A team from Heritage Ohio spent all of Thursday touring downtown Wadsworth, looking at its highlights and things that need improved upon. Jeff Siegler, Director of Revitalization for the organization, stopped by our studio Friday morning to detail the team’s findings.
“The community is engaged, the city is on board, the Chamber is on board, local businesses and property owners are on board, there’s a real buy in here which is the hardest to achieve. But Wadsworth has it,” Siegler told Tom and Tina in the Morning.
While that’s excellent news, and really comes as no surprise to those of us who call this incredible community home, there are still many areas of downtown that need improvement.
“How things look is important,” Siegler explained. “Things don’t look as good as they should. When crossing through the square, you can see it’s not well taken care of near the gazebo. There are weeds in the flower beds, a bent sign. This community really has pride and I didn’t feel it was reflected by the way some things look in downtown. I’m big on aesthetics, no weeds in flower beds, no chipping paint. We have control over how things look and these things all can be easily fixed.”
Now with a beginning plan in place, downtown Wadsworth can begin its beautification process. In order for the area to reach its ultimate potential, and be the most attractive downtown area it can be, will take time: 7-10 years and anywhere between $60,000 – $100,000 and up.
“Revitalization really isn’t successful until a highly functioning organization with a high capacity board and functional budget and staff is in place to carry out the work,” Siegler explained. He added Wadsworth has many of those characteristics in place.
“This is about improving the quality of life in downtown Wadsworth,” Siegler explained. “And there are plenty of places and people and organizations that can help financially support that.”
Every $1 invested into transforming downtown Wadsworth yields a $25 reinvestment, Siegler said.
Lookout world! Wadsworth and its team are ready to begin the transformation and attract even more great business to the community!
