Clayton leaders visit Lexington to learn about Streetscape

From The Dispatch, Lexington, NC --

Members of the Clayton Downtown Development Association held their two-day annual board retreat in Lexington last month to learn more about the city’s Streetscape project.

Clayton, which is new to the North Carolina Main Street program, meets in other Main Street towns for inspiration and to take ideas back to their community.

“We chose Lexington primarily because the Downtown Development Association wanted to learn how the Streetscape project came about,” said Bruce Naegelen, downtown development coordinator for the Town of Clayton. “The board was most impressed with the public/private partnership and indeed all the partners that participated. We hope to use that model in Clayton.”

Uptown Lexington completed its Streetscape project in 1997. A maze of unsightly overhead wiring was buried, old cracking sidewalks were replaced with scored concrete, overgrown and hazardous Bradford Pear trees were replaced with smaller Lace Bark Elms, and aging highway-style light poles were replaced with pedestrian scaled historic replicas. All of this served as a backdrop and stimulus for new business development and the building facade improvements that have followed.

“While the group was here, they sampled our famous Lexington-style barbecue, visited Childress Vineyards, stayed overnight at the new Holiday Inn Express and Suites at the Vineyards, ate at an Uptown Lexington restaurant and saw the Streetscape firsthand during their meeting in the office of our Main Street program,” said Uptown Lexington Executive Director Jo Ellen Edwards.

Lexington City Council Mayor Pro Tem Larry Beck, who welcomed the Clayton visitors Feb. 27, said, “This visit shows Lexington indeed has many things to be proud of and can serve as an example for other communities. I am extremely proud of Uptown Lexington’s accomplishments and the role it plays in economic development, tourism and in promoting our city.”