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A design for downtown
Granite Falls promotes Main Street program
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Published: October 16, 2008
GRANITE FALLS - Attracting people downtown after 5 p.m., better promotions, and incentives for improvements on downtown buildings are some of the areas identified as important to the town's growth.
About 30 people gathered at Granite Falls' Town Hall Tuesday night to start getting the word out about their downtown area.
The town is participating in the Small Town Main Street Program, which assigns a facilitator and designer to each town to help develop, improve and promote the downtown area.
"We used to call these 'projects,' but that connoted a beginning and an end. Now we call them programs because they're always evolving and growing," said Sherry Adams, facilitator.
After voting on issues identified as important during the first meeting last month, the group broke into three groups, each with a focus area — promotions, economic restructuring issues and design issues.
Top vote-getters included activities for the downtown area after 5 p.m.; events and promoting downtown as a shopping destination; façade grants and business incentives; and loans and building appearance.
The design committee, headed by Greg Wilson and Kevin Annas, spotlighted three areas on which to focus — façade grants, signage on the entrances to the town and using the old mill buildings.
Designer Lew Holloway, with the Small Town Main Street Program, told the group about the "new urbanism" developing in some towns and cities, focusing on walking or using alternative transportation such as golf carts to get to and around downtown.
"We should look at increasing the pedestrian connection," Holloway said. "You have lots of wonderful neighborhoods adjacent to the downtown area."
Holloway also stressed the use of the old mill buildings for attractions such as a museum.
"We need to consider the old mill buildings, how can we keep them connected to downtown and what are some creative ways we can use them?" he said.
Finally, the group discussed existing signage used along U.S. 321 and 321A to guide motorists into town.
Group co-chair Wilson summed it up in his report to the group after the brainstorming sessions.
"We let people know there is a Granite Falls and you need to go this way to get there," he said.
The events committee began by making a list of town events, both past and present, and came up with some suggestions for new ones, such as a Riverfest at the Lake South Park on Lake Rhodhiss.
Group co-chair David Freeman said their goal is to bring as many people to the downtown area for special events as possible.
"When the day ends and we're seeking entertainment, we all leave Granite Falls and we'd like to see that change," Freeman said.
Suggestions for events included a dinner theater and a microbrewery.
The economic restructuring committee will use several questionnaires for fact finding about the buildings downtown, number of customers visiting downtown businesses and number of employees.
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