Site Sponsors
Archives
Read past editions of Images of the Roanoke Valley magazine.
Local Advertisers
Site Sponsors
Contact Us
Feedback
Let us know your thoughts...
Advertising Info
Need more info? Looking for ad specifications?
Local Advertisers
Business
Historic Weldon's Downtown Area Is Revitalized
This colorful mural by Napoleon Hill is one of the many revitalization projects taking place in downtown Weldon.
Downtown Weldon is looking pretty spiffy these days.
Unsightly utility poles have been removed from the streets‚ and charming antique street lamps and old-fashioned brick walkways have been installed. A mural depicting an old train engine graces a wall‚ and the former passenger station now holds a library.
Mayor Johnny Draper says it all began five years ago‚ when the town of Weldon beat out 42 other applicants to win a grant from the North Carolina Main Street Center‚ which is sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Since then‚ private investors have come on board‚ pouring millions of dollars into revitalizing the National Registered Historic District.
Development company Landmark Inc. purchased downtown buildings‚ and Rehab Builders gutted and remodeled them‚ building apartments upstairs and commercial space below. The 26 apartments filled within weeks of completion.
“We hope to fill the available commercial spaces with shops and businesses that fit our town‚” Draper says.
Grant money also went to upgrade River Falls Park‚ a popular recreation spot in Weldon and the eastern terminus of the Roanoke Canal Trail.
“We built play areas and installed play equipment for the kids and built a soccer field that gets a lot of use‚” he adds.
Resident Bill Blackwell is revamping the old gristmill at River Falls Park. He rattles off the history of the Weldon Corn Mill like last night’s news.
“It is the last mill standing on the Roanoke River‚” he says. “The building has its own luminescence.”
Blackwell and another master carpenter are renovating the historic brick and stone structure with the goal of making it the anchor for a conference center Blackwell hopes to build.
Weldon’s revitalization is the result of $3.3 million in private funds‚ $700‚000 in grants and public monies‚ and valuable community support “It’s one of the few projects where the government and the private sector really worked together to make something happen‚” Draper says.
Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Ian Curcio
Additional Business Articles
© Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this Web site may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.