Hear ye, hear ye! Perkins Road has something else to be excited about. In the very near future, the section of Perkins from Southdowns Shopping Center to the Baton Rouge Gallery could be deemed the Perkins Road Art District (that is, if the overpass ever opens up again). This stretch of road could join the already revitalized and thriving communities such as Mid City, Spanish Town, Beauregard and many others. The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is making an excellent effort to help Baton Rouge reach its potential. The Cultural Districts program is a local initiative of the Office of the Lt. Govenor and the Department of Culture.

The primary goal of the Cultural Districts Program is “to revitalize communities and contribute to the lives and livelihoods of the citizens by creating driven hubs of cultural activity.” The program provides incentives for communities to create or rebuild cultural destinations:

• Renovations to historic structures within the district may be eligible for state historic tax credits.
• Sales of original, one-of-a-kind works of art are exempt from local and state sales tax.
• Increased occupancy, property renovations, an improved sense of community, and increases in social and cultural activity and related jobs in the community.

The first community meeting resulted in a lot of resistance from older residents of the neighborhood who are not quick to accept change. With the addition of a younger group, we can change a lot of minds and show the community that we care about Baton Rouge. The next meeting hasn’t been scheduled yet, but we have a very small time frame for this initiative to reach the city council.

There are two annual review cycles to for Perkins to become a cultural district. Application deadlines are July 1 and December 1. We are aiming for the July 1 date so that we get started on helping the Perkins district thrive. More information can be found at www.crt.state.la.us/culturaldistricts and on the Facebook group “Support Perkins Road Art District.” With the help of the community, we can turn Perkins into a cultural epicenter.

[Ed note: This is a guest post by an enthusiastic citizen. We're always happy to help get the word out about various improvement projects for our great city. As always, if you have news, tip us!]