Video: Stennis Institute Gives ‘First Impression’ of Fulton

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FULTON, Miss. (WCBI) -Residents of Fulton had the chance to learn what some recent visitors thought about the strengths and weaknesses of their city.Tonight they gathered at the historic grammar school auditorium to hear the findings from the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University. 4-members recently visited Fulton as part of the First Impressions program which is sort of like a secret shopper program. Project Director Joseph Fratesi presented his team’s thoughts on the city’s appearance, access to services, friendliness and overall atmosphere, as well as what needs improvement.

Fratesi says they had very positive impression: “The presence of the community college. The presence of the Tombigbee Waterway, the great park systems they have here. The nice diversity of retail that they have going on. But they also looked at some of the challenges they had and that is how do you look at aging properties? How do you deal with commercial development when it needs to be redeveloped or its run down and it’s in a state of disrepair?”

Fratesi says to date the Stennis Institute has conducted First Impressions in over a hundred communities in Mississippi and he says they have several more cities they plan to visit. Fratesi says their visits are always at the invite of city officials who hear about the program and want input on how to improve their communities.