The Gray Downtown Development Authority members discussed property repairs, property updates and term limits at their June meeting.
DDA Chairman Sherri Rollins called the June 10 meeting to order. The first report was for the finance committee and was presented by the DDA recording secretary, Ashley Roberson. She said the balance in the checking account was $187,009.
Rollins said looking at the finance report, all is in order.
Roberson gave the update on Butler Hall, stating that 10 events are scheduled in June and four so far in July. She also noted that between the dates of Aug. 16 and Nov. 16, every Friday and Saturday at the venue are booked.
Roberson said the registry company, Zola, had reached out and offered a free trial of its services and three inquiries about Butler Hall had already been received. She said she would investigate the price schedule and report back.
Rollins reported on the repairs underway at 123 West Clinton Street. She said the plumbing and electric were being replaced and walls redone. The floors will be like buffed concrete, which requires little maintenance.
The chairman said the tenant for the space will be an ice cream shop, Crazy Cones, and it already has a social media presence. She said the scheduled opening date is mid-July.
Rollins said the business owners have researched the idea and reported that almost every town has a small ice cream shop. She said they may serve some coffees but would not be in competition with neighboring Bloom.
Rollins said the repairs for the property may be pricey, but nothing had really been done to the space since it was purchased.
The chairman also talked about gutters for the front of Butler Hall. The estimate received for the gutters was $1,680. She said the gutters are needed because most of the mulch in the front of the building is washed out when it rains.
Rollins said the gutters would be the same color as the building and doubted they would be any more noticeable than the existing gutters on the back of the building.
She asked for a budget of $2,000 for the project, and it was approved unanimously.
The chairman also talked about the need for landscaping at Butler Hall. Roberson added the city does a good job cutting the grass but does not do landscaping.
Rollins said weeds are in the mulch, and it may be time to consider hiring someone for the landscaping.
“It needs to look nice outside,” she added.
The DDA members agreed, and Roberson said she would work on getting pricing and bring back the information.
Rollins also talked about the need to look at the rental rates for Butler Hall. She said the rates have not changed since it opened.
“We are doing well, but there are a lot of costs for maintenance. We need to keep up with market prices,” she said.
Roberson had a list of the pricing of comparable venues and quickly read through the list. The chairman asked for a spreadsheet of the information at the next meeting and suggested any rate changes would take effect in 2025.
“We need to do it now because people are already booking for next year,” Rollins said.
The next agenda item was the term limits of DDA members. David Tufts, Alan Childs, Cecil Ethridge, Vickie Ethridge and Bert King have term end dates of Dec. 31, 2026. Rollins and Rick Childs have end dates of Dec. 31, 2024.
After a brief discussion, it was agreed to stagger more of the terms. Tufts and Alan Childs were left for 2026 but Cecil Ethridge, Vickie Ethridge and King would be changed to end 2025.
Cecil Ethridge asked about DDA board training, and Roberson said she would check on the requirements and availability.
Roberson, who also serves as the Main Street Gray Director, gave a report for the organization. She said she has been working with the Jones County Library and Parks and Recreation Director Bert Rosenberger for summer movie events at the W. E. Knox Civic Center.
Roberson said she is also working on the Main Street Gray Fall Festival scheduled Sept. 21. She said there would be more information to come for that.
The director said the May 31 Fridays on Main event had a huge turnout. She said the Terrace on Madison had live music and was full.
“You could see their vision come to life,” Roberson said.
The director said future Fridays on Main would take place June 21, July 19 and Aug. 16.
Rollins said she did not have any chairman’s comments but said “there is a buzz in downtown Gray, and it continues to grow.”
The meeting was adjourned to go into closed session.
The next meeting of the DDA is scheduled July 9.
