Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is no stranger to Downtown Waynesboro. “I have waded this trout steam many times,” said Bolling, an avid fly fisherman, at a Thursday-morning ceremony on the banks of the South River to formally mark the award by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development of a $770,000 grant to Waynesboro to go toward the Waynesboro Downtown Revitalization Project.
Bolling also owns a house at Wintergreen just up the Blue Ridge Parkway in Nelson County and shops in Waynesboro when he’s in the area as many Wintergreen denizens do. The lieutenant governor was in town over the weekend for lunch at Shoney’s and some shopping at the local Wal-Mart and Books-A-Million.
Today, Bolling toured downtown to talk with local business owners, including Webber Payne at Waynesboro Florist and John Denton at Denton & Co. Jewelers. He left impressed with the energy in the downtown district in the face of the ongoing tough economic climate.
“The thing that excites me most about this project is not just the effort to revitalize the downtown area, but then tie that downtown area together with the wonderful things that you have taking place here on the South River,” Bolling said.
The Waynesboro Downtown Revitalization Project was one of 12 community-improvement projects to receive CDBG funding in 2011. The project includes an economic restructuring plan and revitalization strategy for the downtown business district. The effort includes as partners Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc., the Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the city.
Augusta Free Press LLC designed the website for the downtown project – www.RevitalizingDowntownWaynesboro.org.
DHCD Director Bill Shelton credited the city, the RHA and WDDI for putting together a strong project proposal.
“The city has a well-developed and very well thought-out economic-development strategy, and that’s how these programs can come to Waynesboro. Every community wants them, but we want to pick communities for these programs where there’s a good chance of success. The quality of the strategy and your efforts certainly positioned you well for these programs,” Shelton said.
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