One of the downsides of having a top-notch event venue is the requests by community groups and organizations to use it at free or greatly reduced rates.
Gray Downtown Development Authority members discussed that issue at the beginning of this month’s meeting. Chairman Sherri Rollins called the April 10 meeting to order, and that discussion started with a list of groups asking to use Butler Hall.
Rollins said the DDA did not want to appear ungiving, but the venue has expenses that have to be covered.
DDA member Bert King asked if the venue has a nonprofit rate, and Rollins said the problem is the number of nonprofits.
“I don’t know how you would pick and choose,” she said.
Rollins said the year is just getting started and they do not know how well the budget will hold up. She asked for input from the members, and the consensus was they agreed. The chairman suggested the better route of working with those wanting to use the venue by suggesting less expensive times and a reduced length of time to rent it.
Another idea was organizations using Butler Hall for a joint event could split the cost.
She said the suggestion was made for the DDA to set aside a certain number of days a year to offer those community organizations that cannot afford the cost of renting the venue and making it first come, first serve.
Rollins said that could be considered for the future.
The meeting started with the usual approval of previous minutes and the finance report. The balance in the checking account was given as $91,840.
For Butler Hall updates, the chairman said she was still working on ideas for the mantle, and she asked about any progress with the issue of parking. Main Street Gray Director Ashley Roberson said nothing had changed with the challenge of making sure those who rented Butler Hall had room in the parking lot.
Under New Business, the chairman said there had been a discussion about a possible contribution to the painting of the courthouse annex. She said Butler Hall wanted to be a good community partner, and the appearance of the building was important.
King said he had spoken with County Administrator Jason Rizner, and the bid for painting the annex was $45,000. He said being willing to help with the cost would show the DDA’s interest in keeping the courthouse located downtown.
Rollins said the renovation of the courthouse would most likely take years, and she would like to see the DDA contribute to improving the appearance of the annex.
“Anything we can do to help our square helps us with our long-range plans,” she said.
DDA member Rick Childs said he agreed but asked about the amount the DDA could afford.
Rollins said she was thinking $10,000 and King suggested $15,000, which was approximately a third of the cost of painting the annex.
The chairman said there is a lot of foot traffic around the courthouse, which is a form of marketing for Butler Hall.
“The courthouse is a huge asset to our city,” she said.
King agreed and said court days continue to grow. He made the motion to offer a contribution of $15,000 toward painting the annex, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Roberson presented her Main Street Gray report. DDA members also serve as the Board of Directors for Main Street Gray.
She said the Spring Hometown Festival would take place Saturday, and 62 vendors, including food trucks, have signed up for the event. She said Autumn Lane has donated its tent to use at the festival, which will be outside, and it appears the weather will cooperate.
Roberson said West Clinton Street will be shut down and inflatables will be at the festival for the children. She said students will perform on the stage until concerts start at 5 p.m., and open container cups would be available for beer and wine after 5.
DDA member Vicki Ethridge said she has been looking at the downtown streetscape area for ideas of how to improve it. She said the trees are looking bad, and the area is overgrown and needs attention.
Rollins said the trees have been there for 20 years. The streetscape was the result of a 2001 grant the county received from the Georgia Department of Transportation. She said they needed to get a plan together.
Roberson said she received a call about Gray’s Tree City designation. The city received the designation in 2012, and the person who was handling it has retired. Rollins said perhaps one of the civic organizations would get involved.
The director reported that she was working on Main Street’s annual assessment. She said Main Street officials let her know that the city needs to change its designated area for Main Street, which is currently the entire city limits of Gray. She said she was told having the whole city as the area deludes it.
Roberson added that whether they were located in the designated area or not, all Gray business would be included in Main Street Gray activities.
King asked for a sketch of the proposed designated area for the next meeting.
Roberson presented the new Shop Local Gray Community eGift Card. She said the card can be purchased online and used like any other gift card at the participating businesses in Gray.
The director suggested the gift cards were a good idea for gifts at Christmas and other events to keep shopping local.
The meeting was adjourned to enter into closed session.
The next meeting of the DDA is scheduled May 9.
