The Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance hopes to put the tree issue behind it with a joint study on the matter with the city's Beautification Committee.

News of the joint study came during the alliance's monthly lunch meeting when Main Street Director Lance Jenkins was reporting on an issues forum the organization had last week. “I think we can work together. I've met with a Beautification Committee member in the last five days.”

Jenkins said there are two previous studies, one which 70 percent of the business owners on the avenue believe they should be taken down. “Another one said the exact opposite. We've been talking about a joint study. Let's show people we can move past this and on to bigger things. The (RABA) board wants to work with the city as much as possible. We're ready to move past this. The board is ready to move forward.”

David Watson, owner of david's restaurant where the meeting was held, said the city still seems to side with the Beautification Committee on the tree issues.

Jenkins said he hopes the results of the joint study will satisfy the city. “We want to raise money. We want to bring businesses to the avenue.”

Watson said there still seems to be anti-RABA sentiments in the city while Kelly Barber, owner of the Renaissance, said she was, “a little scared,” that with 30 years of success in the overall Main Street program, that Roanoke Rapids' entry into it could be the first to fail.

Said Jenkins: “We've been selected as a Main Street community and we need to act like it.”

Allen Purser, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, told the group, “Partnerships work. Maybe this is a chance for the Beautification Committee and RABA to work together.”

In other matters today Jenkins told the board:

Christmas on the Avenue is planned December 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the avenue. “It will be a second chance to have a Christmas open house,” he said. The Canal Museum will be open and there will be carolers on the avenue.

He is doing research on the opportunity for people to take advantage of federal and state tax credits for historic preservation on the avenue. More information can be found on the alliance's website. “We have someone who may take advantage of that. They may open up a bakery.”

The city is preparing a brochure after discussions with RABA on what has to be done to renovate buildings and what has to be done to start businesses.

He working with the state Department of Transportation for an Interstate 95 exit route to the business district. “It's a top priority to send more people to the avenue.”