Downtown Revitalization Study
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Printed Date: May 17 2024 at 12:31pm
Topic: Downtown Revitalization Study
Posted By: Eric Melbye
Subject: Downtown Revitalization Study
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 9:38am
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Please consider participating in the study described below, and forwarding this announcement to any interested parties. The study is being conducted by Leah DePriest, a graduate student at MU, for her Master's thesis. She wants her course work to have some tangible benefit to our community, and she needs your help to make that happen.
Downtown Stories, Community Visions Downtown Stories, Community Visions is a project organized by Leah DePriest, a graduate student in Urban Planning at Miami University. The project seeks to give the community an active voice in establishing a common vision for the future of downtown Middletown. The community will be invited to share their stories and opinions about downtown Middletown with DePriest, and will also have the opportunity to participate in a series of community forums to continue building their vision for the future of downtown Middletown. Ultimately, the information DePriest gathers will aid city planners and designers in downtown revitalization efforts. Share Your Stories To discover what you value about downtown Middletown, DePriest is gathering your personal stories from the past or present about your positive and negative experiences of the downtown area, as well as your thoughts on what you hope to see in the future in downtown Middletown. With your submission, feel free to submit copies of photos, newspaper articles, or anything else that you feel tells the story of downtown Middletown from your perspective. You are not required to label any documents or include your name in your submission. Please note that no part of your submissions will be returned. You can submit your stories and other documents now via email to: mailto:downtownstories@gmail.com - downtownstories@gmail.com . Early in July, information kiosks with drop boxes for submissions will be set up at: Miami Middletown Downtown: 4 North Main St. Middletown City Building: 1 Donham Plaza Miami University Middletown: Johnston Hall Information Desk, 4200 E. University Blvd. Create Your Vision Anyone in the community over the age of 18 is also invited to discuss the information DePriest gathers in a series of collaborative forums. The goal will be to better understand and visualize how these stories can assist downtown revitalization efforts. More information regarding these forums will be provided at the information kiosks. Please consider attending one or all of the forum sessions, held at Miami Middletown Downtown on: Thursday, July 23 5:30-7:30pm Monday, August 3 5:30-7:30pm Tuesday, July 28 5:30-7:30pm Saturday, August 8 2:00-4:00pm If you would like more information about Downtown Stories, Community Visions, please contact: mailto:deprielr@muohio.edu - Leah DePriest or mailto:prythedl@muohio.edu - David Prytherch . Note: In submitting your story by email, you should realize that email is subject to tampering and thus not a secure form of communication. Although we make every effort to ensure the privacy of email correspondences, it is possible for someone to intercept these communications. If you have questions about your rights as a subject, you may contact the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship at (513) 529-3734 | mailto:humansubjects@muohio.edu - humansubjects@muohio.edu . ------------- ____________________________________ Eric Melbye, Director Office of Community Engagement and Service Miami University Middletown www.mid.muohio.edu/community mumccc@muohio.edu |
Replies:
Posted By: Impala SS
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 5:00pm
| Downtown is dead, Middletown is dead....... |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 5:04pm
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Not when we have the Bash going on, its pretty wild down there.
------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 5:32pm
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Well that takes care of 32 hrs out of the year, what about the 8728 hrs. that there is no Bash?
What is it going to take to start concentrating on a New Middletown throughout Middletown rather than living in the Past, Downtown?
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Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 6:59pm
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I’m not a frequent poster on these blogs, but I am a frequent reader, and I appreciate the comments made above. I’d just like to add that Leah DePriest, the grad student conducting this project, isn’t doing this simply to complete her Master’s degree at MU. She’s genuinely interested in Middletown—particularly the downtown area—and I believe she would love to see her work have some impact. Next year she’s planning to complete a second Master’s degree in Architecture, and is hoping to continue her current work in Middletown through that degree, as well. (Personally, I’m hoping she’ll join me and the other people working on the Castell/Sebald building project and/or the United Way Place Matters projects.)
So, regardless of what you think about downtown Middletown’s past, present, or future, I encourage you to email mailto:downtownstories@gmail.com - downtownstories@gmail.com and expand on the comments you’ve all made here. They’re all valuable to Leah’s efforts to do something positive for Middletown. I think such an effort is worth supporting. ------------- ____________________________________ Eric Melbye, Director Office of Community Engagement and Service Miami University Middletown www.mid.muohio.edu/community mumccc@muohio.edu |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jun 09 2009 at 8:31pm
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cool, Eric
I have nothing special to relate, however I have lived here forever and have lived through it all. If the lady needs anything or wants to ask me anything, please have her look me up.
We need help from everywhere.
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 5:23am
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Mr. Melbye: While I wish this young lady well in all of her future endeavors, this sounds like another “answer in search of a question”!!! That is, it is like all past efforts for downtown Middletown. It starts with someone already convinced that it can be revived in its present (or nearly its present) configuration, and actually seeks only confirmation that downtown can be what they have already decided it can be--simply because they want it to be!!! Of course, the answer is always that the only thing preventing their dream from reaching fruition is a lack of other people’s money, since no one successful enough to be able to finance any such schemes with their own money is at the same time reckless enough to bankroll any of the “visions” that so many seem to foresee in their tea leaves. And then there is always City Hall, ever at the ready to squash any reasonable attempt at development that has a chance at success that does not include the Camelot-like scenarios floating in the nether regions of their friends’ minds. What really is needed is someone just like Ms. DePriest, but without the preconceived notions and biases, to perform such a study. Someone who would look at the facts, and only the facts. Someone who would study the “former” downtown Middletown, and then objectively report any and all logical conclusions reached. We need a true prognosticator to tell us the truth, and not what he, or whoever sponsors him or her, wants to hear. In fact, we must be told the truth, whether it is good or bad, expected or surprising, welcome or foreboding. In actuality, I would be surprised if such studies have not been performed already. They are called “market analyses” and all large (and many small) companies have them performed BEFORE they invest in an area.. We have not heard about them because the ones who have had them performed likely did not like the results and have decided not to invest here. Certainly all Middletonians are not as naive as those at City Hall appear to be, and think that, say, B. Dalton will came running just because we tell them that we have a great place for a bookstore??? Certainly we don't all believe that the honchos from, say, Hard Rock Cafe or The Gap just drive around through small towns and suddenly stop and say: "WOW, this looks like a good spot for us!" It is just not how the real world works, and all of the wishing that PRISM and the Downtown Partnership, and City Hall can muster will not make it so!!!
All of this is not to say that there is not a good use for the former downtown Middletown. I am certain that there is. We just have to open our minds to all options, instead of limiting ourselves to the ones desired by the (wanna-be) movers and shakers.
We cannot continue as we have in the past, pursuing islands in the sky that no venture capitalist would touch, using public funds just to try to make a few people happy.
If we keep doing the same things, we will keep reaching the same results. The free market will solve this problem for us, if only we will allow it to do so, but that means getting, and keeping, City Hall out of the way!!! And that means starting with changes this November!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 7:12am
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Eric If CDBG Funds are avaible for downtown projects then why not the Middletown Cemetery? |
Posted By: Smokey Burgess
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 9:29am
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Dear Miss Vivian -
The so-called reasons(?) that the Queen of Middletown gives you are bogus! The City of Middletown has plenty of HUD money. In fact, they have hired temporary employees on top of the existing staff plus Building Inspection personnel that are "on loan" due to the paltry number of new and remodeling permits. If the Queen says the color blue is really green, then we are to accept her statement as being true? Tell the truth Queen and make HUD funds available to restore the Historic Pioneer Cemetery vault.
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Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 9:49am
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Mike,
These are great comments, and exactly the sort of thing Leah could use in her study. Please consider cutting and pasting your comments into an email to mailto:downtownstories@gmail.com - downtownstories@gmail.com ! I understand how this effort could look like yet another “answer in search of a question,” though I disagree with that view. The question Leah is exploring in this first stage of the study is simply, “How do people perceive of downtown Middletown?” Later this summer, she’ll lead a series of public forums in which people can further discuss their responses to that question, and consider ways their opinions and ideas can assist in downtown revitalization efforts. That includes the ongoing efforts of everyone—community groups, businesses, and concerned individuals as well as city officials. This study isn’t being organized by any part of Middletown’s government, and neither Leah nor any Middletown city official is imposing a vision for downtown revitalization onto the study. In other words, there aren’t any hidden agendas, and there aren’t any preconceptions or biases beyond the notions that something can be done with downtown Middletown, and that the people here have valuable input on that. Even if you disagree with those notions, your input is valuable to Leah’s study. You’re correct that different types of market analyses have already been conducted by/for Middletown, and that seeing those analyses would be useful. Leah’s project isn’t really a market analysis, though. It’s not being conducted by a corporation, and it’s more open-ended and community-oriented, gathering opinions from the community rather than collecting hard data and statistics. Some personal responses, separate from Leah’s work: I wholeheartedly agree with you that there is good use for downtown Middletown. MUM didn’t set up shop at Miami Middletown Downtown because the abundant foot traffic and thriving business/cultural environment would make MMD an instant success. We established a location downtown to contribute to efforts to create that sort of community. I’ve met many individuals and worked with business owners and community groups who share that commitment, and it’s encouraging to know I’m not alone. It’s tough going to say the least, but I believe it’s worth the effort. I also strongly agree with your comment that “we have to open our minds to all options,” and “if we keep doing the same things, we will keep reaching the same results.” I would add that opening our minds and trying something different involves changing our perceptions of downtown Middletown, and Middletown as a whole. Personally, I believe that focusing on the many problems and challenges we face and expecting city officials to solve everything for us isn’t the most effective way to create the positive change we desire. That perception creates a sort of victim mentality that thinks, “Middletown has too many problems to fix, and the City isn’t doing enough to solve them. Middletown is dead.” That perception is understandable. It’s also not very productive. (After all, even Forbes hasn’t proclaimed Middletown is dead…!) I believe that if we focus on discovering the assets and resources we already have available rather than the mountain of problems we face, we can use those assets to address specific problems we want to solve. We can’t solve all the problems at once, of course, but we can take them on in smaller chunks, step by step, and do some good that way. ------------- ____________________________________ Eric Melbye, Director Office of Community Engagement and Service Miami University Middletown www.mid.muohio.edu/community mumccc@muohio.edu |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 12:18pm
| Eric- just gotta make some comments for understanding pertaining to your post. You state that "focusing on the problems we face.... we can't expect the city to fix all of our problems". "We can use these assets to address specific problems we want to solve"- OK-- now- let's talk about some of our problems in relation to the the city fixing them and we, the citizens not waiting for the city, but solving them ourselves. Item 1 Street Repair- please explain how the citizen can take this problem into their own hands and bypass the city to fix them??? The citizen doesn't have the funds, resources nor expertise to do this task properly. Item #2- overabundance of Section 8 housing- should we, the citizen collect petitions to present to Council demanding that Section 8 be reduced or eliminated in town? If we did, do you think Council would listen to us? How would the average citizen go about getting Section 8 out of this city? The city controls this program and won't allow the citizens to take it over to shut it down. Item #3- Meaningful, decent paying jobs- How would the citizens go about setting up a system to send out the "beacon" to attract decent jobs? What method would us citizens use to "take matters into our own hands" to bypass the city's lack of effort in bringing in more jobs? Item #4- City prioritization on budget- how could us mere citizens force the city leaders to correctly prioritize the order in which to spend the city's money? We citizens could collect the signatures of all 51,000 people in this town and the city government would still ignore the will of the people. I could use other examples but you get the jest of the message here. The only way that we can fix the decisions/direction of this town is to replace all of the problem children on Council and the school board and then, force resignations from the city manager on down and replace those people with ones that will do the business of the people correctly and problem solve. To try and solve the city's problems with the current group of leaders is to bloody ones head against the wall. They hold the cards because they control the decision making system, the money and ignore the citizens wishes for their city. Until the trash is taken out, it is futile for the people to try to fix the problems as the trash is the obstacle to actually solving those problems. Taking matters into our own hands won't get the job done. Bypassing the city to solve the problems won't work either. As soon as we made an attempt, they would provide the roadblocks to success. We need cooperation from them to help solve problems. We will not get that. JMO |
Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 10 2009 at 3:16pm
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VietVet,
You raise a lot of good points and difficult questions. I certainly don’t have all the answers. And before I say anything else, I want to clarify that I’m not proposing the community can/should always bypass the city government and take matters into its own hands. As you said, we need cooperation from the City to solve problems. What I am proposing is that the community isn’t powerless, and there are assets in the community that can be used to address some problems. We’ve all seen evidence of that in Middletown and right here on these blog pages. Some of the problems you mention—street repair, for example—might be too difficult for the community alone to resolve (though the idealist in me believes anything is possible). But I wonder what might be accomplished if the community rethinks how it approaches some of the problems we face. Rather than waiting for one group of people to resolve all of the community’s problems, what might happen if a group of community members actively sought out assets in the community that could address one problem at a time, one step at a time? Here’s a hypothetical example. I’m borrowing this example from someone I had a recent conversation with about community-building: Let’s say a community is struggling with crime and a high dropout rate among high school students. The community could petition the local government to increase policing in certain neighborhoods and demand the resignation of the school superintendent. If that doesn’t work, the community might simply fall to complaining about the police force, the local government, bad teachers, bad parenting, etc. The community focuses solely on the problem, with no hope of resolution. If the focus can shift to assets in the community, someone might draw attention to that one community member—let’s say she’s a retired school teacher—who helps a few of her neighbors by providing some after-school activities or tutoring. That teacher is a community asset, and a small group of community members can work with the teacher to build on what the teacher is already doing: A few other teachers are located and a small after-school program is set up that keeps kids off the streets and continuing their education. The program draws more attention, and grows. Will it completely solve the problem of crime and high dropout rates throughout the community? Maybe not. But it’s a big step in the right direction, and with some organization and dedication, it could have a strong impact over time. The idea is that questions like “How do we create meaningful, decent paying jobs in Middletown?” or “How do we fill all of those vacant buildings downtown?” can be easier to tackle if, instead of focusing on all that we have lost, how we’re suffering, and how other people aren’t helping us the way we think they should, we seek out existing assets and resources in the community to build on, and break a problem down into more manageable pieces. How can we create a few meaningful jobs? How can we fill this one vacant building? Even that can be difficult to accomplish, but as I’ve been repeating here, I think it’s worth the effort. Success—even a small success—breeds success. I’m certainly trying, and I’m glad to say I’m not alone. Another useful approach, I think, is to reconsider the questions we ask about the problems we face. Sometimes we ask questions about problems that may not be the real problems we want to address. For example, asking, “How do we eliminate section 8 housing?” assumes that section 8 housing is the main problem, when in fact it’s only the perceived cause of another problem the asker really wants to address: a school’s “emergency watch” status, or a neighborhood’s physical appearance. (I’m not suggesting this applies to your question, VietVet, I’m just making an illustration.) If we ask the right question, we’re better able to locate the resources that can help us build toward a solution. How can we recast the questions we have? What assets and resources exist in our community that we can build on? How can we use our assets to innovate solutions to the needs of the community? ------------- ____________________________________ Eric Melbye, Director Office of Community Engagement and Service Miami University Middletown www.mid.muohio.edu/community mumccc@muohio.edu |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 4:31am
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Mr. Melbye: Please allow me to respond point-by-point. I will do so by interspersing my responses throughout your post, using a different font and color. Mike, These comments are now in the public domain. Ms. DePriest can feel free to use them as she wishes. One would hope that she would feel behooved to use them in context.
Please recall your statements: “ She’s genuinely interested in Middletown—particularly the downtown area—…” and: “I’m hoping she’ll join me and the other people working on the Castell/Sebald building project…”. [emphasis added] These remarks indicate, at least to me, a definite bias already built into the study. I am sure that no one will be surprised when the study reveals that the former downtown Middletown would have a glorious future in store for it--if only the City would chip in several more millions of the taxpayers’ dollars!The question Leah is exploring in this first stage of the study is simply, “How do people perceive of downtown Middletown?” Perhaps the “first stage” of the study should be to recognize that the area to which you/she refer is no longer “downtown Middletown”! Please allow me to quote http://middletownusa.com/_/misc/HarperCollinsProducts.aspx?English - 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006:downtown Chiefly US, Canad, & NZ Noun the central or lower part of a city, esp. the main commercial area Adverb towards, to, or into this area And also to quote The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by http://www.eref-trade.hmco.com/ - .:down·town (dountoun) n. The lower part or the business center of a city or town. adv. (dountoun) To, toward, or in the lower part or the business center of a city or town. adj. (dountoun) Of, relating to, or located downtown. Unfortunately, the area within the so-called “urban core district” of Middletown simply no longer fits the definition of “downtown.” Later this summer, she’ll lead a series of public forums in which people can further discuss their responses to that question, and consider ways their opinions and ideas can assist in downtown revitalization efforts. Here we have also been given a clue that the BIAS of this study IS toward the “revitalization of downtown!” That includes the ongoing efforts of everyone—community groups, businesses, and concerned individuals as well as city officials. This study isn’t being organized by any part of Middletown’s government, and neither Leah nor any Middletown city official is imposing a vision for downtown revitalization onto the study. In other words, there aren’t any hidden agendas, and there aren’t any preconceptions or biases beyond the notions that something can be done with downtown Middletown, and that the people here have valuable input on that. Even if you disagree with those notions, your input is valuable to Leah’s study. With all due respect, Mr. Melbye, you are tripping over your own words here. The ONLY thing under consideration by anyone, either now or for the future is “the revitalization of this area as a ‘downtown’!” As long as we keep trying this over and over, we will reach the same result over and over. Deny the imposition of a vision all you would like. Reject the fact that there is a bias until AK General Offices return if you so desire. Regardless of how long you care to ignore the facts, those ARE the FACTS, just as YOU have restated them again while trying to hide from them. This study has a built in bias, as all past studies have had. They know the answer that is desired, they are just looking for a way to ask the question so that they can provide that answer! You’re correct that different types of market analyses have already been conducted by/for Middletown, and that seeing those analyses would be useful. Leah’s project isn’t really a market analysis, though. It’s not being conducted by a corporation, and it’s more open-ended and community-oriented, gathering opinions from the community rather than collecting hard data and statistics. I understand!! And I understand why it can NOT deal in hard data and statistics. Collecting and analyzing hard data and statistics will NOT provide any “question” to which your “answer” can apply. Any unbiased marketing study will inevitably yield the result that: The former downtown Middletown cannot be revitalized into a prosperous “downtown” any time in the foreseeable future! Some may say that I am “negative”, I say that I am facing reality. If the former downtown Middletown could be a viable location for profitable business or commerce, WHY have none of the PROFESSIONAL developers been knocking on the door to buy property for ONE DOLLAR, and take the generous subsidies and incentives that this, and previous, city councils have offered??? NO one has answered this question that I have been asking since 1999!!! But I can answer it. It’s those pesky market studies!!! No matter how they analyze them, the answer is the same. And if the Pros don’t think that they can do it, what makes (and I’m being kind here) the “amateurs” think that they can??? Some personal responses, separate from Leah’s work: I wholeheartedly agree with you that there is good use for downtown Middletown. MUM didn’t set up shop at Miami Middletown Downtown because the abundant foot traffic and thriving business/cultural environment would make MMD an instant success. We established a location downtown to contribute to efforts to create that sort of community. I’ve met many individuals and worked with business owners and community groups who share that commitment, and it’s encouraging to know I’m not alone. It’s tough going to say the least, but I believe it’s worth the effort. More power to you, sir. I wish you good fortune and success, I truly do! I admire your mettle, but question your judgment. Who was it that said “Chance favors the prepared mind.”? I also strongly agree with your comment that “we have to open our minds to all options,” and “if we keep doing the same things, we will keep reaching the same results.” I would add that opening our minds and trying something different involves changing our perceptions of downtown Middletown, and Middletown as a whole. Personally, I believe that focusing on the many problems and challenges we face and expecting city officials to solve everything for us isn’t the most effective way to create the positive change we desire. Now we are on the same page again!!! Do you know another grad student…one in economics? It would be interesting for someone to go back over the City’s books, all the way back to about 1975. Then tally up every last dime of tax money of any sort spent on trying to revitalize downtown Middletown as an urban business/commercial center (read that as “a downtown”), and convert those dollars to 2009 dollars. My bet is that it will total well over $100 MILLION! That perception creates a sort of victim mentality that thinks, “Middletown has too many problems to fix, and the City isn’t doing enough to solve them. Middletown is dead.” That perception is understandable. It’s also not very productive. I agree, and just how many more TENS of MILLIONS of taxpayer dollars must we spend to “revitalize downtown” as “downtown” before THAT becomes “unproductive”? (After all, even Forbes hasn’t proclaimed Middletown is dead…!) I believe that if we focus on discovering the assets and resources we already have available rather than the mountain of problems we face, we can use those assets to address specific problems we want to solve. We can’t solve all the problems at once, of course, but we can take them on in smaller chunks, step by step, and do some good that way. I agree, but unfortunately, City Hall does NOT see it that way. They insist on recycling the same old ideas, from the same old people, at the same old clandestine meetings, and slip them by the public as shiftily as possible and then act surprised by the results. Middletown is not dead, but it IS being murdered…and it IS “murder by undesired assisted suicide!” ____________________________________ Mike Presta, Citizen and Civic watchdog ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 10:09am
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wow
so much typing to say so little
kinda goes along with Mike's font/color choice.
hey--bring the lady in, and help her with her study any way possible.
this negative "welcome" displayed here ought to be enough to convince her to pick some other more appreciative area.
ANYTHING that creates ANY positivre activity or business growth in the area formerly known as "downtown" is a big + for everyone within the city, especially the western part and those coming accross the west middletown bridge.
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 10:37am
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Spider if you want to Grow the Downtown I have no problem with that. The problem comes in as to why in the past 5 years, that I have been here, has no developer been clamoring to put their money and time into the Downtown area.
If rebuilding Downtown is such a hot idea why hasn't a developer approached the City or the City been able to find one?
I am all for Private money developing Downtown, I am against the City putting funds and resources into Downtown, there are far to many other issues that need attention.
The City is presently unable to take care of it's parks, infrastructure has been ignored for years, etc. As Ms Gilleland said they don't even have the People to water the old flower beds. They have a significant number of issues they need to deal with and as far as I can see you don't have 20,000 people clamoring for downtown to be re-built when the rest of the city is deteriorating.
In the next census, 2010, you will most likely have the City of Middletown being saddled with a Poverty rate in excess of 25% and possibly 30%+. This will be a death nail for a city of this size and will be printed on every Market analysis done by any company looking for a location.
The City needs to deal with it's Section 8 and Poverty issue as if it is an emergency.
I would really like someone to do a economic feasibility study, that is independent and shown to the citizens, as to the money and time needed to redo downtown and then throw the City into the study and then throw a private developer into the mix and see who comes out on top.
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Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 10:52am
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Mike, Thanks for providing even more thought-provoking comments. It looks like you and I will have to agree to disagree on some points, which is fine. The productive discussion itself is worthwhile--in fact, for me, it's the whole point. The comment you made about the definition of "downtown" not applying to downtown Middletown anymore is really interesting. Your comment can spark an interesting discussion of what the word "downtown" means, or ought to mean, beyond the dictionary definition, and how the Middletown community would define that word for itself. What can/should a "downtown Middletown" look and act like, wherever it might be located? What should it be able to do for itself, for the city as a whole, for the region, etc.? Is a downtown Middletown even possible anywhere in the city? Why/why not? You commented on a built-in bias in Leah's study, which seems to contradict what I said about there not being a bias. I think it's important to clarify that for the sake of Leah's work. I obviously have certain biases of my own about downtown Middletown, which I've made pretty clear in this blog thread. In writing about Leah's study, I've tried to separate information about the study from own personal feelings about downtown and its revitalization. Maybe I haven't done a good enough job of that. In any case, my personal biases aren't driving the study--it's Leah's study, not mine. I'm only helping her to spread the word, encouraging folks to participate, and later, providing a physical space for her public forums. And I have no intention of forcing my personal agenda in the public forums Leah will hold. I'm going to listen actively, and absorb and learn all I can. I'm sure that what I hear will be a valuable aid in my own and others' revitalization efforts, though again, that bias isn't a part of the study itself. I wouldn't say that discussing how the study might be used for revitalization efforts is a bias, either. I would say that's part of the study's purpose. That probably sounds like I'm splitting hairs, but I think there's a difference. The project isn't attempting to push the community toward Leah's or anyone's specific vision of what the downtown area can/should be. Now that would definitely be a bias. Leah's study is simply attempting to gather the community's thoughts on that vision, and to generate some productive discussion on that point, just as we've been doing here. Those who believe downtown Middletown isn't or can't be a downtown, or can't/shouldn't be revitalized, bring a valuable perspective to that discussion. I hope they choose to participate in Leah's study in some fashion. On the other hand, I think your comment (if I understand it correctly) that the study assumes downtown revitalization is possible/desired is very interesting, very thought-provoking. An assumption isn't a bias, but I see your point, nonetheless. What I'm hearing from you is a deep level of frustration about the whole concept of downtown revitalization, as past efforts don't seem to have been successful--why keep trying something that hasn't worked? (Am I hearing you correctly?) I won't restate my personal response to that--I think it's obvious by now. But I will re-emphasize that that perspective is valuable to the discussion of downtown revitalization, because it raises important questions like the ones I noted above. I'm glad you were able to draw that assumption out--thank you. Last: an apology to all for my long-winded posts, here--I'm sure they're getting old. Among other things, I'm a writer and English professor, and I do my thinking on the keyboard. This discussion has been very educational for me, and I appreciate everyone's comments very much. ------------- ____________________________________ Eric Melbye, Director Office of Community Engagement and Service Miami University Middletown www.mid.muohio.edu/community mumccc@muohio.edu |
Posted By: randy
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 11:43am
| Some local businesses owners are trying to do what the can downtown. Look at Sheila Chambers, owner of Another Time at the corner of Central Avenue and Clinton Street in downtown Middletown. Want to read what I mean Check it out . http://www.middletownusa.com/view_news.asp?a=4401 - Middletown Store Owner Organizes Sales Event |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 12:13pm
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hey pacman--I pretty much agree with yer post!!
the private sector/profit incentive is the ONLY way for anything MEANINGFUL and CONTINUAL to take root and be successful
Our city leadership(past and current--Council/Admin + the same old "movers and shakers")
has not accomplished much other than to waste tens of millions of $$$ and the last 30 years. They obviously have no answer at this time either, and no funds to continue the tinkering(as evidenced by the city manager's request to the MCF to fund a "downtown czar"). Bringing more Section 8 to the Castell, Kresge and other old business structures is not a long-term answer to anything other than producing more blight,crime and poverty to an area struggling to replace just that with a viable mid-scale business community.
When the time is right, things will happen in that area. It CAN be a center of activity again, and possibly a key business center(since currently we have NO city business center).
As for watering the new flowers and plants, we don't have to worry about that since most have already been stolen.
The area formerly known as "downtown" is really in no worse economic condition than any other shopping center/area of the city. They are ALL struggling and have a high % of vacancies. You can barely give business properties away at this time.
Mr.Melbye and Mr.Presta can debate semantics and definitions as long as they choose.
In the mean time, maybe we can help the lady with her study. She could very well have a conclusion that eventually makes a difference!
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Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 12:19pm
| Has there really been talk of section 8 housing in the Castell building? |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 12:43pm
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Mr. Melbye, Perhaps the problem lies in our respective understandings of the word “revitalization”. I agree with Mr. Webster and his colleagues that “revitalization” means: The coming again into activity and prominence; the revival of trade; to give new vitality or vigor to; to give new life to; a resurgence, a revival; an updating; or a revivification. The commonality, at least as I see it, of all of these shades of meaning is that the “core” or “essence” of that which is being “revitalized” does not change, but somehow new life or vigor is breathed into it. The former “downtown Middletown” was indeed a hub of business and commerce! There once were professions, trades, commercial transactions, services, and offices of every description in this area. This was the “hub” of our fair city, but like it or not, it no longer is. We have spent decades of time and over $100,000,000 in 2009 dollars (at least in my humble opinion) trying to “revitalize” this area, even though not a single professional developer has been willing to “bite off a chunk” using strictly their own funds to participate! Is there ANY point at all when prudent people should say: “Enough is enough, we must open our minds to ideas OTHER that ‘revitalization of downtown’.”? Is there ANY length of time, or ANY amount of the taxpayers’ money that can be expended before we face “realization” instead of “revitalization”? Will it EVER be acceptable try ANY “NEW” ideas? And please consider the other older areas of the city. For example, Crawford Street used to be a bustling, prosperous street of commerce. It no longer is. Why is there not the same passion to “revitalize” Crawford Street? What about the area bounded by Wycoff, Sherman, Moore, and South? This was once a thriving neighborhood with a gas station, a repair shop, a sundries shop, or a grocery store on every other corner! Why not try to “revitalize” that neighborhood? Then there is Central Avenue from Crawford to the old Lincoln School building. This stretch of street had doctors, lawyers, dentists, portrait studios, retail establishments, pharmacies, banks, barber shops, restaurants, beauty salons, saloons, and even a lumber yard! In fact, this area had all of the things you now want “downtown”, and more! Where is the call to “revitalize” this area? I could go on and on, since there were areas of “neighborhood downtowns” all over this city, and in Blue Ball, and in Mayfield, and in Meadowlawn, and in Amanda, and in nearly every other area of our city! Yet, to this day, some of these areas do not even have curbs or sidewalks. But we have demolished and rebuilt the curbs and sidewalks “downtown” with NO assessments how many times? Regardless, I am sure that more studies will “prove” that we must try again (and again and again) to restore the former downtown to its Olde Tyme glory, until everyone leaves this town except those insisting on “revitalizing” the former downtown. Who will pay “tote the note” when that happens? PS: Please be as long-winded as you like. I enjoy a civil discussion, and those who don't want to read it, certainly don't have to do so. And don't worry about Spider! Before all is said and done, he will have chimed in. (Probaably on BOTH sides, if this lasts more than one day! )------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 1:09pm
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correct Mike!
I agree with your view of Central Ave.BEYOND the glorified "downtown" area.
I would know a lot about the areas you mention, since I have operated businesses on Supthin/Sherman, Central Ave, and was very successful in the old REAL downtown area until I was forced to re-locate for the mall.
Crawford Street---wow
Anyone concerned about our community and knowledgeable of prior conditions should take a drive through that area. Enough to either make you cry or leave you speechless.
Yes Mr.P--I CAN change my mind, and at least keep it OPEN, which is a very foreign concept to many around here. Kinda reminds me of the one-track "good ole boy" network/club often mentioned, with the exception that the "good ole boy" group on the message boards is entrencheed in a completely opposite close-minded mentality.
Castell,Sebald,Kresge,Reed Klopp---I get those old building names confused any more.
Which has proposed a slew of 500-1000 sq.ft. apartments and studio units?
And just whom would you expect to live in those conditions/locations other than low-income or Section 8?
Let's get real here!
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Posted By: Eric Melbye
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 1:14pm
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How we choose to define "revitalization" is another interesting question, Mike. Do we attempt to resuscitate the old, create something entirely new, or try a little of both? Personally, I'm open to discussing any and all possibilities, though I'm not convinced a 100% recreation of the past is even possible, much less desirable. As an English prof, picking apart semantics is a habit I can't help, so Spider's comment didn't bother me. In fact, I like what he's said here. Then again, since he's been so supportive of Leah's study, Mike, I'm clearly biased towards his opinions  I don't know why other previously-thriving areas of Middletown aren't receiving the attention they deserve in terms of revitalization discussions. I'm sure that because the downtown area was once the beating heart of the city, it gets more attention now, but that doesn't mean other neighborhoods should be ignored. It would be great to see some organized efforts in the neighborhoods you mentioned, maybe something similar to what the United Way Place Matters project is doing now. If no professional developers have shown serious interest in investing in downtown Middletown, and if the community wants to see some sort of revitalization there (however you want to define revitalization), then one question to ask might be, what new things can the community do to address the need? While we may want the City to be involved in those efforts in some meaningful, productive way, a community is more than just its city officials. What resources exist in our community that the community could leverage to create positive change? |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 1:30pm
Mr. Melbye whether the plan was low income housing or not I am not sure but this was a plan some years ago.Castell Building plan draws concernResidential units less than 750 square feet
Plans for a nearly $2 million renovation of the Castell Building on Central Avenue has raised some eyebrows of other downtown business owners. The project, which was approved Wednesday by the Planning Commission in a 4-2 vote, would include commercial space in the building's first floor and up to 24 for-rent residential units of varying sizes all less than 750 square feet.
"I just believe in downtown," said 3rd Ward Councilman Anthony Marconi, whose company floated the proposal to the city's Planning Commission.
Although he is a partner of M & D Central Properties, Marconi - who also is the City Council liaison to the Planning Commission - listened quietly Wednesday while his partner, Ron Decker, delivered the presentation for the building that once was part of the enclosed City Centre Mall.
Planning Commission members Perry Thatcher and Tom Williams cast the dissenting votes.
The renovation plan, which calls for six studio apartments and 18 one-bedroom apartments, has nearby business owners concerned over the proposed size of the units, which range from 540 to 740 square feet.
"If it's professional people (living there), then I'm 150 percent for it," said Jay Moorman, co-owner of BeauVerre-Riordan stained glass studio, which occupies a nearby Central Avenue building. "But if it's low income, then I'm not.
"The message that we got when we took this undertaking was that it was going to be upscale," he said. "(500 square feet) is about the size of a motel room."
Although the city has a 1,000-square-foot minimum requirement for multi-family residential units, Decker said Wednesday it's unlikely the proposal would change.
Part of the plan for the new development includes amendments to the city's minimum requirements because it would be located in an urban setting.
"If we had to approach numbers like that (1,000-square-foot units), it's going to kill this," Decker said. "We are not in that type of environment. You might be able to do that in downtown Cincinnati, but not in downtown Middletown."
The project will go before City Council later this month for a requested change to the area's zoning.
"This building, at least architecturally, has a prominence downtown," said Planning Director Marty Kohler. "This is a fairly key building that we would like to see developed."
Contact Dave Greber at (513) 705-2840, or e-mail him at dgreber@coxohio.com.
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jun 11 2009 at 7:55pm
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Mr. Melbye: I am flabbergasted (and few people get “flabbergasted” anymore) that an “English prof” with a self-described habit of “picking apart semantics” can question the definitions of “revitalization” that I provided, But be that as it may. You ask “Do we attempt to resuscitate the old, create something entirely new, or try a little of both?” Do we attempt to resuscitate the old? We have tried that, to the tune of over ten million of the taxpayers’ dollars and ten years of time with “Crossroads 2000”. Do we create something entirely new? We have tried that, to the tune of many millions of the taxpayers’ dollars and decades of time with “City Centre”. Do we try a little of both? We have tried that. Before, during, and after both City Centre and Crossroads 2000 we have tried all sorts of studies and plots and plans and committees and the “Downtown Partnership” and the “Historic District” and surveys and murals and water features and clock towers, and everything else except one thing! Anytime that anyone has proposed to do something with their own money, that plan has been REJECTED! That is the one thing that we have REFUSED to try! My suggestion is that only proposals brought forward by entities with enough confidence to back their vision with their own financing should be considered. All others should be summarily rejected. There should be no more gambling with public funds. I certainly agree with your assertion that “the downtown area was once the beating heart” of our fair city. I hope that you will agree with me that it is no longer true! If “revitalization” means bulldozing part or all of the area in order to “redevelop” it, then so be it. But if we are fortunate enough for someone with vision, and enough faith and capital to implement that vision, to appear-- we must be courageous and forceful enough to keep City Hall and their friends out of the way!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 7:07am
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I have a question.
Last year we spent about $40,000 to relandscape the "Welcome to Middletown" sign at 122 and Towne Mall Blvd.
Then we have the two signs at University Blvd and Central Ave at the old train station "Welcome to Downtown Middletown".
So where does the "Downtown" area begin and end?
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 7:58am
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HyettPalma Creating the Future Downtown (1992) The HyettPalma plan targeted specific economic development actions that a City could take to revitalize a downtown. The plan began by comparing the historical and economical trends towards decline cities have taken over the past several decades to the growth suburban retail centers and malls have shown over the same period, and how the two relate to one another. The plan offered numerous strategies the City should take for successful downtown revitalization: • Create private-public partnerships that are driven by the public sector • Create a downtown vision • Follow market-driven forces: know your customers and potential customers • Create downtown economic themes • Create a formal marketing campaign that is as effective as retail marketing at attracting customers • Create a retail market assessment • Identify opportunities for downtown offices and housing The plan noted that old-fashioned economic strategies do not need to be relied upon as much and a greater emphasis should be placed on new progressive strategies. Rather than sending press releases to the local media, the City should create a new marketing program that includes hiring a marketing firm to create ads and target appropriate audiences. The City should also consider running downtown the way that a suburban mall is run; hire professional staff and management; coordinate business attraction, placement, and retention; and create a unified marketing strategy. Among other recommendation for downtown revitalization, HyettPalma recognized the importance of business clustering. When similar businesses are located within very close proximity to one another, they can be effective at attracting more customers and customers that make multiple purchases. However, revitalization will not be successful unless good planning decisions are made and the new identity of the downtown is promoted. Downtown commercial and office building owners have struggled to attract retail businesses because of the poor access. The new commercial and industrial development that has come to Middletown has focused at the interchange, but development was initially slow because of a lack of appropriate public infrastructure. An additional blow to Middletown’s commercial development has been the rapid development of commercial land to the south with excellent interstate access and existing infrastructure. Finally, the City has not been successful in creating economic and community development programs to stimulate growth. Programs like Activating Community Teams to Improve Our Community (A.C.T.I.O.N.) and Middletown Own It! were honorable in purpose but lacked the appropriate direction and funding that would have jump-started community growth. The fifteen plans that were reviewed and summarized covered a very broad range of topics concerning Middletown’s growth. Some cover the overall growth of the City as a whole; others focus specifically on topics such as downtown street design. Whether the scope was large or small, the recommendations made mostly fall into two categories: quality of life improvements such as housing, traffic, and education; and economic improvements such as tearing down the mall downtown, business clustering, business attraction/retention, and airport changes. Although the tone of many of these plans is less than positive, most made positive recommendations that will very much improve the City as a whole. Two plans recommended tearing down the mall downtown to return that part of the City to a more travelable and friendly condition. Many others referred to traffic improvement changes that could be made. Overall the feeling is to create a better City for the community to share. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 8:05am
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Downtown Middletown Urban Design Plan (1996) This plan is an overall physical design summary of Downtown Middletown. It looks at a variety of aspects of downtown including streetscape details, traffic flow patterns, historical context of new and redeveloped buildings, and functionality of downtown retail, signage and community facilities. Specific changes were proposed for the following components of Downtown: • Traffic flow changes are required to improve the vehicular circulation of downtown. Traffic should be emphasized on Verity and Central. Traffic intensity on Manchester and First Street should be reduced. Verity, First, and Manchester should be re-aligned to accommodate two-way traffic. • Parking lots should be screened from street view with visual improvements. Parking usage should be improved by encouraging workers to use parking garages and shoppers to use street parking in order to maintain the highest and best uses for downtown parking. Security and lighting should be increased at parking locations to improve the perception of safety. Consolidate parking facilities for common use at the corner of Reinartz and Verity to serve more users and uses. • The plan proposes to change the zoning of downtown to provide for more functionally cohesive development. Recommended zoning districts should include multi-use, MIDDLETOWN MASTER PLAN Past Planning Efforts August 24, 2004 – Page 6 residential, institutional, industrial, and business uses. Historic designation and special standards to are recommended to maintain the historic character downtown sections. • Three recommended entry signs are proposed to indicate the main entrances to downtown. The proposed signs are recommended at Central Ave. just after crossing the river from the west, Verity Pkwy. just south of Smith Park, and University Blvd. and Central Ave. Wayfinding signs are proposed downtown to direct traffic to key downtown locations. • Specific improvements are recommended along the following corridors: o Central Avenue: An emphasis should be placed on maintaining the historic character of buildings along this corridor by using development incentives. Parking lots should be screened from the view of drivers. Any new construction or redevelopment should be consistent with the district’s overall historic form. A unique point of entry should be created at the corner of University and Verity.o City Center Plaza: Because the City Building’s parking has always been inadequate in terms of quantity, additional parking spaces should be provided. The vacant parcel directly west of the City Building should be developed. The Manchester Hotel is an important and significant landmark and should be supported by the City.o City Centre Mall: The plan recommended that the downtown mall be demolished. Demolition was seen as an opportunity to free up new development opportunities as a downtown focal point. The City has implemented the demolition recommendation.o Financial District/Main Street: As the last remaining symbol of the historic heart of the City, business attraction and retention efforts should be focused here. Emphasis should be placed on saving the Sorg Theatre.o Canal: Reuse the hydraulic canal as public recreation, or at least make an effort to clean it up for public display.• Central Avenue Streetscape Plan: o A large portion of this plan focuses on the streetscape design of Central Avenue from Carmody Blvd. to the west and University Blvc. at the east. The plan calls for paving improvements to the sidewalk, street trees, parking screening and other landscaping improvements. Construction drawings are provided showing details of the construction materials. The plan also recommends building façade improvements and related regulations that will ensure cohesive building lines. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 8:09am
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Downtown Middletown Market Analysis and Development Strategy (1999) Submitted by ZHA, Inc. in December of 1999, this study focuses on downtown Middletown’s potential to be economically successful. The study revolves around existing commercial and office development and the potential for creating a lively downtown home to residents, workers and visitors. The single largest barrier identified to reviving downtown economically was removing the roof above the City Centre Mall. This recommendation has since been implemented. The Strategy acknowledged that the mall site would not compete with regional shopping centers because downtown lacks the proper population and traffic. To make downtown viable, ZHA recommends the following steps be taken: • Linkages: Improve downtown’s functional linkages by removing the mall roof structure and improving street frontages, and improve linkages between former mall site and other downtown amenities. • Capitalize on unique assets: Suburban communities with real urban blockface that provide a walkable downtown attractive to pedestrians are not very common. Middletown should exploit this asset by investing streetscape improvements, ordinances requiring direct streetfront orientation for new and existing structures, and Tax Increment Financing (TIFs). • Focus on Employment and a mix of uses: Redevelopment programs should focus on mixed uses that reinforce each other. The city should work to attract one single large employer downtown so as to create a stable daytime downtown population that small business can cater to. Also, the City should offer incentives on City-owned property to promote redevelopment. • Activity Generators: The City should create entertainment and recreation facilities to increase residential presence downtown. Two ideas ZHA recommends are an indoor ice skating rink and a drive-in movie theatre. MIDDLETOWN MASTER PLAN Past Planning Efforts August 24, 2004 – Page 11 When retailers look for new places to develop, they generally seek locations that have access to major freeways, proximity to major retail anchors and concentrations, and access to markets where households and buying power are growing. Downtown Middletown lacks all three of these attributes and the City cannot provide any assistance to create these attributes. Therefore, downtown would succeed to attract urban businesses such as eating/drinking establishments, theatres, specialty shops, and functional goods and service establishments. These attract and thrive on pedestrian activity from downtown employees, underserved areas in Madison and Wayne Townships, and visitors. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 8:15am
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Middletown Own It! (March, 2000) Middletown Own It! was an effort headed by the Middletown Community Foundation, with additional financial support from the City. During its existence, four committees were set up to address needs and obstacles facing the City. These committees were infrastructure, community involvement, economic development, and culture, arts, recreation and education. The economic development committee kept the best records from committee meetings. They were interested not only in what will bring more jobs to the City, but educational needs, community diversity, housing, and recreation. The economic development committee determined that the primary need of the City was: "The image of our community needs to be improved and the challenges of the 21st Century need to be met through the development of a community-wide visionary process". Research of various Middletown reports brought to light the most important issues the city faces. The effectiveness of the school system and how the community perceives its success is an important issue facing Middletown. Between 1990 and 1999, approximately 700 residents were surveyed three times on their thoughts of the public education system. In the most recent survey, 46% of respondents gave the school system "report card" rating of "C." To contrast, in 1990 when asked the same question, 49% gave the school system a "B" rating. The respondents indicated that they liked the quality of teachers and individual attention given to the students, but were disappointed with money management policies of the school system and indicated a concern over a lack of discipline of students. In 1990 75% of respondents indicated a willingness to pay more property taxes to improve education. In 1999, that number fell to 51%. A second major issue facing Middletown has to do with quality of life issues. Abraham Maslow proposed a two-tier hierarchy of needs explaining what people generally strive to achieve happiness. The first tier of needs include food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services. The second tier of needs pertains to personal growth, fulfillment, and self-esteem including deriving meaning from religious, civic, family and work activities. In order to meet the second tier of needs, all of the first tier needs must be met. Middletown residents who were asked to list the most important issues facing quality-of-life in the City responded with the following needs, ranked in descending order of importance: MIDDLETOWN MASTER PLAN Past Planning Efforts August 24, 2004 – Page 12• Quality public education • Crime control • Economic development • Jobs The quality of life issues in Middletown appeared to address mostly the second tier of Maslow’s theory. This was a good indication that the community was generally meeting the basic needs of its residents such as providing food, clothing, and shelter. Beyond quality of life needs, the residents of Middletown have perceptions about their neighbors, government, local businesses, and diversity. Public input identified a feeling of distrust in the local government because of a lack of responsiveness to community wants and needs. Residents find the people of the city to be "cliquish" and difficult for new residents to mix. There is a perception within the community that since the locally owned Armco Steel was sold, the sense of community the company created was lost. Finally, many people believe Middletown is a city divided by racial and economic inequalities, evident in the products supplied by local retailers. The economic development committee concluded that economic development has a significant impact on other community issues such as educational quality, homelessness and crime. Local resources should be used to promote development. The cause for lack of development downtown needs to be addressed. Middletown should strive to attract more young professionals to work and live in the greater Middletown area. Sometime in 2001, Middletown Own It! stopped seeking funding and operation. Correspondence between members indicated a lack of direction and a vision statement with no executable goals. There are no clear records stating Own It! recommendations or future plans. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 8:21am
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An Overall Housing Assessment of Middletown, Ohio (August 12, 2002) The Danter Company created this report as an analysis of the overall housing market of Middletown. Danter broke Middletown into five geographic categories then analyzed the housing stock within each area, as follows: I) Housing Stock • The Downtown/Airport geographic area had a declining population and an estimated 2001 median household income of $57,908 in 2001. • The Central/University geographic featured an increasing population, the highest percentage of homeowners in the City, and an estimated 2001 median household income of $53,577. • The I-75 Corridor had an estimated 2001 median household income of $57,902. • The South Main Street geographic area featured a declining population, the highest percentage of renters in Middletown, and an estimated 2001 median household income of $27,272 in 2001. • The South/AK Steel area featured an increasing population and an estimated 2001 median household income of $32,885 in 2001. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 8:28am
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City Council Meeting Sept. 2008:
Perry Thatcher, 605 DaVinci Drive, remarked that he does have power but no TV at this time. He felt Leslie’s remarks were a very good idea. He has for fifteen years worked to re-energize the downtown. There is money available for doing things downtown. There are benefits for keeping Swallen’s and the garage. He has been talking to people and at the present time has two persons interested in the Swallen’s Building and parking garage. When Council went into discussions about demolition, there was a lot of money going into the Swallen’s Bldg. for upkeep. Now that’s not the case. For the garage, you can take the elevators out of service and make the garage one level. Virtually close off the stairways and close upper floors and eliminate extra costs you have there. He has talked to business and educational facilities and he says it’s going to take time to bring Middletown back. If there is money available for demolition of Swallen’s and the parking garage, that money could much better be used. Hundreds of thousands have attended the Broad Street Bash downtown. We need to watch what we spend the money on and focus on bringing more money downtown. Costs can be cut. There are people that would take over keeping the Swallen’s and downtown garage going until we find a use. It’s an important feature in what they do. Several new businesses are opening in the downtown in the next three months. He asked Council not to be impatient and throw good money after bad. When asked what types of ideas these businesses that are interested have. Mr. Thatcher responded something of quality. You have to structure the downtown with good businesses. Some are in the educational field. He could not reveal who at this time. They’ve been to City and talking to the City Manager and Economic Development people. He advised waiting six months to a year’s time, if we don’t put something together, then demolish after that time. Mr. Marconi said he has been real vocal about the structures needing to come down. We couldn’t even give the building away but we were asking for 100 jobs. He thinks its blight. The reuse is questionable because of the way it’s constructed. He’s open for suggestion and grateful for Mr. Thatcher’s presence downtown. Unless there is something on the table, a viable proposal, he thinks council should proceed with getting rid of it. It’s been empty 10-12 years. Council is open for any proposals that will bring jobs to our city. Mr. Thatcher said look at all the other vacant buildings downtown. Put them on a scale and put priority on the ones that need to come down first. If you tear it down and don’t have someone to take it, it’s of no use. We have a multitude of empty buildings downtown. When he brings people to town, Swallens is the only building that people have said they could use. There’s a Dayton business he has spoken to that’s interested, but it will take time. You don’t see a condemned sign on Swallen’s and there are several condemned signs on buildings downtown. He would like to come back in several months. He has a plan on how to see the money that would be spent on demolition. But, it’s council’s decision. He has been there since the start and is still there and wants to see something good happen there. If you have money to throw away, tear it down. That’s not the best use of funds. Our focal point in Middletown is Governor’s Square. People will come there. Mr. Armbruster agreed waiting another six months would not hurt anything. He said just because Mr. Thatcher has been a major investor in the downtown, and the building has been sitting 10-12 years, it could sit another six months. The update on the Paducah trip had a proposal on the floor to look at attracting people downtown. He’d like to see what these people bring back to the table. He would not want to hastily tear something down that might have a use in the future. He’d like to wait. Mr. Marconi said he’s open. He’s for good government. Taking the roof off the garage will take a ¼ million dollars. In essence we’re going to subsidize a company to come here. Being government, if something didn’t work, our million dollars is shot down the tubes, and you still have a blighted garaged. Mr. Mulligan asked for clarification on the investment from the City. Mr. Thatcher responded if you want to spend money, there are a lot better uses to spending the money than demolition of the Swallen’s Bldg. Mr. Mulligan said we are certainly interested in entertaining a proposal for using it. There has been some period of inaction in the past. Mr. Thatcher said he won’t be bringing a proposal tomorrow. It will take some time. People that he is working with are giving it consideration. If the Swallen’s Bldg. and garage are gone, those people are gone too. Mr. Schiavone said the City has been struggling for a number of years. A year ago council gave direction to staff to find out how much it would take to tear down those structures. Council hasn’t seen those figures yet. He asked the manager to bring real numbers on what it will take to bring down Swallen’s and the garage. Ms. Gilleland said staff does have estimates, but no proposals. The estimates are around 2 million dollars. Mr. Mulligan asked if council were interested in seeing a bid and comparison for the alternatives with a time frame. Is six months a reasonable time? Mr. Armbruster advised that there also is a new committee looking at proposals for downtown; let them come back with some options. Mr. Becker said some good points have been made. If we tear it down, we’ll never know. If moth balled indefinitely, it will deteriorate more. Also, Mr. Thatcher is a major investor. Council has waited this long and are willing to wait a while longer. Mr. Marconi questioned the 2 million dollar figure for demolitions. It’s one thing to just say a figure, but when you get to nuts and bolts, he wants to see quotes. He doesn’t want a wild guess. The City could get a couple of estimates. He’s willing to listen and he’s open to suggestions. He praised Mr. Thatcher for what he’s done in the City. Mr. Thatcher said he’s concerned about the entire downtown, not just what the city owns. There are others that need estimates for demolition. When a City shrinks, shrink with it. There’s nothing wrong with having green spaces. He can identify about six buildings in a four block area that would be much better and cost less to take down and tie together that 4 block area. Mr. Armbruster explained that was one of the issues talked about a month ago. Looking at those same issues and looking at buildings that needs to go. A building was donated during a recent meeting. Ms. Gilleland said Council can stretch the dollars across the whole downtown. There are things Council needs to be aware of and will need discussion during budget time. The parking garage costs about $75,000 per year in subsidies. Swallen’s is a moth ball operation; the utilities are $46,000 per year. If we continue to allow parking, we need to keep some utilities on. If we have a couple million bucks in the Downtown Fund, do we spend it in other areas or hold off to use on Swallen’s demolition? |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 9:12am
| Vivian- it's been my understanding since the 50's that the beginning of the downtown area is at the tracks where the sign is and the western limit is Main St. by the old banks on the corner. The "hub" was where Beau Verre sits at the old G.C. Murphy building. Back then, the "serious" shopping was done from the old Reed-Klopp furniture store which sits next to Richie's Pawn Central (Central Store) extending over to First Avenue, down to Main St. and around to Manchester Ave. Ahh, the old sidewalks were full of shoppers before they built the Middletown Shopping Center in 1958. That started the exodus to the east (although we high school kids on a Saturday, kept downtown busy into the mid 60's) It use to be a place to socialize for the high schoolers. Anybody know with more accuracy about the borders? |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 10:27am
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Pac- good overview of all the studies that have happened over the years concerning downtown. All offer some productive proposals- none were acted upon by the past city councils. We can thank the councils of the 70's for the "roof covering mall idea" and the $13 million on tearing the roof off of City Center Mall. We can thank the more recent councils for the Lake Middletown, Bicentennial Commons, AK Pavillion areas and the futility/ inactivity of those areas. Everything they've planned and executed has turned to crap and is unusable. The studies certainly spelled out the feelings among the people who live here. But, as usual, when presented with the facts and outside recommendations, the city leaders sat on their hands and followed none of them. They just don't have the capacity to decipher information, gather resources, develop a game plan based on these studies and align the people to execute plans. Bottom line- if they acted on these things as well as they talk about them, perhaps something would have been accomplished by now. Lip service is their expertise.
The downtown properties are in the hands of private owners that would rather leave them empty for years than to rent them out for occupancy. Years ago, we tried to get a karate club in one of Finkelman's empty buildings along Central Ave. We talked to Finkleman about the rent and it was so high that we couldn't afford it just starting out. I guess he wanted to leave it empty getting no rent for the space than to rent it to us at a reasonable rate. How does the city convince the owners of these numerous vacant stores downtown, to take a step toward occupancy at a greatly reduced rate, rather than to leave them vacant for years and make no money on them at all? Filling the downtown with stores to lure shoppers starts with eliminating the vacant stores. Filling the stores starts with making the rent affordable to new starting business owners and pro-rating any future rent as the business grows based on keeping the store occupied. In the meantime, the city needs to contact the owners of these dilapidated storefronts and offer an ultimatum- Either make it presentable even if empty or label it as city blight and correct it using legal means. Perhaps that would force the owners to work on occupancy, rather than to let them sit and rot. All the other "asthetics" will come as the area is filled. JMO as a non-business owner. On the other hand, my suggestions may be all wrong. 
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 5:13pm
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I urge everyone to make special note of the following, from the last paragraph of the 8:09am segment of Pacman’s series of posts: “When retailers look for new places to develop, they generally seek locations that have access to major freeways, proximity to major retail anchors and concentrations, and access to markets where households and buying power are growing. Downtown Middletown lacks all three of these attributes and the City cannot provide any assistance to create these attributes.”This is arguably the most important bit of subjective analysis provided, yet the one most ignored by City Hall. Until we, the people, take action to repopulate city hall with level headed, community minded, common-sense officials and employees, who will "allow" private investors to start “redeveloping” the area formerly known as “downtown Middletown”, we will never stop wasting millions after millions of our scarce tax dollars in futile attempts trying to “revitalize” it! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Smokey Burgess
Date Posted: Jun 13 2009 at 7:52pm
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SELECTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT IN MIDDLETOWN??
Dear Miss Vivian -
This afternoon my oldest daughter and I went for a drive through the former downtown and your nearby residential neighborhood. Regarding your house, I see where senior Community Revitalization Department staff continues to ignore the tall weeds and grass that you reported nearly two weeks ago. They also have ignored tall weeds and grass at the house on the other side of you. I wonder what their excuse might be??
I also noted tall weeds and grass at the former Jiffy Lube on Breiel Boulevard. Additionally, the dilapidated house that was demolished on Central Avenue near Stefano's Restaurant has tall weeds and grass violations.
It has been awhile since I have traveled anywhere near ONE DONHAM PLAZA after what I experienced as a former division head. I can see that code enforcement has a long, long way to go in doing its' job.
Nelson Self
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 7:40am
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Pacman
Thanks for the written history lesson on the "Downtown" retail problems.
What an eye opening read! It seems to me the City is 20 years to late to have an impact on the downtown. I just heard a story the other day about a lady that had a business downtown and she wanted to move to a different location downtown so she called the City and was offered no help what so ever...the rent was a joke...to make a long story short she moved her business out of "Downtown". I have heard these stories before. So if the owners of the buildings think their rent is worth the same price per sq ft as a shop at Town Mall they will remain empty and businesses will continue to leave downtown...and then we have the "Business Friendly City Hall". |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 8:01am
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Mike
You are right on target.
Where do the posters on this sight go in downtown? I go to the Library, United Dairy Farmers, and the Post Office if I can get a parking space, if not I go to Meijers to get my stamps. “When retailers look for new places to develop, they generally seek locations that have access to major freeways, proximity to major retail anchors and concentrations, and access to markets where households and buying power are growingThis is arguably the most important bit of subjective analysis provided, yet the one most ignored by City Hall. |
Posted By: Smokey Burgess
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 8:03am
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HISTORIC PIONEER CEMETERY
Dear Miss Vivian -
The waste involved with one of the HUD-funded housing rehabilitation projects would almost cover the cost of the restoration of the vault at the Historic Pioneer Cemetery. What a disgrace that senior City of Middletown staff has banned you from this very significant place. Their all-knowing, elitist attitudes are sickening.
 NRS
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 11:22am
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Mike you are exactly right. That passage struck me as all to true and the City and its citizens have ignored it, now get this for 10 YEARS, THE STUDY WAS DONE IN 1999.
The city and many of its residents have a "build it and they will come" mentality when it comes to downtown. The question to be asked of all of these people is why aren't they coming together and putting their money where their mouth is. They are more than happy to spend the taxpayers bucks, but not their own.
Is Gilleland with her $100k+ salary risking any of it? How about any of these City leaders that have all of these grandiose ideas, come on guys band together and kick in a few million and get the ball rolling down there. Any of the City Council itching to jump in Downtown and drop a cool Million on a building to rehab into an Office Building and then hope someone will move in.....NO.
Why isn't Kroger running down there, Walmart, Meijer, Walgreen, CVS, LOWES, Kohls, Subway, or any of the Specialty shops, anyone? Because it is not financially feasible to make any $$$$$$$$$$ downtown to support any of these businesses.
All of my doctors have moved off of Central and to Atrium. The doctors go so do their Patients, who now stop at all of the locations on the East End. The City and all of the citizens have to face reality that Downtown is no more.
No matter how many studies, thesis, dreams, wishes, you have Downtown has see its day as a major retail center of Commerce.
You listen to City Council talk about Middletown when you discuss Education the excuse is, "we are an urban city". You talk about Section 8, "we are an urban city". You talk about Poverty, "we are an urban city". Over and over again that is the same excuse that is given for everything. But you mention downtown and all of a sudden we are going to be "an Art District". We are gonna be a "Retail Center of Commerce". We are going to be "Festival USA". The "We are an Urabn City" disappears. I mean it justs makes no logical sense the thinking that comes out of the City and it Leaders and the Citizens that want to redo downtown.
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Posted By: Impala SS
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 6:27pm
| Pacman I agree with you 120 percent. |
Posted By: Smokey Burgess
Date Posted: Jun 14 2009 at 7:04pm
| Increasingly blighted residential areas like Crawford Street, Church Street and non-historic areas of Ward 2 send a negative message to anyone contemplating making an investment in Downtown Middletown. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 7:53am
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Well it seems that what started as little study by Leah DePriest, of MUM has now become a full blown DOWNTOWN REVITALZATION 5 YEAR PLAN.
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 10:00am
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But just really look closely at all of the studies and reports that Pacman posted from the past. Then look at this "new" plan. Forget the buzzwords and flowery language...look hard and try to concentrate on the MEAT!!!
They are ALL the SAME!!! They ALL say the SAME EXACT THING!!!
And we've tried it...we've tried it over and over, and it has FAILED, it has always failed, it continues to FAIL, and NOTHING has changed that should make any sane, reasonable, mature, adult person think that there will be any different result if we try the SAME THING AGAIN!!!
Am I wrong??? Tell me how!!! Quote something SIGNIFICANT from one that is SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT from the others!!! I'll check back later (after an 8 hour nap!) ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 11:11am
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Mike
The only thing different this time is they have more HUD-CDBG money to spend. You remember that money don't you? That is the same money that they tell me that they need to help all those POOR people in Middletown.
THIS IS NOT A BUSINESS PLAN! |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 11:28am
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Could we maybe fix the streets,sewer systems and establish a re-vitalized business community b4 we tackle ANOTHER EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE DOWNTOWN RE-REVITALIZATION?
Let the property owners create a meaningful business environment on their own dime.
They resisted all efforts prior to enact "their own plan" spearheaded by Mr.Thatcher, and honestly little has happened since.
S Main St. had it's re-furbishing at taxpayer expense. Nothing more for that area.
Demolish more of downtown so that Mike's "stakeholders" become the only game in town and buy up the newly de-constructed properties also?
Not the time for this, Mr.Adkins.
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Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 11:39am
| You're right Vivian I think if anyone did an actual Business Plan for Middletown the last line would be "run and don't look back" under the present Demographics, finances and current situation, 6-7 years ago it may have been different. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 12:35pm
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As I've stated many times the only recourse for downtown is a setup like Waynesville,Vevay Indiana and any other dead town or city. Antique shops,whatnot shops, but that can only work if the city works with the people. One only needs to look around to solve the downtown problem and no one is bothering to look around !
This young lady can do all the studies and spend money and try to make a name for herself in downtown and it's all commendable,but it doesn't take a study nor $millions of dollars to fix downtown.
On another website and posting on here the Pioneer Cemetery was mentioned as a tourist attraction,the city won't even take care of it but they toot it as a tourist attraction ? A good tourist attraction and money maker could have been Sorg Mansion,but they really managed to screw that up. Nothing is going to fix Middeltown until the old generation of money grubbers is completely gone along with their protegees. When that happens you might see Middeltown turn around for the better,but until then. ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 2:36pm
| Didn't one of the major antiques shops downtown go under recently? Why would this work in Middletown? |
Posted By: accuro
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 4:25pm
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The revitalization begins with the city's willingness to focus upon its core fundamental values and responsibilties, something sj has been stating for about 4 years or more (which I echo). To wit, the facilitate the help needed to consummate joint master thesis efforts in Urban Planning and Architecture, a case study should begin as how how did Middletown allow itself to die in the forst place. Lets start with the man who had liver failure attributed to drinking a bottle of vodla daily (cause and effect analogy). It is impossible to make gains or strides forward without understanding the problems created in the present moment. Therefore, the thesis begins with the timelien when Middletown was a successful city to the period it became a bad city. That's about a 35-40 year period. Hence, we have established a baseline gap analysis associated with the thesis history and the hypothesis going forward after such evalution. Middletown's problems are attributed to many circumstances which have been well documented. Obviously, the fact its leadership has been absorbed by entitlement and unbridled willingness to progress, to look forward, to have a vision, has led to its current demise and position of ruin. Now, to the future, or the "to be" state in teh actual thesis development and hypothethical advancement. Simply put, how can it be better. Again, credit to sj, for his recognition Middletown's problems are macro, and can only be addressed at a marco level. It begins by fixing the streets, the infrastructure, bestowing a sense of pride in itself by the city, in contrast to blaming its citizens, destroying property values, making excuses for its inept abilities to attract revenues associated with new development, and to become pro-active, not reactive. But, the city can't seem to make such a quantum leap, its a paradigm it can't overcome. Hence, the streets will remain in disarray while the watre is poured on the grass at Weatherwax, the airport is funded millions awaiting the next influx of commercial needs for air travel and shipping (which will never come---ask Wilmington), and the effort to reclaim, revitalize, inteject, transform Middletown, will never manifest itself for the aforementioned reasons. Middletown will continue its decline associated with entitlement, no industry or new market sectors will be attracted (Middletown can't compete anyway on tax abatements and giveaways), so property values continue to decline, consumer spending will continue to slide (so what's there to buy in the city anyway---stained glass?), and teh perpertual and self fulfilling funnel of the death spiral continues. It may be an interesting hypothesis to conjecture what if the Middletown/ MUM Project actually was funded, and the students could attend MUM at no cost, would that bring in new residents, and if so, what would be attarctive to downtown Middletown? Well, that could be modeled quantitatively, but the realism is--it will never be funded. In summarization, the thesis should be devoed as to how the problems were created, and the overarching problems, as opposed to concepts and supposition as to what would attract Middletownians to go downtown. Is it a destination spot? Of course not, and never will be. Start with the nacro issues associated with ebing able to drive from pt a to b without destroying struts and tires, and then worry about the socio-economic aspects of transforming the downtown. But, as the $4500. for clunker program worked, perhaps the fed government can make rebates available a tax credit is given for those who buy stained glass for a window casing or a birthday cake from the Bake Shop. Middletown hasn't even been able to sustain a movie theatre for 30 years, so I don't see the urban prospects being promising, but if I wanted to get my M.S., I'd make the thesis on a case study of failures in opposition to speculation on how to bring back the dead city. 
------------- An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. - Will Rogers |
Posted By: 409
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 4:54pm
The Middletown Antique Mall closed April 20 due to health reasons & retirement.
They had a potential buyer of the business, but Kohler didn't want them.
See post: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1231 - http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1231
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wasteful wrote:Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 6:21pm
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accuro same reason most businesses fail poor management, lack of Capital......but overall poor management seems to be an overwhelming factor in Middletown. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 01 2009 at 7:32pm
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The story of I do not believe this new revitalization plan is the answer.
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 02 2009 at 8:36am
Ahh, but Vivian, attempts were made to persuade the City Commission in the 80's to think about the theme of non-reliance on Armco.(Mike-Spider- it was about the same time that they were discussing making the old Montgomery Ward building the new post office as Bill Donham winked at me about that as if to say, "we've got everything under control") Letters To The Editor were written, the letter was read to Commission at the meeting and letters were handed to then, member Bill Donham at a city commission meeting suggesting diversification of the town's industries outside the realm of the steel/paper industries. The theme was the classic old "don't put all your eggs in one basket." Because it came from old "Joe ordinary citizen" and because the Commission mindset then, (and the Council mindset now) was "what do these mere citizens know- we have all the answers", it was blown off as another "disgruntled" citizen trying in vain to express their opinions. I know this as I was the writer and I handed it to Donham. Still have the copy. When people ask why some of us "seasoned" citizens are so negative and always find the bad in city leadership, this is a classic example of the answer. As to the life support comment- city making difficult decisions and the revitalization plan being the answer- IMO, we won't see one indication of any problem solving, any new logical progressive ideas, any streets being repaired, any schools improving, any property increasing in price, any businesses locating to town, any decent paying jobs coming to town ---- none of that happening- UNTIL we excise the cancer that is causing all of these problems- and that cancer is the leadership with their current mindset and lack of real direction. Clean house in November !!! Don't buy retread tires- try some new ones. 
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 02 2009 at 9:25am
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Viet What I don't understand is why the local business men let this type of thinking at City Hall continue year after year.
Hmmm...Talking about the Post Office…Where are they planning to build the New Post Office within this new downtown business core? |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 02 2009 at 9:57am
| Vivian the same reason the Citizens sit by and just stare like a deer in headlights. You have Spider on here, Pacman who seems to be AWOL or maybe back in the Hospital, John Beagle and crew and a few others I am sure and everyone basically agrees with the problems but Buisnessmen and Citizens alike can't seem to come together on anything to do anything. |
Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 13 2009 at 12:31am
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I would like to offer a slightly different perspective on this whole "the downtown is dead" thing. My wife and I purchased a building downtown three and a half years ago, in fact you can't get any closer to the heart of downtown than our building unless you could get a floor in one of Perry's high rises. Did the city help us? Yes, before we could move in we needed a variance on its commercial zoning so we could live here. We submitted the request to the city, they took it to council where I was able to watch in person and they unamimously approved our occupency. The third floor of our building was black, open and barren, it was an old warehouse. Fortunately for us there were living quarters already on the second floor and that is where we lived for two years until we could finish building out the third floor. It took that long because my wife and I did it ourselves except for having the hvac and plumbing installed by professionals. More than one person we met let us know about a grant that was available to business owners to assist with the restoration of the front of our building. So we applied for it but we really needed a new roof, not a new front to our building. We discussed it with the city people who handle that grant and they approved it, we now have a new roof with a lifetime warranty. If we live here for another couple of years we won't have to repay that grant. I know this may sound like the city is being unfriendly to businesses but it worked out for us. I can tell you the downtown is not dead, there is more life down here than you might realize. Some world class skate boarders hang out in the parking garage especially when it rains. At first we were worried that they might damage our cars but they never have. They just skateboard and hang out and have a good time. We kind of like the fact that there is some place for them to go. But that's not the only good place for them. Our friends Ed and Debby down the street purchased the Sorg Opera House and have provided a great place for young people to hang out. There is a huge rec room with pool tables and air hockey and such. They have bands playing out of every crack and crevice. They show movies in the theater. Its great. You know its important to hang on to your youth if you want your city to stay alive. When we first moved here there wasn't too much happening but last year and this year some of the best parties showed up just down the street on Wednesday evenings. Way cool. You know your town is dead when they throw a huge bash like that right at your door step.
Some people we met when we first started looking for our building have opend a little Bistro a few doors down, they make a sandwich called an Italian Crustini, man is that a great sandwich!! I feel a little out of place when I go in there as I am usually in shorts and a t-shirt and they are a little on the upper crust side you know but my daughter loves the place.
Right behind our building is a large building that used to be a department store where all these bands practice. Man can those guys rock. I know because I used to play in rock bands for about eleven years and they remind me of those days. I can tell you there is plenty of life in that building.
Our friends Jay and Linda have a stained glass factory across the street and down from us. Did you know that the largest stained glass factory in the country was right in the heart of our dead downtown? We've been there a lot, their art is absolutely world class.
We helped a friend named Linda put on a little art demonstration this spring at the Middletown Arts Center which is a block and half behind us. A man named Kevin Macpherson came to show the local and not so local artists how to see light and dark in a picture and make it seem real. We were able to help them make it easier to see by projecting it on two screens. Would you believe it, right here in our own dead town was a legitimate American Master painter, who would have thought?
When we first moved here we didn't know many people and as we met some we did notice that there seemed to be factions, you know cliques or gangs. Some of these people told us if we hung out with the other people that we would never do business in this town which was ok because the bulk of our work came from Dayton and Cincinnati, this location allowed us easy access to both. But you know, we ended up doing a lot of work here in town. Once people got to know us they realized that it really didn't matter who else we knew. We in turn were able to hire local talent for our television commercials and marketing projects, did you know that this dead town has some outrageous musicians? Our friend Jay definitely being one of them.
One thing we were very shocked about is that this dead town doesn't recycle. We came from a place where we sorted trash from cans and plastic, put them in bins and the waste collection company took them and recycled them cutting down on the waste. But I discoverd one day early on that there were people who would come to your dumpster and get all those old cans for you! REALLY! They show up in cars or pickup trucks and jump inside the dumpster, get every last can out and take it down to be recycled. Man that is service. At first I was a little unnerved about it but then I realized what a valuable service these folks provided. Its honest work.
Anyway I wanted to mention that there is a river close to us with a bike path. Just down the street is a huge park where they have hot air balloon races each summer. and just behind us a couple blocks in the city plaza they hold an Intenational festival each year. My wife and I volunteer for Middfest and have really enjoyed all the really great people who are involved with it.
So, from someone who actually lives downtown I can tell you there is more life down here than you might realize. But we would appreciate it if you would keep telling the world how dead it is so we can keep this little corner of paradise for ourselves.
Your neighbors ------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: Leo Gorcey
Date Posted: Aug 13 2009 at 1:32am
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Mr. Rumford -
I was the Community Development Administrator for the City when you applied for assistance to improve the exterior of your building. At that time we offered $5,000 as a grant with additional assistance available via a low-interest loan. Skip Batten from my staff was the contact person who worked with you.
I hope that your business is thriving!
Nelson Self
CD Administrator
(1/2007 - 1/2009)
P.S. My staff never bothered to tell me that he made a modification to the guidelines of this exterior facade improvement program. I am glad that your roof was repaired.
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Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 13 2009 at 10:55pm
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Yes Skip was very easy to work with but there was one funny story. When we realized that the roof was leaking we contacted the vendor who had just done a foam based job for the building's previous owner. It supposedly had a fifteen year warranty but the vendor made numerous excuses why he couldn't honor his work so we went to the city to ask about what permit was required and did they know there were unscrupulous characters on their apporved list of vendors. I was informed that the city did not require a permit for a roof repair/upgrade. New construction of a roof, yes but not your typical reshingle job. So we said oh, ok, oh well, let the buyer beware. So when we selected a professional to do the work and got everything setup with Skip he said all we needed was a permit. I told him the city didn't require one for roof work and he was at first adament about it but when I said the city couldn't have it both ways he agreed and all was good in the world. I can say that I picked up a list of approved vendors and we selected all contractors from Middletown and they were all top notch, excellent people to work with. One of them even noticed our rod iron stair well had a loose link and called a buddy he knew to come over and weld it, we didn't even ask them to do that.
My point is with these two responses is there is so much good going on in and around the city that we should try to build on that and stop all this laying of blame and wanting people removed from office who we just elected to be there. The downtown is and will continue to become a new kind of place funded by those who want to come here and give it a shot. There are some excellent initiatives going on to do things and although the progress is slow it is moving. The great big brown building by the bend west of Verity that had all the broken windows and dead birds in it has been purchased by a father and son and they completely replaced all the windows and are actively cleaning it up and rebuilding the inside. I can tell you from someone who lives down here and sees what goes on all the time that there are people looking at the buildings and considering the possibilities. Ms Adrianne is a tenent of ours and I can tell you she works very hard every day to get people interested in coming here. She and a few others were responsible for my family coming here. Although we don't have anything to do with her business I can tell you she works hard to get people to think about what's possible for the downtown. That's how the downtown will flourish. We bought our building for a lot less than a smaller building would have cost us in Miamisburg or Springboro. We looked for two years before we found this one and we got a good deal on it. There is a lot of potential down here but its going to be done by those with a vision and a will to do it. It doesn't help when so many want to sit by the sidelines and heckle and pronounce the downtown dead instead of making a difference for someting they believe in. We don't intend to make the whole downtown beautiful again, we're just going to make our little piece of it nicer. Just as our neighbors have made theirs nicer. As time goes on a lot of people will make the whole thing nicer. ------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: lrisner
Date Posted: Aug 13 2009 at 11:31pm
With all due respect, doesn't most of the Cheer Leading about how great the downtown is usually come from someone like yourself who has a Financial interest to protect? There is nothing happening there that is not Financially supported by Tax dollars. In all honesty, would you be trying to restore a building in the downtown if you were Financially on your own to do so without any Tax payer money helping to finance the Resto? I doubt it! I guess I have to ask myself just how much Cash are We willing to put into the Down Town. The numbers so far (for the last 35 years any way) are quite staggering! I certainly don't blame you for any of your actions and wish you luck on the Resto! |
Posted By: Leo Gorcey
Date Posted: Aug 14 2009 at 1:34am
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Didn't this City employee obtain three separate sealed contractor bids as is the requirement? When you discovered that an unscrupulous contractor was on the City's eligible bidder list, what did this public servant do to make them honor their warranty for workmanship and materials done for the previous owner?
You may not know it Mr. Rumford, but your recollections have opened a new can of worms regarding the City of Middletown. This City employee worked very closely with the deparment head on matters like this. Your project was funded with HUD Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) funds. I wish that I had learned of this sooner. Thank you!
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Posted By: Leo Gorcey
Date Posted: Aug 14 2009 at 1:54am
| UDAG was the source of HUD funds tapped to help the owners of the Manchester Inn, Quizno's, Sassy Scissors and the stain glass operation earlier in this decade. As of one year ago there was $40,000 plus in arrears owed by the owners of one of those properties. In two other cases businesses went out of business following the HUD assistance. Mr. Richter knows about these matters and will presumably write about it soon? |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Aug 14 2009 at 5:43am
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Can this area make a comeback in some fashion? I actually believe that it can, IF YOUR recipe is followed, Sir! But the obstacle is NOT those who "pronounce the downtown dead instead of making a difference for something they believe in." No, Sir, the BIGGEST obstacle is the city bureaucrats FORCING others to try to make a difference by paying for something that they do NOT want and do NOT believe in!!!YOU tell ME, Mr. Rumsford. Which has the greater chance of success: 1. A venture entered into by people who BELIEVE in it, and have invested their OWN hard-earned money and sweat into it? OR 2. A venture decided upon by bureaucrats based upon absolutely NO known economic analyses or study, and entered into by people with THEIR money sheltered from loss, and financed with money confiscated from people against their will, most of whom have not yet been born??? You see, Mr. Rumsford, the first case is what I and the others would applaud, and YOU seemed to agree with when YOU stated: “The downtown is and will continue to become a new kind of place FUNDED by those who want to come here and give it a shot.” Perhaps not the “center of business and commerce”, but “a new kind of place!!!” And NOT decided upon by the bureaucrats at City Hall and financed by the unpaid taxes levied upon our children and grandchildren, but “FUNDED by those who want to come here and give it a shot” as you, yourself, stated Sir! And I sincerely hope that those entrepreneurs who do so will live long and happily and prosper!!!
Sir, we “critics” have given you an area with the NEWEST streets, curbs, sidewalks, water mains, and streetlights in our entire city!!! We have paid for brand new store-fronts at the street and second levels. We have made available, by your own admission, some of the most reasonable commercial real estate this side of the Ohio and Miami Rivers. We are also TRYING to get the city officials out of YOUR businesses!!! We have done so while watching our own homes sink in value, and our retirements slide into oblivion. I somehow fail to see how we have not done enough. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Leo Gorcey
Date Posted: Aug 14 2009 at 7:03am
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Mr. Rumford -
I ask you to sincerely consider the sentiments stated by Mike Presta. Those of us who know him recognize that he is a realistic and not a glad-handed spender of our children's and grandchildren's shrinking future wealth.
NRS
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Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 11:31am
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With all due respect, doesn't most of the Cheer Leading about how great the downtown is usually come from someone like yourself who has a Financial interest to protect? Yes, I would hope that those who have invested in the downtown would be its leading cheerleaders. As I stated the Facade grant was the only money ever offered or accepted by the city and accounts for less than two percent of our investment. We were not aware of it when we purchased our building and didn't accept it until over a year later. So it did not play a role in our decision to buy this property and if I was to have it re-assessed most likely has gone down in value just as most in the area have. At the same time we sunk quite a bit more rennovating the third floor and also replacing the roof top commercial air handler. As also was stated above this was a federal grant, no money came from city coffers. However over the last three and a half years I have been taxed by the city quite a bit more than this grant value. Outside of that the city provides the public infrastructure support they provide everyone else. If there are big city dollars going out to the folks in the downtown they skipped me. I am financially on my own with this project, happy with my decision and happy to live here. I just wanted to share a different perspective on the downtown and a little tired of hearing how dead it is when I can see progress being made all around. Thanks for the well wishes with our success, maybe someday you will be able to say you are proud of what has been done down here and how the downtown was revitalized.------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 12:26pm
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Mr. Presta, FYI there is no "s" in Rumford, many people associate our name with a previous secretary of defense which we would hope to distance ourselves from. So I have heard that there have been many initiatives by the city of Middletown to do something about the downtown and using tax payer dollars to do it. Things like the mall and Lake mistake which I am sure you have valid reason to be critical of. I wonder if either of these initiatives were successful what your position would be? I don't believe this older downtown will ever be the "center of commerce" again and wasn't under the impression it would need to be. The center of commerce today is the Interstate or the Internet so you can see the city's desire to promote the east end is supported by financial data that makes sense. Yet there is still this older downtown area that has some great resources going unused. Other communities are in the same situation that don't have half the resources this downtown has but they like ours have found other ways to make it useful again.
You will need to educate me on where the city is pouring money into the downtown these days, there is a new park but that was also federally funded. The city owes it to its constituents to promote growth all over the city through the use of creative financial incentives or tax breaks but not through direct investment. Who is the city investing in that our grand children will need to be paying for? What store fronts were invested in by the city's money and not federal grant money? If you say this is still your tax dollars being spent on downtown then I say I would rather it gets spent here than in someone elses city.
The only city issues I am aware of are those mentioned by Ms Scherrer which would be light industry being denied. I wonder how ANY business could be denied in this ecconomy so if they are then you should protest this and make it an issue for the next election. Then elect people who will do what is right for the city.
You mention those reasonable commercial rates, I wasn't aware the city was responsible for this, I purchased this building from a private individual and the only involvement by the city was approving our variance request so we could live here. I believe this is the same situation with Ed and Debbie who purchased the Sorg Opera house. The rates were reasonable because no one wanted to buy property here. So if there is a lot of city dollars being invested they aren't being invested here.
As far as city officials being in our business, there has only been ONE who has ever set foot in our studio although more have visited Ms Adrianne.
I do respect your concerns Mike and enjoy the dialog and the respect shown there. But the taxpayers did not help me with reasonable property prices, the exodus from Middletown did that. The tax payers on a national level provided one $5,000 grant to assist us (not city money). Thier rate of return has already been payed back in personal and business taxes many times over. This grant is available to you as well if you want to do what we did. I do hear you when it comes to keeping bureaucrats out of my business so if they ever show up I will call you. If you know of the city investing in anyone's personal business please let me know as I too would like to know how that works.
------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 12:37pm
Three bids were obtained, the lowest was accepted. The unscrupulous contractor was previous to our purchase and when I advised the lady in the city planning department about this vendor she responded that the city merely kept a list of local licensed contractors but did not endorse them. Since no permit is required for roof repairs she said it was a private matter. I have every reason to believe Skip Batan did everything required of him in this matter. He indicated the way we used the money was well within the guidelines for its use. ------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: drumford
Date Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 12:47pm
I do value his and others comments. I believe by talking about the issues with one another we get a clearer understanding of the truth and this provides a chance for better decisions. If there are some getting city tax money invested in thier businesses, or thier property made cheaper to buy or if the citizens of this city have invested in my property I would like to know where that is as its not showing up on my bottom line. I am not saying it couldn't be happening, I am just saying it didn't happen for me and I am not aware of it happening for someone else down here.
I can't speak to those who have recieved the facade grant money and then had their business fail or they failed to make payments. Our commitments have been honored.
------------- The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open. |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 3:11pm
First and foremost, I do apologize for misspelling your name. I assure you that it was a careless, but honest, mistake and no disrespect was intended. I will respond to the remainder of this 12:26 pm post later as I do not have time to do so right now. Next, I am unsure if your 11:31 am post was directed towards me or not. If it was, I am confused. Please confirm. Thank you. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Mar 07 2015 at 9:39am
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wow---we were pretty smart back then--even spider--lol seems worse off with less optimism now, esp after realizing where it is transgressed since and--if u read my post on 6/11 12:13pm, you will read the comment that caused me to be removed from a board member of the MCF(with pressure from the city manager in cahoots with MCF leadership to turn MCF in to the admin's piggy bank) the whole area reminds me of a dog chasing his tail--never travels anywhere and never reaches the goal. Which raises our perennial ?: How long will this go on, and how much $$ will we keep throwing at it? Amazingly many of the faces have changed, but the answer is still the same: FOREVER whether anything works or not If the private sector can't make it work to any greater degree, then probably nothing at any cost will help enough Signage in the area exemplifies the never-ending mantra "COMING SOON" signs that have been in place now for years....... Full credit to all who have tried and used their own $$ and faith bless them You simply can't make people go somewhere or do something that they simply don't want do or where they choose to go nothing has changed |
Posted By: over the hill
Date Posted: Mar 07 2015 at 12:11pm
| WOW! That was an interesting trip down memory lane. Kind of shows again why the former city manager was SO toxic to our city. IMO. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Mar 07 2015 at 1:10pm
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Spider I was shocked when I reread all the remarks about pouring more money into THEIR DOWNTOWN. So now we have spent millions of dollars and how many jobs have we created in THEIR DOWNTOWN? A better question might be..how many jobs have left THEIR DOWNTOWN AREA? How many property taxes were lost in THEIR DOWNTOWN AREA? And the new plan is still just like the old plan...more money to be invested in THEIR DOWNTOWN They do not care about the real needs of the community. |