- Downtown Perry will undergo renovations as the City of Perry and Perry-Taylor Chamber of Commerce focus on this area to bring in future investment into Perry
- Both agencies have been awarded grants to carry out some improvements. The city has also requested a study to be carried out to provide a 5-year strategic plan for growth.
- Watch the video to find out why these improvements are needed in this area and how grant support could help secure the future of Perry and Taylor County
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
People in Downtown Perry are hoping to see some change as leaders invest in a new project to revitalize the city.
Many businesses here have been rocked by severe weather over the past year. You can see that by just how many storefronts are now vacant. The community is hoping that's going to change - they're investing in a big effort with this new project to ensure it happens.
Work is underway for Downtown Perry to get a face lift, after taking repeated hits from hurricanes and mill closures.
"I want downtown to be just somewhere people want to come to see, like not just locals, I want people to be like have y'all heard about Downtown Perry? Like let's go," said Ashley Vernese, owner of Rhinestones and Rust Boutique on N. Jefferson Street.
Vernese recently opened at this spot in November of last year after Idalia destroyed her previous store.
"I was a little hesitant because the economy is hurting and our town is struggling a little after all the hurricanes and damages," said Vernese. "It's just hard."
What goes into a decision to reopen back in Downtown Perry? What was it that drew you back in, despite all the damage? "Despite the damage, despite the devastation of it all, I love it, I love my community," said Vernese. "I want everyone here to do well, I want us to grow together and I want to support my town."
It's that community spirit that sustains her commitment to this city, especially after seeing Taylor County suffer so much loss, including the shuttering of the Georgia Pacific mill.
A University of Florida study estimated that closure alone cut more than $377 million in revenue for the county.
So, the city and Perry-Taylor County Chamber of Commerce are trying to turn things around with a new revitalization project.
Why do you think this revitalization is needed so much? "Because we need direction, we need a little help kind of paving the way toward what we want to be," said Director of the Chamber, Dawn Perez. Perez added focuses that will include improving the aesthetics of downtown and retail recruitment, like bringing more businesses and industries into the area.
Why do you think this revitalization is needed so much? "Because we need direction, we need a little help kind of paving the way toward what we want to be," said Perez.
A $35,000 grant has recently been awarded to the City to conduct a revitalization study. It will provide a 5-year plan for how the downtown should develop looking at aesthetic, industry, and safety features.
"We have everything here, we just have to one - get the word out, two - do a little work, three - spruce it up a bit, so I think that we're on our way to being a tourist attraction as a historic downtown area," said Perez.
It's a vision that business owners. like Vernese, share fiercely.
"I hope that downtown Perry has businesses on both sides of the streets," said Vernese. "I hope we have overflowing parking, I hope that people are finding areas to park and walk up to us because we're so busy."
Perez said the Chamber is also going after another grant of about $8,000 for aesthetic improvements.
