HomeProgress-Index, 04/26/2006
Petersburg may return to Main Street
By T. Devon Robinson, Staff Writer
PETERSBURG - Two programs - one old, one new - were presented at last night's Downtown Petersburg Inc. meeting at the Petersburg Regional Art Center.
These presenters of these programs hope that they will have a strong effect on plans to revitalize the city.
Stephen G. Versen represented the Virginia Main Street Program; Petersburg was once a member of the program but dropped out due to declining participation.
“It’s been about 10 years since we've been involved in the program,” said Terry Ammons, principal of Studio Ammons and host of the meeting.
The Main Street program is the foremost “downtown revitalization program in the country,” Versen said. Since its inception, it has led to $18 billion nationwide in investment and has served over 1,800 communities.
To rejoin the program and fully use its resources, Petersburg must first become an Commercial District Affiliate with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. To get into the affiliate program, all that is required is a two-page application and endorsement from City Council, Versen said.
Petersburg would be included in the running for selection into the Main Street program in 2010, Versen said. The selection process is competitive due to funding constraints, he said.
Later in the meeting, Greg Werkheiser, executive director of the Phoenix Project, announced that Petersburg will be the pilot site of the program. Twenty students from the College of William and Mary will live in Petersburg and work on four or five test projects throughout the city, he said.
We want the community to define these projects," Werkheiser said.
The goals of the Phoenix Project include becoming “a bridge builder between our institutions of higher education and some of our most economically stressed cities in Virginia,” Werkheiser said.
The pilot program, if successful, will begin a partnership between Petersburg and William and Mary by about 2007, he said. The program will extend to other universities and cities in Virginia at a later date.
Also in the meeting, Cynthia Devereaux of the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce said that there has been six tours of Petersburg given to Fort Lee officials and there are more planned. The city is continuing to forge a relationship with Fort Lee in anticipation of an influx of soldiers to the base.
“The goal is not just to show Petersburg but to become friends,” she said.
Also in the meeting:
- Chris Stevenson, presenting for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, spoke of work to create a historic district on Pocahontas Island.
- Chris Calkins of the Petersburg National Battlefield said, to avoid confusion, summer tours of Petersburg will be based mostly out of the Siege Museum and Blandford Church. There are also plans to create a visitor contact station in Old Towne.
- Lewis Maylon, representing the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiques, offered a partnership between the organization and the city. The association currently is heavily involved in Jamestown 2007.
“I’ve seen Petersburg thrive,” said Maylon, who is originally from Prince George County, “and I would like to see it again.”
* T. DeVon Robinson may be reached at 732-3456, ext. 260.
