Downtown projects forge ahead

The city of Rocky Mount is going forward with its plan to revitalization downtown.

Despite the gloomy economy, Rocky Mount is staying on track with the city’s redevelopment projects in the downtown area. City officials, architects and planners working on revitalization efforts updated members of the community at a meeting Tuesday night regarding the downtown streetscape and Douglas Block projects. 

Yes they plan to bring some new life to the downtown area, but redoing the sidewalks and giving some buildings downtown a face lift.

Some time back the old train station was renovated and now host the Amtrak and Greyhound Busline.

There are a few local business that are still open downtown, however the coffee shop that was once downtown as close, basically close due to lack of business.

While Rocky Mount tries to revitalizes downtown they are going to try to renovated the building on Thomas street. Those between Main and Arlington st.

The key historic buildings of the Douglas Block project include the Booker T. Washington Theater, Douglas Building, Manhattan Theater, Stokes Building, Burnette Building and Thorpe Building.

These are the pictures of these building that they plan to waste money on to restore.

Please These Building are about to fall in, that is if they haven't already. One has a tree growing out of the roof. I willing to bet when they find a contractor to due the repair they will find that these building are not worth saving just for some small fraction of history.

If the history of these building were so important then the city would have never allow then to get so run down.

then don't forget the citizens will and have voice their opinion

Your money would be better spent helping Rocky Mount get back on the map with new business incentives, job creation, and keeping our utilities affordable. Downtown is a waste of time. Look at the productive businesses that have come and gone already. WAKE UP AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM ROCKY MOUNT!!!!!by nursecrachet

thanks for such a wonderful ideal it,s a very much needed facelift in a area that has been nelected for so long hope that there is a nice famly restaurant included which in my opion would bring downtown to a really lively place. by tryone parker

THANKS TELEGRAM FOR PUTTING A FACE TO THE WORD IDIOT, PENNY HAS TO BE THE BIGGEST IDIOT IN THE WORLD TO THINK SPENDING ALL THAT MONEY IN RUN DOWN DOWN TOWN WILL BRING PEOPLE THERE TO SHOP. PENNY YOU THE REST OF YOUR CRONNIES WILL BE SORRY FOR THE EXPLOITATION OF THE POOR. by taxpayer

there are many more of these type of comments.

So Is the Revitalization of Downtown important, while Rocky Mount has the highest unemployment rate in the area.