Partnership sharpens focus

The DEDC is no more.

The Downtown Economic Development Corporation rechristened itself as the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership on Monday at a meeting marked by calls for definite progress on a variety of topics.

"I think it's a positive name," said the partnership's executive director, Liz Parham. "It promotes the biggest asset that this organization has."

The partnership is comprised of board members appointed by the University, the town and local business owners - three of the groups with the biggest impact on an area that has been called the University's welcome mat.

The partnership also decided to move forward with a push to adopt the Main Street approach to downtown economic revitalization.

Parham said the new approach is a better-rounded one, encompassing a variety of sectors, from forming community partnerships to promoting downtown events by creating a series of committees.

"What our program is about is really putting together an environment that's going to foster economic growth," she said.

Parham said that the new program would function more cohesively than previous, relatively independent methods.

Parham offered to find more information on the method before the vote, but the body's members didn't need convincing.

"I don't see why we should wait," said chairwoman Andrea Rohrbacher before the board unanimously adopted the approach.

Another item that received calls for action was the push to put town-run wireless Internet into the downtown.

"Presumably, it's not just for show," said Mayor Kevin Foy, one of the board's members. "It might be. If that's the case let's forget it and just move on."

Roger Perry, a member of both the partnership and UNC's Board of Trustees, noted that Carrboro recently instituted its own free wireless access in its downtown.

He suggested that the smaller town's experience could become a source of valuable - and readily attainable - guidance for Chapel Hill.

"It seems to me we ought to be able to figure out how to talk to Carrboro real quickly," he said.

He criticized what he saw as unproductive and vague discussion of the project by board members.

"Organize this thing, provide the seed money for this thing, quit talking about it," he said.

He also called for the possible approval of a feasibility study at the partnership's next meeting - scheduled for Oct. 10, after the board changed its meeting schedule to the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

"If that costs money, I think we should be willing to appropriate that money at the next meeting or quit fooling with it," he said.

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.