Last week the two organizations announced that the bank was giving a 10,000-square-foot building on East Liberty Street to the Waterworks. Thus the Waterworks gets a much-needed home for its exhibits and classes. And F&M gets a classy partner in the revitalization of the 200 block of North Main Street,a block that will house its new banking center.

Much of this work is still on the drawing-board, but what an ambitious plan it is.

A new Easy Street will connect Main to the train station, with a Charleston garden near the midpoint.

There will be new office spaces, a tiered seating area where people can sit and chat —and now, in the middle of it all, one of the region’s premiere art centers will have an expanded exhibit hall and more generous classroom space.

Since the project is within a historic district overlay, it qualifies for tax credits that F&M also plans to give to the Waterworks in hopes the center can leverage the credits to attract even bigger gifts.

The deal has been sealed only with a handshake so far, but the only big question remaining is how long it will take the arts center to raise the $2.5 million needed to revamp its new-old home.

Raising money is never easy —especially if the YMCA is trying to launch a multi-million-dollar building at the same time —but Salisbury-Rowan has a long history of supporting the arts. This news should inspire both excitement and generosity.

“The vision that the bank has had for this area is singular,” says Jane Gamewell, head of the Waterworks board.

Indeed it is. Only a fully committed, local institution like F&M would have the vision and energy to tackle a project like this block and so generously pull in the Waterworks to be part of it.

Steve Fisher, counsel for F&M, credits father Paul Fisher and Dan Williams for creating an environment at F&M where people can dream such dreams.

Clearly Steve Fisher’s own inspiration and enthusiasm play an important part, too.

“Asheville has its mountains, Duck has its ocean, Salisbury has its historic buildings,” Steve Fisher says.

F&M has demonstrated its desire to be a good steward of that resource and make it a catalyst for bigger and better things.