by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Finessing the future was the resounding theme at the first Sewanee Civic Association meeting of the year, October 7. President Kiki Beavers updated members and guests on the Welcome Center, Community Chest, and other SCA projects while William Shealy, University Director of Economic Development, shared insight on the community driven Sewanee placemaking initiative.

“The Welcome Center is the most fabulous thing to happen in downtown Sewanee in years,” said Ken Taylor, SCA vice president and Taylor Mercantile owner. “It’s been a monster project,” Beavers conceded, but “construction is underway.” Most recently the Hair Depot building and originally the site of the Mountain Goat Railroad Sewanee freight depot, the refurbished building and site will feature historic displays, an exterior water-bottle filling station, the only ADA compliant public restroom in Sewanee, and an interactive information kiosk. The cost — $128,410 for construction and an additional $6,000 for lights, security cameras, and the bottle filling station — was largely offset by a $121,361 donation from the University class of ’73. Next on the list of challenges: collating and curating the historic displays and enlisting volunteers to host the Center during operating hours, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays, April through October.

Beavers cited two possible partnership opportunities. The state park service is considering using the Center for office space temporarily, until the Head of the Crow visitor center is complete, and Tennessee South Cumberland Tourism may assist with programming the interactive kiosk.

Reporting on the Community Chest, Beavers said last year’s fund drive exceeded the goal, raising $125,317. The surplus enabled the SCA to fund two emergency requests: hiring a part time music teacher at Sewanee Elementary School and a request for financial assistance at St. James Midway Community Park. Lee and Steve Hancock will head up this year’s drive. The steering committee pared down $145,000 in requests to a goal of $123,456. Grant recipients include SES, Blue Monarch women’s shelter, the Community Action Committee, Marion Animal Resource Connection, the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance and other projects and initiatives that make Sewanee and the Plateau a better place to live.

The SCA also sponsors two other community enhancing programs. This August’s School Supply Drive provided back-to-school needs for three-quarters of the students at SES. The Nonfood Supply Drive, co hosted with the CAC, collects and distributes household necessities the financially challenged cannot purchase with SNAP benefits, items ranging from cleaning supplies to pet food. Drop off donations at the CAC office through the end of October.

Classifieds Director Bentley Cook reported 600 supporters sent in their dues during the Sept. 1–Oct. 1 membership renewal period, on track with previous years’ renewal campaigns, with “no loud complaints” about the dues increase from $10 to $20. Increasing costs for insurance, software, and catering necessitated the dues increase, the first in SCA’s history. Dues paying members receive a free subscription to Sewanee Classifieds, the community listserv bulletin board.

Shealy’s work on placemaking occurred in response to a recommendation from the Urban Land Institute study commissioned by the University. “Placemaking is about collaborating to reimagine and reinvent public spaces to strengthen connections between people and the places that are important to them,” Shealy said. The working group assembled to embrace the challenge quickly grew from 15 to 35 members, with representatives from an array of community neighbors — the SCA, Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, business owners, University faculty, students, leaseholders, artists, and even the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The group’s unique ideas impressed the consultant engaged to assist the effort. Among the suggestions: a sandstone climbing structure, a community garden, extending bike lanes and sidewalks, bike racks, and historic signage. Embracing the motto, “the next big thing is a bunch of little things,” two projects in particular gathered momentum: bike lane visibility and safety and a downtown mural.

Biking enthusiast and University Art Gallery Director Shelley MacLaren took the lead on the bike visibility and safety project. Abandoned bikes acquired from Facilities Management were gaily decorated and stationed at locations frequented by cyclers crossing Highway 41A. “Although permanent signage may be needed,” Shealy acknowledged, the low cost, clever project successfully “grabbed the attention” of motorists, training them to watch for cyclists. “The bikes made a point,” Shealy insisted.

The other high energy project, replacing the banner on Taylor’s Mercantile with a permanent mural, led to collaboration with Lodge Cast Iron about their museum mural and with help drawing up an RFP to engage an artist. Shealy hopes enthusiasm surrounding the project will help raise the $40,000 needed to transform the banner into a permanent feature of downtown. “After you make a case for something, and you demonstrate it is supported and important to people, it’s easier to get the funding,” Shealy observed. Little things become big things.