Committee discusses options for proposed plaza, seeks input from community

Public officials, Hillsboro business owners and members of the community were among those in attendance at Wednesday evening's public meeting to discuss a proposed plaza at the Highland County Courthouse square.

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings had announced the idea of a plaza in uptown Hillsboro during the July Hillsboro City Council meeting after the city received an offer of a donation to cover the cost of a fountain.

Highland County Commissioners Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Jeremy Shaffer gave their approval of the project at their July 23 meeting. Hastings then selected the committee to begin researching plans for the space near the Highland County Courthouse.

Members of the Governor Trimble Plaza committee include committee chair and Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss; uptown business owner and Hillsboro Uptown Business Association president Joe Mahan; Highland County Historical Society member Avery Applegate; and Hillsboro Uptown Renaissance Project member Elisa Friedman.

The committee was established to generate ideas for using the space and will not be involved with funding, parking/traffic, engineering or other concerns, Coss said.

"We don't have any powers to do anything," Coss said. "We don't have any money, we aren't being paid, we don't have an expense account."

Coss said the meeting was to "come up with one or more possible designs or concepts for a plaza uptown, for the purpose of starting a discussion," and "to discuss whether or not something like that should be done, whether it's feasible and whether it can be funded."

Coss said the committee is trying to come up with a concept to bring before council and commissioners so they have an actual plan to vote on.

"In order to get something started, there has to be a beginning point and a concept, as opposed to just discussing something in the abstract," Coss said. "Our job would be to say 'here's a concept and a design,' and then give it to [city council and county commissioners] and they'll decide if they like it."

Coss said that Hastings' "original plan was to close Governor Trimble Place on the north side of courthouse" and construct a plaza in that area, but he would like to "look at the idea of having some sort of an integrated project that would entail redesigning and incorporating all or part of the courthouse grounds into the project."

Hastings said that the city has talked to "a fairly big developer from Cincinnati" who suggested the plaza "would be a big help or draw."

"It looks like other things are going on uptown, the city is investing in its infrastructure and it's trying to do something with uptown," Hastings said. "I think the developers liked the idea of a square or plaza."

Hastings said the plaza would help with "the biggest thing that helps small towns anymore succeed – events."

"I think this helps to facilitate events in the uptown area because it's a big, large, open area," Hastings said. "There's people who've asked 'why there? Mayor, you own a building right there.' Well, it doesn't have to be there. If somebody has a better idea, all it has to be is a flat area and uptown. If somebody else knows of a flat area uptown that works, I think anybody's open to it."

Coss said that the committee hopes to come up with a plan that will bring in visitors not just during regular business hours, but during evenings and weekends, and something that could involve "public event usage" in addition to current annual events such as the Festival of Bells and Anna's Army Day.

"Should there be something like a gazebo or a stage or platform, or should we have a portable type of thing? Those are some of the things we've talked about," Coss said.

Applegate said that when she was growing up, there were often ice cream socials and craft shows held on the courthouse square.

"I can kind of envision that sort of thing," she said.

Many of the community's concerns brought up during the meeting involved parking. Coss and Hastings said that the building owned by Bill Armintrout could potentially be taken down, and the committee is still considering several different areas around the courthouse for the plaza. Another option, they said, would be to make the streets along the plaza one-way streets to allow for easier parking.

Though Coss reiterated that the committee was not responsible for the funding, many of the questions came back to the financing of the project.

"There's an issue of whether [the funding] is public, private or a combination," Coss said.

Hastings said the discussion of funding for the plaza will also lead to "simultaneous talks about what's going to happen with the Colony Theater.

"If we are going to try to save the Colony at $400,000 or $500,000, that's obviously $400,000 or $500,000 we're not putting toward a plaza project," Hastings said. "What happens with the Colony Theater doesn't make or break the plaza idea, but it definitely has a bearing."

The committee was also asked if the project could be completed in phases.

"This may be something that turns out to be quite expensive and it may be that it needs to be part of a five- or 10-year strategic plan or goal," Coss said.

Hillsboro Uptown Renaissance Project member Alice Wilson suggested having the city pay for the utilities and initial funding, then generating donations for the landscaping and any statues, benches or other aesthetic pieces.

"If the city could do the groundwork – all the digging that needs to be done and pay for that, the electric, the water, all that groundwork, I think you could get people and/or groups or businesses … I think you could generate the money for other things," Wilson said.

"We've talked about that," Coss said. "Someone to buy a bench, to buy a light, sell pavers for $25 or something."

The committee was also asked if they were "set on calling it a plaza."

"No, we're not," Coss said. "We just haven't given it a name. We've actually talked about perhaps, if it decides to go forward, the city would have a naming contest.

"It could be called a plaza, a square, a promenade. There's a lot of different words that were tossed around. Nothing is established. We're completely open to everything being discussed."

The committee also discussed including a nod to the courthouse's history.

"There has been changing landscape on the courthouse square over the last 150 years," Coss said.

Coss said that he has been researching the layout of the courthouse square in the past, which included a pavilion and a fountain at the turn of the century.

"I keep thinking about the fact that underneath the blacktop, there's brick," Applegate said. "I think it would be so much fun just to expose the old brick that was driven over by many, many cars and horses in this community."

John Kellis asked if the committee had considered historical themes for the plaza.

"Maybe something like this could have a series of tablets or plaques around about different historical things in our community, like Mother Thompson, Caspar Collins, people like that," Coss said. "That's the first time it's been brought up, but that's something that intrigues me and would have some merit to look at that."

Several public officials in attendance voiced their approval of the project.

"I think it would be a wonderful addition to the city to bring in people and businesses and just to congregate," Ann Morris said. "I think it's one of the best steps you can take to grow a city and just to make it better for the people who live here now."

Horst discussed the importance of the courthouse to the city and county.

"The courthouse is already the center of our city, and I don't think there's a day that goes by in the summertime where people aren't stopping and taking a picture of it," Horst said. "It's something we're proud of in the community."

Hastings presented a PowerPoint of photos of examples of various structures used in other small towns and cities, including Chillicothe. Examples of potential archways, benches, fountains, unique street lights, gazebos and stage platforms and paving options were included in the slideshow.

Coss expressed an interest in an archway, "possibly even over the street," such as what Chillicothe has near the Majestic Theatre. Coss said that during their travels across the US and the United Kingdom, he and his wife have visited many small towns where they enjoy stopping in the town square and explore the space.

"I know when I see something like that, usually we stop to take a look at it and see what's there and what it's about," Coss said.

Though over 30 people were in attendance at Wednesday's meeting, the committee is seeking input from other citizens. An online survey on the uptown plaza is now available at www.hillsboroohio.net on the types of structure that the community feels are important to the proposed plaza.

Coss said that the committee will be looking at the results of the survey, and he also encouraged the community to submit photos of design ideas they like in other towns to Debbie Sansone at the mayor's office.

"What we're planning on doing is giving the survey about six weeks and then we'll be meeting again in January," Coss said. "We'll start going through the information and ideas that have been submitted already and any new ones that come in, and then we'll start trying to develop one or more potential design concepts."