Pride lists waterfront, downtown among goals, activities in ’05

Staff reports

Posted: 10:45 PM EST Monday January 09, 2006

Pride of Kinston Director Adrian King prepared the following report of the organization’s activities during 2005.

Kinston’s Waterfront – Now! Task Force
Organized by Pride of Kinston in July 2005, and composed of 22 business, civic and governmental leaders, the aim of Kinston’s Waterfront – Now! Task Force is to convert that portion of the Neuse River which has been a part of Kinston history since the beginning into an active but smart incubator for the area’s economy.

Generally speaking, the Neuse riverbank has long been a benign feature of the Kinston area’s economy. Except for the Neuseway Nature Center on one side of the river and the Neuseway and Tiffany West Parks on the other at the intersection of King and Herritage Streets, developers, city and county fathers, investors, the retail and service industries have largely ignored the potential lying at the community’s front door.

There is evidence that in much earlier times, the Neusiok Indians used the Neuse as a source of food, and to expedite travel and communications; and later the river was important in military affairs during the Civil War.

Today, while a few canoe and fish in the Neuse its potential as a larger economic generator has not been pursued.

The Pride of Kinston task force has developed an important partnership with the North Carolina State University School of Design which has “adopted” Pride’s waterfront initiative. Through NCSU’s Office of Research, Extension and Engagement, and with NCSU’s Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Office, faculty and students of the School of Design will assist Pride over the next six months in developing a strategic plan for Neuse riverbank development. This represents a significant endorsement of the idea that a Kinston-friendly Neuse River can grow economic opportunity as well as healthy fish.

It is a perfect companion to Kinston’s Open Space Project based on a plan for utilization and management of public properties acquired as a result of floods caused by Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The in-town Open Space plan, affecting 900 acres with the Neuse River as a southern boundary, builds upon the Green Infrastructure Plan drafted in 2001-2002 by students from the University of North Carolina.

The Kinston Waterfront – Now! Task Force holds its first meeting with representatives of North Carolina State University’s School of Design on December 6, 2005 at the Pride offices. A “plan to plan” strategy involving the community will be the main agenda item.

Incentives for Downtown Development
One of Pride of Kinston’s four official goals is to: “Strengthen the existing economic assets of downtown while diversifying its economic base through business retention, recruitment and outreach to developers, investors and entrepreneurs.”

Throughout its history, Pride has focused on this goal in a number of ways. A low-cost loan program has been tried. Marketing and promotion activities have been undertaken. A façade grants program to assist property owners improve the physical appearance of their buildings was launched and remains an important strategy in Pride’s box of tools. An aggressive Property Development Committee of the Board of Directors undertakes special development projects in partnership with entrepreneurs, often utilizing donated buildings to cement the opportunities. Renovation of spaces to provide attractive parking alternatives has been a joint concern of both Property Development and the Design Committees.

In recent times, within the context of numerous empty downtown storefronts— often attached to decaying buildings--the question has arisen if a more focused and forceful two-pronged approach might be applied to current conditions.

One aspect of this approach would be to support a more aggressive posture on the part of the City of Kinston to require property owners to strictly adhere to ordnances pertaining to building upkeep and appearance.

Another aspect of this two-part approach would be development of an incentives package to encourage existing and prospective retail and business owners to keep or find a business “home” in downtown Kinston. Such a posture might yield a greater willingness among entrepreneurs, investors and developers to stay in or come to downtown.

Economic development programs throughout the country, including Lenoir County, have long employed an incentives strategy. Our community provided $200,000 in incentives as part of the Committee of 100’s persuasion of Delta Air Lines to begin service in Kinston April 2005. On a statewide basis, the Dell Corporation received an incentives package in excess of $240 million to put a manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

Downtown revitalization programs in other communities have developed specific incentive policies:

Wilson: Offers a rent incentive program, providing a one-year grant up to $6,000, or a two-year grant up to $8,400. An owner occupied building incentive grant program is being developed.
Salisbury: Maintains a revolving fund to purchase and renovate interiors of downtown buildings to create condos, with renovated buildings then sold to investors.
Morganton: Operates an incentive fund to encourage restaurant development in downtown Morganton.
Lenoir: Provides grants up to $4,000, with 3:1 match requirement, for exterior renovations, and grants up to $6,000 for interior renovations, with 3:1 match requirement.
Greensboro: To encourage in town living, the downtown organization guarantees interest payments for specified periods to developers of who build downtown apartments.

Development of Kinston’s downtown is important and deserves a strategy commensurate with that importance.

A Kinston incentives plan might borrow from the experiences of others. Additionally, an incentives package could include: adjusted tax policies for new business establishments, adjusted utility rates for a specified period, re-establishment of small loan programs to fund inventory, special subsidized marketing and advertising initiatives, special training classes at Lenoir Community College, a look at federal, state and local construction and inspection requirements with an eye towards making them more “user friendly,” and others. Pride intends to work with City of Kinston officials during first half of 2006 in an attempt to design a creative plan to jump start downtown development.

Kinston’s Museum Row and related tourism interests
Another goal of Pride of Kinston is to: “Promote downtown as an attractive place for residents, visitors and investors through activities including retail merchandising, community education, special events, tourism, public relations and marketing.”

Under that goal, Pride has worked strenuously with others, including the Lenoir County Heritage Tourism Council, to encourage closer cooperation and enhanced marketing of historical downtown assets.

Adoption of Heritage Tourism Plan: In partnership with the Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority and three downtown recipients of Golden Leaf Foundation grants (Black Heritage Society, CSS Neuse Gunboat Association and the Historical Preservation Group), Pride helped craft a county-wide tourism development plan over the spring and summer 2005. The plan was adopted in October. Subsequently the Kinston City Council approved the plan as its official position regarding tourism development. Lenoir County Commissioners have approved the hiring of a new tourism development director.

Creation of Museum Row and Museum Thursday: Kinston’s downtown is rich in its cultural amenities. Significant assets include Caswell No. 1 Fire Station Museum, the Cultural Heritage Museum, CSS Neuse Civil War Museum, the CSS Neuse II, Harmony Hall, the historic Colonial, Maplewood, Cedar Grove and Hebrew cemeteries, the Community Council for the Arts and the Neuseway Nature Center.

Exhibiting a new spirit of cooperation, these organizations with the encouragement of Pride, banded together to establish Museum Thursday: each organization pledged to be open to the public on that day each week. Increased accessibility for tourists, schools, and residents is the aim.

Publication of Museum Row marketing brochure: Cognizant of the downtown cultural resources and the need for improved marketing, Pride published a new “Kinston’s Museum Row” brochure describing in detail the organizations and sites which comprise Museum Row. The brochure was distributed to teachers in Lenoir County schools, and to the Interstate 95 Welcome Centers along the North Carolina-Virginia-South Carolina borders. Objective was to promote the community’s cultural resources while providing ample information for tourists and educators in order to make intelligent visiting decisions.

Creation of Historic Cemeteries Task Force: Kinston’s downtown historic cemeteries ranks near the top of under utilized assets for community and tourism development. The Cedar Grove, Colonial, Hebrew and Maplewood cemeteries represent the final resting places for many of Kinston and Lenoir County’s early leaders and families. Little in the way of restoration and appreciation has been undertaken in recent years. With Pride’s encouragement, a special historic cemeteries task force, being led by former City Council member Herb Spear, has been created and is at work to develop restoration and preservation plans. A “community day” held Oct. 29, 2005 at Maplewood/Cedar Grove/Hebrew created greater awareness of the significance of these burial grounds, and attracted a large number of people who have ancestors buried in the city-owned and managed facilities.

Plans are being developed to provide improved informational markers, landscaping, preservation and protection of grave stones, tours, and special programs at the sites.

Building exposure: Pride was instrumental in securing the visits of State leaders to broaden awareness of Kinston’s progress in the heritage tourism economy: the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry. Larry Wheeler, director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, visited Kinston’s Arts Center on July 14, 2005; State Senator Walter Dalton, co-chairman of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, visited local cultural organizations on Aug. 18, 2005; At the request of Pride, Valeria Lee, President of the Golden Leaf Foundation, participated in the release of the county’s heritage tourism plan on October 13, 2005; and North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources Lisbeth (Libba) Evans met with Kinston’s cultural leaders on Oct. 27, 2005 at a roundtable hosted by Pride.

Design of Queen Street
Observing what several other Tar Heel communities have decided, and taking note of several new shopping centers in the State which feature narrow streets, diagonal parking and pedestrian friendly design, Pride’s Design Committee on June 16, 2005 launched a discussion about re-designing Queen Street to create an intimate setting for business and shoppers.

In partnership with the Lenoir County Transportation Committee and local architect Michael Dunn, a Pride board member, a round table discussion was held to review options. Complicating factors include the need to finance a professional study, the fact the Queen Street is a federal, state and local artery, and the perception that the idea of a redesigned Queen Street lacks consensus within the downtown business community.

Community Outreach: Connecting the Dots
One of the most important services Pride offers the community is helping to connect the dots. This objective leads to reaching out to involve people in the community who want to make a contribution. It means using Pride resources to conduct community discussions. It means sponsoring events which build community cohesiveness.

This philosophy is grounded on the proposition that downtown development relies on the whole community. To borrow an idea, it takes all streets to revitalize main street. Downtown is not an island separated from everywhere else.

Item 1: June 3, 2005: A special 17-member community-based marketing and promotions task force was assembled by Pride to develop a proposed agenda for Pride’s 2005-2006 program year. Recommendations included developing a plan for Kinston’s stretch of the Neuse River; Outdoor concerts; Pedestrian pathways connecting historical and cultural amenities; and Museum Row.

Item 2: June 13, 2005: Susan Moffat-Thomas, executive director of New Bern’s Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation, at the invitation of Pride, conducted two community seminars June 13, 2005 attended by a cross section of Kinston’s business, civic and governmental leaders. She shared the “New Bern story” with Pride’s board members and others, urging all not to listen to those who say downtown development can’t be done.

Item 3: July 4, 2005: With Pride’s support and encouragement, the Lenoir County Historical Association sponsored a Naturalization Ceremony and Granting of Citizenship in the United States at historic Harmony Hall. Some 30 individuals from Algeria, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Korea, Russia, Vietnam and 10 other countries received their citizenship into the US in a ceremony presided over by US District Judge W. Earl Britt.

Item 4: Aug. 4, 2005: At Pride’s request, Jim Clinton, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board based in the Research Triangle Park, NC discussed with Kinston civic and business leaders SGPB’s recent publication: “2005 Report on the Future of the South—the New Architecture of Rural Prosperity.” Regional cooperation was cited as a key to economic prosperity.

Item 5: Aug. 19, 2005: Pride hosted a press conference to announce a new restaurant in downtown Kinston: the Chef and the Farmer, set to open in early 2006. The new eating establishment will feature Lenoir County native Vivian Howard who returned to Kinston to design and build the new restaurant with her partner Ben Knight who will manage the facilty.

Item 6: Sept. 19, 2005: In cooperation with the Kinston Department of Public Safety and its Sentinels program, the popular “Cop in a Box” program was reactivated with Pride’s urging, providing volunteer patrols along the streets of downtown.

Item 7: Sept. 22, 2005: The second annual “Sand in the Streets” outdoor concert was staged on Blount Street at the North Carolina Railroad historic freight depot. A local group “Spare Change” provided the entertainment for the popular Pride outdoor event. The concert was staged as a benefit for the Lenoir County Chapter of the American Red Cross to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. A total of $1,257 was raised by “Sand in the Streets” and donated to the local Red Cross chapter.

Item 8: Nov. 21, 2005: Pride’s Christmas Open House launched the Christmas shopping season in downtown Kinston. Christmas lights along Queen Street were switched on to herald the Open House, attended by local business and civic leaders. The event also launched the 2005 Light Up Downtown Window Display Contest.

Item 9: Nov. 29, 2005: The Briary, a home decorator store on Herritage Street, was awarded Pride’s first place plaque as winner of the Window Display Contest. Second place winner was Boutique on the Neuse; third place winner was Natural Body Pilates; and Honorable Mention went to Drake Janitorial Service. The Pride awards were distributed during the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce holiday open house.

Item 10: Jan. 2006: The Pride Board of Directors is scheduled to adopt a new set of bylaws which will open its membership to a broader range of members in the community. While maintaining a strong focus on downtown participation, membership requirements will permit a broader scope of interested leaders from throughout the community to serve.

Item 11: Jan. 2006-Oct. 2006: Pride is sponsoring a “Picture the Neuse” photography contest for professional and amateur photographers, a project being advised by Kinston photographer Isaac Hines and Artist Juliet Barrus. A jury will select photographs for an exhibition at the Community Council for the Arts. The winning photograph will be the subject of a painting by Artist Barrus, with prints to be sold as a fund raiser for Pride’s Neuse River initiative.

Item 12: Mar. 25, 2006: Pride-sponsored Kinston 8000: An 8k run for the river will take place at 8:30 am in downtown Kinston. The aim of the 4.97 mile run, as well as a 1-mile Fun Run, is to bring attention to Pride’s riverfront project and to promote healthy activities in the community. This is to be a partnership with the Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department.

Item 13: May 13, 2006: Sponsorship of a major “thank you” dinner for all the living former members of the Pride of Kinston Board of Directors. Since its founding in 1984, hundreds of community, civic and political leaders have served in Pride leadership capacities. The first Pride board meeting, chaired by Mayor Buddy Ritch, was held May 14, 1984. The “thank you” event will be an opportunity to say we appreciate your work in the past, and a platform to lay out new visions for the remainder of the current decade.

Item 14: Reaching out. Pride is fortunate to have the support and interest of government, community and civic leaders serving as members of the Board of Directors, as members of the Pride’s board committees and as members of special task forces assisting with the various initiatives. A listing of those groups is attached.