Struthers entices business with downtown upgrades
By Sarah Lehr
STRUTHERS
Jill Iamurri, owner of Glo on the Go Tanning salon, moved her business to South Bridge Street downtown just a few days ago.
Iamurri, who previously ran the salon from East Midlothian Boulevard, said downtown Struthers offered greater traffic and a nicer atmosphere.
Iamurri’s story is exactly what city officials want to hear. A Downtown Revitalization Project, spearheaded by Mayor Terry Stocker, aims to attract business to Struthers’ downtown.
The city’s downtown still includes many shuttered storefronts, but Stocker is hopeful that will change.
“Little by little, more businesses are coming, and things are starting to catch on,” Stocker said. “We’re fighting our way back from the old days.”
The downtown revitalization project, first proposed in 2013, features improvements including new sidewalks and curbs, benches and lighting along one side of State Street and both sides of South Bridge Street. The city finished installing light poles on State Street this week and hopes to complete installation on South Bridge Street next week.
None of the project’s approximate $249,000 cost came from the city’s general fund, according to Stocker. An Ohio Department of Transportation Alternatives Grant provided the city with $147,200, Stocker said, and Mahoning County provided about $101,800 through a Community Development Block Grant and a Revolving Loan Fund.
Ray Brocious, owner of Creed Cleaners on South Bridge Street, was optimistic about the project.
“Of course, construction is always painful in the short term,” he said. “But, particularly, I think, with this new lighting, people are going to feel safer and are going to want to come down here more.”