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ILGARD teams with community leaders to revitalize downtown Middleport
Brenda Phalin has fond memories of growing up in Middleport, the southeastern Ohio village along the Ohio River named because it was once the bustling “middle port” between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
“It was thriving,” said Phalin, the vice president of the Middleport Development Group. “It was the place to live.”
Phalin said that many in her community remember a stronger Middleport than what exists today. The village suffers from a lack of business, marked by empty storefronts and a declining population. The village population dropped from about 2,970 in 1980 to about 2,520 in 2000. During a recent visit, her now Montana-based son told Phalin, “The way I think about home and dream about home is not what I see.”
Motivated by a desire to return her hometown to its former glory, Phalin is one of many community leaders working with staff of the Voinovich Center to revitalize business. Since March, the Center’s Institute for Local Government and Rural Development (ILGARD) has been working on a market analysis of Middleport’s downtown.
“Because of them being here to keep us directed, the future’s just opened up,” Phalin said. “In five years when I look back, it’s them that we’ll have to thank.”
The Center has a clear mission statement for the project: “To develop the business district into an attractive and unique retail area that makes Middleport an inviting destination.”
The market analysis was designed to determine what businesses were needed and could succeed in Middleport. The report recommendations included a restaurant, a candy shop/confectionary, expanded grocery, tobacco shop, shoe repair, and recreational facilities such as a fishing pier and canoe livery. Center staff took several factors into account, including studies of demographics, business data and the opinions of residents.
To bring the plan to fruition, village leaders have asked the Center to facilitate their strategic planning process. The goal is to determine how to make the study’s recommendations into realities, and the process is set to conclude in November.
The Middleport study is an example of Center staff putting their technical assistance expertise to work in studying a community problem. Census data was used to analyze population, education, income, employment and commuting patterns in the village. Staff also studied the businesses already at work in downtown Middleport. Specialized software was used to combine demographics and business data, identifying the purchasing characteristics of local customers.
Both ILGARD and Middleport’s leaders knew the input of village residents would be crucial to reviving downtown.
“It’s got to be everybody’s dream in order for it to materialize,” Phalin said.
Residents’ water bills last March included a survey asking them about their shopping habits and preferences, opinion on the current state of downtown, and ideas for which types of business would best serve Middleport.
The groups involved – the development group, a community association and a mayor-appointed planning commission – also invited residents to a public forum, where they explained the project and gathered input. People wanted a bakery, a dry cleaner, a movie theater and a pizza parlor, among other things, Phalin said.
Downtown business leaders joined the effort as well, compiling information about their customers, such as how many there are and where they come from.
The difficult work of implementing the plan still lies ahead. ILGARD staff has been meeting with the development group to set goals, plan timelines and delegate tasks.
Despite the heavy workload, Phalin is hopeful.
“I have grand visions that I truly believe are going to materialize one day, with the help of good people like ILGARD,” she said. “I do believe that one day Middleport is going to be a town that you will remember.”
For more information about business and economic development studies or community revitalization projects, contact Karl Runser, project consultant, at (740) 597-1754.
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