Zelienople News Weekly, Wednesday, November 7th , 2001 – Article Mention

Group wants to spruce up Zelienople’s Main Street

Residents pitch ideas to chamber, borough

By Angela Pfeiffer
Staff Writer

ZELIENOPLE – With the worsening economy and decline of small town Main Streets nationwide, some believe one way to restore pep to downtown businesses is to spruce up their exteriors.

With that in mind, 18 borough residents have formed a group to beautify Main Street.

If endorsed by the Zelienople-Harmony Chamber of Commerce, the group’s official designation would be the chamber’s “civic committee.” It would work with and request donations from the board and the borough council.

Resident Joe Semel has relayed the group’s ideas to the council at its past two meetings.

“We want to make it a very attractive town for people from here, there and everywhere so they say, ‘Let’s go to Zelienople, the restaurants and shops,”’ Semel said. “That would be the ultimate goal - that it looks good and acts good and it’s nice to be there, even if you’re an out-of-town visitor or just a resident walking up and down the street.”

This kind of effort is going on in other communities in Butler County. Saxonburg, Slippery Rock, Mars, Evans City and the City of Butler all have differing degrees of programs aimed at improving their downtown.

On Oct. 29, Semel told the Zelienople council the group wanted to mount rectangular banners, estimated to cost $8,000 to $9,000, on Main Street utility poles.

“We talked it over and thought this would be a quick way to bring color and pleasant decorations to Main Street,” Semel said, “and it would be a reasonable dollars and cents (figure).”

Council members did not approve the project.

“It sounds good, but it sounds like we would get into a lot of maintenance,” council member Russ Robertson said.

“I’m just concerned about the costs,” council vice president William Bessor said.

Semel said to keep costs down and avoid conflict with the council, the group initially would undertake small projects, such as weeding the flowerpots in front of businesses.

“The thinking was, from the getgo, let’s go at it slow – no big deals. Let’s gain some experience, develop a track record and go from there, rather than (do) a super-duper project that might not come to fruition,” Semel said. “There’s no doubt that it would be nice if (Zelienople) had the look of some of these restored historic towns.

“They have these old-fashioned lamp posts, and power lines are either underground or removed…(But) these are big dollars,” he said.

Marnie Repasky, the chamber’s executive director, said the committee’s work would continue the chamber’s efforts to reinvigorate downtown businesses.

For example, the chamber has endorsed the Strand Theater Initiative, an endeavor to convert the long-abandoned movie house on Main Street into a live professional theater.

Repasky has said if successful, the venture will bring patrons and shoppers into the community.

Repasky and Main Street business owner Bob Householder also oversaw the placement of benches and trash receptacles throughout town a year ago.

Repasky noted the importance of aesthetics to economic development and said she felt the civic committee would achieve its goals.

“I really, truly believe the people who are going to be a part of this would really do a good job and work hard,” she said.