Quincy’s main street to get new look
Central Avenue North in Quincy will be the focus of volunteer revitalization projects next week, which will require the closure of sections of the street Wednesday and Thursday.
FILE PHOTO
QUINCY — Central Avenue North in Quincy will get a new color scheme next week. Volunteers will be painting the street and storefronts and adding planters and benches along Central Avenue April 12 and 13.
Cari Mathews, executive director of the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the project is a joint effort between the Chamber, the Better Block organization of Dallas, Texas, and Microsoft.
“Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be painting the streets,” she said.
The intersection at D Street Southeast and Central Avenue, along with the crosswalk at E Street Southeast and Central, will be closed Wednesday and remain closed through Thursday morning, according to information from Quincy city officials. On Thursday the intersections of Central with B Street and C Street Southeast will be closed and stay closed through Friday morning.
Volunteers also will be painting and sprucing up participating businesses along Central Avenue from F Street Southeast (SR 28) to B Street Southeast, Mathews said. Participating business owners could choose from a list of projects, including painting the storefront or adding window murals, exterior benches or planters.
“It’s kind of a revitalization of downtown,” Mathews said. “We’re trying to make it more cohesive, make everything kind of flow together.”
The Better Block company came to Quincy in 2021 and painted B Street between First Street Southeast and Central Avenue, which became the site of a series of summer and fall block parties as well as the B Street Market. Microsoft donated funding in 2021 as well as for next week’s project, Mathews said.
The Central Avenue project follows the publication of a revitalization plan that suggested improvements to Central as a way to draw people downtown.
“The goal is to focus on small businesses and work with them to enhance their storefronts and encourage people to visit downtown,” according to information on the Better Block website.
The now-empty billboard located on a vacant lot between C Street and D Street Southeast is not part of the project, Mathews said. Other community groups are working to address that, she said.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers to help with the painting project, she said. People can volunteer by contacting the Chamber office, 115 F St. SW, or 509-787-2140.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.