Town of Pulaski receives grant for ‘Pedal Pushers’ project
On Wednesday, July 24, 2019, Governor Northam announced the Town of Pulaski is receiving a Virginia Main Street Commercial Affiliate Grant for “Pedal Pushers: Capturing Cycling Adventurers for Pulaski’s Downtown Partners”.
The Town of Pulaski became a Virginia Main Street Commercial District Affiliate in 2016 to further the redevelopment and revitalization of Pulaski’s historic downtown district. Since that time, the Town of Pulaski has received over $770,000 from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to hold community input meetings, develop a Downtown vision, revitalize and redevelop the Downtown district, and establish Pulaski on Main (POM), Pulaski’s Virginia Main Street Commercial District Affiliate.
Building off the momentum of previous awards, the Town of Pulaski submitted a grant proposal for the project “Pedal Pushers: Capturing Cycling Adventurers for Pulaski’s Downtown Partners”. Through previous community discussions, citizens recognized the need to activate a downtown bike and pedestrian system, while supporting and celebrating emerging and existing businesses. “Pedal Pushers” will assist the Town of Pulaski in capitalizing on the proximity of several high-profile bicycling attractions, while connecting cyclists to current outdoors-focused businesses. Pulaski has a healthy cluster of small businesses and cultural non-profits that would appeal to visitors, yet few would characterize Pulaski as a known “trail town” or “bicycle hub”. The Town of Pulaski, with the help of our local partners, intends to change that.
The primary objective of “Pedal Pushers” is to elevate awareness of Pulaski as a welcoming and supportive community for the cyclists. The $7,000 grant award will enable Pulaski to achieve this objective through a number of strategies, including researching trends regarding cyclists; marketing to target audiences; preparing downtown for cyclists with wayfinding, maps and other tools; and ensuring businesses are prepared to greet and host cyclists.
Pulaski’s potential expands each day in the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs. Whether hand-crafting sweet treats in downtown, or tuning-up bikes for those that pedal along the New River Trail, our businesses have laid the foundation for downtown activity that continues to grow. We invite you to discover Pulaski, Virginia: Where Your New Path Begins.
For further inquiries about Pulaski’s Downtown Revitalization and Pedal Pushers, please contact Nichole Hair, Deputy Town Manager, by phone at 540-994-8610 or by email at nhair@pulaskitown.org.