Karin Hopkins

Are you tired of the abandoned homes and shuttered businesses throughout Tuskegee? We wish we had a magic wand to make the decaying blight go away. But unfortunately it’s not that easy. However, we can respond to an opportunity that could give Tuskegee a major facelift.  The Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce is nominating Tuskegee to Home Town, a national television show that airs on HGTV, Monday evenings at 8:00pm. This show debuted in 2017 and was an instant hit. The first year it attracted 16 million viewers, catapulting it to #1 on the HGTV cable network. If you watch the show, you have witnessed the renaissance of a small Mississippi town, renovated one home at a time. The HGTV Website speaks in glowing terms about Ben and Erin Napier, the married couple that hosts the show. “They’ve not only helped rescue and enhance dozens of homes in Laurel, Mississippi, they’ve also played a pivotal role in helping to revitalize the city’s downtown while preserving and celebrating the town’s architectural treasures, endemic charm and historic features.” When we learned that Ben and Erin want to bring their production crew to another town, we decided to submit Tuskegee for consideration. To qualify, the town must have a population of 40,000 or less. The producers are encouraging applicants to submit a video that shows what makes their town special. They want towns that are rich in history and tradition with main streets or downtowns that are in rundown condition. Tuskegee fits every item on the checklist.  But this is not a done deal. We are at step #1 of the process and we will face stiff competition. Other towns are going after this opportunity like football teams trying to win the Super Bowl. We found a news release issued by Richmond, Indiana stating that a coalition there is going full force after the Home Town makeover. Their effort involves the city, county, Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County and other groups in this Midwest town.   We discovered that Wetumpka is playing up the crater that hit the town 85 million years ago while also tugging at heartstrings by asking for help to rebuild in the aftermath of a tornado that hit Wetumpka last year. Monroe, Louisiana and Eufaula, Alabama are also applying. We will touch on this project briefly at the upcoming Chamber meeting. Our agenda is too full for us to spend a lot of time on this project. That’s why we have plans for a second meeting that will be entirely dedicated to the Home Town opportunity. All of this will be addressed during a presentation at the Chamber meeting on Monday, January 27, 2020 at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex beginning at 6:00pm.  Our main focus is ECONOMIC RESILIENCE and we will spend the majority of our time focusing on factors affecting the local business community.

Karin Hopkins is executive director of the Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at ourchamberworks@gmail.com