Free Range Conversations, Episode 50
RISON - Following the public interest meeting held Monday by Rison Shine Community Development, the moderators of the three topics sat down for a recap episode on the Free Range Conversations podcast with Rison Mayor Charles Roberts.
Britt Talent, Les Walz and Douglas Boultinghouse discussed their findings from the groups they spoke with at the meeting. With the podcast, they gained the mayor’s perspective on what the next steps might be to make them a reality.
The episode is streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and ClevelandCountyHerald.com
“I think we came out of the meeting positive,” said Roberts. “You had so much enthusiasm about making Rison a better place.”
Roberts says he feels like Rison is one building or one business away from starting the rebuilding movement, creating a chain reaction sparking more interest and businesses.
Throughout the podcast, the three moderators recapped the ideas from their breakout sessions.
From the public spaces and beautification discussion lead by Walz, he said the importance was placed on making a good first impression. Having noticed that potential investors have passed on Rison because of the first impression they had while driving through the town, ways to improve the looks became the focus.
Some of those efforts began on Tuesday with volunteers making efforts to clean up the intersection of Highways 79 and 35 that first draw people into Rison.
Additional topics covered were utilizing the public spaces already in place such as the Pioneer Village, Veterans Park and Powell Park.
On the beautification front, Boultinghouse shared that Rison Shine has recently applied for a grant that could fund some of the beautification efforts along Main Street with repairs to the deck in the pocket park, installation of seasonal banners on light poles, benches, flower pots and more.
A decision on the grant application is expected later this year. If awarded, it would be a great starting point for Rison Shine according to Boultinghouse, who serves as the organization’s secretary/treasurer and director of the Rison in the Fall festival.
Talent led the discussion on business development, which goes hand-in-hand with the beautification topics. Many ideas formed during the meeting for potential new businesses, whether they be restaurants, or essential services such has hardware stores or veterinary clinics.
Before new businesses can move in, some of the old vacant buildings have to be addressed first.
According to Roberts, that process is not as quick and seamless as everyone would like it to be.
During the podcast, he explains the legal steps required to condemn a property to be cleaned up must be followed properly, otherwise the City could end up in a lawsuit.
He said another factor is tracking down the owners, or those with claims to the properties, that now reside in other states.
These road blocks could delay progress on some fronts, but Roberts shared some exciting news on the podcast.
People of Rison can expect to start seeing some of the improvements and traction on the rebuilding front in as little as six months.
According to the mayor, a new owner has purchased the historic Lyon filling station in the 200 block of Main Street with plans to restore it (and the sign) with new LED lighting and put in a new business.
“That's going to be motivation,” Roberts said. “The fact that you're talking about it and then we're going to get to see it pretty soon, that's going to be a huge step forward.”
Talent shares that the Herald office is also in the progress of remodeling the front of the business to feature more retail space on Main Street.
Walz also brought up a conversation previously held with retired attorney Alan Humphries who expressed interest in renting his former office to a new attorney, creating opportunity for a turn-key business downtown.
Boultinghouse led a discussion on events and recreation during the meeting, which produced many possibilities for future events in Rison.
New ideas range from pickleball tournament to hunting expos and to fishing derbies.
Roberts shared that he has been in contact with the owner of the pond at the end of Main Street who has expressed interest in leasing the property to the City of Rison for public use.
This makes the reality of bringing one of those events one step closer.
The other ideas are being explored for future events at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds or the Pioneer Village.
The podcast also veered into a semi-debate over the pros and cons of allowing alcohol sales in city limits, and how doing so could help or hurt efforts to revitalize downtown.
Boultinghouse said addressing the topic on the podcast could be the start of a conversation for people to share their thoughts with Rison Shine.
“We’d love to have your feedback if this is something you have a strong opinion on,” he said.
On behalf of Rison Shine, Boultinghouse did encourage the community to attend regular Rison Shine meetings held the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. (noting that the location varies between the Veteran’s Building or the Herald office) to share their ideas and input with other members, and organization officers President Kristy Strother and Vice President Keden Shrum.