SYLVANIA, Ohio — The city of Sylvania held its first shareholders' meeting on Wednesday to talk about improving the downtown area.
"Everything's very new," Inside the Five Brewing Company owner Katie Fields said. "It's the very first meeting. I'm sure everyone has a lot of ideas, all different ideas, hopefully some of the same ideas. It's something exciting to look forward to, but it's just the beginning."
At least some of the money will come from the American Rescue Plan funds, but with no definitive numbers until the city finalizes ideas.
Local business owners saw options for a new main street with changes to the lanes, sidewalks and benches. Carmen Wigmans, the owner of Reve Salon and Spa, is hoping for more places to park.
"We have a lot of customers coming and going, a lot of employees," she said. "We need places to park. We need people to have access, and be able to find parking quickly, and get in and out. And for them to see what's readily available."
Fields is calling for safer sidewalks.
"I really would like a better sidewalk, walkway," she said. "Make it ADA-compliant and safer for pedestrians."
Sylvania City Council President Mark Frye said changes that age well are important, because revitalization efforts don't happen often.
"We need to make sure that it's got a long-lasting effect on our downtown footprint because it's once every 40 years," he said. "You don't get a chance to do this very often."
The improvement project is still in its early stages. The stakeholders will meet again on an as-of-now undetermined date in January.
Officials expect plan development will continue from 2023 until September 2024. Contracts will be advertised and awarded from September until November of 2024 with construction intended to start in April of 2025.