Center of community

The old IGA grocery is a landmark in Ayden. It is being rehabbed as a community center through HUD funds.

Center of community Center of community

Officials expect to break ground in July on work to transform the old IGA into the Ayden Housing Community Resource Center

By Deborah Griffin

An aging, empty IGA on Lee Street — an artery that cuts through the heart of town — is a historic landmark to some. To others, it’s a dilapidated eyesore.

Te 5,900-square-foot building has been sitting empty for years. Weeds sprout through cracks in the cement parking lot, plywood boards up glass and fading red and white marquee letters, missing a “T,” spell out “Food Sore.”

Soon, the Ayden Housing Authority will refurbish the building from the inside out and ofer a wealth of services to residents as its new community center, said Nichole Brown, the housing authority’s executive director. Te agency bought the building using funds from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Te old IGA is one of several redevelopment projects currently underway in Ayden, said Town Manager Matt Livingston.

“In the same area, they are repaving Martin Luther King Jr. Street and putting in new sidewalks,” made possible with Powell Bill funds, he said. And, with the help of Community Development Block Grant neighborhood revitalization funds, the town also is refurbishing the recreation center, across and down the street.

He said the new community center will ofer an array of services.

“It will be used for basic education, career development, job-training and literacy programs. Nichole has a whole range of ideas of what it can be used for. She has met with community volunteers to help guide her in the best way to use the space,” Livingston said. “Mostly, we want it to see it used as a true community building.”

Te store will be renamed Ayden Housing Community Resource Center, and will serve as a hub to enhance the lives of citizens.

For many in the town, the building is a point of reference and a part of their early memories.

“People who have lived here since they were children can remember when their parents shopped there. Te IGA was here long before [any other grocery store],” Brown said. “We are trying to fgure out what parts of the building we can keep to save some of that heritage.

“We would like to keep the foors if we can,” Brown added. “Tey are terrazzo (a concrete-gravel mix), which is almost indestructible.”

She said when it’s complete, the building will house classrooms, a computer room, an ofce and a private health screening room.

SUMMER/FALL 2021 AYDEN MAGAZINE

“We want to provide the resources and tools to help people go to the next phase in life — whatever that may be for them.”

Nichole Brown, Ayden Housing Authority executive director

Nichole Brown, executive director of the the Ayden Housing Authority, stands inside the old IGA Grocery Store on Lee Street. The housing authority bought the building through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds. Afer completion, the building will serve as a service hub for many needs in the community.

It also will serve as an afer school assistance site and as a summer feeding space.

“From the outside it doesn’t look that big, but there is a lot of foor space,” Brown said.

Renovations include outside stone work, new electrical and plumbing lines, the addition of a commercial kitchen, and a back-up generator for use during natural disasters.

“We are so excited. It will also improve the visual aesthetics on this side of town,” she said.

Te roof already has been replaced as the frst line of defense against decay. Te front in- and out-doors will be replaced with ADA-compliant double doors, and a foyer will welcome those who enter.

Te back end of the store, once the meat section, will be a meeting room, able to accommodate up to 130 people. Te space will be available to the public to rent for private or group events.

Te old grocery’s two walk-in coolers will be put to good use during community feedings.

Te building was purchased for $45,000, a fraction of the original asking price, Brown said.

She said this was a blessing, considering the funds it will take to transform the store into an attractive place where people can fnd resources they need.

“Due to the rising costs of construction materials, we estimate having at least a $300,000-$400,000 renovation budget,” she said.

Brown said she hopes to get bids in for the work soon, in order to have a groundbreaking in July.

“Our hope is to have it completed by the end of December,” she said. “We are very excited about it and I believe the community is as well. Tere will be even more enthusiasm once groundbreaking occurs.”

Everyone in Ayden can beneft.

“Programs that are free to Ayden Housing Authority will be also be free to the Ayden community at large,” she said.

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She hopes several goals will be reached with the site.

“We hope to increase graduation rates,” Brown said. “And it will serve as a relief center in the event of a natural disaster. We want to provide the resources and tools to help people go to the next phase in life — whatever that may be for them,” she said.

Some services already being provided elsewhere in Ayden will move to the center, so an array of services can be ofered under one roof.

“We also plan to have some programs that are unique to our location — such as partnering with Pitt Community College to bring the Career Readiness Certificate program here. This will help applicants have additional credentials when applying for jobs,” she said.

Te recent award of a Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufciency Grant helped Brown’s department extend support services and empowerment activities to residents, she said.

Brown has the ability to see past dilapidation and envision the end product.

“I’ve always been able to see the end of the road. Tis transformation will be amazing,” she said.

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