Posted February 10, 200817 yr I suppose some of you expected photos of Olde West Chester, but this is the Mechanicsburg of Central Ohio. Mechanicsburg group joins preservation program By Natalie Morales MECHANICSBURG — Local residents are holding tightly to pieces of the village's past while planning for where it can go in the future. Our Towne Mechanicsburg, a residents' group organized to focus on downtown revitalization, economic development and historic preservation, has contracted with Preservation Ohio to generate downtown planning and revitalization options for the village. Preservation Ohio is a statewide historic preservation organization based in Springfield. Our Towne paid $2,500 to join Preservation Ohio's HometownOhio program, which will provide the village on-site assessments for projects and programs Mechanicsburg could use to enhance its offerings. "The thing that Preservation Ohio does instead of just being a group that looks at the downtown and helping with downtown, is they're actually a preservation group," said Matthew Smith, Our Towne chairman. "They are concerned with preservation of the village and the history and the buildings and a lot more." For the next few months, village residents and business owners can work with Preservation Ohio to learn skills, such as how to apply for tax credits to help fund building improvements, Smith said. The village has 22 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Smith said. "A lot of them have been neglected quite a bit," he said. "Our focus is buildings downtown and figuring out what we can do to renovate and revitalize them." Thomas Palmer, Preservation Ohio's executive director, said a community's downtown is the foremost indicator of growth and economic health. "The problems of businesses leaving Mechanicsburg has been a problem for decades and decades," Smith said. Municipalities willing to renovate downtown properties are more likely to find themselves in a period of economic growth within 10 to 15 years, Palmer said. Preservation Ohio will not make the changes for Mechanicsburg, but will provide village residents and businesses the tools to advance the way they want. http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/01/30/sns013108ourtown.html
February 10, 200817 yr Way to go, Ink! Mechanicsburg is a great town, with alot going for it -- really nice building stock for a community its size, and a good commuting distance from Columbus. The people are great -- we had a great turnout for the launch of the program there. Thomas/presOhio
February 10, 200817 yr So THAT'S the Mechanicsburg off I-70? Go fig. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 10, 200817 yr Been here, didn't have my camera. Thee was a good hotdog/hamburger/ice cream place run by Asians of all people to wind up there. Alright town, nothing too special.
February 10, 200817 yr It sounds like they're serious about it, and I hope they succeed. They have some pretty good stuff to work with. What's the building in the second picture? Church? Former Town Hall? The style is reminiscent of mid-19th-century Presbyterian churches.
February 10, 200817 yr Overall, it looks better than I remember. It's good to hear they are working with Preservation Ohio and is even more encouraging to hear they a good turnout for the launch of the program.
February 10, 200817 yr What's the building in the second picture? Church? Former Town Hall? The style is reminiscent of mid-19th-century Presbyterian churches. That's the Second Baptist Church -- dates from 1858, if memory serves. It is now owned by the Champaign County Preservation Alliance, and that is where our launch meeting was held. It has a second floor sanctuary space, and is in very good condition overall. The CCPA is planning on repairing/restoring the roof later this year.
February 19, 200817 yr Mechanicsburg has to be one of best town names in Ohio. At one point, someone thought so. There have been at least three Mechanicsburgs in Ohio: this one, one in North-Central Ohio near Shelby (still exists as well), and what is now the old village in West Chester Township in Butler County. The latter changed their name at the request of the post office to avoid confusion with the others. I'm not so much a fan of the name, however.
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