Posted: 5:30 p.m.Thursday, March 31, 2016

Downtown Middletown Inc.’s director goes tofull-time

ByMike Rutledge

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Downtown Middletown Inc.has taken a step toward accomplishing its biggest goal for this year: Joiningthe list of cities across the country that are part of the prestigious Main Streetprogram.

Only23 Ohio cities currently have Main Street status,with 21 others, like Middletown,having affiliate status. The status can lead to increased property values andmore downtown job opportunities, officials have said.

Forcommunities with populations larger than 5,000, one requirement of such programsis that they have a full-time director. DMI’s board checked that off the listWednesday when it bumped up Executive Director Mallory Greenham from part-timeto full-time employment. The change takes effect April 1.

“That’sbeen one of our goals for a long time, to be moving forward toward a Main Streetprogram,” said Phillip Harrison, president of DMI’s board. “This year, it’spart of our strategic plan that we’re really hoping we can achieve that by theend of the year.

“It’sa lot to take on, but we’re trying to take the steps we can, and we’re movingforward,” Harrison said. “I hope we get there,or get very close.”

Harrison said Greenham is a strong leader of theorganization, largely because of the Madison Twp. native’s passion for the city. She’s a 2002graduate of Madison High School and an Ohio State University alum.

“Shebrings what a lot of people that are downtown bring, and that’s the passion forimproving the downtown so that our community can have something to be proud of,and to improve our identify here in this city,” Harrisonsaid. Also: She has “a willingness to work way beyond what we expect of her.”

“Ifwe become a Main Streetcommunity, it should be a real feather on our hat,” Greenham said during DMI’srecent annual meeting. “We will be opened up to heritage tourism, to grantopportunities. We get national recognition. It should be something we all canbe proud of.”

Greenhamhas had success attaining Main Street status: Several years ago, she was the onewho filed Marietta’s successful application tojoin the program, an accomplishment that Ohio Rivercity had hoped to attain for more than a decade.

JoyceBarrett, executive director of Heritage Ohio,the non-profit organization that administers the Main Street program in the state, saidthe Main Streetprogram requires organizations like DMI to be sophisticated before joining.

Thenational Main Streetprogram was founded in 1980.

“We lookat the factors that Main Streets special,” Barrett said. “I don’t know if youcan name a town that’s being successful at grass-roots downtown revitalizationwho is really not in the Main Street program, or hasn’t done the Main Street programand dropped out — we’ve certainly had some of those we’re still friendly with.”

Amongother things, the community’s Main Street manager, under the national requirements,is required to track economic statistics, because “you can’t do strategicplanning without the statistics in place to understand your job creation andyour reinvestment,” Barrett said.

Main Street organizations must havestrategic plans, must be grass-roots organizations, and must undergo annualreviews to remain in the program. Significant amounts of training are requiredfor staff throughout the year, so they keep up on successes other cities arehaving.

Alady from one Ohiocity recently asked Barrett, “Why should we join Main Street?” she said. “And I just saidto her, ‘Well, how’s it been working for you without Main Street for the past3o years?’ because we’ve been going to that particular town year after yearafter year, and they never join, because every time you leave, they go, ‘Oh, wecan do that without them.’”

“Whenyou visit a community and they think they know everything, and your downtown’spitiful, and you already know everything, I think you need some outsideinformation,” Barrett said. “You know upper-level housing (in downtownbuildings) is critical, but why isn’t it there, and how are you going to get itthere? You’re going to go out (in seminars) and you’re going to learn fromother people how to get it there.”

DMIhas aspired to be a Main Streetorganization since at least 2010. The organization is funded by revenue itgenerates through events it hosts, sponsorships of the organization. Theorganization also receives $25,000 from Middletownto administer its building-facade grant program.

MIDDLETOWN FACADE-GRANT APPLICATIONS NOWAVAILABLE

April1 is the first day to apply for this year’s first round of Middletown’s downtown facade grants.

Thereare two to three rounds of applications each year. Applications for this roundare due by noon April 29. Some $35,000 will be available for this round.

Theprogram matches the costs of up to 50 percent of facade-improvement costs forbuildings that are in the downtown area.

Formore information, visit www.downtownmiddletown.org.