Madison County towns, cities try to breathe life into their downtowns

Elwood

Mayor Ron Arnold said the downtown is finally seeing a pulse after years of lying dormant.

"We're starting to see where the heartbeat is beating again," Arnold said. "We've seen a renewed interest in the downtown area from businesses and vendors."

Arnold credits part of the rebirth to Elwood's Christmas celebration efforts during the winter. The town spent $60,000 last year and got approval to spend up to $30,000 this year covering the businesses on Anderson Street in Christmas lights, but Arnold said the display attracted people, which in turn intrigued businesses.

Having Warner Bodies, which manufacturers custom trucks, move in to town has also helped the area. The company brought in workers and families. Officials have said they believe the company plans to employ a total of 150 employees once they reach full operation capacity. Right now the company has about 70 employees.

Arnold said he thought Elwood's location would help them out as Tipton grows and Elwood continues to make a comeback.

"We're fortunate enough to be in a corridor with highways 13 and 28 running right through here," Arnold said. "That brings in a lot of traffic, which helps us out."

In addition to location, the city also has a slight size advantage over the other cities and towns in Madison County outside of Anderson. Last year, Elwood's population was estimated at about 8,500 people. Nearly 3,500 more than Alexandria and more than twice as big as Pendleton's.

Currently, Elwood offers no incentives to businesses who want to locate downtown. Arnold said the city is just starting to generate tax increment financing dollars that could be used for that purpose. Now, he said, the focus is on current business owners.

"They need a reason to invest in their real estate. If we don’t figure out a way to incentivize building owners to invest in their roofs, windows and facades, we’re going to lose every building downtown," Arnold said. "But it has to make sense for them. You can't spend $60,000 on a roof without any tenants or cash."

Alexandria

The city's downtown took a hit this year when several historic buildings had to be torn down.

Mayor Jack Woods said that, regrettably, the structures had fallen into such a state of disrepair there was no way to save them.

Cox's Supermarket, a store that had served the city of about 5,000 residents since 1936, closed its doors for good in May and no replacement has been found yet.

Alexandria is also the only city in Madison County without a golf course, after Yule Golf Course shut down in 2012. Pendleton's golf course has weathered recent financial trouble and Elwood's course has been diminished to nine holes but is still operational.

Woods said Alexandria is struggling to bring new life to its downtown.

"Are we where we want to be? No. But we never believe anything is impossible. We're not going to give up."

Jeff Bryan, director of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, said a supermarket to replace Cox would be a welcome relief.

"We would certainly support any business that wanted to move into our downtown," Bryan said. "I feel like Alexandria still has a lot to offer."

Pendleton

Tim McClintick, town manager of Pendleton, said the town is starting to rebound after the recession of the mid-2000s.

"Right now I think our downtown is in transition. But we've made strides in the right direction."

Several programs in Pendleton are attempting to improve the look of downtown, including the street-scape project and Pendleton's Main Street program.

Main Street Pendleton officials are pursuing an assessment of the downtown area that could lead to a grant to improve the facades and roofs of downtown buildings. McClintick noted the planning study will be completed later this year.

Another focus for Pendleton has been to work with what they have and, as Richmond has done, increase the connectivity of the downtown area.

"The question is how do we work with the assets we have now," McClintick said. "We have Falls Park just a block away from the downtown area, but people don't know how close it is."

McClintick wants people who are visiting downtown to recognize that it's a short walk to the park. And he wants people who are at the park to realize the downtown is close enough to grab lunch or go shopping.

With a population estimated at around 4,200 residents, Pendleton does have the smallest population of the three. That population will jump a little once the recent annexation of land west of the town's location becomes official but the area is mostly rural.