New Director Gives Update To Council
A new skateboard park has been proposed for Buena Vista on vacant city-owned land on the west side of the 1700 block of Magnolia Avenue.
This proposal was reported to City Council this past Thursday by Jen Carpenter, executive director for Main Street Buena Vista. At Carpenter’s request, Council adopted a resolution in support of MSBV seeking grant funding for the project.
The idea is to develop a skateboard park on two lots the city acquired years ago through the Federal Emergency Management Agency that restricts most kinds of development because the land is in a floodplain. Grants being sought include the Skate Park Project, Carilion Community Health Grant and a Virginia Main Street Community Vitality Grant.
Carpenter also announced that MSBV has started academic partnerships with Washington and Lee University, Virginia Tech and Southern Virginia University in which students are working on MSBV projects. W&L students are redesigning MSBV’s website in an effort to improve the organization’s online presence.
Virginia Tech students are assisting with economic planning by helping with a business survey of local business owners. The survey is part of the Business Triangle Initiative funded through a Small Area Plan grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development.
SVU marketing students have been enlisted to take a look at other similar Main Street programs elsewhere in small cities throughout Virginia to identify areas that BVMS can learn from and grow.
Interest Grows In Façade Program
Buena Vista’s Facade Improvement Grant Program had a robust amount of interest from applicants in the latest round of grant funding. Kristina Ramsey, city’s director of economic development, told City Council last week that $63,237 had been awarded to 15 properties.
This was by far the best response the city has had to date for the program that provides financial assistance to property owners and businesses eligible for help with making exterior building improvements. Ramsey said the program has expanded beyond the city’s traditional boundaries for the downtown business district.
The objective of the program is to promote economic growth, preserve historical architecture and enhance the overall appeal of the city’s business districts. The program is funded by the city and administered with the support of the city’s Economic Development Authority.
Projects Funded
Buena Vista City Council last week appropriated $142,000 that is to be divided among three separate projects. Of these appropriations, $45,000 is to go for the first phase of implementing municipal software from the vendor RDA.
Funding had been appropriated for municipal software earlier for a contract that was never fulfilled by a different vendor. A full refund of $165,000 was secured for the city, from which the latest appropriation is being drawn. The first phase involves installing the new software in the treasurer’s and commissioner of revenue’s offices this year and a second phase next year is to install it in the departments of finance and human resources.
An appropriation of $25,000 was approved for a historic structure report and feasibility study for the old courthouse on Magnolia Avenue. A grant of $15,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation is to be forthcoming, with the city providing a $10,000 match that was approved in November by City Council.
A flood hazard resilience plan that’s mostly funded through a grant from the Department of Conservation and Recreation required an appropriation of $72,000. The plan focuses on interior stream flood mitigation efforts. The city’s match is $8,000 - $1,200 through in-kind staff time and $6,800 from the Community Development Department’s professional services budget line item.
Appointments
Jeremy Becker, Neil Carpenter and Jody Fix were appointed to four-year terms on the Buena Vista Economic Development Authority.
