Downtown Revitalization part 3: Get Involved

(Read “Downtown Revitalization part 1: Damn You, Dan Whitehurst!” here and “Downtown Revitalization part 2: Revitalization Begins October 21” here)

As downtown begins its revitalization with the re-opening of Fulton Street, our region’s main street, it’s the best possible time to get involved. How often does a city transform before your eyes? If you’ve lived in other places you might have had the rare opportunity to see this happen. More likely, you visit places after they’ve transformed.

My hope for you is that you take advantage of this moment in time and that you get your family and friends engaged, too. We wouldn’t want them to miss this, either. I invite you to join in because I care about you. The last thing I’d want is for you to become old and bitter because you missed this moment in our community’s history. Then every time you heard someone at a barbecue going on and on about how great the Fulton Entertainment District is, you’d start muttering to yourself, wracked with regret and remorse because you knew that you blew it by not getting involved. Your friends and family will blame you for not letting them know in time for them to jump in, too.

Downtown Revitalization Part 3 — **Fulton Street opens to auto traffic with a Grand (re)Opening Party on Oct. 21 (photo: Heather McLane)**

How do you get involved, you wonder? I’ll make it easy for you.

1) Volunteer for the Fulton Street Grand (re)Opening Party.

You’re going to want to be here for the party on Oct. 21 to witness Fresno history. Why not take it up a notch by helping to make it happen? You’ll even get a volunteer shirt, giving you downtown cred for at least five decades.

2) Join the Fresno Downtown Academy.

This 10-month program will give you great insight into many aspects of downtown, from loft living to Chinatown to the Lowell neighborhood. You’ll also be hanging out with other people who are curious and enthusiastic about downtown (the best kind of people on the planet!). This last class thought that they’d be the ones to open Fulton Street, but because of delays this next group will have those bragging rights.

3) Join me for the monthly Fulton Construction Tour on Aug. 26.

There are only two tours left before the construction ends! You’ve been meaning to come to one of these for the past 19 months and now time is running out. It’s casual, it’s fun, dogs (and even children) are allowed. That groovy FresYes Realty team even blogged about their tour.

This is not a rehearsal, this is the real thing. Now is the time. The time is now. Jump in. You will forever be tied to this special moment. I wish this for you (and yours). Really!