Spencer leaders, tourism officials meet to set goals
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 12, 2012
By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SPENCER – With the new Yadkin River Bridge open and the Small Town Main Street program under way, economic developers predict a bright future for Spencer.
“There is a lot of opportunity here,” said Robert Van Geons, executive director for RowanWorks Economic Development. “Now is a good time to be excited about Spencer and the northern end of this county.”
Van Geons and James Meacham, executive director for the Rowan County Tourism Development Authority, met with Spencer leaders for more than an hour Tuesday to share ideas for recruiting businesses and visitors and promoting the N.C. Transportation Museum.
Tourism ideas included:
• Develop light adventure and recreation in connection with the Yadkin River, including a closer relationship with the LandTrust.
• As part of the Our Towns initiative, develop an identity for Spencer and help the town make a good first impression. Each small town in Rowan County has unique flavor, Meacham said.
“We want to help you identify those and then market them on your behalf,” he said.
• Include Spencer in youth sports events, a substantial revenue generator. For example, Meacham said, a 100-team soccer tournament can generate $800,000 to $1 million in visitor spending.
• Use two new trolleys, which seat more people and run on quieter gasoline-powered engines, to bring people through Spencer for events like home tours.
Economic development ideas included:
• Use new software to reconfigure a building, such as Park Plaza, to meet the specifications of a developer as they watch.
The program can re-engineer drainage, water-sewer, parking and other variables in real time, Van Geons said.
• Add a touch-screen kiosk at the N.C. Transportation Museum or town hall for visitors to access information about restaurants, retail, lodging and more with the touch of a finger.
• Compile data regarding consumer spending, demographics and more to apply for grants.
• Model the economic impact on Spencer of any potential new business or industry.
Both Van Geons and Meacham stressed the importance of the museum.
“It was very obvious that the N.C. Transportation Museum is one of our biggest assets, if not the biggest asset for the success of Spencer,” said resident Bob Oswald, who attended the presentations.
Meacham estimated that 15 percent of tourism’s total marketing budget is spent on the museum.
Since 2007, the tourism authority has given the museum or its supporting foundation $28,950. Added to money the foundation has contributed for efforts such as billboards, tourism has provided total support of nearly $60,000, including roughly $40,000 in the past 18 months, Meacham said.
The museum has struggled since the state cut annual funding from $1 million to $300,000 but remains one of the top overnight destinations in Rowan County.
Visitors who stay overnight in a hotel spend on average $100 more than those who make a day trip.
That makes the museum a good return on investment as tourism authorities in Rowan and Salisbury strive to double the economic impact of tourism within 10 years, Meacham said.
Although the Economic Development Commission did not land a project in Spencer last year, companies were interested in the seven industrial sites located in or near the town, Van Geons said.
“More bigger projects are looking at you,” he said. “The smallest one looking at Spencer is 90 jobs.”
No developer has inquired about the defunct High Rock Raceway property, but Van Geons said he will continue to market the site,
Mayor Jody Everhart said he would like to see more retail in town, especially across the street from the museum to encourage visitors to cross the highway.
Resident Nick Bishop suggested a new focus on recreation, considering the development of a passive park in Spencer Woods and the potential of using the Yadkin River.
Alderman Jeff Morris said the town needs to market itself as having the largest contiguous historic district in the state, which could attract new business owners and residents to restore old buildings for tax credits.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.