Art Center Feasibility Study
“Design Presentation & Final Report”
March 12, 5:30-7:00pm
Café 99, 128 S. Scales St.


The Arts Center Community Design Workshop held Monday night, Feb.11, at Café 99 was a phenomenal success. Henry Sanoff and Graham Adams, the consultants for the Feasibility Study, and Jeffery York from the NC Arts Council, were “blown away” by the response and the enthusiasm they saw.
They will return to present the final conceptual design and report
on the Feasibility Study on March 12th, 5:30 –7:00pm at Café 99, 128 S.Scales St.
Please come one and all!!