New High Point Administrator To Focus On Revitalization

Many people have pushed for downtown revitalization in High Point in recent years.

But there hasn't been much consensus on where in the downtown area the work should be focused and what kind of businesses would be a good fit.

Now the city has a new point-person for the job. Randy Hemann has been hired as an assistant city manager. Hemann has spent more than 25 years focusing on revitalization efforts in North Carolina cities, including Salisbury and Kinston.

High Point officials say Hemann worked on two downtown master plans in Salisbury, and during his time there investors put $70 million in a 24-square-block area of the downtown.

Most recently he's been the city manager of Oxford, in Granville County. He earned a political science degree from Marshall University and went on to get a Master of Public Administration degree from East Carolina University.

Hemann is scheduled to start in early September. He will serve under Greg Demko, who took over as High Point's City Manager in January.