Hamlet is launching a new effort this year to upgrade some buildings in the downtown area.

One of them is the old Stinson Furniture store, located next to the Historic Passenger Depot and across from the Tornado Building, according to Hamlet Mayor Jeff Smart.

Plans include renovating the building’s interior and making it a part of the depot and park and to turn it into a visitor’s center. Plans are to open it by the end of this year or early 2011.

This project is championed primarily by the city and the Main Street program, according to HBA president, Ron Mayo.

In addition to the visitors center, they intend to hire a museum coordinator which would allow the museums to remain open seven days a week.

“We’re actively pursuing the cost of this and plan to bring it back to council,” Smart said at the February Hamlet city council meeting.

Bobby Singletary, treasurer of the HBA, says that the idea of putting finishing touches on the depot, like new display cases for valuables in the museum and the hiring of a coordinator at the visitors center are among the most exciting to him.

“(The Tornado building) is a first class museum,” Singletary said. “Completing these projects is a central and critical part of it.”

According to Singletary, this is in addition to the work already completed over the past several years.

“I’d really like to see these museums up and running in a first class fashion,” Singletary said.

Completing the projects will affect Hamlet’s quality of life, Smart said. “People can understand the importance of beautification in our city.”

Smart said the projects will be done without raising taxes.

“We’re pulling out all the stops in the community’s interest,” Smart added.

The HBA is in the process of restoring a building on Front Street given to them by the City of Hamlet with the hopes of renting it out to a business interested in opening in the area.

“We’re taking this building and hoping to get a new business in it,” Singletary said. “This maybe just the beginning.”

Mayo said the Front Street project is on the top of the HBA’s agenda right now.

As of Wednesday morning, Mayo said appraisals have been obtained for interior repairs. A potential owner tried to open a dental clinic in the building, but the plans fell though. Electrical work was completed and sheet rock was hung, but there was work left undone, according to Mayo.

There are other buildings needing repair that the HBA has its eye on, according to Singletary.

Additionally, enhancing the walking trail at City Lake is near the top of the to-do list due to safety concerns raised by citizens and those regularly using the trail from the nearby Hamlet Senior Center.

Unfunded and state mandated repairs to City Lake Dam are anticipated to begin within the next year, according to Smart.

The city has paid for and completed the engineering portion of the project and has been approved for a $500,000 grant which will pay for about half of the cost.

“We’re not convinced that it’s necessary, but it’s state mandated,” Smart said. The money will be included in the 2010-2011 budget.

Another project in the works is the old Opera House. It has a new roof, but has been sitting unused for years.

“This will be a huge investment for our city,” Smart said.

Although the designs of the interior and what it will be used for remain up in the air, some members of the HBA see potential in the building.

“It can really be put to public use,” Singletary said. “It could be used also as a small theater.”

In addition, Smart mentioned ideas for a John Coltrane Festival Park off Hamlet Avenue, in honor of the late jazz musician and former Hamlet resident.

Singletary said plans would require the destruction of a couple buildings in the area, all of which are in either need of repair or beyond fixing anyway.

“We really do have a lot that has happened and some already in the works,” Singletary said.

Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.