Small Town Area Revitalization (STAR)

The mission of Central Park NC is to revitalize an eight-county region and the STAR project is intended to help small towns make the most of their assets to enhance the community and its economy.  A volunteer group of Ellerbe residents has produced a strategic plan and is working to implement it with funding from the Cole Foundation, Ellerbe Telephone, and USDA Rural Development.  The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm in the Town Hall.  Please contact Casey or Tim (information below) for more details.The mission of Central Park NC is to revitalize an eight-county region and the STAR project is intended to help small towns revitalize in a way that connects with that mission. The strategic plan that Ellerbe's STAR program is using to guide its revitalization efforts can be seen by clicking on this link (PDF format).

            The five building blocks of the STAR revitalization process are:  

1. Organization – Cultivating a cohesive, committed community organization to plan and implement a set of strategies that will revitalize the town.
2. Economic Development – Developing new business sectors that include – but are not limited to – creative enterprises, small-scale and value-added agricultural activities, cultural tourism businesses such as indigenous restaurants, coffee shops, bed and breakfast establishments and outdoor recreation-based businesses such as outfitters, cycling shops, equestrian supplies and more.
3. Historic Preservation – Preserving the town’s historic architecture and encouraging new design that is in keeping with the culture and heritage of the place.
4. Recreation – Creating attractive and appealing public spaces that encourage community interaction, walking and biking paths that connect neighborhoods to each other, to schools, churches and downtown areas and enhancing other healthy outdoor activities. Taking advantage of natural resources to promote healthy human-powered recreation.
5. Promotion & Marketing – Promoting the development of the town’s unique identity to cultivate community pride and developing communication systems that ensure townspeople are informed. Marketing local assets and attractions to visitors and embracing the strategy to develop North Carolina’s Central Park as a tourism destination.

The process typically takes 12 to 18 months and occurs in four phases:

• Phase I: Prepare – Present program to Town Council, identify, recruit and prepare Steering Committee
• Phase II: Study – Resource Team visits, then develops recommendations for revitalization based on town’s unique assets and challenges.
• Phase III: Plan – Review and refine recommendations with Steering Committee. Form and train five focus area teams.
• Phase IV: Implement – Launch small-scale projects to catalyze community involvement and demonstrate potential. Begin sourcing and securing funds for full implementation of plan.

Central Park NC

PO Box 159, Star, NC 27356 - 910.428.9001
Casey Harris (casey@centralparknc.org) * Tim Emmert (tim@centralparknc.org)