Time for the Wayne

The News Virginian / News Virginian
Published: May 10, 2007

Here's a challenge: Pick any time of day, any day of the week and drive to downtown Waynesboro. Park your car and walk up and down Main Street.

Count the number of people you encounter. Count the number of cars parked on the side of the street. Calculate the percentage of businesses that are open.

Now, at a similar time, do the same thing in Staunton. If that doesn't convince you, try Lexington - or Charlottesville.

Which city has the most pedestrians- The most cars- The highest percentage of open businesses-

Unless it's Fall Foliage weekend, we guarantee that downtown Waynesboro will finish last on those lists every time.

Waynesboro is better than that. We're tired of being last.

You don't get from last to first (heck, we'd settle for second or third) by just hoping for change. You have to invest in change.

Many suggestions have been floated for investments that would improve downtown Waynesboro. Dredge the river. Widen the river. Put downtown on stilts.

The Riverfront Commons proposal that has been bandied about for years even has been put to paper - but no one has come up with the tens of millions of dollars necessary to fund such a project.

There is at least one project that is practical. There is one project that has a workable business plan. There is one project that is has already received significant private support.

That project is the Wayne Theatre.

Restoring the Wayne Theatre does not guarantee that downtown will become a vibrant commercial hub. But it won't hurt. And doing nothing will guarantee that downtown - the heart of our city - will continue to deteriorate.

It's therefore unfortunate that, again, the Wayne Theatre has become a political hot potato.

The city council members who support investing in the theater have not been very adroit in developing and stating their positions. Their on-again, off-again statements have only added fuel to the fiery debate.

But make no mistake - the city should invest in the Wayne Theatre.

The $300,000 that council proposes to spend is nothing when put alongside the cost to rebuild the downtown sidewalks that are still largely empty because there are so few businesses for pedestrians to visit.

The other $700,000 - proposed to be spent over 10 years - is not guaranteed, and voters can rest assured that if the theater does not meet expectations along the way that money will not be invested by future councils.

Local governments all over the country invest in similar projects, including sports stadiums, performing arts centers, "marketplaces" and convention centers. Staunton's renovated Stonewall Jackson Hotel - a key to the vibrancy of that city's downtown - would not have been possible without the city's help building a parking deck next door. And that hotel is managed by a for-profit, out-of-town company, not a nonprofit local alliance.

Likewise, the city of Waynesboro has invested a significant amount of money in the new Waynesboro Town Center that is opening on the site of the former Outlet Village.

Although that investment is in the form of tax rebates - rather than outright grants - those rebates will benefit large, out-of-town developers and retailers.

We are not criticizing that investment - nor are we criticizing Staunton's investment in its downtown. Both made sense, and both will pay off over time.

Investing in the Wayne Theatre also will pay returns - in terms of a quality performing arts center for use and enjoyment by all in the community and in terms of a catalyst that will spur further redevelopment downtown.

And downtown Waynesboro desperately needs some positive
returns.