WF Innovation
Quarter looks to
revive vacant
power plant
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Wake Forest
Innovation Quarter is look
ing to pump new life into
the old Bailey Power Plant.
Known for its signature
brick smoke stacks that
once towered over the city
at its peak, Bailey Power
Plant provided electricity
for buildings from Main
Street to Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive, until the
1950s when RJ. Reynolds
Tobacco Company decided
to move its factories out of
the downtown area.
During a town hall
meeting on Thursday, Nov.
17, Innovation Quarter
President Eric Tomlinson
said very soon, the building
will provide the communi
ty with a different kind of
energy, the kind that brings
communities together.
"Around this time next
year. Bailey Power Plant
will look totally different,"
he continued. "We are
proud at what we were able
to do there."
Although still in the
early stages of redevelop
ment, Tomlinson said once
complete, the building will
have retail stores, restau
rants, business offices and
a 20j000-square-foot inno
vation center. The majority
of the construction is being
handled by Wexford
Science and Technology.
Tomlinson mentioned a lot
of work had to be done to
remove old equipment and
machinery from the old
power plant. Now that the
building is cleared, recon
struction can begin.
Along with the expan
sion comes the growth of
the job market. Currendy
the Innovation Quarter
employs over 3,000 peo
ple. With the addition of
Photos by Tevin Stinson
Residents examine blueprints of the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter before the
start of the town hall on Thursday, Nov. 17. During the open meeting,
Innovation Quarter President Eric Tomlinson announced the group's plan to
redevelop the Bailey Power Plant.
the Bailey Power Plant and
other investments in the
near future, the quarter's
goal is to triple the number
of jobs in the area to 9,000.
While standing before
the room filled with nearly
100 residents, Tomlinson
also provided an update on
the other businesses and
exciting things currently
going on in and around the
Innovation Quarter, includ
ing Inmar, a technology
development company, and
Flywheel Coworking, a
business start-up space. He
also discussed the technol
ogy, science, health and art
courses offered by Forsyth
Tech, the UNC School of
the Arts, Salem College,
Wake Forest and Winston
Salem State University.
"Today the spaces that
were once abandoned by
the tobacco industry have
been turned into truly
remarkable spaces, " said
Tomlinson. "Here at the
Innovation Quarter, we
want to contribute to do
two things: the economic
development of this area
and create a vibrant com
munity for all who live
here.
"Innovation is no
longer just for the engineer
working in his garage; it's
all of us working together.
Innovation has become
entirely a social enter
prise," he said.
After the town hall
meeting, a number of peo
ple said they were excited
to see the old factory build
ings put to use, and they,
aren't the only ones taking
notice. In the last month,
The New York Times and
Huffington Post have fea
tured articles on the Wake
Eric Tomlinson, presi
dent of the Wake Forest
Innovation Quarter,
talks about the plans
for the Bailey Power
Plant during a town
hall meeting on
Thursday, Nov. 17.
Forest Innovation Quarter.
"It's truly amazing to
see where this area is today
compared to a few years
ago," said Joseph Harrison,
a longtime city native. "For
awhile, 1 thought those old
factories would be vacant
forever like you see in
other cities. It's good to
know that space is being
put to good use."
For more information
on the Wake Forest
Innovation Quarter and to
see what the future holds
for the area, visit
www.innovationquarter.co
m.
Counting the votes
Forsyth County Board of Elections
Director Tim Tsujii, left; board
member Fleming El-Amin; board
Chairman Ken Raymond; and sec
retary Stuart Russell count write-in
votes during a meeting on Friday,
Nov. 18. The board was to continue
counting votes on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Votes are supposed to be certified
on Nov. 29. The governor's race
had not been officially called as of
presstime Monday, although
Democrat Roy Cooper is leading in
the votes statewide.
Photo by Tevin Sanson