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Tomorrow goals set for Chardon's future
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - October 20, 2010)
Tomorrow goals set for Chardon's future
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Trees sparkling with lights, bike racks to attract tourists, closing off Short Court to add parkland and redevelopment of the east side of Chardon Square may be in the future.
At least those are some of the ideas representatives of Chardon Tomorrow, a group seeking to make the city a better place to live and work, presented last week to Chardon City Council.
Chardon Tomorrow President Ted Theofrastus and various committee chairmen provided council with an update on where the organization is and where its going. Chardon Tomorrow is part of the Heritage Ohio program.
Mr. Theofrastus said the group primarily is focused on building up the organization, which works to preserve and attract investment in the city. He said the group would be looking at an outreach effort to win the "hearts and minds" of people interested in working toward the same goal. He said the plan is to get more people involved in the program.
The group is concentrating in four areas: economic restructuring, promotions and marketing, design and organization.
Randy Sharpe, assistant city manager, who chairs the economic restructuring committee, said his panel is attempting to list businesses throughout the community, as well as on the square. He said there are plans to hold a business open house, which would attempt to align prospective business owners with vacant properties.
Mr. Sharpe said the group also plans a "buy local" program in the city, hopefully by this year's holiday season.
Andy Blackley, who heads the design committee, said his panel's goal of improving the appearance of Chardon attracted the most volunteers. "It's an attempt to improve on an already wonderful product," he said. Chardon Square already is a destination for many people, but it does lend itself to some improvements, he said.
Among the short-term goals are improving the appearance of the alley behind the west side of the square, adding lights in trees on the square, placing location identification banners in the city, promoting outdoor dining, adding bike racks and bringing broadband Internet to the square, Mr. Blackley said. He said the hope is to get those in place by next year.
Medium-range goals include the arts center renovation, construction of the Heritage House on Chardon Square, the Geauga Lyric Theater expansion and construction of the proposed Western Reserve Cultural Center. He said those projects are under way, and Chardon Tomorrow intends to support those efforts.
Others medium-range goals include closing off Short Court and returning it to parkland, a streetscape plan for Main and East Park streets (Routes 6 and 44), a parking-management study and the relocation of the state route from Main Street, Mr. Blackley said.
Long-term projects include redevelopment of the east side of the square to make it as attractive as the west side, modifications to the Chardon branch of the Geauga County Public Library and the re-creation of the former Chardon House Hotel, which existed during the time of the Interurban Railroad, he said.
Mr. Blackley said the group would be seeking the support and approval of the city in its endeavors, because much of the work will be done on the square, which is primarily owned by the city.
City Manager David Lelko asked that group members meet with Chardon officials to determine how the projects may impact the city budget for next year.
Mr. Theofrastus said the group is hoping, through fund-raising efforts and possible grants, to have approximately $82,000 in its coffers by next year. That would enable it to hire a full-time executive director who will assist by "living, eating and breathing the health of Chardon."
He said the group is always interested in gaining more volunteers to help in its efforts. He said volunteers do not have to dedicate themselves to the entire program but can assist in specific projects.
The city provided Chardon Tomorrow with $15,000 in seed money, and Mr. Theofrastus said the bulk of those funds remain unspent at this time. He said a mass mailing and $1,000 membership fee to Heritage Ohio are the two expenses made with that money.
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