Third prong of our assessment of Pocomoke - Where do you see opportunity or unrealized potential?
First potential I see:
As you may be aware, fiber is being laid in Worcester thanks to the efforts of the County Commissioners and a group of forward thinking individuals. This fiber goes up route 13 from Wallops and will also go up route 113. There is a connection point (a POP) at the intersection of 13 and 113 and another on 13 at the bridge over the river. Fiber runs from the POP at the 13/113 intersection past the high school and elementary school to Broad Street and up Broad Street to Hard Wire.
If this fiber were extended from Hard Wire to the pop at the bridge, the loop would be complete. There is tremendous potential to attract technology based businesses that would bring highly skilled, high paying jobs.
Second:
The river. Snow Hill has 2 very nice parks on the river that are reasonablely well maintained and used often for a variety of purposes. I have often had lunch in the pavalion near the district court.
Third:
The Pocomoke City website. FINALLY, Pocomoke has an internel presence, but it is way underused to provide information to the public. It is very static and unchanging.
What opportunities do you see?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Pocomoke has great potential and our river could be the #1 drawing card.
ReplyDeleteI'm more of the old fashioned kind of person and I don't like to see BIG business's in the industrial fields.
I'd like to see the 'up-town' flourish like it did in the 60's and early 70's. I know it will never happen as those kind of business's just will not make it anywhere now unless it's heavily populated or a tourist heaven like Annapolis or Saint Michaels, with the right persons at the helm and interested investors we could very well be similuar to Saint Michaels.
A few cafee's and a couple medioker resteruants would do wonders for 'up-town'. But I still think it's been done in, if the 'up-town' inviorment had not been disturbed and the small business's been forced to close it would be much easier to rebound. Lawsons was the ruination of what we had left.
As to the 'up-town' area I think it's just history and could come back to life but not in our lifetime. :(
The song "They Paved Paridise and Put Up A Parkinglot" comes to mind on that one.
The old Grants building holds more potential than any other place here in town. It would be so nice for a Grocery store to occupy that building and give wal*mart some copitition, (I hate wal*mart) but have no other choice than to shop there.
The industrail park has great potintial for big business's even though I don't like industry it would be a plus for the town if we can get some business's that could last there.
I reckon like anything it is what we make of it. The right person could change a lot here, the wrong person could also make it worse.
I think that the Uptown needs the local government to get out of the business of dictating what kinds of business needs to be here.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they just stick to supplying us water and sewer and keeping the streets in decent shape?
They have NO business in saying what kind of business can come to a town.
It is up to the PEOPLE and the PEOPLE alone.
If a business is successful or a failure is determined by the market period.
If you got the goods that people want the customers will show up. It is plain and simple.
However, the City puts a small business through unnecessary hardship by double taxing on what the state already taxes us on.
Then there is the CDMA which is some downtown merchants association, then the Chamber of Commerce, not to mention that when you own a business it is expected and appropriate to support community events, fundraisers, and sponsorships. However, at the end of the day after all of the taxes, and overhead there is not much left to do so, and that is where it becomes a real shame.
Priority #1 Gas pumps at the docks! Above the ground in an eco friendly tray, just in case there is a spill. This would create a reason for boaters to come here, and to dock here and to harbor here.
Priority #2 Pub. There must be a decent place to walk from your boat, the Marva or any of the business's downtown where one can have a nice very reasonably priced meal, and have a drink.
Priority #3 Get rid of all of the extra added fee's that the city imposes on business owners.
If there is business being conducted then the town will flourish.
Priority #4 Let a booking agency handle the Marva. An agency will book shows on a continuous basis and it wont' be contingent on what the board members decide
Priority #5 Participate in the Fridays program
Priority #6 Have bands regularly scheduled during the summer at the band stand, with dancing, food, and beer and wine.
Priority #7 Start looking for events that can be held on that river whenever the weather permits. Wake boarding competition etc. Cardboard boat regatta's, and Real Boat Regatta's on the 4th of July and Christmas.
These are all things that little 'Non Chain' business's can do. Look at Berlin and they don't have a river or a movie theater (but their theater is sooooooooooo cool). There is NO reason that we can't be as successful NO reason except for the control freaks at city hall.
I agree about the use of the website. I use local websites to look up information daily for work. I am always amazed at sites that do not keep current. What a waste. I wrote to the town because I think there is a lot of small organizations that could draw people to Pocomoke and re-enforce our small town community, such as school carwash, church dinners, tractor pulls, etc. My suggestion was a calendar of events produced by the town. It would cost any out of pocket money for the town if local businesses purchases small ads in the calendar. Open it to all churches and organizations, most know a head of time what they are doing for the year. I live in Pocomoke and miss some of the smaller but great events. It could be mailed to local towns to encourage local people from other towns to join us. It definitely should be distributed by real estate offices. I mailed my suggestion to the mayor, but never received a reply at all. I wish people would at least make citizens feel like we have a voice.
ReplyDeleteI remember when there were events focused around downtown. Mother's Day weekend, there was always a sidewalk sale and a church or boy scouts sold small plants for gifts for Mom. I loved it when I was a kid, knowing I could shop for my mother's day gift.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI remember when there were events focused around downtown. Mother's Day weekend, there was always a sidewalk sale and a church or boy scouts sold small plants for gifts for Mom. I loved it when I was a kid, knowing I could shop for my mother's day gift.
May 20, 2009 11:01 AM
yes I remember that well,
Saturdays used to have dog shows sponsored by the 4H club,I won a ribbon with an old stray mutt I found, well really it found me.
WBOC radio had something for kids only every Saturday on the air in their building behind the old corner liquor store.
I could go to the food bar at Woolworth's (Newbury's) and get a nice fresh donut and a fountain soda for 20cent and leave a nickel tip :)
Sam's grocery store on Clarke Ave. and Marty's shoe store that was right beside it.
Maw would give me 50cent to go get a loaf of bread and I could keep the change, I'd have enough left over to get a fountain soda and a candy bar or ice cream. Bread was 35cent a loaf.
Did y'all know there is a fresh water spring at the river bank at the Laurel st dock? For some reason that water is always warm. I guess it's a spring, because it's been running every since I was old enough to walk to the river.
And the arrow heads, I found a bunch of arrow heads when they were building the road that runs along the dock. Now all those tools that the Indians made are berried under asphalt :(
Well, they can build and cover but they can't take away the memories.
The memories are great. I wish I had lived in Pocomoke when it was a boom town....but now we are in the 21st century and the post with priorities is right on. Gas at the boat dock would be perfect, a local pub, and for gods sake use the pavillion at the park for events. Don't be afraid to serve beer & wine, adults will attend these type of events that are mature and know how to handle themselves. We are in the 21st century, we need to act like it!
ReplyDelete