ROCKINGHAM — City leaders will receive a $25,000 grant to study ways to ramp up tourism to the Uwharrie region, the N.C. Department of Commerce announced Friday.
Last month, the city applied for grant funding to hire a destination marketing consultant as part of a study “to determine what is needed to increase tourism in the Uwharrie region.”
The overall cost of the project was estimated at nearly $57,000.
“We anticipate this to be a good catalyst for improving tourism in the region,” Rockingham Mayor Steve Morris said Friday afternoon.
Aside from Richmond, other counties to be included in the study are Davidson, Montgomery, Rowan, Stanly and Anson. According to the application, Davie, Randolph and Moore will also be analyzed to determine if they should part of the regional effort.
Morris said the years ago, the area was referred to as the Central Park of North Carolina.
“The idea is to draw outdoor tourism from the larger cities,” he said, including Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro.
City Manager Monty Crump said in January that the city was spearheading the effort “because we believe that tourism development and promotion of our region’s natural and cultural assets is essential to creating and fostering economic growth as a component of our economy here in Richmond County.”
“Additionally,” Crump continued, “no other local government, community or entity has stepped up to be a clearinghouse or hub to in the region to base such an effort out of.”
Crump said on the purposes of the study would be to “determine how best to carry out findings of the study.”
He added that one of those determinations could be the formation of a regional tourism authority, similar to the former Uwharrie Regional Resources Commission, which was eliminated in July 2013. The commission was made up of business leaders, local elected officials and other government representatives.
The study will conclude with a regional forum — expected to take place in May — to “demonstrate the value of regional visioning and collaboration, share best practice from similar areas in the country, hear region-specific recommendations and gain the support of the counties to help fund the next phase,” which will be marketing and branding.
Included in the city’s application are letters of endorsement from the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism-Recreation Investment Partnership for Davidson County Foundation, among others.
“I’m delighted the other agencies in this Central Park area wrote letters of recommendation the Rockingham become the grant recipient,” Morris said.
The grant was one of 39 Economic Development Competitive Grants for Underserved and Limited Resource Communities given out by the N.C. Department of Commerce.
“The goal of these grants is to make sure that North Carolina’s rural communities have the necessary funds available to carry out projects to help the local economy,” said Secretary of Commerce John E. Skvarla III. “All of the projects selected will help make a difference in each community.”
Other grants awarded to Richmond County include $25,000 to the Richmond Community College Foundation for the Farm-Week Bluegrass Festival and $25,000 for implementation of the Green Fields Initiative.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas in Montgomery and Richmond counties also received $25,000 for a transition care clinic.
Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675.
Leave a Reply