Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/109301
Worst Change to Fayetteville Ramsey Street Medians Ramsey Street is one of the city���s busiest roads. Its crowded lanes usually have, at a minimum, six cars passing by each other at any given time. Given the build up of that side of town, the traf���c has continued to grow, and with that growth have come accidents ��� a lot of them. According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, from 2001 to 2006, the stretch of road between Country Club Drive and Law Road had 213 crashes, which happens when you have people darting in and out of the shopping centers and businesses that line either side of the road. In 2008, consultants to the DOT suggested that installing a series of medians might help the city manage the traf���c better and reduce accidents. The medians are a statewide movement away from center turn lanes to make navigating busy streets easier. By their vote for the medians as the Worst Change to Fayetteville, local citizens are going on record that they do not agree. What Does Downtown Fayetteville Need Most More Business/Shopping The lament of many a new resident, and locals, too, is that our city is lacking in a variety of shopping venues. We���ve all seen the pleas on Facebook: Bring Whole Foods to Fayetteville. Bring (you name it) to Fayetteville. Every time those posts appear, a buzz begins around the community. ���Why can���t we have that store or restaurant?��� And it���s a fair question, and one our local leaders are trying to address. When national concerns begin looking at placing stores in communities, they look at a number of different factors: population, demographics and income. That drives what national/high-end stores are willing to locate into a community. With the move of the U.S. Forces Command to Fort Bragg, we saw a few national restaurants like Mellow Mushroom opening its doors in our community. We can only hope that once our community is looked at in this new light that we might just get a Whole Foods. Heck, we would settle for a Fresh Market! Best Little Known Attraction Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum 325 Franklin St., Fayetteville 910-433-1457; 910-433-1458; 910-433-1944 www.fcpr.us/transportation_museum.aspx The Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum opened quietly, but has quickly become a destination for local residents in the know. In addition to its great exhibits and displays, the museum also plays host to the City Market every Saturday morning, which is adding to its appeal. But local residents feel that not enough people in the community know about this delightful destination, so they voted it the Best Little Known Attraction. After this issue, we hope that more people will realize what a jewel we have right downtown. The Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum is the hub for history in Downtown Fayetteville. From the history enthusiast to families looking for fun, there is something for everyone. Operated under the auspices of the Historic Properties Division, the museum has oversight of the two National Register Districts and Local Landmarks. The museum itself is located in the beautifully restored 1890 Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad Depot, and offers two floors of engaging, artifact-filled exhibits. The rich history of our area is told from pre-history through the early 20th century. For the little kids in all of us, there is also a model-train room, steamboat interactive and the recreated station agent���s office. Next door is the annex which focuses on Fayetteville���s history with automobiles and airplanes. Vintage cars, the recreated 1920s gas station and Fayetteville���s 1880s Silsby Steam Pump Engine are all on display. Other exhibits focus on local law-enforcement and firedepartment history, farm life and the early years of Fort Bragg. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Best Things to Hide from Out of Towners Bragg Boulevard While a lot of money has been poured into the boulevard from the beautiful Villagio Apartments on the Fort Bragg end to the N.C. Veterans Park on the downtown end, Bragg Boulevard remains the bane of local residents��� existence. We all know every city has a road that they love to hate, and Bragg Boulevard with its high crime, strip clubs, seedy hotels and lack of aesthetic beauty keep pushing the highly traveled road to the top of the list. But we must point out there are a number of successful and legitimate businesses that operate along the corridor. Business owners are taking stock of the community���s thoughts and are doing what they can to spruce up their corner of the world. But this year, the ongoing traf���c along the corridor seems to have over-ridden the efforts of many to make Bragg Boulevard less of an eyesore and more a part of the city. There���s always next year. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2012 BEST OF FAYETTEVILLE 5