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July 12, 2007
Thursday's Internet Edition
Staff Writer Kevin Reid - Carol Brown, chairperson of Thomasville Beautification, has fond memories of strolling through downtown Thomasville as a youngster.
“When I was growing up, downtown Thomasville was really the place to be,” Brown remembered. “The buildings were kept up well and the sidewalks and streets were hustling and bustling with activity.”
Brown is hoping — and anticipating — that the glory days of Thomasville’s downtown are on the verge of returning. The site of the Big Chair, she believes, has a lot of potential to become more attractive and also more active. Her vision is being shared by Sue Hunter, a board member of P.A.C.E. (People Achieving Community Enhancement). The two organizations are starting to work together like they never have before.
“P.A.C.E. and Beautification are working together,’ Hunter said. “It’s the first time these two committees have worked together as a unit instead of individually. That’s wonderful.”
One of the wonderful things that has recently happened to enhance the looks of downtown Thomasville is the restoration of the fountain at Nona Ingram Welborn Park. Welborn, whom the park was named after, spearheaded the effort to have the fountain installed in the area across Randolph Street from the Big Chair, but she died shortly before it was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1969. By last year, the fountain had, for all practical purposes, stopped functioning. The city contracted with Lexington-based W.P. Law to rebuild the fountain. Ken Lookabill, who works in the city’s streets department, worked with the crew from Law, headed by Joe Queen.
“Ken’s done a good job,” Brown said. “He and his crew trimmed all the shrubbery in the park and it looks great now that the fountain is operating like it never has before.”
The fountain’s new look includes, not only a central stream of water, but a circle near the perimeter of the fountain with numerous smaller streams coming out. The up-to-date equipment causes the outside streams of the fountain to automatically cut off when the wind speed reaches 5 miles-per-hour. When the wind reaches a speed of 10 miles-per-hour, the central stream also cuts off automatically. The reason for the automatic cut-offs is to keep the fountain from losing water. If the wind drops below the cut-off speeds, the fountain streams automatically cuts back on in five minutes.
“This has been an undertaking that has been going on for over a year,” Brown said. “It’s good to have it finally completed.”
The fountain automatically cuts on each day at 7 a.m. and cuts off at 10 p.m.
Hunter pointed to some other recent improvements in Thomasville’s downtown.
“Have you been in those apartments?” she asked a reporter as she pointed at a renovated building on the first block of East Main Street. “They are fantastic. I would love to see every building along here patterned after that.”
The current chairman of P.A.C.E. is Jim Gregory. Hunter has also held the chair, which tends to rotate among board members.
“We are hoping to see the facades taken off all the downtown buildings and restored,” Hunter said. “We also want to get more people living in the upstairs of these buildings. If the merchants could have their shops downstairs and apartments or condominiums over their shops, it would be wonderful.”
P.A.C.E. has a sign near the fountain asking people for their input on what they would like to see done to improve Thomasville’s appearance. The sign urges interested citizens to reply to a post office box address, but Hunter said that most P.A.C.E. board members have e-mails. Hers is jands111@triad.rr.com.
Among other recent P.A.C.E. accomplishments Hunter is proud of are the enhancements, including a mural, to the Commerce Street area and the planting of trees in downtown parking lots, including the one at Market Square near the Farmer’s Market.
“The trees and lights have really softened the parking lot,” she noted of Market Square.
Both Hunter and Brown stressed the need for donations — from the city, businesses and individuals to make the joint effort of P.A.C.E and Beautification successful. Both organizations have purchased benches and other furniture placed along sidewalks and parks in downtown Thomasville as a way to not only improve the looks, but to make the area more comfortable to shoppers and others who frequent the area. Donations of a certain size can lead to a bench — or other item — being named after the donor.
“It’s exciting to see the improvements that are beginning to take place downtown,” Hunter said. “The cooperation between Beautification and P.A.C.E. is all for the town of Thomasville.”
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