Selma — Ray Jaklitsch and Eric Jackson hope money from a North Carolina nonprofit can help Selma turn over a new leaf.

Jaklitsch and Jackson, members of the Selma Historic Homeowners Association, have hatched a plan to pour money into the town’s tourism efforts. Both men told the Town Council last week they planned to apply for an $80,000 grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation. They hope to use the money to upgrade the Selma Visitor’s Center and hire a tourism-development coordinator.

“Like so many of you, we have a passion for this town,” Jaklitsch said. “Our whole idea is to take Selma to the next level. Selma has good bones, but we haven’t yet been able to get to second base.”

Jaklitsch and Jackson presented their plan to the Town Council just one month after the board endorsed a strategic-planning report that took a local committee two years to compile. The report outlined about a dozen weaknesses Selma has, including a poor reputation, a lack of local jobs and a dearth of community pride. It also highlighted Selma’s strengths, which included the town’s geographic location and entertainment and recreation opportunities.

Jaklitsch said a recent tour of historic homes and gardens attracted folks from across the region. He said a number of those who attended “found that Selma is a desirable place to come and live.”

Jackson said he hoped that dollars from the Golden Leaf Foundation would help drive that sentiment and attract more homeowners and businesses to town. “This grant would benefit not only our businesses but also our residents,” he said. “It would give them pride of place and increase our visibility for business development. That would eventually lead to increasing our tax base.”

In addition to hiring a tourism coordinator, Jackson and Jaklitsch said they hoped to use grant money to keep the Visitor’s Center open all week and pay the center’s staff of volunteers. They would also like to produce a 10-minute informational video on Selma and make upgrades to the Jernigan Building on Anderson Street. With the Town Council’s blessing, Jaklitsch and Jackson said they would work to meet an Aug. 1 deadline for the grant application. The pair said they should know the grant winners by November.