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Old 02-24-2014, 04:07 PM
 
1,807 posts, read 2,733,618 times
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Tell me this is next!



Don't think this building is scheduled for demolition in the project, but it ought to brought down before they start building the bridge.








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Old 02-24-2014, 05:28 PM
 
232 posts, read 471,404 times
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ECU should really do some work to that white building on 10th (close to the BINGO). I think they have auctions there or something.
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Old 02-24-2014, 05:47 PM
 
1,965 posts, read 3,286,046 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PIR8tes12 View Post
ECU should really do some work to that white building on 10th (close to the BINGO). I think they have auctions there or something.
Didn't that white building near lou's beach bingo used to be a furniture store?
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Old 02-24-2014, 06:01 PM
 
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Originally Posted by RoaminRebel View Post
Didn't that white building near lou's beach bingo used to be a furniture store?
Yes. It was Bostic-Sugg's old location.
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Old 02-25-2014, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Greenville, NC
889 posts, read 1,328,164 times
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yeah, I'm pretty sure ECU owns the old Bostic Sugg building. The Bingo needs to go. Even if the road were never constructed, tearing down all these old buildings alone would be an improvement.

I don't think a lot of people understand the significance of the 10th street connector & what impact it can have on down or eh, uptown. It will essentially create a divide between the uptown area & the less than desirable part of town. It will also funnel people uptown in a proper fashion.

Keeping my fingers crossed it does wonders.

Good pics by the way.

Last edited by jpirate; 02-25-2014 at 08:20 AM.. Reason: fg
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Old 02-25-2014, 08:26 AM
 
Location: Greenville, NC
889 posts, read 1,328,164 times
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Belk Dorm coming down. They've been working at night to catch up I suppose...


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Old 02-25-2014, 01:00 PM
 
3,375 posts, read 6,218,462 times
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I am sure the old Bostic-Sugg building is just biding its time. It isn't historically significant, and will make way for something better.

Same thing for Beach Bingo. The land price is going to SHOOT up and spur more redevelopment.
______

It is so weird to drive from Memorial to 10th St now. It feels like a ghost town in the best way possible.
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Old 02-25-2014, 01:35 PM
 
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Residents want theater revitalized

It’s not a secret that Greenville residents often head out of town for entertainment, or that there’s a perception that entertainment options are limited in the city.

But a survey with more than 1,400 responses shows residents would willingly spend that money in Greenville if they had a place to go. That place just might be Greenville’s historic downtown theater.

The theater has sat vacant on Fifth Street for about 15 years and is undergoing a slow process toward renovation.

Uptown Greenville and the city wanted residents to be part of that process and created a non-scientific survey that went live in November. Those results are in, thanks to a collaborative effort between the city, East Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research and others. An online survey and hard copies were made available to the public.

The survey fee paid by the city to ECU was $5,742, according to city Economic Development Officer Carl Rees.

Now that the results are in, Rees said the city will send out an Request for Interest (RFI), essentially requesting ideas, plans and proposals from the private sector regarding the theater. From those results, the city will decide what to do with the downtown theater — whether to pursue a private sale, a public-private partnership or other options.

Results from the RFI along with any recommendations will be provided to the City Council, the Uptown Greenville Board of Directors and the Redevelopment Commission this spring.

“We’re not trying to put any limitations on this,” Rees said. “We just want to see what they can come up with. Then we can look through everything and say, ‘OK, that could work,’ or take pieces of different ideas, if we don’t find anything we think is perfect. We want to be really open about it”

Survey says

Results of the survey taken by 1,420 participants showed general support for a potential performance venue downtown.

More than 64 percent of respondents said they visit downtown multiple times each month or multiple times per week. Eighty-four percent said they visit downtown for dining, with the next most popular activities being the Umbrella Market, shopping, Freeboot Friday, bars, music and the Art Walk.

When asked what type of cultural events they typically attend, 71 percent of respondents said movies, followed by food and beverage festivals, plays and Broadway-style shows, art galleries and museums, orchestras and vocal groups, ballet and dance, and writers and artist guilds.

More than 50 percent of respondents said they typically pay $10- to $25 to attend these events, and most said they then spend more than $11 for additional food and drink while attending cultural events.

More than 85 percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay the same or more to attend events at a venue in downtown Greenville.

One of the most revealing survey results was whether respondents travel outside of Greenville to attend cultural events. More than 86 percent said they do, and most said they travel because the type of events either are not available in Greenville or there is a greater diversity of events outside of the city.

A majority of respondents (90 percent) agreed that, given the option, they would attend events at a downtown venue, there was a need for a performance venue downtown (91 percent), and a performance venue would improve the Greenville economy (87 percent).

Priorities

When asked if they visit local businesses, like bars and restaurants, before attending events, 89 percent of respondents said yes. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would prefer a performance venue downtown that served alcohol.

Most respondents said they would like to see theater productions, music screenings, popular music, comedy shows, featured speakers and dance performances at a venue downtown.

The most popular building features respondents said they wanted to see were open floor space and a stage, followed by large seating or seating arrangements, a central location, professional sound, and a catering kitchen.

Less than 2 percent said they wanted to see professional lighting, dressing rooms or a ticket booth.

The survey also asked respondents about their willingness to rent the space for group activities. Most respondents said they likely would not rent the space, but believed others would.

Support and funding

When asked about their support for a performance venue downtown, nearly 80 percent said they felt quite a bit or a large amount of support for the idea. Less than 2 percent said they did not support the project at all.

The survey also addressed concerns respondents might have that could affect their willingness to attend events at a downtown venue.

Topping the list of potential concerns for attending events at a performance venue was parking, which 53 percent of respondents said was a worry for them, followed by the type of events offered, safety, price and location of the venue.

Most respondents said they would be in favor of the city using public funds to redevelop the theater. About 50 percent said they would support donating the building to another group to develop or donating it to another group to develop and then requiring that private developer to maintain a percentage of operating days for public use.

The survey did not include how much it would cost to redevelop the theater.

Demographics

Of the 1,420 surveyed, 193 were ages 20-24, 286 were ages 25-34, 235 were ages 35-44, 175 were ages 45-53, 309 were 55 or older, and 17 were 19 or younger. Fifty-nine percent of respondents were 35 or older.

Most respondents had a four-year degree or higher level of education (77 percent), and more than half of respondents said they make more than $50,000 per year (52 percent).

More than 20 percent said they make more than $90,000 per year.

History

Greenville’s Redevelopment Commission bought White’s Theater — formerly known as both the State and Park theaters and now called Theater Uptown — in December 2008 for about $281,000 ($14,000 less than its appraised value, according to Rees) with general obligation bond funds designated for downtown redevelopment. The theater was built in 1914 and closed in the late 1990s.

In September, the Redevelopment Commission approved proposals to move forward with repairs to the theater.

Work on the 7,500-square-foot building will be done in two phases. The first phase consists of repairing the exterior shell to ensure the building is structurally sound and water-tight until interior renovations can be completed. This includes repairing the fly loft roof and walls, repairing some of the main building’s roof framing and masonry repairs to the front facade. Asbestos abatement work also will be completed in the first phase.

The second phase includes renovating the interior and constructing a three-story addition on the rear of the building.

The bid package for the project likely will go out in early March, Rees said, and the Redevelopment Commission may consider bids at its meeting in April.

There will be no work on the theater until a decision has been made on whether the theater will become a performing arts venue. The city has not spent any money on repairs to the theater.
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Old 02-25-2014, 01:50 PM
 
3,375 posts, read 6,218,462 times
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Aiport to upgrade marketing effort

The runway at Pitt-Greenville Airport is not the only feature being improved there, but might be the only one noticed by the traveling public.

The governing Airport Authority plans to change that perception and is seeking ways to publicize the wide array of services it offers to travelers, pilots, businesses and the general public.

Board members at Wednesday's meeting indicated their approval when airport executive director Jerry Vickers appointed his assistant, Charlsey Holliday, to plan and present the airport's upgraded marketing approach.

"There are people who were born and raised in Pitt County who have never visited the airport," Holliday said. "We want to build our relationship with them and with local businesses and organizations because what's good for all of them is good for this airport. We want to help our neighbors understand all the services that we offer and the benefit of having an airport like this in the community."

To maximize the benefits connected to the airport's continued growth, the airport authority's board members focused attention on its marketing capabilities at their recent planning workshop. Ideas for marketing went from the table to Holliday's desk, she said.

Included in the plan will be an updated Federal Aviation Administration form that provides pilots with information about the airport's facilities and services, fuel prices and contact information, Holliday said.

Pitt County government information services staff connected the airport's updated phone book and 411 information and electronic communications through Centurylink and Earthlink, she said.

The airport has increased the use of its Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting updated information and tweeting three or four times per week with weather, factoids, photos and other tools related to the airport, Holliday said. The pages will be linked together, automatically sharing posted information with the other.

Holliday will focus renewed attention to the airport's website, enlarging and improving its content through a lower cost Web management platform, she said. Additions might include a functional booking widget linking visitors to travel, hotel and restaurant accommodations; a terminal map; multi-media additions of photos and videos; postings of educational outreach opportunities, and local tourism information.

Advertisers also might have the opportunity to post their goods and services at the site, Holliday said.

The airport also will expand its community outreach potential by connecting with area school programs at all educational levels, she said. Guided trips of the airport and other field trip opportunities that foster closer ties with families, parents, teachers, churches and other area organizations also will be created, Holliday said.

More effort will be made to let the business community and other organizations know that the airport has quality accommodations available for conferences and social functions.

The airport will work to attract more transient air traffic by rolling out the red carpet for its general aviation customers as well, Holliday said. Customer promotional services to commercial businesses operating at the airport will be expanded and improved under the plan, including car and aircraft rental, fueling, hangaring and other support services used by the general aviation public.

In addition to expanding its hangar facilities for locally based plane owners, the airport also owns undeveloped property that could be leased for commercial use and other land that is not available commercially but can accommodate other uses, such as the authority's efforts to establish a small solar farm.

Holliday will present her marketing plan and some of the next steps that will need approval at the board's March meeting.

In other airport authority business:

Vickers' monthly airport financial overview showed improved net profits of $55,140 in January, compared to a loss of $2,816 in January 2013. The $75,819 net profits for the year, however, are behind last year's total to date of $84,990, Vickers said. The airport's fund balance is $8.96 million.

Property acquisitions and negotiations with neighboring residents continued in January for the airport's federally funded runway extension project, scheduled for completion in May, Vickers said. Several other airport improvement projects are continuing, including hangar additions and a rehabilitated de-icing ramp.

Board members are exploring development opportunities for the vacant land that formerly was occupied by the Army Reserve building. Options including a mini-storage facility are being explored, but an expired contract with the Realtor complicates marketing approaches, chairman Donald Taylor said.

The airport authority's budget committee will meet in March to prepare the 2014-15 budget for full review and adoption by June 30, Taylor said.
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Old 02-25-2014, 02:39 PM
 
1,213 posts, read 1,530,879 times
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As far as a performing arts center, I would rather Uptown focus on a larger facility. The current theater sounds promising, but I don't think it would hold more than 100 people. It would be better to try to sell it to the Magnolia Arts Center, or a group of Performing Arts organizations to hold all of their PA activities. That theatre would be perfect for housing indie films, and other smaller performances.

To attract bigger/better plays/concerts, etc. A facility with at least 800-1,000 seats should be the goal.
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