“The appearance of a community cannot be overlooked in economic development. It is the single most

important feature by which a community is judged without interviewing the residents. Most people

pass through a number of communities each year and make judgments about them without ever

meeting a person who lives there! A good program to improve the community’s appearance is a terrifi c

asset for economic development. After all, how can the community invite a new corporate citizen, if it’s

not proud enough to clean it up?” Jerry D. Hearne, C.E.D. Excerpt from Practicing Economic Development

by the American Economic Development Council Education Foundation

Special Section - Revitalizing Downtown Mantua

Are you proud enough of our community to help clean it up?

Do you want to see buildings sit vacant and deteriorate? Do you want local small businesses to struggle? Do you want taxes to increase as quality-of-life declines?

The Mantua-Shalersville Area is at a defi ning moment in history. Our actions – or inaction –

over the next few years will be remembered as a catalyst for positive change – or the beginning of the end.

After taking part in community visioning in March of 2006 and hearing from a landscape architectural fi rm in September and October, the Chamber formed a revitalization steering committee to keep efforts moving in the right direction.

This committee is busy conducting research about community revitalization and gathering information from all possible sources to share with all stakeholders. An “explore” team has visited nearby towns which have undergone some sort of revitalization or economic development initiative. Speaking with offi cials from other communities allows us to learn from their successes and failures so we can avoid costly mistakes.

Information on the following pages is provided for educational purposes only. The Chamber is not responsible for community revitalization, we all are. True revitalization is only possible through the cooperation of government, business, non-profi t, and property owners. Knowledge is simply one step in a process that involves us all.

Critical Issues

Central Business District – ugly downtown…aging buildings…vacant lot on Main Street…empty storefronts…upkeep of buildings…maintenance of rental units…

Schools – lack of fi nancial support…high school looks outdated…need place for youth to go…need better management of schools…

New Businesses – need to market Village as a whole and provide incentives…make reasons for people to want to stop in town…need more shopping and service options…need to keep existing businesses… Vision – promote and manage industrial and commercial growth…

avoid sprawl…control green space…make Mantua a destination…give young people a reason to stay…need community identity…

Parking – need more downtown parking

Funding Public Services – high property taxes…high water and sewer rates…maintain streets, sidewalks

Supporting Businesses – community residents need to patronize local businesses…businesses should be more inviting…

Protect Natural Resources – improve appearance along river…be watchful of environmental impacts…

Assets

Small town environment and lifestyle – a hometown feeling…picturesque, self-sustaining, walk-able…close neighborhoods, yet privacy…diverse citizens…friendly, charming people…

Good location – rural with easy access to metropolitan areas…close to major roadways….quick access to urban amenities like shopping centers and higher education…nice geography…

Recreational opportunities – hike and bike trail…public parks…nature preserves…

Safety – excellent safety forces…little crime, sense of security…

People/Community – people willing to help one another…blend of faith-based organizations and services…neat and attractive homes…festivals and events lend to sense of community…trustworthy people…involvement in community…

Government – modern sewer and water facilities in Village…quality public services…cooperation among Village and Townships…low property taxes…

Where it all Started

In March, the Villageof Mantua and the Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce invited all citizens, business-people, and property owners to a “Town Hall” meeting at the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Station. More than 100 people attended, representing the entire area served by the Chamber. Participants were divided into small groups to discuss the community’s assets and critical issues, with the Village as a focal point. Several themes emerged...

Actual comments from the community:

Revitalize verb restore strength;

give new life or vigor to

Revitalization noun bringing

again into activity and prominence;

“the revival of trade”

Economic Developmentinvolves any activity that:

Supports existing businesses

Increases the tax base

Creates new employ-ment opportunities

Retains existing jobs

Increases demand for space and/or property

Increases property values

Creating a Community Living Room

In September, the public was once again invited to a joint meeting of the Chamber and Village to hear from a fi rm specializing in downtown/neighborhood revitalization and economic development. The fi rm, EG&G Inc., has overseen projects in 65 small towns, including many in Ohio. They pride themselves on managing projects from start to fi nish – analyzing problems, gathering community input, presenting alternative design solutions, fi nding funds including grants, preparing construction documents, bidding jobs, monitoring progress – with mostprojectscompleted within three years.

A company such as EG&G helps a community develop an identity and improve the appearance of public spaces.

In October, EG&G provided more detailed information about their process to government offi cials along with downtown business and property owners. While enthusiasm was at an all-time high, the news of Eaton Corp. moving out of Mantua dampened spirits. The loss of jobs and a signifi cant portion of the Village’s tax base in December of 2007 could inhibit progress, yet revitalization research continues.

“We take stock of a city like we

take stock of a person. The clothes

or appearance are the externals

by which we judge.”

-- Mark Twain

“We take stock of a city like we

take stock of a person. The clothes

or appearance are the externals

by which we judge.”

-- Mark Twain

Field Trips

Kent - The first town visited by our explore team was Kent. The City of Kent underwent a streetscape project many years ago. Although the downtown looks good and several businesses have improved their spaces, several storefronts sit empty. Their old hotel has been in disrepair for years and an icon

family pharmacy closed its doors a few years

ago. Efforts to

revitalize have started and stopped several times; timing was never quite right. This past year, Kent city’s sustainability planner Mary Gilbert attended a Main Street training session just as a small group of civic-minded individuals were considering how to help Kent. Mary shared what she learned about Main Street, excitement spread, and Kent quickly took the necessary steps to apply for official Main Street status. Mary

is currently “on loan” from the City as the Main Street Kent program manager. (Read more about Main Street on the

following pages.)

Mary suggested that Mantua establish an “historical district,” since there are tax credits (20% for federal and 25% for Ohio) for renovation projects. She also mentioned approaching Portage County Commissioners for any grant money available. A realistic breakdown of funding is usually one-third private donations, one-third from business/property owners, and one-third from government.

Ravenna - Our next stop was in Ravenna to meet with Mayor Kevin Poland. Kevin was City Council President during Ravenna’s renovation project. They worked with EG&G and were pleased with the firm’s performance. Kevin suggested there might be community development grant monies for façade improvements, DEPA money for water line replacement, and state funds for street construction. In Ravenna’s case,

they assessed the property owners a portion of the cost, which

could be paid upfront or added to their real estate taxes over twenty years. Although the downtown area looks much better than before the improvements, they still need to work very hard to entice new businesses to commit to locating there. Kevin stressed the importance of including residents in any project, as they need to have a feeling of involvement and ownership. He also reminded us to be mindful of the ongoing maintenance expense for the improved

areas.

Field Trips

Wooster - On a separate day, the explore team visited Wooster, another Main Street community and met with Sandra Hull, Main Street Wooster’s executive director.

Wooster was the fi rst Main Street community in Ohio, joining the program in 1985 while in a lawsuit with a mall developer. Sandra was hired to manage the program in 1987 when the downtown had 42% storefront vacancies, dilapidated buildings, and no sense of ownership.

Through her leadership and that of a dedicated, rotating board of directors, Wooster has seen 142 building renovations, 110 net new businesses, 52 business expansions, 314 new jobs, $16.4 million in infrastructure improvements, events attracting 200,000 people downtown, and just 6% storefront vacancies.

Niche shops sell antiques, t-shirts, artistic tiles, pottery, coffee, baked goods, books, art, gifts, dolls, beads, furniture, fl owers, groceries, pet supplies, sporting goods, sewing supplies, hardware, jewelry…they even have a movie theater and one of the last remaining department stores in the country…and they started with empty historic buildings in need of repair.

Of course, it took 20 years for Wooster to get where it is now. Sandra stresses that patience is key. Small improvements get the ball rolling; then “success breeds success.” Her job is to network with property owners, business owners, community leaders, and potential entrepreneurs to identify needs, encourage enhancements, match businesses to locations, recruit new businesses, and plan events to get people downtown. From there, it is the merchants’ responsibility to sell by providing the products and service consumers want.

Sandra recommends visiting other communities to see what they have to offer. After determining what business-needs are not met in Mantua, fi nd them in other towns and ask the owners if they want to expand or move.

In a position with an average tenure of just two years, Sandra has been with the Main Street program longer than any director in the country. The entire community is invited to learn from her in February, when she will be our featured speaker at the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Station.

Field Trips

Seville - Returning from Wooster, we stopped in Seville, a village about the size of Mantua.

Seville’s revitalization project was completed by EG&G in 1994. Merchants raised $14,700 in private donations and the village matched the amount to begin the project. EG&G was able to secure $400,000 in Issue II funds from the Ohio Public Works and a Community Development Block Grant of $26,850. For additional funding, downtown merchants were assessed $25 per square foot, which amounted to about $65,000.

The next fi eld trip is scheduled for Friday,

January 12 when we will visit Lisbon and East

Liverpool. If you want to tag along, meet at the

Mantua-Shalersville Fire Station at 8:00 a.m. The

more the merrier!

Local citizens donated park benches and street lights, which feature plaques engraved with their names. The complete project cost approximately $841,000.

The Mayor met with merchants and construction managers on a weekly basis to fi eld concerns, since businesses were kept open during the entire construction period. The Village was very happy with EG&G and the results look good.

Seville businesses include a frame shop, restaurant, barber shop, hardware, auto parts, fl owers & gifts, and a branch of the Medina County library.

Before

Af ter

&

• Garrettsville received a $40,000 grant from the state to provide low-interest loans for façade improvement. The Village lends money for painting, window and door repairs, addition of awnings, etc. at 3% interest. As funds are repaid, they’re made available to others.

• The Chamber posts available properties on their website.

Barb and Rick reminded everyone that merchants may not see the benefi ts of a streetscape. Consumers are accustomed to driving to a super-store, parking their cars, walking across a parking lot, and purchasing a variety of items at one location. It’s diffi cult to get people to stop in a small town and walk from shop to shop on sidewalks, particularly the residents of that community. Specialty shops are most likely to survive in small towns and attractive downtown commercial districts draw occasional shoppers from neighboring

communities (more than local residents). With the current state of commerce, it’s very diffi cult to make a living running a specialty shop. Yet, no one can force local residents to shop locally to help those businesses survive.

Despite the challenges faced by every small town, Garrettsville should be proud. They have many volunteers who work on events to bring people downtown (ex. Summerfest, Business Showcase), they only have three empty spaces on Main Street (half were empty in 1988). The downtown is an historic district, so when the Mill (a focal point in the community) closed they needed to fi nd a new tenant, but they did not have to worry about it being torn down.

Garrettsville is a wonderful example of a community working together for the common good.

from neighboring

More Insight

Garrettsville - Rick Patrick, president of the Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce and Garrettsville merchant Barb Bejger attended the Chamber’s December meeting to talk about their town’s experiences with revitalization.

Garrettsville’s efforts began in 1983. Downtown merchants knew something needed to be done so they formed a growth committee. Members, including Barb, pounded the pavement to get others involved. Merchants and property owners were encouraged to show up in mass at Village meetings to ensure their needs were top-of-mind. Barb stressed the importance of all groups: Chamber, businesses, property owners, Council, the Mayor...working together.

Together, the people of Garrettsville explored many options:

• Downtown Ohio (the state arm of the Main Street Program) did an assessment for Garrettsville (now called a DART visit).

• The Village spoke to EG&G, Inc., but felt the cost of their services was too high.

• A marketing study was commissioned from a planning fi rm from Columbus (which didn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know).

• Northstar Planning and Design, Inc. wrote a comprehensive plan, which was necessary for them to apply for grants for a $1.2 million streetscape project. Padcore (now NDSCED) handled the grant applications. Unfortunately, the Village was not awarded any grant monies.

• Merchants agreed to fund construction of the boardwalk at a cost of $9,000 to $24,000 per business paid over 20 Years. This project received 100% cooperation and even received funds from businesses not on the boardwalk!

Main Street Program

In the 1970s, the National Trust for Historic Preservation developed its pioneering Main Street approach to commercial district revitalization.

The Main Street program is a community-driven, comprehensive methodology used to revitalize older, traditional business districts throughout the United States. The underlying premise is to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation in ways appropriate to today’s marketplace.

The program advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.

Four points of the Main Street approach work together to build a sustainable and complete revitalization effort:

1) Organization involves getting everyone working toward the same goal and assembling the appropriate human and fi nancial resources to implement a Main Street program. This includes a governing board and standing committees. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director.

2) Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop,

play, and invest in the district. Volunteers market the area’s unique characteristics through advertising, retail promotions, and special events.

3) Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape; capitalizing on its best assets, creating an inviting atmosphere through window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, lighting, and landscaping. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices and encouraging rehabilitation, appropriate new construction, and long-term planning.

4) Economic Restructuring strengthens a community’s existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying the economic base. The Main Street program helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today’s consumers’ needs.

4 Points

The organizational committee works to create partnerships between existing downtown groups and businesses

The design committee involves improving the downtown’s physical image

The promotional committee markets the downtown to shoppers and investors

The economic restructuring committee works to strengthen existing businesses and convert unused space into productive property

4

The Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber joined the National Main Street Network last year to take advantage of the myriad resources available to members at www.mainstreet.org. Other members share success stories, business plans, promotions, zoning information, and much more in an online knowledge base. Additional assistance is available to communities that pay for an on-site consulting visit (approximately $3000) and ongoingsupport is provided to communities that actively work toward being awarded offi cial Main Street status.

Visit www.mainstreet.org to view a list of available resources.

Becoming a Main Street Community

Heritage Ohio is the statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Ohio, assisting communities on a local level with revitalization.

To receive official Main Street designation and accompanying support, a community must apply for membership in the Ohio Main Street Program. Currently, 32 communities in Ohio have the official Main Street designation.

Membership is $3000 annually and requires a commitment of at least four years. A paid program manger is required, along with a non-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors, and a

four-year budget. The application process is

very competitive; most who apply are not accepted.

Think about...

What will our

downtown look like

in 10...15...20 years?

What would

entice people to

stop in town?

What businesses

do we need

downtown?

How can we help

the businesses

already in town?

Visit www.heritageohio.org for more on the Ohio Main Street Program.

Many communities follow the Main Street guidelines and work toward future membership.

Steps include forming a board, developing goals and objectives, creating a non-profit organization, aggressive fund-raising, attending training sessions, implementing a plan organized around the four-point approach.

This could be an option for the Mantua-Shalersville area, although aggressively seeking Main Street designation might save money in the long-run, since additional assistance is provided to official Main Street communities, comprehensive Main Street trainings available at a discounted rate, and revitalization activities are approached with more rigor when overseen by Ohio Main Street.

Tax Incentive for Property Owners

The Ohio Community Reinvestment Area Program (CRA) is a direct incentive tax exemption program benefitingproperty owners who renovate existing or construct new buildings. Ohio’s CRA Program was created to promote the revitalization of areas where investment has been discouraged, by offering property tax exemptions for all or portions of any increased property valuation that would result from renovation or new construction activities within the CRA area. This CRA program includes all residential, commercial and industrial properties within the designated area. The entire Village of Mantua has been confirmed as a CRA area by the Ohio Department of Development. Village Council has designated Jim Rogers as Housing Officer and additional information on this program can be obtained from him. Please note that acceptance into this program and confirmation by ODOD are required prior to beginning renovation or construction.

Mantua Village Planning

The Portage County Regional Planning Commission has completed the first phase of the Mantua Village Comprehensive Growth Plan. We know where we’ve been and where we are right now; the difficult task of selecting our future direction begins. With the assistance of the Chamber and concerned citizens attending the Mantua Village Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, a set of long term goals will be developed and forwarded to Village Council for adoption. These goals will help form the basis of future growth planning and budgeting activities of the Village. The Village Planning & Zoning Commission meets the third Wednesday of each month in Council Chambers at the Village Hall; all concerned citizens are encouraged to attend.

Other Steering Committee Initiatives

The revitalization steering committee will continue to collect and disseminate information to aid in efforts to improve the Mantua-Shalersville Area. The group plans to seek 501(c)3 status to facilitate future fundraising efforts. Several community members and business owners have already offered donations toward revitalization.

First, a working board of directors must to be formed to oversee the non-profi t organization. The board needs to be made-up of people with various backgrounds and experience. If you or someone you know would be an asset to this board, please contact any steering committee member.

In the meantime, the steering committee recommends the following activities:

A business and building inventory is being conducted to give the Chamber an accurate list of contact information, along with basic information about each business and its facility. The information will allow the Chamber to be more proactive in helping landlords fi ll vacant space and fi nd suitable properties for new businesses.

Available properties will be featured in the Chamber window, next to K&K Meat Shoppe. Sites may also be listed on the Portage County Offi ce of Economic Development website at: www.portageworkforce.org/pcoed.

A Community Open House may be scheduled for commercial real estate agents and prospective business owners to view all available sites in the area.

A list of products and services needed in the area will be compiled and ideal businesses identifi ed for recruitment efforts.

Community Development Block Grant monies and other sources of funding are being researched.

The community will be educated about the Village’s Comprehensive Plan when it is completed in mid-2007.

Recommendations for downtown parking, from appearance and availability to directional signage, will be submitted to the Village.

One-on-one visits with downtown business and property owners will be held to discuss the future of downtown commerce.

Key Chamber members will be ready to direct potential entrepreneurs to sources of business assistance, available properties, and funding sources to encourage economic development.

Steering Committee

Questions about revitalization? Want to be more involved? Contact one of these steering committee members: for information:

Michelle Barnauskas mlbarnauskas@sbcglobal.net 330-603-5519

Edie Benner ebenner@adelphia.net 330-274-2747

Becky Newell bbjnewell@adelphia.net 216-990-5086

Jim Rogers jimrogers39@sbcglobal.net 330-274-8738

Ellie Stamm stammcontracting@sbcglobal.net 330-274-8230

Marie Stehli mlscpa@windstream.net 330-562-7620

Joan Sweet JSweet@middlefi eldbank.com 330-274-0881

Joann Vance JVance@middlefi eldbank.com 440-632-3233