Downtown vision becoming reality

Yesterday?s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Court Square brought a formal end to a project that began with construction in August 2004, and started with planning many years before that.

There were stumbling blocks along the way, the most problematic of which was closing parts of Main Street and Chancery Street. The detours created traffic headaches and caused downtown merchants financial woes.

But the end result is now visible for all to see. Highlighted by a picturesque Court Square, which has drawn raves with its newly operational fountain, Main Street is ripe for economic development. This was the goal from the start.

City officials should be commended for seeing this project through to completion. That?s a difficult task when the bills start coming in and the change orders start piling up. It?s easy to have dreams, but in order to see those dreams through to fruition they must also have funding ? in this case well over $5 million in funding.

We?re confident the investment will be well worth it.

Before downtown revitalization efforts began, Main Street was rarely mentioned as a promising retail location. The banks and realtors that had been downtown for decades were the few Main Street businesses able to stay afloat. It seemed virtually every grand opening for a Main Street business was soon followed by a going-out-of-business sale. Locating downtown was a death sentence for any new entrepreneur.

But times have changed and it?s not by accident there?s a new-found interest in the downtown area. The Main Street revitalization project is the reason why.

Thanks to New York Grill, downtown has an upscale restaurant with its own unique Warren County flavor. Thanks to Capalano?s, downtown has a one-of-a-kind coffee shop that?s a great place to hang out, relax and hear some music on the weekends. Thanks to Main Street Bakery, downtown visitors have an affordable place to grab breakfast or lunch, and enjoy a pastry in the process.

Downtown has made tremendous strides since the days when the cobwebs outnumbered the businesses. Investors are showing an interest in Main Street property. The focus is now on restoring old buildings instead of allowing them to fall into a state of disrepair.

With all that said, anyone who has traveled down Main Street realizes we have not reached the end of the rainbow. The downtown district is not yet the beehive of economic activity everyone has envisioned.

The old Fraley?s store is the largest black hole as that building sits lifeless on one end of Main Street. Buildings such as the old City Drug and old McAmis Furniture are also conspicuously without tenants. We can only hope that over time, as excitement continues to grow about our downtown, those buildings are once again bustling with activity.

Phase one of downtown revitalization has accomplished its goal. Warren County residents have a Main Street they can show with pride, not embarrassment.

Downtown momentum is finally headed in the right direction and for that we can all be thankful.