Street Talk
Water Valley Offers Many Public Treasures
By Susan Hart
The TV season is in award show overdrive right now. The Golden Globes, the Grammys, the Oscars. And while fans of stage, screen, and music love to watch their favorite stars win, it is almost as much fun to see who “loses.” Even more fun than that is the post awards reports on the best and worst dressed. What if Main Street buildings were on that list? “She has really let herself go, bless her heart.” Or “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that cornice with those headers.”
How about,”Who is her stylist? That awning is a statement piece. But it makes the wrong statement!” Luckily, Joan Rivers isn’t the critic scrutinizing the old buildings of Water Valley. We had the Charrette program for that. They had quite lovely things to report about our stars.
Under “Historic Resources,” the Charrette team pictured the Post Office, Ford Dealership, Presbyterian Church and the Rock Gas Station as a few of our public treasures. Also treasures are the many homes that have retained historic integrity over the last century.
WVMSA is awaiting the final product of the Charrette Planning Program from last month. In the meantime, we have been working on implementing several of the suggestions made by the Charrette team. The residents of Water Valley provided valuable input at the Charrette town hall meeting. Main concerns were voiced for the preservation of buildings, the installation of more green space and water features, and more commerce for our townspeople. Social activity opportunities for the young and old alike were also expressed as a necessity for the future of Water Valley.
Design, Economic Restructur-ing, Promotions, and Organiza-tion committees insure that WVMSA carries out our mission to promote Water Valley’s Main Street District as the focus of a community where history is preserved; businesses thrive; and citizens and visitors dine, shop, live, and enjoy the arts and entertainment. As we continue to work on the Charrette projects, where we are able, we still need the input of the town. If you are interested in joining a committee in our 4 point approach, you may call the WVMSA office at 662-473-6767, or write to WVMSA, PO Box 104, Water Valley, MS, 38965, or email: manager@watervalleymainstreet.com
Building renderings, or the before-and-after, segment of January’s Charrette, created quite a bit of buzz by those attending the presentation. Just a little paint, light fixtures, and fresh landscaping transformed the images of overlooked downtown buildings into eye-catching historic landmarks. WVMSA Design Committee is available to help downtown building and business owners with their own possible redesigns. Because WVMSA has resources for appropriate structural and cosmetic suggestions, making the change from the worst dressed to the best dressed list is just a paint brush away.
