PO Box 117 -  Alderson W Va.  24910

"Improving the Community - One Project at a Time"

Long Range Plan Action Steps

 

  

Question 1

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ALDERSON TO BE LIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS?

 A place where five women will travel at least one hour to come to and will have enough to do to stay at least three hours.

  1. Get our activities listed in WV Magazine—Tom Dameron
  2. Develop and print walking tour brochure—Fawn Valentine
  3. Train tour guides to take visitors around town—bus tours and other groups
  4. Distribute our rack cards.—Margaret Hambrick and Betty Alderson
  5. Develop new rack card that describes how to spend 3 hours in Alderson.—Sarah Alderson????

 A lunch and dinner destination with a really nice place to have dinner.

 A place with at least 5 more businesses.  Use the Woodson Prince building and the old bank building for attractive retail outlets.

 Our population will grow, especially as a bedroom community for other places

 All our residences and businesses will be and look well kept, safe and sanitary.

 When people visit our town as tourists, they will want to come here to live.

 We will have a supply of “good” housing available for rent and sale.

  1. Provide a place to display houses for sale in Alderson
  2. Develop list of rental properties and landlord phone numbers.

 We are a safe place for children to play and all people to walk.

  1. Write letter to Council to support them and the police in reducing loitering—M. Hambrick-done

 We work in partnership with surrounding small, unincorporated areas to improve development for both.

1.  List by name the surrounding small “towns” or areas and identify the resources they have.—Jim Herod

 Question 2                                                     

HOW CAN WE GET THERE OR WHAT CAN WE DO TO REALIZE OUR VISION?

 Find some way to draw businesses into the town.

  1. Find a good media in which to place an ad inviting businesses to come to Alderson.—ask Katie Ickes and/or Kara Dense—Margaret Hambrick
  2. Identify the bad points for a business to set up in Alderson.—Jim Herod
  3. Develop an action plan to reduce the negatives
  4. Develop a Farmer’s Market.

 Hold Main Street meetings at 5:30 p.m. to be more convenient for business owners.

  1. Visit each local business owner who is not a member of Main Street.—Judy Hoover
  2. Invite them to join.—Judy Hoover
  3. Ask they what would be the most convenient time for meeting.—Judy Hoover

 Help businesses and the town be more enticing.

  1. Develop and produce welcome packet to be given to all newcomers when they sign up for utility services at City Hall.—Judy Lewallen and Linda Loudermilk

 Help market Alderson as good place to live.  Emphasize our Victorian features.

  1. Create and market poster of photos of the most striking Victorian elements of our architecture.
  2. Develop an inventory of our Victorian features/buildings.—Margaret Hambrick
  3. Put timer on Gazebo lights and set for early hours of darkness.—Tom Dameron
  4. Ask Council if they are willing to bear the cost.—M. Hambrick-done
  5. Talk to “elderhostel” and invite them to include Alderson in their itinerary. 

 Support Town Government as they enforce zoning, dilapidated building, junk, and building safety laws.

  1. Develop a list of “eye sores” as identified by Main Street—Jim Herod and France Simmons
  2. Write letter to Council including list and offering our support to improve the areas.—Margaret H.

 Market our town to Osteopathic School students and staff.

  1. Forward list of rental properties/landlords to the O School and Chamber of Commerce.

 Develop more “green space” at our gateways

  1. Write thank you letter to Mark Stauffer for his improvement to the Wolf Creek gateway—M. Hambrick-done
  2. Talk to owners of former Ford Garage property ( now Thrift Store and empty) and ask them to make their property more attractive.
  3. Install plantings around Welcome to Alderson signs.

 Help the town improve our street signs

1.  Write letter to Council asking what help they need to improve our street signs.—Margaret H, done

 Help the town develop a plan for the Overlook. (If we need more money to finish the Greenbrier River Interpretative Center, incorporate work on the overlook with that grant application.)

1.  Develop a plan for the Overlook and present it to Council as a starting place.

 Improve signs for our businesses that help customers find them—within local and state regulations.

1.  Develop draft plan for the architect for the kiosk to be placed at the GRIC to insure it includes businesses, churches, civic groups, city hall, senior centers, etc. 

Encourage development in the surrounding area, such as the Fort Springs Guest Houses, and use them to market us and our businesses.

  1. Visit the owners of the Guest Houses and give them information about Alderson to have available for their guests.  Ask how we can help them make their guests feel welcome.—Jim Herod
  2. Do the same at the Greenbrier River Campground.—Jim Herod

Ask Town Council to work with the Division of Highways to reduce the posted speed limit from the Subway to the Big Wheel to 25mph.

  1. Write letter to Council asking them to ask the State Road to reduce the speed and put up new signs.—Margaret Hambrick--done

 Develop a comprehensive list of points of interest in Alderson and the immediately surrounding area, both public and private, to be used to market the town to various groups.

1.  Develop list and print.—Jim Herod

 Develop a web site for Alderson Main Street.  Use it to list properties in Alderson or link to realtor sites

  1. Web site done! 
  2. Invite Realtors to request link.—Margaret Hambrick
  3. Link to Greenbrier and Monroe CVBs-done

Improve the Depot through replacing the roof, painting, and developing the baggage room into year round usable space. (TE Grant to be written for 2008)

  1. Grant written.—M. Hambrick

Acquire lease to Green Building and develop into Telegraph Tower

  1. Paperwork done to request lease from CSX—M. Hambrick
  2. Request to Legislators for money to begin fundraising for construction of Tower—M. Hambrick

 Pay for fence and finish landscaping at Alumni Park  SELL BRICKS!

  1. Fence is paid for—Tom Dameron
  2. First group of brick sales will go in March 1—Tom Dameron
  3. Second group of brick orders will go in when 100 more have been sold—Tom Dameron

 Acquire and develop land on up stream Monroe side of Alderson Memorial Bridge into green space/park and hold for future recreation of ferry. (Grant already in to purchase land.)

  1. ByWays Grant received—M. Hambrick
  2. Isaac Walton League gave $1000.
  3. Request made to Gbr. Co. Comm. For $3800 to finish the match—M.  Hambrick

 Search for seed money to allow us to acquire, renovate, and sell old houses.

  1. Do internet search at library—M. Hambrick

 Market our attractions to church tour groups.

 Finish the Greenbrier River Interpretative Center.

 Maintain our current event calendar—Fall Heritage Festival, Christmas Homes Tour—and find one more event for spring.

  1. Flower Festival, Antique Show, and Flea Market planned for May 17—Judy Lewallen
  2. Find name and location of horses and carriages for rides.—France Simmons

 

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"Improving the Community - One Project at a Time"