Murfreesboro Town Administrator Cathy Davison last week announced plans for the utilization of a two-year, $70,000 grant that will be used to promote the Murfreesboro area.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation grant was not awarded lightly. In fact, it came only after much preparation on the part of three local people and then after representatives of the foundation visited the area and interviewed a number of Murfreesboro area people.

The grant application was prepared by Davison herself, by John Tayloe, director of development for Chowan University, and by Kay Thomas, heritage tourism representative.

The entity to which it was initially submitted rejected it, but Davison, Tayloe and Thomas did not give up. They invested some additional time and effort and prepared a new version and submitted it to the Winston-Salem foundation.

Because of their hard work and tenacity this grant will pump an additional $70,000 into Murfreesboro’s economy.

The money will be used to staff the Murfreesboro chamber office full time; create an internship position to boost the manpower available; facilitate improvements in the city’s web site, giving it interactive capability; fund a marketing guide used for economic development purposes, and will be useful to visitors and new residents; fund items bearing the Murfreesboro logo and the sale of these items will fund ongoing, similar efforts; and it will fund creation of a DVD promoting the area.

If you see Davison, Tayloe or Thomas, give them a thumbs up or buy their coffee.

– The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald