The Downtown Sylva Association wants more money. All governments do. That’s why they’re in business. Some might be persuaded to believe they serve no other function. The DSA is another Main Street project – an extra layer of government for economic development in downtown areas. DSA director Julie Sylvester would like the town to increase its disbursement of tax dollars from $12,000 to $25,000. The DSA has an annual budget of $50,000, but it intends to collect half that amount through fundraising.
This year, the organization has collected about $100,000 in grants. These include a $47,382 Main Street Solutions Grant from the NC Department of Commerce and a $38,000 grant from the NC State Energy Office for green upgrades. (Remember, the state is so poor, teachers must be fired right and left.) Because the DSA is a nonprofit, it may apply for grants and tax-deductable donations for which government entities are ineligible.
What does the DSA do? Well, it is required by the state to “have a paid director, deliver annual reports to the state, and be represented at biannual meetings.” DSA board member Robin Kevlin described “the good that DSA does for Sylva” in terms of grants and private donations received. Other benefits include, “additional sales and property tax revenue, an increase in local jobs, an improved local economy, a better outside perception of downtown Sylva, better relations between the city and the community at large, and improvements to private and public spaces,” paraphrased the Sylva Herald.
“Our Main Street tells us who we are, who we were and how the past has shaped us. Our Main Streets are the places of shared memory where people still come together to live, work and play,” said Kevlin.
But at night, when all the world’s asleep, the questions run so deep, for such a simple mind. Won’t you please, (Oh, won’t you please.) please tell me what we’ve learned. I know it sounds absurd. Please tell me who I am. Who I am? Who I am? Who I am? But I digress.
Mary Selzer, co-chairman of the new library’s Capital Campaign Steering Committee and a member of the Sylva Garden Club, said DSA programs are a huge benefit to the community.
Festivals like Greening Up the Mountains bring tourists and their wallets from all over the Southeast, she said.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful way to get people here to experience Sylva, spend a little bit of money, and hopefully tell their friends and family what a wonderful place this is,” she said.
