Snow Hill Looks To Familiar Face To Boost Town’s Viability

Snow Hill Looks To Familiar Face To Boost Town’s Viability
Snow Hill Looks

SNOW HILL – One of the key figures behind Berlin’s campaign to become America’s Coolest Small Town will be taking his talents south to Snow Hill.

Michael Day, Berlin’s former economic development director, started working as a consultant for the Town of Snow Hill this week. According to Snow Hill Mayor Charlie Dorman, Day has been charged with bringing the struggling town back to life.

“He’s done wonders with Berlin,” Dorman said. “He’s got all the connections in the world. We’ve given him open reins.”

Dorman said he approached Day about coming to Snow Hill not long after the Salisbury resident retired from his position as economic development director in Berlin. They were able to agree on a one-year contract and on July 1, Day will begin work as a consultant for the town.

“I think I could help Snow Hill and I would like to help,” Day said. “There’s so much potential.”

Dorman says he expects Day to focus on economic development — working to bring more businesses to Snow Hill’s quiet downtown — as well as on adding to the town’s schedule of events. He believes the river that runs through Snow Hill could play a major role in attracting visitors.

“Berlin’s got a beautiful downtown but it doesn’t have a river,” he said. “We need to plug that.”

The river and other outdoor recreation opportunities in the Snow Hill area can be used to draw people in, Day said. With the proximity of the water, Furnace Town, parks and birding hotspots, Day says the town should have little trouble attracting visitors once they realize what’s there.

“One of the problems is it hasn’t been marketed right,” Day said.

While it will not become a tourist destination overnight, Day thinks it will gradually begin to appeal to more people.

“It’s not going to be easy but with more events and promotion it’ll come,” he said.

Day will use some of the same methods that were used to grow Berlin into the town it is now but in different ways.

“We certainly can’t put all our eggs in the basket of going after retail stores,” he said, explaining that Snow Hill would need to build up its repertoire of events and begin to draw in more visitors before stores would come.

Day does plan to explore programs to entice artists to come to town in the near future though. Because Snow Hill is an Arts and Entertainment District and, unlike downtown Berlin has vacant space, it could be perfect for artists.

“The Arts and Entertainment program is designed more for a town like Snow Hill where there’s empty space and rents are a little cheaper,” he said.

Dorman, who has been working on finding ways to reinvigorate the town since he was elected three years ago, is looking forward to seeing what Day can do for Snow Hill.

“We’ve got a lot of possibilities,” he said.

A critical part of the process, though, will be involving the town’s merchants and property owners in the effort. Currently, Snow Hill is home to less than a dozen shops. In contrast, there are 17 vacant buildings.

“The people who own the buildings need to step up,” he said. “We need their help.”

With it, Dorman believes Day will be able to do a lot for Snow Hill.

“It’s going to take everybody working together,” Dorman said.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.