ON TRAC Review

Submitted by Anna R. Nassif

The month of February 2010 marks a year since Governor Joe Manchin III announced that Rowlesburg was designated as one of 18 WV ON TRAC towns. Rowlesburg ON TRAC Volunteers and RRC, Inc. have one year remaining to complete its set of goals. In February of 2011 Rowlesburg may choose to remain as an ON TRAC community or may choose to apply for Main Street status. Following is a brief review of the organization.

ON TRAC letters stand for: Organization; Training; Revitalization; and Capacity. The work of the over-all organization with its volunteers is a precursor to a future Main Street Status. This status may be achieved by specific on-site work plans that would encourage on-going revitalization of the town. Ways to achieve this consist of united efforts accomplished by volunteers with a willingness to work through active committees based on the Main Street Four-Point system to include:

• Organization-managing human and financial resources;
• Promotion-getting the word out via social media, creating a website, advertising;
• Design-beautification and streetscape projects, restoration of the downtown historic district, tax credit opportunities;
• Economic Development-conducting surveys and doing market analyses, promoting business incubators, helping with business retention, encouraging real estate & property investment, converting old property into thriving businesses, etc. 

Interested volunteers may wish to serve on any of these four committees.

Future sessions will include developing a work plan to help with promotion of existing businesses along with ways to fix up and clean up along with a plan for restoration of endangered buildings for use as new businesses in the historic district.

The next meeting for registered volunteers and committee members will be scheduled in 2010 in the Auditorium of SC/OLD RHS. Leisha Elliott, Main Street Expert, will lead various sessions. The main purpose of the meeting will be to develop a specific work plan for Rowlesburg, compose a vision statement along with a mission statement and to set goals for each of the four committees.

Other important goals would be to:

·         Encourage and generate new businesses in Rowlesburg. For example, many are advocating for a gas station. According to one business person, we need a Hardware Store and Pharmacy.

·         Others would like to have more activities for youths.

·         We do know that citizens are grateful to have lodging possibilities at the new Mainstay above the Curiosity Shoppe.

·         The town is also especially pleased to have The Rafter’s Grill, a new Main Street restaurant established just recently in conjunction with The Thirsty Bear. The restaurant offers a varied menu and on some Friday nights you can have delicious beef barbecue sandwiches and a generous basket of fries and a variety of drinks.

ON TRAC will also offer a future one day design meeting directed by Michael Gioulus, distinguished historic consultant, on a public project. This is in the works and is in support of the type of design project recently sponsored by RRC,Inc.

For more information contact Maggie DeWeirdt, ON TRAC Liaison, through the contact page on this web site and/or Anna Nassif, ON TRAC Chairperson, at annarnas@aol.com