December 4 Beautification Team Recap
Beautification Action Team
Slide Deck
The Beautification Action Team held its first meeting on December 4, 2025 at the Andrews Library, bringing together community members committed to creating a more attractive, welcoming, and vibrant Andrews. The team established shared working values—transparency, collaboration, consistent communication, action, and positivity—and reviewed beautification ideas gathered at the August Town Hall.
The group identified several quick-win projects, including Main Street trees, historic photo displays in empty storefronts, and additional priorities including additional murals, sidewalk and building facade cleaning, and youth-driven art initiatives. They also began mapping out who else should be invited into the conversation, such as building owners, nurseries, county extension, town staff, and residents with historic materials.
Next steps include coordinating outreach to new partners, selecting project leads, and preparing for early implementation efforts. Notes and updates will be posted at AndrewsVision.org.
1. Welcome & Introductions
Team members introduced themselves and shared what brought them to Andrews. The group reflected a mix of longtime residents, newer community members, and individuals representing local organizations—each expressing enthusiasm for improving Andrews’ appearance, identity, and sense of pride.
2. Setting the Table: How We Will Work Together
The team discussed our guiding principles for collaboration:
Transparency – Sharing information, providing updates, and posting publicly.
Collaboration – Working across organizations, businesses, and community groups.
Action – Getting things done, acting with urgency, and working in the same direction
Positivity – Focusing on what can be done and lifting each other up with kindness.
The team added a fifth principle:
Communication – Keeping the broader community informed and involved
Members agreed these principles will help set the tone for future work.
3. Reviewing Town Hall Input (August 26)
The group revisited the top beautification-related ideas shared by over 90 residents at the Town Hall meeting:
Storefront Activation
String lighting across side streets and/or park areas
New awnings and refreshed facades
Cleaning and brightening sidewalks and building exteriors
Filling vacant windows with photos, art, shadow-boxes, student work, or temporary displays
Outdoor Beautification
Trees along Main Street
Murals
Banners
Benches
Pocket parks
Additional lighting
These priorities affirmed that beautification is tightly connected to Main Street vibrancy, tourism, placemaking, and local pride.
4. Quick Wins & Priority Projects
The group identified immediate, achievable projects that would make a visible impact:
Main Street Trees (already underway by the Garden Club)
Historic photo window displays in empty storefronts (pilot in one building, then scale up)
Secondary items that require coordination, funding, or additional partners were flagged for future planning.
Additional murals with a unified artistic or thematic direction for Andrews
Clean sidewalks and building facades (pressure washing, coordinated volunteer day)
Repaving worn sections of Main Street (2nd Street) (discussions already underway by the Town and State)
Engaging youth artists (school partnerships, youth mural or art projects)
5. Expanding the Table
The team identified additional voices needed to move projects forward:
Building owners and investors
Local nurseries and landscaping experts
Town representatives
The County Extension Office
Community members with historic photos
Outreach assignments will be coordinated before the next meeting.
6. Next Steps
Meeting notes and updates will be posted at AndrewsVision.org.
Team members will begin outreach to missing stakeholders.
Follow-up communication will focus on assigning project leads, timelines, and early implementation.
Additional Notes
Detailed ideas
Desire for murals to provide a unifying theme for the town
Interactive murals that attract kids and couples
Murals along the bridge coming into town near the ball park (like in Bryson City)
Activating windows in empty buildings:
Coming soon/In the works signs in recently purchased buildings
Project renderings
Historic photos
Product displays promoting nearby stores
Small business craft displays for a window fee
Student art
Indoor pickleball court
Would be the only one in the county
Convert the Ellis Hardware building
Use a skating rink in the daytime
Set up a pop-up court inside an empty retail space
