PEMBROKE OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEERS:

CPNI VOLUNTEERS:

• Jeanine Bachtel, UNC-Charlotte, Team Leader
• Janet Brooks, Clark Nexsen
• Chuck Cardwell, SKA Consulting Engineers, Inc.
• Ron Leeper, RJ Leeper Construction Co.
• Fred Patrick, Member Emeritus
• Andy Penry, Penry Riemann PLLC
• Jim Schenck, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, 2015 CPNI Chairman
• Pat Fogleman, CPN of NC Executive Director

• • The first step is to identify the person who will be leading the effort of revitalizing the Town of Pembroke. Finding the person(s) with the most passion is vital to the success of the revitalization mission.
  • Seek out other grant opportunities:
    • Speak with the Kenan Center about possible grant opportunities and evaluate all possibilities by prioritizing grant pursuits.
    • Utilize outstanding $50,000 for a grant writer or the Master Plan.
    • Take advantage of Robeson Community College or UNC Pembroke and seek grant writing assistance.
    • Consider looking into American Waterway Grants.
    • Look into Duke Energy grant/funding to address the poor lighting issues in the Town. Funding can be used to provide much needed lighting to the downtown area.
    • Consider participating in the Downtown Associate Community Program to secure downtown revitalization technical assistance services.
  • Increase the collaborative effort with UNC Pembroke
    • Evaluate the UNC Pembroke campus survey results from 2010 to get a better understanding of the students’ needs from the community.
    • Work with the UNC Pembroke Foundation to form a partnership. This will allow the Town and University to address the acquisition of interested properties for joint use and economic development.  Additionally, it will allow the Town and University to gain control of the downtown properties and prevent undesirable businesses from obtaining ownership of prominent properties.
    • Utilize the students to research the Town’s history and the historical value of the buildings in the downtown area. The history of the campus is well documented; however, the historical value of most of the Town’s buildings is unknown.
    • Consider joint planning of events between the Town and the University. This will help integrate the students into the downtown area.  The Town will need to provide potential benefits to the University to gain their support.  Capitalize on the diversity of the community (International presence)
  • Improve connectivity between the University and the Town
    • Creating bike lanes and walkways will allow students to travel from the main campus to the Incubator, the downtown area, and the future retail stores proposed in the plan for the Hunter’s Run housing development.
    • Coordinate with UNC Pembroke on their Master Plan updates and efforts currently underway with a design team.
    • Share Town of Pembroke’s Master Plan with University Administration and Foundation.
    • Installing bike racks throughout downtown and the Incubator will encourage more residents to ride into Town.
    • The Town needs to address the lack of sidewalks in Town, which is potentially reducing the amount of foot traffic in the Town.
    • Public transit will improve accessibility to downtown and its surrounding areas.
    • Consider another through street from downtown to the University as Third Street is handling too much. Consider Fourth or Fifth Street as an option.
  • Pembroke is extremely close to the South Carolina state line. It would benefit UNC Pembroke and the Town if they considered offering in-state tuition to South Carolina students.  UNC Pembroke should research this option to see if it is a possibility.  Senate Bill 873 could make this a possibility.
  • It would also be helpful to develop a list of the buildings within the designated area and identify the owners of the buildings and land.
  • There are no visible signs indicating that you are in downtown Pembroke. Put in a request to NCDOT to provide signage for downtown off of major routes.