“It’s amazing what just a little paint will do,” local business owner George Dean says.

So, just imagine what the $500,000 available to building owners for facade renovations in the targeted area of Russell Street can create.

Dean, who is in the process of buying the building his clothing store occupies, plans to apply for a share of the money to improve the look of his business.

“The facade improvements are for the entire downtown,” Dean said. “Everyone has to be on the same page, landowners and business owners. ... If it’s done, it will reinvigorate and revitalize downtown.”

Applications for the $500,000 available in the first phase of the Facade Improvement Program are being accepted at City Hall until Jan. 25. Phase I includes businesses along Russell Street, between Windsor Street and Middleton Street, as well as the Courthouse Square.

Local government officials and business owners believe the money, from a Community Development Block Grant, could really go a long way toward revitalizing downtown Orangeburg. Interest was so high at the initial planning stage that council upped its request from $300,000 to $500,000.

And downtown revitalization is a popular idea across America now, Dean says.

“The downtown is so vital for the development of Orangeburg County,” he said. “Industrial prospects don’t ask how many malls you have, but they want to ride through your downtown. The downtown has a great future. When the city ... gives us some more parking, then it’s really going to grow.”

Charlie Thompson, the owner of Orange Cut Rate Drugs, says the best way to attract downtown customers is to provide parking and public bathrooms.

“Without parking, you can’t have customers,” he said. “And, without bathrooms, it’s hard to get repeat customers.”

Although his building is in “pretty good shape,” Thompson says he definitely plans to apply for the funding.

“I expect what I’ll try to do is get professional help. I’ll do whatever I can to help the downtown area, to make the buildings look better and create a safer, more shopper-friendly environment,” the pharmacist said. “I’m willing to spend what it takes and do what I have to do.”

This is the first time the city of Orangeburg has undertaken such a renewal project.

“And it’s the first time the South Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Community Development has ever done it as well,” City Administrator John Yow said. “Three grants were awarded in the state and Orangeburg was one.”

The municipalities of Swansea in Lexington County and Loris in Horry County have also received the facade grants through the Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant program.

In addition to committing to a 10 percent ($50,000) grant match, City Council also declared the targeted downtown area a “slum and blighted area” that will be made pedestrian friendly, while preserving its historical charm.

“This is for facade only. It’s for the exterior, the front and the sides, but not roofs or interior things,” the administrator said. “It can’t be used for parking lots or appliances.”

To qualify, the property owner must first be a member of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association and provide a minimum 10 percent match. Buildings cannot be government-owned or used for religious activities. Also, all improvements must comply with the city’s zoning ordinance, as well as local and state building codes, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The maximum each building owner can receive is $20,000 per building, with a two-building limit. The project targets 20 facades, but more can also be done.

“Seventy percent is a grant/deferred loan, which is what we are putting up; and, the remaining 30 percent is a revolving loan. The reason it’s called a grant/deferred loan is, if a person kept the building and operated it for five years, they would not have to repay the grant. If not, they would repay it,” said Yow. “And, the 30 percent is always a loan, like any regular loan.”

The loan period would be for a maximum of five years, with a maximum interest rate for the city of 3 percent.

In addition, the administrator says, DORA has committed up to $50,000 for the project.

“We want to position ourselves to make it successful and when all of this money has been disbursed, we’ll apply for it again,” said Yow. “And part of this money can go into Phase II.”

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