On November 30, it will be time to dream.

It will be a meeting where between 50 to 75 people will break into groups and discuss their vision for Roanoke Avenue.

This will be the third large meeting since the city was accepted into the Main Street program last year, the last meeting before a resource team from the state Department of Commerce visits with a team of architects and economic development specialists to go over what was gleaned from the November meeting.

Main Street Director Charles Williams said he is still working on a list of people to invite to the meeting, which will be held at the Kirkwood Adams Community Center. The meeting is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

“We want to be as diverse as possible,” Williams said Thursday. That means the group will not only include business owners and city officials, but students and senior citizens and others.

“Everyone has a personal vision of the avenue,” Williams said. “We want people to talk about what they want to see in uptown and downtown.”

Williams has heard plenty since accepting the Main Street director job. “They’re talking about more restaurants, ice cream stores, bakeries. They’re talking about piecemeal stores and fabric stores.”

This is what the start of a community accepted into the Main Street program is like, Williams said. “We’re trying to find out what is best for Roanoke Avenue.”

The theater issue has left some people skeptical of the program, Williams said. “This is people’s chance to dream. I feel in some ways the theater is a sore spot, it’s kind of like it’s stifling some energy. This (the meeting) is a chance to do something different, to dream again.”

That’s why there is no topic that won’t be discussed at this meeting, the Main Street director said. “We want to get people talking about it, get a buzz and create something we can be proud of.”

This meeting will also help the Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance refine its mission statement. “It’s still in its infancy,” Williams said. “A lot of people still don’t know RABA exists.”

The sidewalk issue helped raise awareness of the group, he said. “We have a way to go as an organization on explaining who we are and what we are. RABA is just not a merchants association. It’s bigger than that.”

People are noticing the organization, Williams said. “We’ve had three or four businesses come up and ask about facade improvement matching grants.”

Then one or two people have told Williams they are thinking of starting a business on the avenue. “Our goal is to have people who want to start a business come to RABA.”

RBC has donated $500 as seed money for facade improvement matching grants, according to Williams. “We’re thankful to RBC. That means the world to us.”

Steve Dennis, vice president of the alliance, said he believes the upcoming meeting, “Is one of the most important pieces of what we’re trying to put together.”

Dennis said the alliance is trying to get comments from everyone. “We’re trying to get information from as broad a demographic as we can get, from school teachers and high school kids, county administration and the guy that works at KapStone. We want to know what everyone’s vision is.”