About Pride of Kinston...

Pride of Kinston is one of 57 Main Street communities in North Carolina in a program coordinated by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance. (www.nccommerce.com).

The Main Street idea is to stimulate all aspects of downtown development emphasizing public-private partnerships while stressing quality, self-help and incremental improvement using an array of local assets. Main Street programs have four key elements:

• Organization - Effective public-private partnerships;

• Promotion - Marketing strategies and events to establish downtown as an attractive place for shoppers, investors and visitors;

• Design - Projects and activities to enhance the overall attractiveness of downtown;

• Economic Restructuring - Economic development strategies to strengthen the economic base of the downtown business district.

Alision Merritt Board Chairman

Pride of Kinston's Leadership...

Pride of Kinston is guided by a 22-member Board of Directors composed of leading business and civic leaders. The 2006-2007 Board of Directors are:

Current Activities...

To carry out its mission, the Pride of Kinston, Inc.'s current year program consists of a multi-faceted array of activities, some with short term goals and objectives, and others with long term implications for the community. A summary of current initiatives follows:

I. Kinston's Waterfront - Now! Task Force

Organized by Pride of Kinston in July 2005, and composed of 24 business, civic and governmental leaders, the aim of Kinston’s Waterfront – Now! Task Force is to convert that portion of the Neuse River which has been a part of Kinston history since the beginning into an active, smart incubator for the area’s economy.

An important partnership between Pride and the North Carolina State University College of Design yielded in the Spring 2006 a conceptual plan for developments along Kinston’s stretch of the Neuse.  Community leaders, property owners, developers and faculty and graduate students at NCSU jointly developed a range ideas that when implemented will transform a significant resource into a place that good for the economy and good for the fish.

The task force sent delegations to Washington, NC and to Greenville, SC to examine successful riverfront developments in those communities. By the Fall of 2006, several priorities have been identified: (a) A system of river walkways along the banks of the Neuse, (b) A pedestrian walkway across the Neuse connecting Neuseway Park to the Neuseway Nature Center, and (c) A major expansion of Neuseway Nature Center focused on outdoor learning activities.

Download the report in PDF form. (70MB)

II. Incentives for Downtown Development

One of Pride of Kinston's goals is to: "Strengthen the existing economic assets of downtown while diversifying its economic base through business retention, recruitment and outreach to developers, investors and entrepreneurs."

Throughout its history, Pride has focused on this goal in a number of ways:

• A facade grants program to assist property owners improve the physical appearance of their buildings is an important strategy in Pride's box of tools.

• Marketing and promotion activities including an outdoor concert series, the Kinston 8000: Run for the River race, "Picture the Neuse" photography contest, a Lights Up Downtown window display contest, a "Take Pride" television program, a billboard advertising program promoting downtown business, and a periodic newsletter are tools of the marketing strategies. The Kinston 8000 attracts local and regional business support, including Hurricane Kayaks, Inc., which donates one of its kayaks to be raffled. <insert Hurricane Logo here>

• An aggressive Property Development Committee has undertaken special development projects in partnership with entrepreneurs, utilizing donated buildings to cement the opportunities. New business developments include two new restaurants, a new antiques store, expansion of a major photography studio, and development of a coffee and fitness center.

• Renovation of spaces to provide attractive parking alternatives has been an ongoing concern of both Property Development and the Design Committees.

• Pride has aggressively supported the City of Kinston in its efforts to convince downtown property owners to maintain safe and attractive buildings.

• Pride continues to offer support through its Façade Grant program to assist downtown property owners in their efforts to keep the exterior of their buildings as attractive as possible. Click here to download an application (PDF).

III. Kinston's Museum Row and related tourism interests

Another Goal of Pride of Kinston is to: "Promote downtown as an attractive place for residents, visitors and investors through activities including retail merchandising, community education, special events, tourism, public relations and marketing."

Under that goal, Pride works with its partners the Lenoir County tourism development director, the Lenoir County Heritage Tourism Council, and the Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority.

Adoption of Heritage Tourism Plan: In partnership with the Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority and three downtown recipients of Golden Leaf Foundation grants (Black Heritage Society, CSS Neuse Gunboat Association and the Historical Preservation Group), Pride helped craft a county-wide tourism development plan in 2005 adopted by City and County governments.

Creation of Museum Row and Museum Thursday: Kinston's downtown is rich in its cultural amenities. Significant assets include Caswell No. 1 Fire Station Museum, the Cultural Heritage Museum, CSS Neuse Civil War Museum, the CSS Neuse II, Harmony Hall, the historic Colonial, Maplewood, Cedar Grove and Hebrew cemeteries, the Community Council for the Arts and the Neuseway Nature Center.

With Pride's encouragement, the groups banded together to establish Museum Thursday: each organization pledges to be open to the public on that day each week. Increased accessibility for tourists, schools, and residents is the aim.

Publication of Museum Row marketing brochure: Recognizing the need for improved marketing, Pride published a new "Kinston's Museum Row" brochure describing in detail the organizations and sites which comprise Museum Row. The brochure was distributed to teachers in Lenoir County
schools, and to the Interstate 95 Welcome Centers along the North Carolina-Virginia-South Carolina borders.

Creation of Historic Cemeteries Task Force: Kinston's downtown historic cemeteries ranks near the top of under utilized assets for community and tourism development. The Cedar Grove, Colonial, Hebrew and Maplewood cemeteries represent the final resting places for many of Kinston and Lenoir County's early leaders and families. Little in the way of restoration and appreciation has been undertaken in recent years. With Pride's encouragement, a special historic cemeteries task force, being led by former City Council member Herb Spear, has been created and is at work to develop restoration and preservation plans. A "community day" held Oct. 29, 2005 at Maplewood/Cedar Grove/Hebrew created greater awareness of the significance of these burial grounds, and attracted a large number of people who have ancestors buried in the city-owned and managed facilities.

Plans are in the works for enhanced informational markers, landscaping, preservation and protection of grave stones, tours, and special programs at the sites.

Contact Us

The Pride of Kinston office is located in the Kinston Enterprise Center, 327 North Queen Street, in downtown Kinston.

Adrian King
Executive Director
(252) 522-4676 extension 2020
adrianking@downtownkinston.com
www.downtownkinston.com

Mission Statement

The mission of Pride of Kinston, Inc., established in 1984, is to lead downtown revitalization in Kinston using the Main Street approach which promotes economic development within the context of historic preservation.

From the Executive Director...

Adrian King's comments on community investment..

Downtown Area Map

Click for a larger map...

Reports to the Board of Directors...

Download Reports to the Board of Directors in PDF format or Micorsoft Word .doc format...

2007 Report (PDF | Doc)
2006 Report (PDF | Doc)
2005 Report (PDF | Doc)

Adrian King's Statement about Vision for Kinston

"The Global TransPark Promise for Downtown"
(4 page PDF file; 6/03/2008)

Our Supporters...