Washington is already an area that attracts retirees with its small-town feel and access to the river.

Members of the community are now looking to enhance that retirement appeal, looking into the possibility of Washington becoming a Retire NC community.

Andre R. Nabors, a partner-relations manager with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, was invited by the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and Washington Harbor District Alliance to speak about the Retire NC program at the Washington Civic Center on Wednesday.

According to Nabors, a Retire NC certified community must be an incorporated municipality, be located within 30 miles of a hospital, offer retiree attractions (such as a senior center), have a marketing plan in place and have a long-range plan for the community.

If a municipality meets the requirements and passes the application process, it receives access to marketing services from the state level, including website and social media promotion, to boost the number of visitors and encourage older adults to move there permanently.

Attracting retirees to Washington, or any other community, means a larger tax base, and therefore, more economic benefits.

The catch, however, is a $10,000 price tag for five years of marketing services, Nabors said.

Catherine Glover, executive director at the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber and WHDA wanted to bring in Nabors to gauge residents’ interest in the program.

She said there have been discussions of marketing Washington’s retirement appeal in the past, and the two groups wanted to encourage that discussion again.

“We felt like it was time to bring it back to the forefront,” Glover said.

Once the Chamber hears more feedback from community members, Glover said it will have a better idea of what the next step should be. If there were ample interest in Retire NC, then a committee would need to be formed to carry out the process of becoming a certified municipality.

Glover said at this point, however, the Chamber and WHDA need to look at data from the already participating communities and see if the cost is worth it.

There are 15 certified Retire NC locations so far, including New Bern and Winterville. Applications are accepted twice a year, and the applicant will have an answer within about four months, according to Nabors.

If the Retire NC program does not come to fruition in Washington, Glover said she is confident it will at least spark more discussion on utilizing the city’s appeal to retirees.