Outstanding Public-Private Partnership Twenty-Nine West Boyce Street
Nominated by: Main Street Manning
Manning officials had a long-term goal of locating city hall downtown, but the right opportunity had never presented itself.
During a chamber of commerce retreat, Main Street Manning shared with attendees the fa-ade renderings for two downtown buildings, one occupied and the other vacant. The vacant building was located in a prominent part of the downtown district on a four-way intersection across from the county courthouse. In the vacant building, city officials saw the potential of realizing their long-term goal.
The city entered into a lease-purchase agreement, which allowed them greater opportunities to afford the building. This financing mechanism shifted costs away from the capital budget to the general budget. It allowed the project to be more flexible, creating the possibility for the project to move faster and more efficiently. The public-private partnership allowed a fair and reasonable sharing of risks, costs, responsibilities and economic return among all of the partners involved.
The building's owner paid for all of the normal renovations to make the building an office space; however, the city paid for more specific items for municipal needs (e.g., vault, elevator for accessibility, phone system and alarm/key system).
This unique public-private partnership served as a catalyst for other public-private partnerships, such as between the Clarendon County Historic Society and a local bank. The bank is renovating a building and has agreed to allow the Historic Society to use the facility for a museum. The city also formed a partnership with a local company to relocate the Farmers Market to downtown. The city and Main Street Manning will continue to look for other partnership opportunities to improve the quality of their downtown.
Contact Mary Adger at adminservices@cityofmanning.org or 803.435.8477 ext. 114.
Downtown Service Award
Joyce Rheney
Nominated by: Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association
Joyce Rheney served 20 years on the Orangeburg City Council. During her tenure, she was an avid supporter of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association. She served on the Stevenson Auditorium Restoration Committee and took the lead in renovating a former fire station adjacent to city hall into a state-of-the-art facility to house council chambers and complement the downtown revitalization effort. After her council service, she continues to support the downtown revitalization efforts by serving on the DORA design committee and is always willing to meet with property owners to discuss potential improvements. Additionally, she played a key role in developing guidelines for downtown development entitled, "Building Renovations, Additions, Demolitions for Historic Downtown Orangeburg," which features responsible development practices.
Contact Bernice Tribble at btribble@orangeburg.sc.us or 803.531.6186.
Outstanding Promotion
Conway Main Street USA
"I Am Conway" Image Campaign
In the Spring 2009, visitors as well as locals on the historic streets of Conway were delighted to find previously empty storefront windows filled with beautiful smiling faces featured on eye-catching "I Am Conway" posters. These smiling faces were the residents, merchants, business owners, professionals, employees, friends, neighbors and other individuals whose combined efforts, creativity, time and talent make Conway a beautiful place to live, work and play.
The goal of the "I Am Conway" promotion was to create awareness of downtown Conway while increasing morale among merchants and business owners. The Conway Main Street program also wanted to dress up empty storefront windows and draw attention to new business opportunities available. The campaign not only achieved its goal but also served as a nationwide success story. Local, state and national publications featured the campaign, and 12 once-vacant buildings celebrated the grand opening of new businesses.
Contact Gail Alexander at mainst@sccoast.net or 843.488.0247.
Gaines Jontz Rehabilitation Award Two North Brooks Street
Nominated by: Main Street Manning
The Moses Levi Building is believed to be the oldest surviving commercial building in downtown Manning, possibly dating back prior to 1895. The building is located on a prominent corner of the downtown district and on a major thoroughfare through the city. William Johnson and his partners believed in downtown Manning and saw an opportunity to make a difference through a building rehabilitation project.
The project's goal was to restore the building to its original architecture and serve as the law offices of Johnson, McKenzie and Robinson, LLC. Using historic photographs and first-source documents, the partners restored the building's interior and exterior. The project has inspired other property owners who often look at it when discussing potential rehabilitation projects. In 2009, the residents of Manning voted the building "Best Building Renovation."
Contact Mary Adger at adminservices@cityofmanning.org or 803.435.8477 ext. 114.
Outstanding New Construction
Marian Wright Edelman Public Library
Nominated by: Bennettsville Downtown Development Association
The construction of the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library was the culmination of a five-year campaign. The 20,000 square foot facility is located in the heart of downtown Bennettsville, a block from the courthouse square and in the "cultural campus" being developed by the Bennettsville Downtown Development Association. The site evokes the town's rich architectural heritage while staying true to the master plan for downtown revitalization.
The library features a genealogy room, 22 public computers, an interactive children's area and a young adult section. The library has a unique partnership with Northeastern Technical College. The library houses two classrooms and a computer lab for the college and its Marlboro County students. All of these features combine to make the new library a hub of activity, attracting thousands of visitors each year.
The project was truly a community effort. In addition to local fundraising, the Bill Clinton Foundation awarded $100,000 to the project. Federal, state and local monies helped bring the project to fruition.
Contact Ken Harmon at bdda99@yahoo.com or 843.479.3869.
Master Merchant
Kelli Noland, Bridgers Drugs
Nominated by: Main Street Marion
Bridgers Drugs is a full-service pharmacy in continuous operation for 75 years. Bridgers" employees and owners volunteer their time in community events sponsored by Main Street Marion. Kelli Noland, Bridgers" manager, has been an active Main Street Marion board member for four years and currently serves as chairman.
Because of her leadership, Main Street Marion has created an overwhelmingly positive public opinion of the organization's mission. The organization created a monthly newsletter, four annual Lunch-n-Learn meetings, four annual workshops and eight annual fundraisers. All have been well attended and have benefited Main Street Marion's mission.
Noland does an excellent job with merchandising and providing a wide variety of items for her drugstore customers. She uses sophisticated and contemporary window displays to entice customers. Last year, Bridgers began notifying gift shop customers by e-mail of new items, sale information and seasonal promotions.
In addition, Noland recently participated in a project that packaged medication for the entire month for those who have difficulty reading or remembering to take their medications. These one-month packages allow participants to take their medication safely.
Contact: Charles Wiegert at hmra@theswampfox.com.