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See Lancaster Reports April 2007
Developing A Comprehensive Plan
See Lancaster recently announced its goal to create a county-wide
comprehensive plan on how best to market and promote Lancaster County.
The plan will call for a wide range of research, including topics on what
sites and activities would attract tourists, how long those tourists
might stay, and which geographical area might be out best advertising
venue.
One component of the plan already being addressed is the need to
revitalize the county's three historic Main Streets. When Frank Keel was
hired as Executive Director for See Lancaster he immediately began
implementing recommendations spelled out in the 2003 City of Lancaster
Charrette. That study, commissioned by the Lancaster City Council,
clearly defined the importance of revitalizing the downtown area. Since
then, See Lancaster and the South Carolina Main Street program have been
working with groups in Kershaw and Heath Springs to develop a similar
set of guidelines for their towns. Creating brochures and assisting with
community events have resulted from this collaborative effort. Three
separate strategic plans for Lancaster County's historic Main Streets
will definitely be a major part of the comprehensive plan. We will be
looking to the National Main Street agency to provide additional
assistance in pulling these three separate plans together under a
county-wide umbrella.
Another important part of the comprehensive plan will be to research
and document all of the possible tourists' attractions within the
county. For example, we already know there is a demand for site visits
to Revolutionary War and Civil War battle fields. See Lancaster plans
to consults with a professional researcher to document the county's
many war sites and to determine how we might best develop one or two
day "trail" visits. We expect the research to also determine
other potential attractions throughout the county.
We encourage readers to share their ideas with us on how they think
Lancaster County can become a tourist destination. In the meanwhile,
please check out our website at www.seelancaster.org. Also, you are
invited to stop by our temporary information center in the Lancaster
County Council of the Arts building located at 201 W. Gay Street. We
have a number of brochures and literature about places and events in
Lancaster County. You just may discover something new and exciting
right here in your own back yard.
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