2008-10-10

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Front Street Cafe Carryout Menu Front

Village hopes its newest honor will pay off
Contributed by Rachel Richardson
Wednesday, December 03, 2008

http://dunes.cincinnati.com/pubnews/story.aspx?id=139916&siteID=1

Residents of New Richmond didn’t need the White House to tell them theirs is a village worth preserving.

What the historic village does need are the extra grant opportunities that come with being named a Preserve America Community – and the national prestige isn’t bad, either.

The riverfront village of nearly 2,500 people received the designation earlier this summer, garnering attention from first lady Laura Bush, who signed the official certificate received by Mayor Ramona Carr in August.

The village plans to erect a sign boasting its heightened national profile within its historic district in the coming weeks, said Dave Kennedy, village administrator.

Since the program began in 2003, more than 700 communities nationwide have been named Preserve America Communities, of which now 13 are in Ohio. New Richmond is the only community within Clermont, Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties to receive the honorary designation.

The benefits from a city receiving this title include widespread recognition through promotional materials, opportunities for matching grants and economic revitalization projects and stronger standing for state grants – all of which helps boost village tourism and its local economy, said Kennedy.

“Preservation dollars are usually pretty slim,” he explained. “Hitching us on to the historic aspects of the village is a big part of the revitalization effort that says this is a unique community with a lot of history.”

Members of Renaissance New Richmond, an all-volunteer organization of residents and business owners, first initiated discussions about the program with Kennedy, who then undertook the 120-page application process.

“The process was a difficult one, but it’s hard to argue with people who want the same things you want," said Kennedy. "This is [Renaissance New Richmond] and the village government working together."

Proposed communities must meet a host of requirements before receiving the designation, including discovering heritage through historic places, protecting historic resources and promoting historic assets – goals shared by Renaissance New Richmond.

In fact, New Richmond’s rich history is fundamental to the group’s larger plans to transform the village into a “destination,” said committee member and local business owner Bob Lees. An ambitious revitalization plan unveiled by the group last year calls for sweeping changes along the village’s Front Street business district and riverfront.

But for Lees – a village native and head of its historical society – and fellow committee members, the Preserve America Community designation holds a significance that can’t be measured by any economic scale.

“It puts us in a very good league of other communities that really care about their history and culture,” said Lees. “It’s celebrating history. It makes us all feel proud.”