Charlie Watson Remembered At Street Rededication

Local leaders, business owners, and community members gathered at Charlie Watson Lane on Wednesday to rededicate the lane and enjoy memories of Watson's legendary character.

Despite the cold and rain, spirits were high and everyone was happy to take a few moments to remember a man who meant so much to so many.

Steele Street in 1950 when Charlie Watson sold papers on the street corner.

Jimmy Haire, local historian and Council member, reminiscing about Charlie.

Everyone took part in the big reveal.

Thank you to everyone who voted in and supported the Benjamin Moore Main Street Matters contest for helping us honor Charlie Watson with a modern sign!

Charlie Watson Lane Rededication Planned For Wednesday

When long-time local Sanfordians think about icons of downtown Sanford, they can't help but include Charlie Watson.

Watson sold and delivered newspapers for The Sanford Herald for more than 40 years. In a 1990 Herald article, Lydia Splitter, a teacher at West Lee (junior high school back then), explained:

To me, Charlie Watson was as much a part of the makings of downtown as the Railroad House and the old depot, to be downtown and not see Charlie, well, it kind of leaves a kind of void feeling.

Rededication & Revitalization

In 1988, Downtown Sanford dedicated the lane beside The Steele Pig to Watson and placed a plaque in honor -- but new plans will result in Charlie Watson Lane becoming more befitting of its namesake.

On Wednesday, March 19, city and community leaders are invited to the unveiling of Phase 1 of the new Charlie Watson Lane, featuring a special sign that also denotes Steele Street as an official Benjamin Moore Main Street.

This unveiling and rededication is the first step in turning the lane into a public space complete with landscaping and art, as rendered here:

You're Invited

Anyone who holds a special place for Charlie Watson and those who are excited to learn more about revitalization in Sanford are encouraged to come out for the unveiling.

When: Wednesday, March 19 at 10am.

Where: Charlie Watson Lane, located on Steele Street beside The Steele Pig.

What: See the new sign and hear from local leaders about revitalization plans.

Questions?

For more information about Charlie Watson Lane, the Benjamin Moore Main Street Matters campaign, or downtown revitalization, contact David Montgomery at 919-777-1400.

Benjamin Moore Paints Downtown

Last Monday, Benjamin Moore representatives, Mayor Cornelia Olive, and municipal staffers joined together with business owners and community members to kick off Benjamin Moore's four-week-long makeover of downtown Sanford.

The group moved over to Carolina Customs Home Theatre to add the first stroke of paint (Blue Gaspe). Jose Norato and his crew helped, as they will be the contractor for the project.

For questions about the Benjamin Moore makeover, contact David Montgomery at 919-777-1400.

Benjamin Moore To Start Work In Sanford

Benjamin Moore representatives will be in Sanford on Monday to launch the revitalization efforts the city won in the Main Street Matters competition this summer.

The company will kick off its makeover plans with a celebration event at 10:30am at the Downtown Sanford, Inc offices located at 226 Carthage Street (Federal Building).

The following weeks will be a flurry of activity as Benjamin Moore revitalizes the exterior of a three-block span of businesses on Steele Street from Gordon Street to Wicker Street.

Of the 20 communities in the United States and Canada that won the Main Street Matters contest, Sanford is the third to begin work. Benjamin Moore plans to finish Sanford's makeover by mid-December.

For questions or concerns about the project, contact David Montgomery at 919-775-8332.

Mural Arts Program Completes First Mural

The first mural in the City of Sanford Appearance Commission's Mural Arts Program is now complete.

The mural is located at 140 N. Steele Street and was painted by Shirley Patterson. The paint used for the project was donated by Downtown Sanford.

The next mural in the Mural Arts Program is already in the works. Local art student Katie Hancock will paint a mural at 115 Moore Street in Sanford. We'll let you know when work begins.

Sanford Launches Mural Arts Program

The vacant storefront located at 140 N. Steele Street is quietly becoming more beautiful, thanks to the City of Sanford's new Mural Arts Project.

The store's front window, which has been busted out numerous times, was boarded securely by the City's Appearance Commission. The Commission had already noted that boarded windows were a wonderful canvas for local artists' creativity. Therefore, the white board used for 140 N. Steele Street was the perfect place to start the mural program, says Commission member Liz Whitmore.

The Project's murals will be painted by local artists and are meant to reflect Sanford's history, Whitmore says. For this first mural at 140 N. Steele Street, Downtown Sanford donated the paint and artist Shirley Patterson is painting the mural.

Next: Local art student Katie Hancock will paint the next window mural. It will beautify 115 Moore Street.

Sanford Welcomes Downtown's New Public Space

City and County officials, business owners, and residents came out to celebrate the Chatham Street Parking Lot, Sanford's newest public space, this past Tuesday.

The parking lot and event venue were developed through a public-private partnership between the City of Sanford, Downtown Sanford Inc, and Progressive Contracting Company.

Here's a before-and-after video of the new space:

For questions or further information about the Chatham Street Parking lot, contact David Montgomery, executive director of Downtown Sanford, Inc at 919-775-8200.

New Lot Kicks Off Downtown Revitalization

Residents and visitors now have a safer, more attractive place to park in downtown Sanford, and it could pay off big for local businesses.

Thanks to a public-private partnership between the City of Sanford, Downtown Sanford Inc, and Progressive Contracting Company, the land between McIver Street and Charlotte Avenue located behind Chatham Street has been renovated for use as a public parking area.

The first step in preparing the 70,000 sq ft space was to clear and grade the land that previously hosted the Lee County Rescue Squad. The City also had to work with Progressive Contracting to convert the existing private parking spaces to public ones.

More Parking, More Business

Now called the Chatham Street Parking Lot, the updated space features 96 public parking spaces, period lighting, a clean view of the Little Buffalo Creek, and public art.

“The Chatham Street Parking Lot will make it easier for business owners, employees, customers, and visitors to park near Chatham Street, Charlotte Avenue, and McIver Street,” explains David Montgomery, executive director of Downtown Sanford, Inc. “The lot will also serve as primary overflow parking for downtown events or as a venue itself,” he says.

Planning For The Future

The lot’s renovation matches the streetscape work completed on Chatham Street, which includes brick-lined sidewalks, partial underground utilities, and period lighting for both pedestrian and street lamps. The voter-approved Streetscape and Pedestrian Improvement bonds will fund streetscaping throughout the downtown area.

“The City’s investment in Chatham Street has already increased property values,” points out City Manager Hal Hegwer. “Property values along Chatham Street averaged $200,000 in 2002 but are $1.75 million now. We expect the new parking lot to bring the same results. And with a safer, free place to park, we anticipate more foot traffic for all of our downtown businesses,” he says.

“This parking lot is a great example of what can be accomplished when diverse groups work together toward a common goal,” notes Paul Weeks, City Engineer. The city hopes the parking lot project will set the tone for future public-private partnerships during the streetscaping process.

Creating A Public Space

The lot’s renovation wasn’t limited to paving and utilities, says Bob Bridwell, director of community development and planning for the City. “We took the opportunity to clean up Little Buffalo Creek,” which runs parallel to the renovated lot. Workers removed trash and debris from the creek and trimmed the creek’s foliage.

The Chatham Street Parking Lot is also home to an Art-Force, Inc public art installation. Created by North Carolina artists and local specialty metals engineering firm WST Industries, the zero-waste six-panel art display was installed in mid-August.

More Information

The public is invited to view the Chatham Street Parking Lot and participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 4:15pm. Light refreshments will be provided.

For questions about the new lot or ribbon cutting, contact David Montgomery at 919-775-8332 or downtown@sanfordnc.net.

Public Art Finds Permanent Home In New Downtown Parking Lot

Downtown Sanford's newly re-paved parking lot will be home to the newest Art-Force Inc public art installation.

Art-Force, a non-profit working to stimulate and diversify development in economically distressed communities, allies artists and manufacturers to create art for public spaces.

For Sanford, Art-Force matched local specialty metals engineering firm WST Industries with designers Chandra Cox and Susan Cannon to create two modern projects in metal, one of which will be six large-scale panels. The other is a selection of tables that will be available for purchase on WST Industries' website.

The zero-waste steel panels, which feature cut-outs that were used to produce the tables, will serve as entry markers to the newly re-paved and updated downtown lot between Wicker Street and Charlotte Avenue, explains DSI executive director David Montgomery.

The art installation will be fully unveiled during the parking lot's dedication in mid-September.

Benjamin Moore Agrees: Sanford's Main Street Matters

Sanford's dedicated voters pulled out a huge win last week when Benjamin Moore announced that Sanford is among the top 20 winners in the Main Street Matters competition.

Downtown Sanford, Inc and the City of Sanford relied mainly on social media like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about the contest and to remind users to vote daily.

The win means that Benjamin Moore will supply paint and paint services for three blocks in downtown Sanford. Learn more about the contest here.

Timeline: "We’ll be working with each town over the next year with the help of local Benjamin Moore retailers and local painting contractors," Benjamin Moore stated on its website. For Sanford, that means the company will work closely with McNeill Paint & Decorating Store on Woodland Avenue.

"We're proud to be part of the concept, and that our business could have a hand in this," said Jody McNeill, who runs the family business with his brother Marty.

Edward Giunco, Benjamin Moore rep for the region, was the force behind Sanford's nomination. Giunco works closely with the McNeills and was happy to have the chance to help revitalize Sanford. "They asked us to nominate real towns full of hard working, average people," Giunco explained. "Sanford fit the bill -- and I can't wait to see what happens next."

Sanford beat out 110 other cities and communities and was one of only two cities in the Southeastern U.S. to win. Other winners include Macon, Ga., Joplin, Mo., Flint, Mich., Sheboygan, Wis., and Hilo, Hawaii.

[Read local coverage in The Sanford Herald, Raleigh News & Observer, and Triangle Business Journal.]

Help Paint Sanford Red (Or Blue Or Green)

Great news -- Sanford has been chosen to compete in "Main Street Matters," an international contest to win free paint and paint services for three blocks.

Sanford was chosen along with 99 other cities for the contest, which is co-hosted by Benjamin Moore and Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation. If we win, the paint and services will be used in downtown Sanford.

Even better: Not only will downtown Sanford benefit from winning, but so will area businesses. Benjamin Moore will source its paint from the local Benjamin Moore store and it will hire local contractors and businesses to provide the paint services.

Read more about the competition and its impact in Sunday's Sanford Herald.

How To Vote

To vote, go to the Main Street Matters website and click on NC, then Sanford, and then the paint bucket that appears.

People can vote once per day from each of their “machines” (computer, iPad, iPhone, Android, etc).

Spread the word: Encourage your social networks to get in on the voting. You can share this photo with your Facebook, Twitter, and other networks.

To win, Sanford must receive enough votes to place it in the top 20. Voting has already begun and runs through June 20.

Want More Information?

David Montgomery, director of Downtown Sanford, is spearheading the campaign to make Sanford a winner. He can be contacted at 919-777-1400 or david.montgomery@sanfordnc.net.

Depot Park Train Gets A Brand New Look

Prepare for big changes in the train’s accessibility.

Restoration of Old Steam Locomotive #12 in Depot Park is nearly complete, but the train’s new iron work and fresh paint aren’t the only changes for park goers.

For years, visitors to the area have had free access to the locomotive, despite its age and historical value – but not any longer.

Behind Lock And Key

The Railroad House Historical Association, owner of Locomotive #12, plans to protect the train in an effort to minimize wear-and-tear and preserve the engine for another hundred years.

Along with repairing and repainting the engine, the City of Sanford has installed a new fence around the train that will remain locked except for occasional, pre-arranged, and supervised learning experiences.

The Association wants to make the train an educational exhibit and tourist attraction, similar to how prized historical train engines and cars are used in other communities.

“We know that protecting the train in this way may ruffle some feathers, but we have to keep everyone’s best interests in mind,” explains Woody Seymour with the Association. “We’ve seen children on top of the train, under the tender, and everywhere in between. That’s just not safe,” Seymour says.

Educational Exhibit Only

Not only does heavy use pose a risk for the public, it’s really hard on the train, which is 102 years old and was given to the Association by the Atlantic and Western Railway as a historic and cultural landmark. In addition to the work already completed, the train still needs more welding and a screen replacement.

“This train is the most visible part of our history as a railroad town and we need to protect it,” Seymour points out.

However, Locomotive #12 will not be completely off-limits to visitors. The Railroad House plans to open the fence for guided educational tours to educate the public about Sanford’s rail history on special pre-arranged occasions.

“Our goal is to slow, if not stop, natural erosion as well as the damage caused by the public,” Seymour asserts. “We hope that everyone will join us in making sure this landmark survives for the next generation.”

“The train is a great asset to the park as it is a major draw for young and old alike. Hopefully the steps that the Association and the City have taken will enable the train to be enjoyed for many future generations,” says David Montgomery, director of Downtown Sanford, Inc.

Get Involved

The City of Sanford and the Railroad House Historic Association would love to work with community groups, churches, and businesses to erect more play features at the park. For more information about this opportunity, contact Downtown Sanford, Inc. at 919-775-8332 or downtown@sanfordnc.net.

Any groups interested in scheduling a supervised, educational tour when the train is ready can contact the Association at 919-776-7479.

Downtown Sanford Tree Lighting

It's time again for the annual tree lighting ceremony in Depot Park, sponsored by Downtown Sanford, Inc.

The ceremony will begin at 5pm. Santa will be traveling all the way from the North Pole to take photos with all the children and is scheduled to arrive by 6pm.

Hot dogs, hot chocolate, soda, chips, and coffee will be available for purchase. Also, many downtown shops will be open to welcome all the holiday celebrants.

Be sure to bring your own camera to capture these memorable moments!