Commercial Project Gets $10,000

DAYTON - The Dayton Development Task Force will get $10,000 from the City of Dayton to begin work on a plan to revitalize the Commercial Avenue Historic Corridor in 2012.

Monday night at the Dayton City Council meeting, Bill Clemens, a member of the task force, said the design firm that has been working on a plan for Commercial Avenue is getting ready to present its work to the community.

In October, staff members of the design group Dougherty Landscape Architects of Eugene, Ore., visited Dayton and talked with community members and business owners about what they would like to see in the future of Commercial Avenue.

The task force is looking at the corridor on Commercial between the Touchet River and the Seneca plant. Its goal is to make it a historical extension of Main Street that has more community and living space.

During the team's last day in town, it presented some ideas to the community of what the street could look like and included the additions of a basketball court, landscaping, a sculpture garden, a performance space, public restrooms and more parking.

The planning was paid for by a $25,000 grant from the Sherwood Trust.

And since their time in October, the design team has been in communication with members of the task force and working hard to unveil a plan.

"There's been a lot of back and forth," Clemens said.

DLA will be holding an open house in Dayton from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 in the Delany Building to show off its work.

Clemens said the team has been under a tight timeline, but will certainly have materials to present.

Meanwhile, the task force has been evaluating what to do next, Clemens said.

In 2011, the city had earmarked $10,000 for the Commercial Avenue project. However, the task force has not spent any of that money yet.

Clemens said the task force would like to earmark that same $10,000 in the 2012 Dayton city budget to get the ball rolling on the revitalization of Commercial.

"It was important that this project didn't get thrown on the shelf," Clemens said.

Clemens asked the city council to earmark the $10,000 in 2012 as matching funds for grants that the task force is intending to apply for or as leverage to start some projects.

"It's so we can hit the ground running," he said.

City staff said the money was certainly available for the task force in the 2012 budget and the city council passed a resolution to provide that money unanimously.

Mayor Craig George said he was happy to help out the project, but the real burden of carrying out the plan was in the hands of the task force.

"It's up to you ladies and gentleman," George said.