BLADENBORO — A plan to restore some businesses in downtown Bladenboro is having go through its fifth reincarnation due to location concerns from the high water levels from the hurricane.
“We are not going from scratch,” said Chuck Huestess, director of economic development in Bladen County. “We are just working on a new theory.”
Huestess said the problem has come from the high water marks, with the levels being too high to build with their original plans.
“We finally found out where the high water marks were from the hurricane,” he said.
Finding those marks has left him with much to contemplate.
The revitalization project has been a joint effort between Bladen’s Bloomin’, the county economic development office and the town, plus groups like Boost the ’Boro. Downtown was devastated by flooding from Hurricane Florence, with Heustess estimating the decline in businesses at upward of 90 percent.
Heustess, in July, said a plan over the next few years would be to identify buildings that need to be torn down, with the thoughts that there would be newer buildings built in their place, particularly with flood prevention in mind. The buildings would be elevated, and could be built to suit tenants commited to the project.
“We want to get all the parties back together, and we are thinking of new location in the downtown,” Heustess said. “The plan is similar, but I have not talked to the property owners in the new location to see if they are interested in having their buildings torn down.
“The water level was really high, and higher right there at the First Citizens parking lot. There are two high water lines there that are just barely 43 inches.”
Simply put, to build there it would be like having to build a beach house, close to six feet off the ground, and Huestess said that it would be so high just about any car would fit under there.
“So that’s where we are, and I am hoping we are going to know a little bit more in January when we get a chance to talk to the others involved,” Heustess said.
He said the property owners were the most important to begin with, and that they would come first. Heustess said the town is about to have money from the state to tear down the buildings, and in the next few weeks the possibility of a new plan should materialize.
Short of a new plan, there is optimism for something but no clarity on what that might be.
“We still want to hear from entrepreneurs and businesses that are wanting to go into the space,” Heustess said. “We don’t have the businesses that need to go into the facility.
“It’s very important to stay in downtown area. But we are trying to find a place little bit further from the stop light.”
The area by the stoplight is possibly the lowest spot in the town, where the water was exceptionally high from the flooding.
“I realized we would have to go up high, but not that high,” he said of the areas with the 36-inch high water marks and more. “But we certainly have not given up on it, and it is something we are serious about wanting to do. We are continuing to work on it, and we hope to have more progress at the first of the year.”
Anyone that is interested in moving into the new facility is encouraged to contact Huestess at 910-645-2292.
This map shows a previous planned location for the new style of building to help downtown Bladenboro. Chuck Heustess, Bladen County’s director of economic development, said a new plan may increase the distance away from the top light and the Bryant Swamp Canal.