Richland City Hall, 200 Broad St. Richland, GA 31825 229-887-3323 info@cityofrichlandga.com

Serving the community through commitment and vision

Illustration showing redeveloped block of existing Victorian storefronts on Broad Street in the heart of Richland's established historical district. Read the preliminary architectural report and see how these buildings are looking at a new life sooner than one may think.   Richland Better Hometown Board of Directors 2011 - 2012 Chip Jones, Manager 955 Wall St. Richland GA 31825 Contact Chip Chip is our manager. He has a publishing and printing background. He served on the board for three years previously. He sits on the River Valley Regional Commission council and serves on several committees, including the executive committee. Needless to say, our issues are brought to the table regionally. He has attended Better Hometown training and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. He doesn’t mind being “yelled at” and his patience is matched only by his determination. He also serves on the DDA board. Kris Addison 45 Walker St. Richland, GA 31825 Kris is an employee at CCA, the ICE facility in Stewart Co. He is a “gear head” who loves cars and chairs our Pig Fest car show. He is young and energetic and brings a lot of energy and new ideas to the table. Kris’ wife, Michelle, is a nursing professional at St. Francis Medical Center in Columbus. We look to her for support for our health fairs at Pig Fest. Melody Brazier P.O. Box 186 Richland, GA 31825 Melody is a USPS employee and downtown business owner. She and her husband, Jimmy, own three buildings on Broad Street in the historic district. Melody has planned RBHT Christmas parades for many years. They are both lay leaders in the Richland Baptist Church. Jimmy is the county probate judge and has been significantly involved in our annual planning sessions and in offering legal advice and support to economic development downtown. Sybil Clemens 1385 Nicholson St. Richland Ga. 31825 Sybil is retired. She has been on the board since the beginning days of RBHT. Her commitment to historical preservation is legendary. She is one of our lead curators at the Richland Rail Museum and volunteers three days a week at Four County Nursing Home in Richland. Sybil also is very active in the Richland Garden Club Arthur Cutter 1382 Nicholson St. Richland, GA 31825 Arthur is a transplant from New Hampshire. He and his wife Patsy purchased a home in Richland after a brief visit two years ago. Arthur is semi-retired but still operates an excavation business in Richland. Patsy is very active in the Richland Garden Club. Arthur is our newest board member. He brings a completely fresh perspective to the table. Larry Hammock 191 Broad St. Richland GA 31825 Larry is a retired business professional. His experience has been valuable to the board in annual planning sessions in his first year on the board. His wife, Clara, works at the Randolph Co. Chamber and acts as a conduit for information from that bordering county. She is very active as a volunteer in the community and is a member of the Garden Club. Diane Lee, Secretary 191 Broad St. Richland Ga. 31825 Diane has been a driving force in the Pig Fest for many years. She now serves as secretary and has been the financial officer for Pig Fest since 2000. Diane is our bulldog and there is no challenge she cannot mount. When the need calls for tough negotiating, we call Diane. She is a force at city council meetings and constantly challenges all of us to be better board members and stewards for the community. She is the fund raising guru for Pig Fest. Diane and husband, Charles, are active in the Methodist Church and serve on the executive council. Rodney Odom 109 Augusta St. Richland, Ga. 31825 Rodney is the busiest man on the board. He serves on several other boards and is the Georgia Power manager in the county. Rodney brings a lot of knowledge to the table and provides support for fund-raising outreach to the Southern Co. He is one of the main cogs in our operations committee for Pig Fest and is center stage when logistics for events are needed. Rodney is an avid fisherman when he can find the time to get away. Christine Scribner, Vice Chair P.O. Box 68 Richland Ga. 31825 Chris is the nursing coordinator at Joe-anne Burgin Nursing Home in Cuthbert. She serves as the chair of the zoning commission and as vice chair of RBHT. Chris brings a balance of clarity and stability to the board. She keeps us on task and in high gear. She fears no challenge. Gloria Smith, Chair P.O. Box 311 Richland, Ga. 31825 Gloria has been an RBHT board member for many years. She has been manager and chair. Her resolve and no-nonsense approach have served the board well. Gloria is one of those people who keeps us “honest.” There is no pie in the sky for her and she brings discipline, clarity and great ideas to the board. She and her husband, Larry, are active in the community and the Methodist Church. She has toiled against the current to improve Richland’s lot for as long as anyone remembers. She and Larry recently sold their Richland business, but we have no retirement plans for her. Gloria is also active in the Garden Club and has been very effective in her outreach to city hall. She also serves on the DDA board. Bobbie Surles, Treasurer 109 Augusta St. Richland, GA 31825 Bobbie is a professional accountant and operates her business on Broad Street. She is the requisite financial presence that all boards need. She has been a transformational force for all of our financial planning in her first year on the board. She immediately accepted the treasurer’s position when she joined the board. We know we are in good financial standing with Bobbie in charge of finances. Mark Williams, Parliamentarian 64 Walker St. Richland GA 31825 Mark is the minister at Richland Baptist Church. He is active in the community and well liked by all. He serves on several boards. Mark also serves as our parliamentarian. His calm demeanor keeps meetings moving smoothly and his presence keeps things “in order.”   We follow the Main Street 4-Point Approach® 4-Point Committee members Organization Chair: Chris Scribner Alan Barrett Melody Brazier Jimmy Brazier Stephanie Cobb Kim Kimmel Christine Scribner Promotion Chair: Kris Addison Clarice Bartlett Lynn Brown Brody Cobb Tag Croxton Chip Jones Jane Ledford Pepper Weldon Economic Restructuring Chair: Larry Hammock Clint Castleberry Bill Coy Chip Jones Bethany Norman Rossi Ross Bobbie Surles Design Chair: Gloria Smith Clarice Bartlett Kathy Blackburn Kitty Croxton Jo Downer Mary Gunnels Diane Lee Pig Fest Committee Chair: Diane Lee Kris Addison Clint Castleberry Chip Jones Charles Lee Peggy Jo Scott Chris Scribner Gloria Smith Jacky Smith Patti Smith

Richland Better Hometown Board Meetings 2011-2012 Schedule Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month in the Garden Club Room at the historic Richland Community Center. Richland Better Hometown meetings are open to the public and visitors are always welcome. July 19, 6:30 p.m. August 16, 6:30 p.m. September 20, 6:30 p.m. October 18, 6:30 p.m. November 15, 6:30 p.m. December 20, 6:30 p.m. January 17, 6:30 p.m. February 21, 6:30 p.m. March 20, 6:30 p.m. April 17, 6:30 p.m. May 15, 6:30 p.m. June 19, 6:30 p.m. July 17, 6:30 p.m.   What is the Main Street Program? The Georgia Department of Community Affairs' Office of Downtown Development (ODD) coordinates the Georgia Main Street and Better Hometown programs. These programs assist Georgia cities and neighborhoods in the development of their core commercial areas. Assistance provided by the Office of Downtown Development emphasizes community-based, self-help efforts grounded in the principles of professional, comprehensive management of core commercial districts. Communities are expected to work within the context of historic preservation and the National Main Street Center's Four-point Approach to Downtown Revitalization™: Organization, Design, Economic Restructuring and Promotion. As of 2007, more than one hundred cities have joined these programs. The Richland Better Hometown sponsors the annual Richland Pig Fest and the official sponsors’ dinner, the Summer Spectacular Arts & Crafts Festival and six summer City Markets in City Hall parking lot. All funds are committed to preserving the historic downtown district and assisting downtown merchants with façade improvements. The Richland Better Hometown meets every third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to all interested parties and all event committees are recruited and staffed by local concerned citizens. Contact the Richland Better Hometown Board at Richland City Hall for information or to volunteer, 229-887-3323. Learn about the Main Street Program in Georgia.   What can Richland Better Hometown do for you? The Goal of Main Street programs is to serve downtown merchants. Our efforts are always concentrated on saving Richland's downtown Victorian storefronts. These buildings are unique in a town the size of Richland and they still stand, many in good enough repair to serve our existing merchants. Our deep commitment to rehabilitating these great storefronts keeps the fire burning hot in our board meetings. We always want to hear from involved citizens. Tell us what businesses you think we need in Richland and we will find them. We have the space and our plan is to keep saving Victorian storefronts, one at a time, if we have to. Richland Better Hometown has access to many tax credit programs, loan opportunities for growing businesses and Historic Preservation Division resources to assist any private citizen with rehabilitation of a historical building or home. There are significant income advantages through federal and state tax credits for helping redevelop our community.

Richland Distilleries opening Erik Vonk and Jay McCain will distill artisan rum on Broad St. This blockbuster economic development is the sweetest thing to come along this century for Richland. They'll be fermenting sugar cane to get that nectar and we want to support them as they become famous distillers.   Smith furniture celebrates four Smith Furniture and Appliance new showroom opened on Broad St. in late September 2010. We salute David and his family for making this financial investment in downtown Richland in order to serve our local citizens with expanded services and products.   'Stop & Shop' Sign project Richland merchants who recently signed up to participate in a billboard project on Hwy. 520 have been refunded their money. The billboards will be constructed on Hwy. 520 one day. We are working on changes to city ordinances which would allow for such signs. After that we will be waiting on approval from DOT to construct the signs. There is no current time line for the project, but the need for Richland Distilleries to promote their artisan rum will put this project back on the front burners.   6,000 sq. ft. of commercial space goes to Mr. Parker The Richland Better Hometown Board sold 6,000 square feet of commercial space to Roy Parker. Roy has opened an emporium of major proportions. Victoria's Antiques has added a flair to Broad St. Better Hometown and Richland Downtown Development Authority are working with Mr. Parker to help improve and expand his business.. Contact Richland Downtown Development Authority.