BETHUNE, S.C. — The Town of Bethune in Kershaw County is gearing up for a transformation with the unveiling of its downtown revitalization plans, marking a significant step forward in its efforts to improve the area.
Mayor Susan Holley expressed excitement about the potential of the town, saying, "This is just an untapped area where you can have rural living, and have basic necessities that we're going to bring back."
"It utilizes what we already have on our Man Street, which is the perfect location for gathering," Holley said. "We have green space, we have nice quaint shops, small enough for individually owned, not necessarily chain businesses."
The envisioned changes include a shift from closed storefronts to lively shops, with the addition of a park and murals.
Holley outlined the phased approach, saying, "Murals are going to be fairly easy, we can get those done, flags and painting on the streets those are the first simple things you can put in place. Then we move on to the bigger things which will be street facades, building facades, maybe landscaping, those will be done incrementally.".
Resident Carl Graham emphasized the importance of community input, noting, "We don't have really much going on for us except make the town attractive."
As the town looks to attract more businesses, Willie Wilson is preparing to open his business Wilson Funeral Home, he believes the new plans will be good "I think they are wonderful."
While acknowledging the gradual nature of the changes, Mayor Holley assured, "There are some things we can implement fairly quickly, and this is a plan that will be developed over the course of time."
Residents can expect to see the initial steps of the revitalization effort taking shape in late summer or early fall.
The town will hold another public viewing of the plan on Thursday, April 11th, at 6:30pm at the Bethune Community Center.