Conway considers razing old police station and building larger farmers market as part of new city square

Conway charmed Kim Hardee.

A Myrtle Beach native, her family’s coastal roots run to the 19th century and growing up she never spent much time in this smaller neighboring city. But her catering business kept bringing her over the Waccamaw River, so she opened Dilly Beans Café on Laurel Street in 2012.

The small town feel of the city appealed to her in ways Myrtle Beach developments like The Market Common didn’t.

“That’s a great draw for people,” she said. “That hometown feel still applies over here.”

If the city is going to redevelop some downtown property, Hardee wants to see a project that maintains Conway’s quaint ambiance. That’s why she supports a proposal to build an open-air pavilion and park across from her restaurant.

City officials envision constructing a multi-use site that would house a large farmers market and host other events, including concerts, art shows and festivals. Some leaders say the property could become a new city square.

“It would be fantastic,” Hardee said. “There are so many great little restaurants downtown. There are so many cool little shops. And all of the old towns have just dried up and gone away. So for downtown Conway to be thriving and to be considering doing something like this is only a great thing for everybody here.”

Conway City Council members discussed the downtown square concept during a workshop Monday night. No formal plans have been approved, but the proposal resonated with city leaders.

“I’ve been hoping for this for years,” said City Councilman Tom Anderson. “To me, it’s a fun, funky space.”

Anderson said his children prefer visiting cities that offer lots of live music, and he would like to see the pavilion host a variety of performers.

“My vision would be [to] line this thing up every Friday night with some kind of band,” he said. “Jazz, bluegrass, whatever, somebody with a little bit of live music.”

Talk of the pavilion comes as the city makes arrangements to raze the old police station at the corner of Laurel Street and Second Avenue. That demolition will leave a void on the landscape.

Conway officials have also been searching for a site to hold a larger farmers market. The city square project would address both needs.

“We’ve got a viable farmers market where it is now,” said City Administrator Bill Graham. “But we see an opportunity for growth.”

The idea of building a larger farmers market has long been encouraged by Blake Lanford, a Clemson Extension Service agent who works with the area’s market system.

In Horry County, the local food movement has steadily expanded since 2008, when Conway leaders asked Clemson Extension to assist in setting up a market downtown.

The result was the Waccamaw Market Cooperative, a nonprofit managing four weekly sites. Last summer, the cooperative added a market in Carolina Forest, meaning there is one every day of the week except Sunday during the market season.

Those don’t even include markets that aren’t participating in the cooperative, such as the Deville Street Farmers Market at The Market Common or Myrtle’s Market near Myrtle Beach City Hall.

The cooperative’s membership has expanded from 20 vendors in 2008 to nearly 50 today.

Lanford told city leaders Monday that he’s applying for a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help expand the current market system.

He wants the cooperative to hire an executive director and he’s asking the USDA to pay for half of that person’s salary for two years and fund some additional equipment, including a truck for deliveries.

Lanford also hopes to obtain federal money for software so he can set up an online market where people would be able to order farm food that is delivered to specific locations on a regular schedule.

“That’s the next step we feel we need to take in the development of this market program,” he said.

To secure the USDA money, Lanford plans to combine the funding the cooperative receives from local governments and use it as matching money.

There are no plans to close the other markets. He just wants to establish Conway as a base with professional management that serves all the sites.

Another Lanford request is money for a food truck. Instead of selling prepared foods like most food trucks, Lanford said this vehicle would provide a mobile market that could bring fresh fruits and vegetables to communities without a farmers market.

And as for constructing a multi-use facility in the center of Conway, Lanford is spearheading the effort.

“Most markets have a center pavilion and work around that pavilion space,” he said. “And I’ve often thought that if you did anything in downtown Conway, which is ideally where we would want to locate (a large farmers market), you’d build something that could be used for multiple purposes. You could build something that’s an entertainment venue; at the same time, it’s parking; at the same time, it’s a park; at the same time, it’s a farmers market.”

City officials still have to crunch the numbers on the project.

Graham said Conway’s budget currently includes $100,000 for the demolition of the police station.

Council members expect to take up the matter at their budget retreat next month.

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Conway considers razing old police station and building larger farmers market as part of new city square."