Business View Civil & Municipal - May 2023

37 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5 “Now we need the public and private partnerships, historical tax credits, new market tax credits, and the developer capital as well. So, we’ve been having a lot of conversations around how we make this project happen, and just showing people that there’s a need here, and there’s a pathway to viability for the project.” Recent investment in the historic downtown is something Bricker sees as another positive, with 15 buildings recently under new ownership, moving the city away from years of disrepair and dilapidation. “I think the tide has changed. It’s the right people buying the properties over the past two, or three years, and they’re putting the money into them. That needs to happen, not only to save them but to attract new businesses,” he relays. “To me, it is a seismic shift that people are willing to purchase these and invest the necessary dollars to get the ball rolling. We’ve seen more businesses come in because of that.” A grant application is also in the works to save a large historic downtown building, which would bring three new businesses and 60 jobs to the city, totaling $2.4 million in payroll. There is also a push to secure tax credits for the downtown district, as part of the ongoing revitalization efforts. The East Liverpool Community Partnership for Revitalization has been key in bringing people into the downtown, putting on events such as First Friday on Fifth Street, and drawing crowds of attendees to the city core. “People are able to drink in the street and listen to music. That’s turned out to be a couple thousand people every month, which is half the battle, just driving foot traffic back to downtown and showing people the businesses that are down here,” Bricker says. “Their goal is to help the city bring more businesses, more jobs.” They have also been instrumental in the development of a bike trail through the downtown, collaborating with an outside consultant to secure grant money. With $900,000 in funding from ODOT, the first phase of the trail is underway, and another $1 million in federal funding has been awarded to move the project forward. The advantages of an ideal location on the scenic Ohio River are something Bricker feels is often taken for granted in the community, but the addition of a trail will hopefully draw more people. “We’re trying to connect to other bike trails in the area. We have a real opportunity for that, which, in the end, would bring more visitors and tourism to the city,” he suggests. EAST L I VERPOOL , OHIO