Mount Airy’s “preparedness” for recruiting older residents to town has resulted in its renewal as a participant in the North Carolina Certified Retirement Community Program.
The city’s involvement with that program dates to 2012, when a dedicated movement began — aimed at not only attracting retirees here as tourists, but permanent residents of the community.
After weighing the pros and cons of the move, Mount Airy applied for and was designated in 2013 as a certified retirement community through an initiative of the N.C. Department of Commerce. This meant paying a $10,000 application fee, which officials have said would be required every five years after that to remain involved.
The most recent development includes Mount Airy being approved as a participant in the Certified Retirement Community Program for another five years, which was reported during the most recent meeting of the city council.
Although the municipality had been certified previously, the latest approval required submitting a new application for the program, which occurred in January in partnership with the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority.
The city recently was notified of its ongoing viability as a retirement community by Christopher Chung, chief executive officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. It is a non-profit group created in 2014 by state statute to take over the recruitment, marketing and sales functions of the Department of Commerce.
In a letter to Mount Airy, Chung said the renewal status “certifies that the town has passed a stringent test of readiness and meets a rigorous set of requirements prescribed by the General Assembly” for program participation.
This involved a community survey and the use of assessment tools that gauged Mount Airy’s “preparedness” to attract retirees in a variety of ways. “This designation also means the community is prepared to provide the amenities, services and opportunities needed for retirees to enjoy active and productive lives,” Chung added.
“These include housing, health care, transportation and recreational activities, to mention just a few.”
Mount Airy is one of 16 communities in North Carolina to achieve this designation, according to city Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis, who gave a presentation on the program during the recent council meeting.
It means that Visit NC — which is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina — will continue to work with Mount Airy to market and promote it as a desired retirement destination.
Lewis called the designation “an outstanding marketing and promotional tool for Mount Airy.”
He said this will include an entity known as Retire NC promoting the city as a certified community through various methods.
In an update of such activities to Mount Airy officials in February 2019, Andre Nabors of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina said this and other certified retirement communities around the state are regularly highlighted at various events.
One such gathering was the Ideal Living Resort and Retirement Expo in Long Island, New York, which drew hundreds of potential retirees in that region interested in exploring opportunities and conversing with exhibitors from across the Southeast.
“Effort is critical”
Local officials have acknowledged that it would be not feasible from a financial standpoint for Mount Airy to undertake such promotions on its own, with the cost of participating in the program recouped many times over.
“This effort is critical to put us on the map,” Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority and the Tourism Partnership of Surry County, said in a statement that Lewis read during the council meeting in her absence.
The program allows Mount Airy to stand out from the other 531 municipalities in North Carolina, Roberts further mentioned.
Lewis credited Roberts and Jenny Smith, visitor center and group tour manager at the Mount Airy Visitors Center downtown, and the Mount Airy Retirement/Relocation Committee for their assistance with the application process.
That committee was formed in 2014 to aid the city’s recruitment efforts.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com