By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS — Although not fully accepted into the N.C. Main Street program, the state has offered a year’s support for Kannapolis as the city works to revitalize its downtown.
At the end of that year, city and program officials will decide whether Kannapolis will become a full-fledged Main Street participant.
The Kannapolis City Council will decide whether to accept that one-year commitment at Monday’s meeting.
The Main Street program encourages economic and cultural development, as well as historical preservation.
Salisbury, Concord and Lexington are all participating Main Street cities.
Applications are accepted every four or five years, and the process is competitive.
City Manager Mike Legg said that makes the decision to offer Kannapolis a one-year trial all the more important.
No other city has been offered such a limited partnership, as opposed to being turned down, Legg said.
In a press release, the N.C Department of Commerce Office of Urban Development described the program of services to strengthen downtown revitalization efforts.
Those include “technical assistance, organizational development services and training opportunities designed to provide the foundation necessary for a strong downtown revitalization organization” in Kannapolis.
Struggling to rebuild a downtown that’s seen little growth in the nine years since textile giant Pillowtex closed, the city’s application for the Main Street program faced scrutiny because of Kannapolis’ unique nature.
In addition to the N.C. Research Campus, much of downtown’s retail space is owned by David Murdock’s Castle & Cooke and managed by Atlantic American Properties, another Murdock company.
Councilman Ryan Dayvault, who works for the UNC Nutrition Research Institute at the NCRC, said he learned of the state’s decision some days before it was announced Wednesday.
Dayvault said that Liz Parham, director of the Main Street program, had traveled to Kannapolis the week before to speak to the Center City Master Plan committee.
Dayvault is a member of that committee. He said the presentation had helped put the decision in perspective.
“I guess one of the most important things to point out is that the Main Street program has never done what they’re doing for Kannapolis, in the history of the program,” Dayvault said.
Especially, he added, because there had been some concerns about how different Kannapolis is from other participating cities.
Historic preservation efforts have been lacking in Kannapolis’ past.
“I’m definitely positive about it,” Dayvault said. “They’re offering us something that they’ve never offered before to anyone else.”
And Dayvault said he believes that’s because they see potential in Kannapolis, to revitalize its downtown.
Councilman Darrell Hinnant also said he felt the decision was positive.
“It would be nice if we had been accepted on the first go, but I think they said our situation was so unique that maybe the uniqueness gave them some pause,” Hinnant said.
“I’m willing to help them understand us better, and I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
He said he hoped the coming year would help the city better spend funds allocated in June for a new downtown manager, whose office would guide the city’s Main Street efforts if Kannapolis becomes a full participant.
Hinnant said he hopes leaders will learn from other communities this year, “so that when we go out and look for a MS manager, we’re not just looking blindly, (and) we have some ideas of what’s been successful in other communities.”
Dayvault said he’s eager to see the city get insight into how to rebuild the city center.
“It’s about the small business owners who already exist in downtown, and the small business owners who’ll come in the future,” Dayvault said.
“That’s why we’ve got to revitalize downtown. It’s about current employees and future employees.”
The Kannapolis City Council meets Monday at 6 p.m. at the Kannapolis Train Station, 201 S. Main St.