Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010

Gift could help reshape downtown

A gift from ConAgra Foods to build a community center could jumpstart plans to revitalize downtown.

The company, which will close its Slim Jim plant next year, is giving Garner $3 million to build a community center. The town will use $500,000 of that to market the plant on Jones Sausage Road.

The gift comes as Garner is making moves to bring life to downtown. Urban planners hired by the town worked up a plan that calls for restaurants, shops and a civic anchor -- like a community center.

"It's incredibly perfect timing," said Town Manager Hardin Watkins. "Here's a way to push forward with something real."

Residents here have long been calling for a community center. The town has only one public gymnasium, and Watkins said it pays about $55,000 a year to Wake schools to use school gyms.

The urban plan points to the intersection of U.S. 70 and Montague Street as a possible site for a downtown anchor. A community center has been a popular option, said John Hodges, director of the Garner Revitalization Association, which is working with the town and urban planners.

Another option has been to build a new town hall and police station downtown. But Hodges said a community center that would likely be open in the evenings would bring in more visitors than a public building that would close at 5 p.m.

Hodges said he hopes the private sector will follow suit if the town moves forward with a community center. He said a community center could be a good draw for stores and restaurants.

"It definitely could drive traffic," Hodges said.

The Town Council is expected to approve the downtown plan in the next couple of months. But that doesn't mean residents should expect a community center any time soon. The plan calls for street upgrades for easy access from U.S. 70 into downtown. The town would have to put infrastructure in place.

Then it would likely take a year for an architectural firm to design a building and another year and a half for workers to build it, Watkins said.

And money could be an issue, even with the donation from ConAgra. A community center could cost between $6.5 million and $13 million, Watkins said. He said the town might ask other local businesses to chip in.

Garner is home to Butterball's headquarters. Golden State Foods, which ships supplies to McDonald's restaurants, opened a warehouse in town last year.

"We're moving now," Watkins said. "It's not 'if' we're going to have a community center anymore, it's 'when.'"