At the beginning of September 2020, the Town of Rutherfordton received a Public Design Assistance opportunity through the UNCG School of Design. The North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center in partnership with UNCG Main Street Fellows created a new service with the intent to offer assistance during the Pandemic to assist designated Main Street and Small Town Main Street programs with designing or redesigning public spaces for more flexible use such as sidewalks and alleyways for dining or how to incorporate safe practices such as hand sanitizing stations throughout downtown with respect to the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.
With the passage of the Whole’s concept from Town Council in early December, the Town has been able to start creating plans to make this project a reality. Doug Barrick, the Town Manager, was contacted by WFMY News in Greensboro for a statement about the program. Check out the news story and video here.
For more information and to see the concept, check out the Whole’s project page here.