Group presents on history of Steubenville’s neighborhoods
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STEUBENVILLE -- Members of the Strong Towns Steubenville city revitalization group presented attendees with a collected history of the city's neighborhoods at the group's second public meeting Wednesday night.
Jamie Nugent and Kevin Bernetsky, STS core team and research division members, presented the brief history, which spanned from the city's inception until roughly the present. The presentation was followed by an hour-long breakout conversation session among attendees, who were divided into discussion groups by the city section they live in.
The presentation was a preview of what the research division will present to Steubenville City Council's civic pride subcommittee during their meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The council presentation will hopefully bring about the implementation of unique signs designating each neighborhood.
"I think (the meeting) went well," Hyman said after the fact. "I'm excited to see what comes of the various neighborhood conversations."
Hyman began the meeting by describing STS, an autonomous branch that derives its driving principles from Strong Towns, which itself is a "national nonprofit dedicated to city revitalization through grassroots efforts," Hyman said.
"There is a diverse amount of history in our town," Hyman said, adding that the night's meeting will focus on Strong Towns' specific principle of civic and neighborhood pride. "For whatever revitalization we want to see, we need to understand what has come before us."
First to present was Nugent, who is pursuing his doctoral degree in history in Belfast, Ireland, but is working as an intern with the Harmonium Project.
Nugent said the presentation was meant to "enhance civic pride, increase neighborhood cohesion and create a sense of place in Steubenville's many different places."
Steubenville was first laid out in 1797, Nugent said, and the original city belonged to what people know of today as the historic Fourth Street commercial district. Steubenville was incorporated as a town in 1805 and developed "lot by lot, parcel by parcel" as people bought up land.
Each city block has its own name, Nugent said, but those are seldom remembered and the houses from which they receive their names are rarely still in existence. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Steubenville's original city has developed suburbs along the hill, extending up Sunset Boulevard, which then was Market Street.
After 100 years, Nugent said, "The modern American suburb had come to Steubenville."
Nugent said Bernetsky and he used a 2013 map from Steubenville's comprehensive plan to determine the borders of different subdivisions, of which 31 are officially recognized.
Next to present was Bernetsky, a recent graduate from Franciscan University's history program who moved to Steubenville's Spahn's Addition neighborhood five years ago with his family.
Bernetsky described the formation and characteristics of various neighborhoods, which he and Nugent had grouped into sections for organizational purposes. The first section, known as the West, was formed around the Steubenville County Club, while the Central West section formed around John Scott Highway and was characterized by its California locale naming scheme, hence Sunset Boulevard.
Steubenville's Second Ring, Bernetsky said, is located near Hollywood plaza and the Kroger, and the city's comprehensive plan says the section's Brady Estates is deserving of a historic designation.
A fun fact about the section Bernetsky added was about the former Stanton Park, known then as "Steubenville's Disneyland." It was a park made for patrons of Steubenville's trolley system, and it featured activities such as dancing, roller skating and a casino for individuals' leisure days. However, Bernestsky said, with the decline of the trolley came the park's own decline, and only Ohio State Routes 22 and 7 remain in the park's place.
Steubenville's first ring, Bernetsky said, contains Steubenville's first suburbs, which were popular because of their proximity to downtown and their positive potential for family life. Downtown, he said, is the city's "litmus test" for prosperity but "has seen the most dramatic change since the city's founding," characterized by "decades of underinvestment."
Bernetsky spoke about the comprehensive plan's seven "big ideas" for promoting the city's development and other recommendations, including infill developments made up of a variety of housing types, connected westward transportation and investment in First Ring neighborhoods.
He said, "We want to make Steubenville a place where people want to be -- all of Steubenville."
Breakout session groups were encouraged to discuss and answer a list of five questions that included "What are the words or phrases that come to mind when you think of your neighborhood?" and "What are some ways in which you see your neighbors struggling?" as well as ways to address those struggles.
Attendees' suggestions for improvements included increasing awareness of corner stores, boosting neighborhood watchfulness, encouraging residents' presence on front porches, hosting community block parties and engaging in prayer walks through each neighborhood.
Sia Toilolo attended the meeting, her first exposure to an STS event. Toilolo, who has lived in Steubenville for two years, said she came eager to learn more about the city.
"I gained a lot of information from it," said Toilolo, a La Belle resident. "I came to this meeting to learn more, and that's what I got."
Clare Date, a resident of Buena Vista Heights, said, "I really, really enjoyed getting to speak with people, ... where we weren't exactly from the same neighborhood but it's the same part of town. … We all had kind of the same impression which was that we were encouraged as neighbors to be more neighborly."
"It feels like, in our neighborhoods, everybody's in their own isolate unit of their house. ... One of our ideas that we were throwing around was to start having block parties locally."
Nugent and Bernetsky had recalled before giving the presentation that their work on it spanned an entire month. Efforts consisted of visits to the Jefferson County Courthouse to look at the city's official plats, which are formal plans for a subdivision.
The two also had consulted with Chris Petrossi, Steubenville's urban projects director, and the research section of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County's Schiappa Branch.
An unattributed 2006 quote from the Herald-Star was used in the presentation, reading, "The history of a city proceeds from its beginning, but those who live in it determine the future."
Bernetsky said the quote was found by chance during his and Nugent's research at Schiappa, and they decided to incorporate it because they agreed with its message.
Bernestky said of the presentation and the following discussions, "I love the participation and the willingness of people to talk about what their areas are like. I'm seeing this as a springboard for much more of a nuanced conversation."
Also, Bernetsky said the research division has additional plans for future research, and he is glad to see residents pitching ideas to connect their respective neighborhoods.
Hyman said the city's first and second rings were widely represented by the meeting's attendees, and those areas are the ones where new individuals are typically choosing to move into town and reside at.
"It's clear of the new people who are moving here that they have this interest in engaging their neighborhoods and building community there," Hyman said, "and I'm interested in continuing to involve all areas of the city and their neighborhoods in that process.
As attendees left the meeting, they could place a pin on a map of the city to show where they live. Also, Nugent said anyone who wants to view the presentation's slides or to see a document containing additional research information can email a request to strongtownssteubenville@gmail.com
Also on STS's agenda, Hyman said, is a community bike ride that will be held on Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m., beginning at the fountain by Historic Fort Steuben. Additionally, STS is ironing out details for an election forum that will bring together city council candidates for discussion and debate for voters' informational benefit.