Rural Initiative Project, Inc.

Posts tagged Austin Wright:

June 8, 2011 with 16 notes

tags: Austin Wright. Waughtown. Peachtree. James Taylor. RUCA. Finance Committee.

Peachtree Community News

Sponsored by Peachtree Community Association — Wade Roper, Founder

May 9 Finance Council Committee Meeting:

On the April 11 committee meeting, the RUCA program presented to the Finance Committee four options concerning which of the various businesses that applied to the RUCA program would receive funding. The Peachtree/Longview area was included in all 4 options thus almost guaranteeing that our area would receive funding. The decision, however, was postponed until the May 9 meeting. During the May 9 Finance Council Committee meeting , after much discussion, the council decided to cast a vote for one of the four options that were available. They chose Option 2 which would give funding to the following areas: Ogburn Station, West Salem, Peachtree/Longview block, King Plaza, and Cherry/Polo area.

Our Next Step:

The decision from the Finance Committee will now proceed to the full city council next week May 16. If the vote is passed then we will be approved to receive funding from the RUCA program. It is important that we as a community come to this meeting to show our support for the program and that we are committed to improving our area. We will be contacting you as a reminder to arrange transportation to the council meeting.

Once the funds are in place, even before we sign contracts with the city, we will be contacting you through Austin Wright to make sure of the repairs that you want to make and how those repairs will be completed. You can do the repairs yourself or hire a contractor. The costs can then be determined through estimates or purchase of materials. If you remember from previous discussions the RUCA program will provide two sources of money’s; (1) recoverable grants but no payment required and if you remain in the building for five years the liability will be removed and you must keep your building free of code violations. (2) Low interest loans, if you do not want to use your own funds the program can loan you the funds at a low interest rate, I am guessing at the rate I believe it’s below 5%. Those of you that have code violations we will also assist you to solve those violations.

The Peachtree area is a small commercial corridor that means, trash, debris clutter will be very visible and you will just chase customers away. Take a special effort to keep the area around your building clean, help out by mowing the grass in the right of way, and landscape in front of your building. Let’s all take pride in our community and make it special.

The Rural Initiative will have community service workers assigned by the courts but I never know when they will be available.

All of us owe much credit to our council representative, James Taylor. It has been quite a while since we have had such an active representative that worked for us. James was there at every meeting and worked in our behalf behind the scenes. He also got King Plaza funded, and more improvements in our community increases economic activity for all the businesses.

June 6, 2011 with 2 notes

tags: Austin Wright. James Taylor. RUCA. Waughtown. Peachtree. Finance Committee. Funding Goals.

Peachtree Community News

Sponsored by Peachtree Community Association — Wade Roper, Founder

Rural Initiative Project, Inc., prepared a funding request for up to $400,000 in both grants and matching funds to the Revitalizing Urban Commercial Areas (RUCA) program. This request does not include public improvements of the area; that will be a separate allocation. We have 13 businesses that have applied to date: (below):

Name, Business

Brian and Brian Creasy, Mini-Mall

Hasan Kanan, Beauty Giant (Mini-Mall)

Juan J. Sanchez, Tienda Mexican Marita

Jesus Guzman, La Comerical

Steve Myers, Triad Auto

Wade Roper, Furniture Store, Laundrymat, and Rental House

Sam Ogburn, Carfare Carwash

Bob Middleton, Peachtree Square

Christine Sandino, Universal Agency

Che Collins, Comb’s I Barber Shop/Comb’s II Beauty Shop

April 11 Finance Council Committee Meeting:

During the city of Winston-Salem’s Finance Committee meeting we found that our area scored very high in the rankings with city officials. The Peachtree/Longview area was included in all of the funding options presented to the committee thus showing we have a high chance of receiving funds.

Our Goals for the Funds:

To improve the economy of the Peachtree area through building and capital improvements.
To adopt standards in the Peachtree area that promotes better signage, increased, landscaping and quality renovations and restorations.
To preserve the history that still remains in the Peachtree corridor.
To make public improvements that will help encourage retail sales and pedestrian traffic.
To organize the Peachtree Association to become an effective advocate of the Peachtree corridor.
To encourage businesses to maintain their buildings and sites to increase retail traffic.
To continue the visible police presence and enforcement.

“I am very much in support with the businesses in the Peachtree and Longview area. I am confident that with the RUCA funding we will be able to bring business to the area, and ultimately provide support to the area as a place to live, work, and relax.”

-Councilman James Taylor

May 13, 2011

tags: Austin Wright.

Meet the Team: Austin Wright

My name is Austin Wright. I am a recent graduate of North Carolina State University’s Environmental Design in Architecture undergraduate program. I have been working for Rural Initiative Project, Inc. for about a year as an architectural designer.

I highly enjoy the design and creative processes that are involved with the many projects that we do. With my background in design, I work with clients to create a vision of how they want see their school, business, or community in the future. It is very important to work closely with the local people as they know what is best for their community.

I feel that helping to preserve and restore important buildings and districts is vital to maintaining growth in older towns and cities. One should never deny his or her roots when those same roots provided beneficial growth to that person and their community at large. I do not take the work that we do at RIPI for granted, because it is through preservation and restoration that history is kept alive. And by keeping history alive, we also help to keep the community, and its spirit, alive.

May 9, 2011

tags: Corey McCann. Keshia Horn. Lindsay Dinkins. Austin Wright.

Contact Us

Email:

Keshia@RIPINC.org

Telephone

1 (336) 924-6177

Snail Mail

P.O. Box 84
Bethania, NC 27010

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April 10, 2011

tags: Keshia Horn. Austin Wright.

The Nissen House restoration came to be when the property that the house, originally, sat on was under contract to be sold. At this time, the Dampier Family couldn’t afford to restore the Nissen House to its original so they placed it on the market. Then in the Spring of 2008, two dentists bought the property but soon discovered that the house couldn’t be modified to suit their needs. With demolition looming in the air, the dentists gave the house to the Lewisville Historical Society with one condition, find a new location for the house. The LHS was graciously given a plot of land by the Town of Lewisville, that was once apart of the 50 acres that Nissen owned in the Town Square, on the corner of Arrow Leaf Drive and Lucy Lane. This new home for the Nissen House is located behind the old Town Hall and the New Town Hall. It is literally right around the corner from it’s original location. This new location would keep the House in the Historic Town Square and next to the Lewisville Elementary School, which makes it easily accessible for school groups and those wishing to experience history.

With numerous fundraisers held, generous donations, and grants from the Winston-Salem Foundation, the National Trust, and the Stedman Incentive Grant from Preservation North Carolina, the Lewisville Historical Society was able to move the House to its current location on the corner of Arrow Leaf Drive and Lucy Lane. The current goal of LHS is to restore the exterior of the House. This restoration would take the current state of the House and restore it, as closely as possible, to the way it was when George Elias Nissen and his family lived there. To fund this phase of the project, LHS is in the midst of seeking grants and planning fundraisers to aide in restoring the home.

There is no question that the Nissen Wagon Works, in Waughtown, North Carolina, had a profound affect upon Forsyth County’s history. The family busy started with Tycho Nissen in Salem but his grandson would move the operation out of Salem and expand it to become a regional powerhouse. There wasn’t a “road” in the South that didn’t have a Nissen wagon on it. The growth and expansion of the wagon company would continue under the control of George E. Nissen for almost forty years. The business would be passed from father to son, and then bother to brother until the business was sold in 1925.

However, George Elias Nissen’s affect upon the town of Lewisville, North Carolina is lesser known. At the time of John Nissen’s passing in 1874, George was living a simple life in Lewisville. It was here that George Nissen was trying to make a name for himself. He owned a gristmill and co-owned a sawmill with brother-in-law, Lewis Laugenour. This is speculated to be a huge asset to the area because it provided two forms of employment to residents, as well as acres and acres of wood for the wagon company in Waughtown. In the 1870 U.S. Census report, Lewis Laugenour’s house was the starting point of the Town of Lewisville and George Nissen’s house was the end. In this census, George was the enumerator of Lewisville. This paints a picture that demonstrates Nissen’s importance in defining the lay of Lewisville.