Downtown Academy Application Period Ends Sunday
FRESNO – The deadline for applications for the next Downtown Academy, a collaboration between Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals (FLYP), the City of Fresno and the Downtown Fresno Partnership, is this Sunday.
30 students will go through the 11-month course, which will connect them with business and community leaders interested in further solidifying a thriving downtown area. Class members meet on the first Tuesday of each month, beginning on August 6, at a different downtown restaurant, where dinner will be provided. Students will take private tours of downtown landmarks, including Chukchansi Park, Historic Chinatown, and downtown living spaces.
Sarah Moffat, chair of the board of directors of FLYP, said Tuesday that 25 people are currently signed up. She is also a graduate of the Downtown Academy.
“I feel like I have a lot better understanding of what really downtown is,” Moffat said. “I saw pretty much all of the different inner workings, from city government and finance, to understanding more about the lofts and downtown living, to different opportunities with our theaters.”
Course instructors are Craig Scharton, director of the City of Fresno’s Downtown and Community Revitalization Department, and Kate Borders, president and CEO of the Downtown Fresno Partnership. Both have had a hand in creating successful, vibrant downtowns, Borders in the Midwest and Scharton in Hanford. They and the students will take class field trips to downtowns in Burbank, Pasadena and Long Beach, as well as come up with a class project to be completed. The experience allows participants to form new friendships, as well as make professional contacts.
“You really see what the future of Fresno is going to be, and be a part of the solution in creating what downtown is going to be for our next generation,” Moffat said.
Tuition fees for each person are $275, which goes to maintain the program. To apply for the program, visit http://flypinfo.com/downtown-academy/apply-now#. Members of the next Downtown Academy will be announced July 8.