The Selma Redevelopment Authority (SRA) held its monthly Board of Directors Meeting Thursday afternoon at Eyemax Vision Center on Medical Center Parkway.
The first order of business on the SRA’s agenda was to welcome Autumn Sanders Foster, Founder and CEO of Quire Consulting.
Foster was sitting on Thursday’s meeting to observe the SRA before embarking on a collaboration with the group.
“What I love about the work that we do,” said Foster. “Is that we work with organizations, not for organizations. So when we’re doing strategic planning, it’s not me coming and saying ‘here’s what I think you need to do,’ but it’s us kind of taking on a collaborative process of learning and talking with each other to figure out what makes sense for this group at this time to get us where we need to go.”
Foster stated her next steps would be to develop a proposal for the SRA to vote on regarding future projects to engage in.
SRA Chairman Juanda Maxwell then shared that SRA Board Members Billy Young, Clint Wilkerson and Johnny Moss, Jr. have been hard at work developing a plan to take advantage of Selma’s Opportunity Zones.
Wilkerson reported he, Young and Moss were putting together a list of properties available in the Opportunity Zones to bring before potential investors.
Wilkerson added that Selma was “a little behind” taking advantage of Opportunity Zones compared to other cities in the state.
“Once we get to the Opportunity Zones we’re going to come up and try to start helping promote the sale of those buildings in Selma. Hopefully it’s all going to come together quickly,” said Wilkerson.
Chef Harry Dominick then made a presentation before the SRA, sharing his idea for a new restaurant in downtown Selma.
Dominick, originally from New Jersey, has worked in several restaurants throughout his career before he made his way to Selma to be Director of Bosco Nutrition Services with Edmundite Missions.
Dominick told the SRA he sees much potential in Selma and hopes to “set the standard of restaurants” in the city with D Black Pot an eatery “specializing in fine food for the soul in the Black Belt.”
Several SRA board members spoke highly of Dominick’s talent as a chef and Maxwell said that Dominick’s potential restaurant would “be a wonderful asset” to the community.
“I’m here in Selma and I’m willing to work with whoever it takes,” said Dominick.