By DARLENE PRINCE
prince@crescent-news.com
An impressive amount of progress has been made in Defiance on the Main Street program said Jeff Siegler, director of revitalization for Heritage Ohio and its Main Street program.
During a recent visit to Defiance, Siegler, said, "Defiance has taken great strides in the past year and we were impressed with how far the program has come in a relatively short time. They've taken the Main Street template, applied it to their community and have laid the groundwork for future success in their start-up phase."
Siegler met with staff and volunteers of the Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau (DDVB). He was accompanied by Frank Quinn, associate director of revitalization.
Janet Hitchcock, the manager of the Main Street program, said, "When Cindy (Mack, DDVB director) and I met with them, they were excited about how we are doing the Main Street program.
"We are doing it a little differently than other places. We are working hard with the established downtown businesses and helping them, while other places work toward bringing new businesses into the downtown.
"We offer a continuing education program for the downtown businesses called the Retail Mastery System," she explained, noting it focuses on the community aspect of downtown business and in encouraging the businesses to work together.
"They are all in this together, so they work together," Hitchcock said.
She said Siegler and Quinn were very interested in the community concept of businesses working together.
Hitchcock said Heritage Ohio representatives visit every year in January or February for a formal evaluation of the program.
"Then, they come in the summer for sort of an impromptu visit," she said.
Siegler and Quinn also met with staff and volunteers of the Main Street program in Van Wert.
Heritage Ohio is a statewide, not-for-profit preservation organization that assists in the protection and preservation of Ohio's heritage and the revitalization of downtown areas.
The organization is the statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.