Barnesville Vision Plan Reveal at Public Meeting
The Community Improvement Corporation of Belmont County and the Village of Barnesville will present the community vision plan outlining ideas for the village’s future at this week’s meeting.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday, at the Barnesville Library Annex, 611 N. Chestnut Street. Officials will present the results of the project and share ideas gathered from residents about the village’s future direction.
The presentation will include renderings of potential ideas, along with a photos display. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the meeting.
Last year, the Village of Barnesville partnered with the Community Improvement Corporation of Belmont County to conduct this project.
The project consisted of three components: a community survey, a market analysis and an inventory of potential brownfield sites.
A total of 855 people completed the survey, according to CIC Executive Director Crystal Lorimor. Of those responses, 66 percent came from workforce-age residents, including 339 individuals ages 26–45 and 252 ages 46–65.
The survey asked residents questions such as why they currently visit downtown, what they would like to see added, how often they visit and what changes they would make. Many responses were open-ended, providing additional insight into community priorities.
The market analysis evaluated the local area and identified businesses that could potentially operate in the village. Two virtual focus groups were also conducted with business owners and individuals involved in workforce development.
The brownfield inventory identified underutilized or vacant properties that may have contamination. According to Lorimor, identifying these locations allows the village and CIC to pursue cleanup opportunities if the properties become available for redevelopment.
The work concluded with the development of the Barnesville Vision Plan.
The project steering committee included Mayor Jake Hershberger; Bruce Yarnall representing the Depot and Watt Center; Rose Grear representing the State Theater; Micah Fuchs representing the Barnesville Exempted Village School District; and Shelley Rockwell representing the business community.
Funding for the project was provided through a Kansas State University grant supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Results from the Vision Plan will assist Barnesville with several other long-term projects including the recently formed Main Street Barnesville Program and a rural tourism planning project focused on the Captina Watershed from Powhatan to Barnesville. The latter is funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“It’s up to the community and the leadership if they want to use any of these ideas and move forward,” Lorimor said.
For more information, contact Lorimor at lorimor@belmontcic.com.
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