There will be a Oil City Main Street Program on Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Room of the Transit Building.
The purpose is to update everyone on where things stand with development of the Main Street Program, and more importantly obtain the public’s input on key issues of our strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats.
Already I’ve heard some comment along the lines of "haven’t we done this before." Well, yes and no. Efforts to make our downtown and our community successful and vibrant are not start/finish propositions. They must be ongoing.
In a sense, the current Main Street drive is a natural evolution of recent work done by Take Pride and earlier work by the former CDC and others. But it is also new and different.
Also new and different is our approach to official Main Street Program designation. We are going after that designation in a way that has never bone done before, skipping an entire step (really it is more like a staircase) to get right to where the money is for façade programs, revolving loan funds and more. This is possible through a unique partnership with the Oil Region Alliance.
I have my own thoughts about how our downtown would best succeed and compete. Whether that is what eventually emerges from the Main Street Program is an unknown. What I do know is that my thoughts will be taken into consideration, as will yours – if you take the time to participate. It is your community. It is your future.
So, what are my thoughts on the downtown?
I think the arts can play a huge role, and we are already seeing that happen. I think we need to give thought to what kinds of businesses can fill a market niche. I would like to see our downtown be a vibrant entertainment/social center. I think our upper floors need to become quality office space. I could go on and on.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
John: I agree that it would be best to determine what you want the downtown area to be rather than taking whatever comes along. You are on the right track here.
We need a concentration of something interesting that's worth driving to see or just coming downtown to see. It could be Artists. I'm just not sure that there are artists, or lots of them, that could afford to rehab an old building downtown and live off a studio on the first floor. I would think they would pick a more lucrative market.
You might need to re-think how you assist artists like offering cheap gallery space in one of the vacant buildings downtown. Even struggling artists could take advantage of that. The gallery space in the Transit Building's gallery shop is very limited (one wall). I would recommend moving it to a more visible location with more space to display and view art. Make it a signature spot in town. Many galleries and museums also have nice cafes, gardens, outdoor seating, outdoor art, sculputures, etc. See where I am going with this?
Whatever the Main Street folks decide to do, encourage them to focus on creating a downtown that outsiders will want to visit and stroll around. Frederick, MD is like that. I have been there on a Sunday and people are walking around all over visiting galleries, shops, parks, etc.
With respect to the ORA, I guess I personally would feel more impressed with their involvement if we knew of at least one success story they directly generated for Oil City. They've been around five years or more and I can't think of any.
I'm sure it's very difficult and it requires extremely agressive individuals charged with economoic development who possess highly effective networking skills at the state and national level. I hope you have that at the ORA. They will be key to Main Street's success.
John - Based on the reponses to this entry (one), I'm not too encouraged. I think you are right that folks are thinking "haven't we done this before".
I hope people aren't just giving up and accepting our city's fate. If this doesn't work though, they probably will. There is a lot riding on it because people are getting burned out.
I think you face immense challenges because there are so many fingers in the Oil City development pie. I am also sure that you are well aware of that!
Best of luck to you and all still giving it another try!
John,
I have always believed that to market a downtown,the downtown must have a commercial identity. Once upon a time it was thought to be through antiques now it appears the arts are what we are going to go with. If that is so then the artist need to get out of the Annex and get into store fronts, its not like there isn't a variety of store fronts to fill.
Like another post on this site that told of the people who came from Pittsburgh only to be disappointed because nothing was here. People want some bang for the buck they paid to get here, and when they don't get it they leave never to return and worse tell others about it. I think you would have to admit the problem is not because we don't have enough signs, its because as of now we ARE a two (one the Howling Dog closed) stop for the arts.
We have all heard for the last few years that the arts is meant to be ONE part of the puzzle, and I have waited for other parts of the puzzle to be identified but lets face it the arts are the only piece to the puzzle. So get the arts into the community, not in the incubator that is the Annex. Form a panel and check the business plans of the artists, pick the two or three best and make a deal with the store front owners to lease the space for a nominal amount.
A chicken egg will hatch in an incubator but will die if it is left in it.
April 2, 2009 2:49 PM
I would like to know WHO is going to buy the works of the artists ?
To the last anonymous and the question of who is going to buy the work of artists; people who come here for that very reason.
Creating a niche market is most valuable and can have a huge return. If you have any doubts, drive over and visit the through-it-in-a-blink-of-an-eye community of Volant.
John
The very obvious answer is it doesn't need to be about just buying art in the traditional sense. There are quilters here, china painters, art supplies could be sold and so forth. The point is to get them into to store fronts and actually have a commercial district or area. Once the area has been established then you open the door for other non-art related goods. But, and thats a huge but you have to have something to attract people here in the first place.
Like the saying goes about Rome, many days will be needed to to build a commercially viable downtown, but you have to start somewhere and it looks like arts for now is the only horse we have in the race.
Why do we need to focus on one thing? Perhaps we should focus on variety to fill downtown, make it a community, that way a variety of people would be attracted to see our downtown because there would be diversity, not the same thing as you strolled through the streets. I would love to see as you have mentioned, offices filling the vacant upper floors of the buildings. Why not some housing as well. A mix of affordable studio, one and two bedroom apartments, along with perhaps a few upper scale more luxurious suites. While we're at it, now that there are people working and living downtown, maybe, add some commercial and retail into the mix. That way potentially, I would be able to live downtown, run to the corner shop for some sugar, catch a burger at the restaurant, and finish with some sort of entertainment, all after a day at the office. Trees would be nice, with some other greenery/beautification. I guess make the area walkable, pleasant, and attractive to an array of people. I believe an city always improves the quality of life for the residents with landscaping and trees and flowers. Walkability and design are also key. Feel free to contact me for more input ideas or what ever. I would love to see the downtown of Oil City alive again. It would definitely keep me from relocating to Pittsburgh or other more attractive urban centers, as well as retain some people, and I believe would attract some new residents also. jkfj_19@yahoo.com
Jeffrey,
I think what you outlined is a large part of what the Main Street Program hopes to achieve.
The idea of a niche market is not necessarily one thing, but a multitude of things that create a unique critical mass.
John
A quick note to point out that Main Street Funding has been reduced to zero in the new PA State Budget that's being voted on today:
http://butlerdowntown.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92:becky-smith&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
Ditt and everyone,
First, it is a great loss to Pennsylvania's communities if the Main Street Program is not funded.
However, if I understand correctly, that is the program funding -- the money that would pay for a Main Street manager.
Our early consideration was not to apply for that money, but to be self-funded, largely as a result of the partnership with the ORA.
If we get designation, other money becomes available.
Most imporatantly, state money or not, the required process for Main Street designation is the best approach I've seen to develop a cohesive, comprehensive plan to rejuvenate our downtown. Main Street more than anything is a bootstraps approach.
John:
Can't something be done about the knee high weeds growing at the abandoned gas station on Main St. across from the Gateway Gardens? It always amazes me that if I drive by that so must Council members, the code officer, Mayor, etc. Don't we care about our communities appearance on such a heavily used section of town? Too many people are worried about offending someone.
That is part of the problem here. If you have a business you can pretty much do whatever you want. In other cities (like Franklin) they won't put up with that and we shouldn't either. I don't care who owns it.
Also, please don't try to rally some volunteers to clean it up. Whoever bought it needs and MUST maintain it or sell it. Let's enforce the ordinances we have before we create more.
What happened to "getting ready for company" for OIL 150?
John - Regarding Main Street, if I understand you correctly you are saying that even if you don't get the designation, the framework will be used to improve the City. If you get the designation, funding becomes available and you could do more impactful projects.
I thought the whole goal was to get the designation but that doesn't appear to be the case. I am not in a position to participate but I hope things continue to progress.
Is it right that you can get funding for a project without the designation?
Post a Comment