Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 18, 1994 TAG: 9407140013
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
The budget submitted by Pulaski Main Street Inc. includes money for advertising and to hire an executive director. Council members have discussed hiring a town public relations director whose job would include part-time overseeing of PMI activities.
Members of the PMI board have expressed uneasiness about having a director answerable to the town instead of the board. ``It's functionally incorrect,'' Karen Graham, owner of the Somethin' Fishy pet shop, said at a PMI board meeting Thursday.
``The very most PMI can be is a committee'' under those conditions, said PMI President Alex Rygas, whose clothing store is on Main Street. ``If it has no money, it has no power. ... We're dead in the water at this point until the decisions have been made. It's really out of our hands.''
The same is true about advertising commitments that PMI would need to make for the coming year, he said.
Town Manager Tom Combiths told the board he thought council recognized that PMI brings a focus to downtown development, and wants to look at broadening the effort. Although new stores have blossomed in the downtown core, he noted, there are still vacant buildings farther along Main Street on Virginia 99 that need to be addressed.
Eddie Hale, owner of Martin's Pharmacy on Main Street and an incoming council member in July, said it was his impression that council had trouble justifying an executive director's salary just for a few blocks of development.
``Our advertising logic is not based to bring people down to a three-block area,'' Rygas said. ``I think all of us agree that we have set the foundation for a considerable amount of growth. ... Let's see if we can't work together and return the momentum that is Main Street, whether it's called Main Street or whatever.''
Marlis Rysel Flynn, owner of Upstairs/Downstairs, said that the filling of formerly vacant stores in the central area of Main Street does not mean the job is done. ``Main Street is not finished and, before we spread our wings, we should finish that so we have a strong base.''
Debbie Jonas, who owns Colony of Virginia, said she did not want a town official directing how she spends her advertising money. Merchants on Main Street invest in joint advertising through PMI. She also said the improved condition of downtown Pulaski could be a drawing card for middle management people to move here as places like Volvo-GM expand in the area.
In other business, the PMI board accepted the resignation of Audrey Jackson, a long-time volunteer with the program, and evaluated downtown activities from last Saturday's Depot Day.
One highlight proved to be the afternoon rubber-duck race on Peak Creek, for which downtown merchants sold more than 1,300 ducks at $1 each for PMI. One store, Tan-O-Rama, alone sold some 180 ducks including the winning duck
Each buyer put his or her name on the duck before the race, which offered cash prizes of $150, $50 and $25. The winners were Amanda Lawson, Amanda Hurst and Donald McAdam.
by CNB