How Many Times Are We Gonna Try This?

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   Journal article...

Nonprofit group aims to jumpstart commerce

Downtown Middletown Inc. plans to hire coordinator

MIDDLETOWN — A new nonprofit organization is searching for a coordinator to jumpstart the efforts to bring people and businesses to downtown.

Organizations and committees created over the years with the goal of turning around downtown include Downtown Middletown Partnerhsip, Inc., Middletown Dart Report and Downtown Development Committee. But the stopper before was always funding, said Moorman and Taylor

Pendleton must not be doing the old "downtown energizing" fast enough for the downtown business owners. 

How many times are they going to try this "rejuvenation" thing? 

The city has made downtown development one of its priorities, said City Manager Judy Gilleland. The city is working to bring a branch campus of Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, has helped bring Pendleton Art Center on Central Avenue, demolished a parking garage and a building, is enforcing zoning and property maintenance codes to improve the appearance of buildings, and is trying to reduce criminal activity through the police division, Gilleland said

And how's that all working out for you, Judith? The downtown thriving yet? 

A classic example of the "skip in the record" And on and on it goes...year after year it is reinvented....and to date, with the same results. 

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VietVet Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008	Post Options Post Reply Quote VietVet Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: How Many Times Are We Gonna Try This? Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 7:05am
	Journal article... Nonprofit group aims to jumpstart commerce Downtown Middletown Inc. plans to hire coordinator MIDDLETOWN — A new nonprofit organization is searching for a coordinator to jumpstart the efforts to bring people and businesses to downtown. Organizations and committees created over the years with the goal of turning around downtown include Downtown Middletown Partnerhsip, Inc., Middletown Dart Report and Downtown Development Committee. But the stopper before was always funding, said Moorman and Taylor Pendleton must not be doing the old "downtown energizing" fast enough for the downtown business owners. How many times are they going to try this "rejuvenation" thing? The city has made downtown development one of its priorities, said City Manager Judy Gilleland. The city is working to bring a branch campus of Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, has helped bring Pendleton Art Center on Central Avenue, demolished a parking garage and a building, is enforcing zoning and property maintenance codes to improve the appearance of buildings, and is trying to reduce criminal activity through the police division, Gilleland said And how's that all working out for you, Judith? The downtown thriving yet? A classic example of the "skip in the record" And on and on it goes...year after year it is reinvented....and to date, with the same results.

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 6:10pm
	VietVet, One of the things I found most interesting in this story was the second last sentence: So far, it has funding for the first two years of Downtown Middletown, Inc., of $25,000 from the city’s downtown fund and $25,000 from Middletown Community Foundation and First Financial Bank, she said. I wasn’t even aware that our cash-strapped city had a “downtown fund”. This begs several questions, including: · Exactly how much money is in this “downtown fund”??? · Are there similar funds for commercial areas of our city such as the Breiel Boulevard commercial area or the Town Mall commercial area or even the Save-a-Lot strip center on South University??? · Could the case be made that our city would have gotten a better return on this $25,000 from Sunset Pool than on another regurgitation of the often-tried, always-failed “Main Street USA” model that is continually backed by the selective “restorationists” in our city who will not even get behind the legitimate restoration of Pioneer Cemetery??? Or, is this $25,000 that our city does not have to spend??? Shouldn’t we be watching these smaller expenditures just as closely as we watch the larger ones when the city council and senior staff are once again talking about raising taxes on all Middletonians. How can we say that we are “promoting Middletown as a prime business location” when we are creating a business-killing atmosphere by raising what are already among the highest taxes of any municipality in the area???
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

ground swat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 31 2011 Status: Offline Points: 367	Post Options Post Reply Quote ground swat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 6:34pm
	I agree Mr. P but what does $50,000 get you in this day as far as a coordinator with overhead(office,supplies,cellphone, car) and their pay. I know I will be discussing with my family less involvement with the Community Foundation, this is crazy. I want a building in downtown, I call a realtor they work with me with the owner, I buy it, open my business and good luck. This story never ends.

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 6:44pm
	Ground Swat, I agree, including your sentiments about the MCF. Also, something just seems to be wrong about the way city-owned real estate is sold in Middletown.
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

ground swat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 31 2011 Status: Offline Points: 367	Post Options Post Reply Quote ground swat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 8:24pm
	As far as selling downtown(should be called giving away downtown) how about those SWAP shops lining Central Ave. Of course Know one in town knows how "those" showed up. I'm all for private business but don't try and sell me a pig and call it a lamb! Loving the "art" of sales I wish I would have known about this position. I certainly hope we as taxpayers get to meet and greet with this person and learn what they have on their resume and $50,000 that can drive the machine of recovery. Stepping up is fine, how about those that see this vision and have been compted with my money to get ahead with NO INTEREST put their money behind this sales person. GD this just flies in the face of this country and good banking practices. Fix the _UCKING streets City of Middletown, get responsible with MY money. Time spans between business success and business failings are short in long term thinking. Let the PRIVATE sector handle buying and selling. Fix your on DEBT issues first, start talking to the Unions and preparing them for the future and honestly get out of the way for those of us who could and would like to produce more and make more. My apologies for being so dramatic and poor choice of some words.

ground swat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 31 2011 Status: Offline Points: 367	Post Options Post Reply Quote ground swat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 15 2011 at 8:33pm
	Of couse we have over 1,650 people that are looking for work, I'm sure this new czar can come up with a sales pitch promoting our over abudance of section 8. I'm quite aware that many that use that government hand out work.