DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
The Gray Downtown Development Authority met for a strategic planning session for Main Street Gray at the conclusion of their first meeting of the year.
DDA Chairman Sherri Rollins called the Jan. 8 meeting to order, and the finance report was first. Recording Secretary Ashley Roberson reported the bank balance was $157,390.
Rollins noted that, looking over the 2023 budget, the income from Butler Hall alone was $100,000.
“And it’s going to get better and better,” the chairman said.
Roberson is the Director of Main Street Gray and in that capacity manages Butler Hall. The DDA board also serves as the board for Main Street Gray.
Rollins said Roberson is doing a great job managing the venue. She added that the price point for rental of the facility is right where it needs to be.
The chairman said Butler Hall gives the DDA the financial resources to invest back into the community. She went on to say she appreciates the trust the council has shown the authority members.
“It’s really made a difference in Downtown Gray,” Rollins said.
Under old business, the chairman said the estimate for repairs to rental properties on Ross Street was $4,000. She said the plan is to seal the brick in the damaged areas and repair the plaster. She added the repairs need to be done and that is the best option.
DDA member Alan Childs made the motion to proceed with the repairs, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Rollins said the awnings for Butler Hall to help regulate the temperature would be installed this month.
The chairman reported there had been a delay in connecting the EV chargers located in front of Butler Hall. The problem was unexpected concrete that was found when running the power to the chargers.
She said that should be completed the next week.
Roberson presented the marketing report for Butler Hall. She said since the holidays, she has done seven tours of the facility, and three of them immediately booked it.
The director said 25 events were scheduled at the venue for 2024, and a couple were already booked for 2025. She said she was expecting more.
“Lots of engagements happened over the holidays,” she commented.
Main Street Gray
In her Main Street report, Roberson said the work-based learning student started after the first of the year and had been very helpful. She said the next Main Street Event was Galentines, scheduled Feb. 10.
The director said the annual chamber awards dinner was scheduled Feb. 2, and Main Street had been nominated as the Organization of the Year. She said Main Street would be presenting an award for the Small Downtown Business of the Year, and she encouraged board members to attend.
Roberson said she was working with Jones County High School with the FLEX competition.
In her chairman’s comments, Rollins said 2023 had been a great year, and she suggested an analysis of the affect the DDA has had on Downtown Gray. “The economic development and growth downtown have been tremendous. People want to be downtown,” she said.
Roberson said the Main Street report she does contains economic impact figures, and she would work on putting the report together.
Planning session
Roberson presented project ideas, beginning with streetscape lights on West Clinton Street. She said she planned to discuss the idea with city council members at the committees meeting to get an idea of financing options.
The director said the curbs on the East Clinton side need to be restructured, and she had met with Georgia Power to discuss the issue.
She said she would like to look at possible façade grants for small businesses to help with their signage. Roberson said the goal would be to improve the business and fit into the city’s design guidelines.
“I feel like signage is a big thing for us,” she said.
The director went from the grant to the need to improve the city’s Welcome to Gray signs and the downtown street signs.
Rollins agreed to the importance of the signs for businesses and downtown.
Roberson provided board members examples of the façade grant applications for Milledgeville and Madison. She said funds received from vendors during Main Street events could fund the grant.
Board members agreed the Welcome to Gray signs needed to be updated, and the downtown street signs would add to the look of the main downtown corridor. The chairman suggested the signs be kept simple.
Roberson brought up the idea of an Otis Redding celebration, perhaps around his birthday.
“We need to do something to embrace that he lived here,” she said.
Rollins agreed and said they would need to setup a meeting and work with the foundation.
Roberson said she has gotten good feedback from the Main Street Gray events, and the Christmas Market attracted 7,000 people to Gray. She said she would like to continue to expand the events.
The director said she is working with a group of city and county leaders on the rebranding of Gray and Jones County. She added that the website is still a work in progress.
Rollins said she would like to condense the design guidelines, just to simplify the process. She suggested perhaps the intern could help with that.
The chairman made note that one of the 2023 goals of the landscaping for the downtown streetscape had been accomplished and looks great.
