Wheeling Heritage invites the community to attend ‘The Dog-Friendly Wheeling Workshop’ to learn how being a pet-friendly Downtown can be a powerful way to engage and renew the community. The workshop will be held on Oct. 13 and facilitated by Deborah Turcott, Founder and Principal at Oriana Solutions, a woman-owned, national consulting firm that helps organizations create actionable change.
In this one-day workshop, Turcott will host community members to talk about the different approaches to making Wheeling’s downtown pet-friendly, including promotion ideas, finding key partners for success and housing and design considerations. Attendees will leave the session feeling armed with rationale for going pet-friendly, what concepts could work for the community, and how to seek funding to support their ideas.
The schedule for the day-long workshop is as follows:
- 9 a.m. – Morning group session to discuss how dog-friendly cities contribute to a vibrant local economy and look at examples from other cities. This session will be held in the Wheeling Heritage Conference Room, located on the second floor of the Wheeling Artisan Center (1400 Main Street)
- 10:30 a.m. – Downtown walkabout to identify potential for dog-friendly amenities in Wheeling.
- 12 p.m. – Break
- 1:30 p.m. – One-on-one strategy sessions with Deborah Turcott (3 spots available). Great for business owners and leaders who want specific guidance on pet-friendly policies and programs (must schedule in advance).
- 6 p.m. – Evening presentation with specific feedback for Wheeling based on the day’s activities. Held in the Wheeling Heritage Conference Room.
“Wheeling is already making strides to be a more dog-friendly city by investing in more dog parks across the city, and we’re excited to build on this momentum with the help of Deborah from Oriana Solutions,” said Alex Panas, Program Manager for Wheeling Heritage. “We know that for many people pets are a part of their family, so we’d love to see the city, local business owners, dog owners, and other community stakeholders working together to find creative ways to incorporate pet-friendly amenities into our already vibrant community.”
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“So many people consider their pets part of the family. When you think about living downtown, sometimes you might think about how friendly a city is for a pet,” said Scott Schenerlein, Wheeling Heritage’s Executive Director. “As Wheeling Heritage works to encourage people to make the city of Wheeling their home, we need to remind ourselves to continue to work on our environment. Do our surroundings take into account all of our family members, even the furry ones? We are thankful that our relationship with WV Main Street enables us to bring this type of program to Wheeling. “
The first session kicks off at 9 a.m. located at Wheeling Heritage’s Conference Room on the second floor of the Artisan Center, 1400 Main Street. This session will lead into a walk around Downtown at 10:30 a.m. The workshop will pick back up at 6 p.m. for the evening presentation back at Wheeling Heritage’s Conference Room. Business owners, community members and community officials are encouraged to attend.
Three business owners will have the opportunity to have a 30-minute one-on-one conversation with Turcott. This is a first come, first serve basis and scheduling is required in advance to secure one of the three spots. Businesses can schedule their time slot with Alex Panas by emailing apanas@wheelingheritage.org.
This program is a project of the West Virginia Main Street Program and Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling’s Main Street Organization.
About Wheeling Heritage:
Wheeling Heritage is a catalyst for the revitalization of Wheeling. Through historic preservation, community development, and the arts, we help to tell Wheeling’s story and shape its future. We seek to improve the quality of life in Wheeling by preserving and investing in our city, collaborating with others, and engaging the citizens of Wheeling in our work.