The Destination Bertie surveys are in and the unveiling of a countywide draft action plan shines a bright light on the future for Bertie County towns.
Destination by Design, the Boone-based company leading the Destination Bertie project, made the plans available to the public last week.
The towns of Aulander, Powellsville and Windsor are the primary focus of the plan.
Currently, the county owns three vacant buildings in Aulander, considered prime real estate properties that could house potential prosperous retail locations. However, work on the buildings need to be done. The three buildings came up for brief discussion at the July commissioners meeting. The commissioners agreed the future of the buildings need to be discussed.
Powellsville is also charted for a revitalization project. Destination by Design presented draft renderings, including a new pavillon and the revitalization of other properties.
Destination by Design is a consulting firm that initiated the countywide branding, redevelopment and marketing project two years ago and has been gathering research through surveys and other means to establish the draft action plan.
Destination Bertie currently has a video defining the county, featuring its natural assets, including the Cashie River, Bertie Beach and the county’s abundant agriculture.
“The goal of the Destination Bertie Action Plan (DBAP) is to elevate quality of life across the county by targeting new projects that expand access to outdoor recreation, heritage tourism and agritourism,” said Robin Payne, the county’s special projects coordinator. “These efforts aim to spark small business growth, create new jobs and breathe life into Bertie County’s historic downtown.”
Payne has led the county’s efforts to increase outdoor recreation tourism and is also the coordinator for the Bertie Beach Tall Glass of Water Project.
The presentation is the culmination of months of research and compilation of the survey results the design firm has been promoting for the past months. Casting a community-led vision to enhance quality of life, tourism and small business is the mission.
The survey focused on the needs of county residents and what citizens consider a priority in future revitalization.
Destinationbertie.com highlights the county’s outdoor assets and addresses the revitalization challenges the county faces. It also includes citizen input.
Bertie resident Dr. Nayland Collier looks to waterways to attract tourists.
“It’s the waterways that’s the future of Bertie County. The waterways will bring in dollars,” said Dr. Collier.
The purpose of the plan is to create a community-led vision and 15-year roadmap to ensure decision making and enhance the quality of life throughout Bertie County.
The DBAP is funded by a Rural Transformation Grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce and led by the Bertie County Travel and Tourism Committee.
The committee’s goal is to responsibly promote Bertie County’s ecotourism, heritage tourism and agritourism to support business creation and expansion, cultivate diverse job opportunities and promote downtown revitalization.
The plan will provide a vision for increasing the economic impact and vibrancy of the visitor economy, improving the quality of life for local residents and helping to attract and grow small businesses.
Recently, Bertie County received a grant from the state to revitalize its downtowns.
Most Popular
Comments / 0