Community Development Block Grant Funds
Help Spur Improvements In City Of Maumee
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
An improvement project will soon be under way along the 700 block of Conant Street in Maumee.
At its August 4 meeting, Maumee City Council approved a request by city administrator John Jezak to accept bids for the work that will include renovating the west side of Conant Street across from the Golden Gate Plaza.
The enhancement project will include new traffic signal mounts and new sidewalks. In addition, the 1950s-style lighting will be replaced with period lighting.
Work could begin this fall and is expected to cost approximately $285,000. Funds for the project will come from the city’s third Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, which it received in 2005.
The Ohio Department of Development sets aside approximately $2.5 million every year in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to assist small cities and villages throughout Ohio with downtown revitalization.
In 2001, Maumee received the first of three CDBG grants, worth $400,000 each. Two additional grants were awarded in 2003 and 2005.
Each grant lasts for a two-year period, and the city applied for an extension on the 2005 grant, Jezak said.
As a result of the $1.2 million generated from those grants, both public and private rehabilitation projects have been completed in the city.
“We’ve had a bit of everything through the years,” Jezak said, although he admitted the most recent grant might have to hold the city for some time.
“Because of our success in getting three consecutive grants, this grant may be the last one for a while,” he said.
On the private side, participating businesses use grant money – up to $10,000 – to match personal investments for façade or code improvements.
Although numbers are still being finalized, the city anticipates 52 façade improvements and 74 building code improvements on businesses in the uptown area.
Laura Reece of the Anthony Wayne Animal Hospital said the grant money spurred efforts to make improvements to the veterinary practice’s building, which is located at 900 Conant St.
“Having the grant money definitely made the decision easier to make the improvements, and we did more than we would have without it,” she said.
Shortly after purchasing the business in December 2006, she and her husband, veterinarian Dr. Steve Reece, used grant funds to replace the siding on their building as well as add landscaping and a new sign.
“Before the upgrades, the building kind of faded into the background, but now it stands out and we’re proud of what we’ve done,” Reece said.
She also credits such improvements with better business overall – including the addition of 60 new customers in April of this year compared to last year.
“It’s increased our traffic flow and has definitely helped us to move forward,” Reece said.
Jezak said support from private business owners has been vital to the success of the program.
“You can’t discount the private effort that’s been there,” he said. “It’s been a collective effort – private businesses decided to locate and stay here and take an active role and place a high priority on maintaining and improving the downtown area.”
On the public side, the city’s acquisition and restoration of the Maumee Indoor Theater was a huge project. Money from the 2001 grant funded a new parking lot behind the theater and additional parking across the street on the site of a former gas station, according to Jezak.
“We’ve come a long way and we continue to make progress on a lot of fronts,” he said.
Maumee’s population of 15,074 made it eligible for the grants, which are available to cities and villages with a population less than 50,000.
According to Eileen Turner, public information officer for the Ohio Department Of Development, the grant program is very competitive.
“Communities that are competitive, such as Maumee, have a strong local government and local downtown association driving the pursuit of federal funds to assist their downtown,” Turner said.
“In addition, the local businesses and building owners are at the point that interest is there to revitalize their buildings and businesses,” she continued.
The grant program requires communities to submit an application with all of their planning documents and information on the community’s downtown merchants’ association in May. If the thresholds are met, the community is invited to submit a full application in October of the program year.
Communities may request up to $400,000 in downtown revitalization funds, and the state typically receives 15 applications.
According to Turner, proposals are evaluated in six categories that include community distress, program financing, physical impact and design, program strategy, program feasibility and capacity of the administrative organization.
“Maumee is typical of many communities throughout the state that have pursued funding for their downtown throughout the years. A strong downtown and marketing plan is all part of the process for long-term revitalization,” she said. “Long after the grant funds have been spent, it is the hope of the state and local government that revitalization continues regardless of grant funds.”
Jezak credits members of city administration, inspection division, and the finance and service departments along with Poggemeyer Design Group for the successful application process, which has sparked good relations with state officials.
“We’ve had a great relationship with the department of development, and when they visited Maumee, they were delighted with what they saw,” he said.
Uptown Maumee Recruits Hometown Folks To Bring Awareness To Local Marketplace
Not all of us will get our 15 minutes of fame, but several area business owners and professionals are getting recognized for their part in a television advertising campaign that encourages viewers to “Meet me in uptown Maumee.”
Jim Raczkowski, manager of Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home on Conant Street in Maumee, made his TV debut in one of the commercials.
“I was a little hesitant at first,” he said of being in the commercial. “But I believe uptown Maumee has a lot to offer local residents and families, and I wanted to be a part of helping bring people to the area.”
The Maumee Uptown Business Association, or MUBA, chose “Meet Me in Uptown Maumee” as its slogan when it began working with Holland-based Maxx Grafx in early 2007 to bring more awareness to uptown’s merchants and businesses.
TV advertising is part of an overall promotional strategy that also includes a logo, print advertising, brochures and signage.
The idea behind the tagline is to get Toledo and surrounding area residents to think about when and why they should meet their friends, families and co-workers in uptown Maumee.
Within the series of 30-second spots, currently running on Buckeye Cable, you will hear Raczkowski tell you, “I’m meeting my wife for lunch,” as he sits at the popular Dale’s Bar and Grill at the corner of Conant and Dudley streets.
Longtime Prism Glass-Works customer and Toledo resident Claudia St. Clair is seen meeting her co-workers to learn about the new glass classes at Sharon Carothers’ shop on West Wayne Street.
Mandy Brannan, co-owner of Design Engineers & Consulting Associates on Conant, says, “I’m meeting my sister for some retail therapy,” at Bonita Bead Boutique, also located on Conant.
Other segments of the commercials promote the Quilt Foundry, Maumee Indoor Theater, Georgette’s Grounds & Gifts, Clara J’s Tea Room and Maumee Tackle.
Using real people rather than actors to tout products and services made sense to MUBA and its creative team.
“Because the people we showcased in the TV spots are longtime residents and respected business owners, we have instant recognition working for us,” said Joe LaChapelle, owner of MGM Communications and president of MUBA.
LaChapelle said the advertising has been successful.
“Almost since the day the spots started airing, our member companies have had phone calls and comments saying they’ve seen the commercials,” he said.
The marketing industry also agrees with MUBA’s approach. Last fall, the Toledo chapter of the Association for Women in Communications recognized the advertising campaign locally with a Crystal Award of Achievement.
MUBA worked with Maxx Grafx to create two cable TV spots to promote uptown Maumee generally, then collaborated with its member businesses to customize the commercials to showcase members’ products and services specifically.
The series will air throughout the rest of the year in the west Buckeye Cable zone, which includes Maumee, Perrysburg, Holland, Rossford, Waterville and several parts of Toledo.
The advertisements are airing on CNN, ESPN2, TNT, FX, ABC Family, Bravo, HGTV and other stations.
More To Do In Uptown Maumee
New events have also been planned to bring more patrons to uptown Maumee.
Last October, MUBA sponsored its first Halloween trick-or-treating event on the Monday before the holiday to bring local children and their parents through the businesses in the uptown area.
Approximately 400 people attended the event, and MUBA has decided to make it part of its regular lineup of seasonal festivities, along with the Rock the Block street concert in June, the July 3 fireworks and community picnic, the Maumee Summer Fair and Taste of Maumee in mid-August, and holiday lights parade in November.
The Maumee Uptown Business Association was formed in 1975 to attract new business, create increased awareness of retail shopping opportunities and stimulate interest in historic uptown Maumee.
The organization is comprised of local merchants, business owners, professionals and fraternal organizations. Since its inception, MUBA has contributed park benches, street banners, holiday wreaths, event sponsorship and co-operative funding for advertising the area to the community.
These are sample articles that ran in The Mirror Newspaper.
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