ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Community members in the town of North say the town has changed over the years, and are pushing for revitalization.
“The town has gone down," said resident Michael Hughes.
Hughes says he grew up in the town of North and left in the 1980's. He's been back for three years and says now, Main Street looks much different.
“It’s kind of a shock being immersed in this and living it day to day and seeing what isn’t here anymore," said Hughes.
According to the Municipal Association of South Carolina, the town of North has received over $350,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Hughes suggests using these funds to kick start the restoration process.
He says growing up, Main Street and the surrounding areas had multiple restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses. He says most of these businesses have since relocated to bigger cities like Orangeburg.
Now, he feels the town needs to start rallying together to restore Main Street and support the businesses currently there.
“We need to take steps both at the local level, at the county level, and state level to move those businesses back here. We also need to freshen up the town. Do some work on the building facades. If it looks run down, businesses aren’t going to want to be here," said Hughes.
He said the federal funds could go to several projects.
"We could use it to beautify the storefronts. We could use it to improve the infrastructure in terms of water facilities, sewer facilities, or even infrastructure," said Hughes.
He says the next steps for the community is to get engaged, come up with a plan, and present their ideas to the town council.