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Downtown Facelift - 03:16 PM - July , 2007
• A symbol of Pelahatchie’s downtown revitalization is nearing completion. Workers are putting the finishing touches on a major renovation of the town's police department.
The police department work is part of a larger downtown revitalization, a key part of the plan for the city's future, said Mayor Knox Ross.
"It makes (downtown) attractive to people who come in and say, 'This is where I might want to live,'" Ross said.
The impending opening of Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, the police station renovations, road and sidewalk improvements, a new museum and a planned walking trail are a few of the items in the town's plan.
The aim, Ross said, is to attract new residents, bring in more business and help generate more revenue for the city.
Pelahatchie Police Chief Glenda Shoemaker believes the mayor's initiative will help the city prosper, but said she's just happy to have more space around her police station.
That opinion is seconded by other department employees, who had grown tired of squeezing past booked suspects in the building's cramped walkways.
"I'm ready for it," Sgt. Charles Taylor said with a grin.
Renovations, including a redesigned exterior, a new dispatch office and a greatly expanded waiting area will be completed by next month.
Shoemaker said the renovations, which will be paid in full from cash seizure revenue, are the result of a persistent push by city officials to improve the area.
"They're working hard to make things look good," she said.
Pelahatchie native Bill Huffman, 66, said the effort to bring more attention to the downtown area is causing excitement around town.
"There's a pulse in the air that didn't used to be there," Huffman said.
Huffman, who was using computers at the town's library Wednesday, said he believes the city will continue to build up as more people move in.
"One day, we're going to look out there and see a lot of new stuff," he said. "Every time you turn the corner, someone is remodeling something."
Virgil Salvo, the co-owner of the 2nd Street Café, redid his business less than a year ago. The restaurant moved across the street into a bigger location.
Salvo said he's seen an increase in businesses springing up in the area, especially in previously vacant buildings.
"You would see a lot of empty buildings" downtown, he said of the past two or three years.
He estimates that about 75 percent of the area's buildings were vacant at some point during that time.
Salvo is an active participant in the city's revitalization efforts, and will provide food service for Jellystone Park's restaurant.
The park has experienced several delays, but has remained open with limited facilities. Salvo hopes it will be ready by the Fourth of July.
Once fully open, he expects the park to bring in travelers who wouldn't normally find themselves in the area.
"I think it's a big, progressive step for Rankin County," Salvo said of the campground.
Those steps seem to be paying off. Ross said the city is seeing its first major growth since the 1930s, when it was Rankin County's largest city.
But to continue that growth, the city needs to bring in outsiders, said Salvo, who recently moved into Pelahatchie after living near the Ross Barnett Reservoir.
He considers Jellystone Park to be a key attraction, but said the city could use more retail business to generate revenue from the increased traffic.
"The better all the businesses do, the more (Pelahatchie) will prosper," he said.
From article in Rankin Ledger by Chris Liuzza
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