Volume 4, Issue 34                                                                                                     Friday, April 27, 2007

Chamber calendar

Tuesday, May 8: Membership and Events Committee, 11:30 a.m., chamber.

Wednesday, May 9: Final Leadership Chillicothe Ross session of the year, Service organizations, 7:45 a.m., Touch of Class, West Water Street; followed by graduation dinner and ceremonies, 6 p.m., Ross County Heritage Center.

Thursday, May 10: Ross County Safety Council luncheon, Electric safety by AEP, 11:30 a.m., Chillicothe Country Club; Safety registration.

Thursday, May 10: Community Development and Advocacy Committee, 4 p.m., chamber.

Thursday, May 10: Young Professionals Network, "How to Make Your Website Google Friendly", by Vince Perhach of Opulent Source, 5:30-7 p.m., Chillicothe Country Club, $5 admission, no pre-registration required.

Monday, May 14: Legislative breakfast featuring Rep. Zack Space, D-New Philadelphia, 8:30 a.m., Chillicothe Country Club, $12 for members, $20 for non-members, payable at the door, Breakfast registration.

Tuesday, May 15: Leadership Chillicothe Ross Steering Committee, 3:30 p.m., chamber.

Wednesday, May 16: Business After Business at Nourse Auto Mall, 5-7 p.m., BAB registration.

Thursday, May 17: Executive Committee, 8 a.m., chamber.

Thursday, June 21: Chamber Annual Golf Outing, Dogwoods Hills Golf Course off Debord Road, 9 a.m. shotgun start, scramble format; Golf outing registration.

What's happening this weekend? Check out the community events calendar.

Click above to go to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce site for small business

Check out photos from chamber events at any time by going to www.chillicothe-chamber.smugmug.com.

For previous newsletter editions, click here

You are receiving this newsletter as a benefit of your membership in the chamber. If you wish not to receive it, please reply to mjones@chillicotheohio.com and write "Unsubscribe" in the subject.

Copyright 2007

Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce

Next up for downtown:

Working on the courses of action

Dolores Palma and Doyle Hyett left town today after briefing the Process Committee on their observations from spending a week in Chillicothe. The HyettPalma firm will be back on Tuesday, June 5 (at a site to be determined) to deliver to the entire community its recommended five-year courses of action to improve downtown Chillicothe.

Approximately 200 turned out Tuesday for the Community Vision Session (click here to see photos) to share their ideas and opinions on future uses for the downtown, where people would like it to be in the year 2012 and to what they could point with pride as being accomplished. Those ideas, opinions and comments will help form the basis of the courses of action the two will recommend when they return in May.

In addition to the ideas and opinions, Palma and Hyett also listened to focus groups of college students, downtown employees, organizations involved directly in downtown issues, property owners and customers of downtown businesses. They also are looking at demographic information on the area and a market analysis. From all of this, they will then use their 22 years of experience in working in downtowns in all 50 states to provide their advice to the community.

In the two months leading up to the visit, the Process Committee, all volunteers, collected information the two requested. Below are snippets of that information, some of which has never before been compiled. It’s published here as a way to demonstrate the depth of research that has gone into this venture. So here you go:

• Approximately 1,800 people work downtown (boundaries: Walnut, Mulberry, Water and Fifth streets).
• Approximately 500 people live downtown in the 73 single-family homes and 218 apartments (of which 135 are in Tiffin Tower).
• There are 86 retail businesses covering nearly 300,000 square feet (not second or third floors); there are 22 vacant spaces for retail.
• There are 126 office businesses covering 485,000 square feet; there are only 6 vacant spaces for offices.
• There are 15 eating and/or drinking places, 10 beauty shops and 12 gift, novelty or miscellaneous retail stores.
• There are 24 businesses providing legal services (attorneys, etc.), 14 health-related offices, 13 religious organizations (churches, etc.) and 8 insurance agencies.

In the phone survey of 112 residents in the designated trade area (all of Ross County, Greenfield and northern Pike County including Waverly and Piketon), here are the top 5 characteristics of downtown they rated as “Good”:

• The helpfulness of the salespeople
• Feeling of safety
• Cleanliness of the area
• Attractiveness of the area
• Knowledge of the salespeople

In the survey of 132 business owners or managers downtown, the top 5 characteristics rated “Good” were:

• Helpfulness of salespeople
• Quality of service businesses
• Knowledge of salespeople
• Quality of retail goods
• Prices at restaurants.

In the survey of residents, the following were the top 5 improvements they thought would be “Very Important” to make:

• Improve the availability of parking
• Improve the convenience of parking
• Increase the variety of retail goods
• Increase the variety of restaurants
• Increase the number of retail businesses

The top 5 improvements rated as being “Very Important” by the business owners/managers:

• Physically improve the buildings
• Improve the convenience of parking
• Increase the number of retail businesses
• Improve the availability of parking
• Increase the variety of retail goods

Shortly after the written courses of actions are unveiled in the May community meeting, they will be available online at www.downtownchillicothe.com which will give the entire community an opportunity to chart the progress being made on all of the recommendations.

Big projects on tap for area

In the last two weeks, several new and large projects have sprung up for Ross County. According to building permit records, here’s what in store:

• A new, $1.5 million assisted living facility on West High Street in Frankfort by Walnut Manor.
• A new $300,000 Family Dollar Store on U.S. 41 near Bainbridge.
• A dock addition at the Kenworth Truck Company for $215,000.
• The much-anticipated Olive Garden on North Bridge Street, valued at $900,000.
• Alterations at the Chillicothe City Schools Administration Building on Cherry Street for $136,000.
• A new KFC to replace the one at Western Avenue and Plyley’s Lane for $450,000.
• The new Subway at Buckeye and High streets for $154,000.
• A new Aldi’s grocery store on North Bridge Street across from Tire Discounters for $850,000.
• The new multi-unit development in front of Sam’s Club on North Bridge Street for $250,000. A Japanese-style steak house is rumored as one of the early tenants.

Support sought for nuclear initiative

The Southern Ohio Nuclear Integration Cooperative, more popularly known as SONIC, is working to bring to the Piketon area a facility that would recycle spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants. The initiative is part of President Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

The site of the former gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant is one of 11 in the nation under consideration for this facility that could, when operational, employ up to 5,000. SONIC is seeking support from individuals, companies and organizations in the area in the form of letters that must be sent by Monday. Samples of letters can be found by clicking here. Also, more information is available at the SONIC website: www.safesonic.net.

Leadership class destroys a bunch of records

Shred-It-Day last Saturday in Yoctangee Park was a huge success, based on the 37,000 pounds of paper that went through the specialized truck. The main project of the Leadership Chillicothe Ross class attracted about 200 individuals and businesses (including one entire truck load). It also yielded monetary and other donations for the Elizabeth’s Hope Pregnancy Resource Center. This class has its last of nine monthly sessions on May 9 with graduation following that evening. Next year’s class begins in September and already is being formed. Only 20 will be accepted. Click here to check out the program and sign up: Leadership Chillicothe Ross program

BREAKFAST WITH CONGRESSMAN: Rep. Zack Space has been in office about three months. He’ll discuss his views on the issues he faces in Congress, how he’s helping his constituents in the district and will take your questions at the chamber’s Legislative Breakfast on 8:30 on Monday, May 14. The cost of $12 ($20 for non-members) also includes a buffet breakfast at the Chillicothe Country Club. Register now: Legislative Breakfast

DOING BUSINESS WITH THE GOVERNMENT: A three-hour seminar on Wednesday, May 16 is designed to help demystify the process for you to do business with the federal government. The Procurement Outreach Center for the Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation is sponsoring the session that will feature Dixie Wightman who is affiliated with Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. The session runs 1-4 p.m. at Ohio University-Chillicothe and costs $10. For more information, call 740-377-4550

HISTORICAL SOCIETY SETS SPEAKERS SERIES: “Medical Advancements of the Civil War” kicks off the Spring Speakers Series of the Ross County Historical Society at the heritage Center on Wednesday, May 2. Two other presentations are planned May 16 and May 30. Call the society at 772-1936 for all the details.

VENDORS LICENSES: Here’s who’s received licenses recently from the Ross County Auditor:

• Ed’s Farm Market, 16 Blain Highway, by Edward Phalen.
• NAW Petroleum Service, 41 Limestone Blvd., by Wilby Nelson.
• Exotic Kingdoms Bird Shop, 1249 Baum Hill Road, by Jeffrey Steinbrook.
• De La Paz Mexican Restaurant, 1641 N. Bridge St.

NOTE: Weekly Update is taking a rest. We’ll return on May 11.