NILES, Ohio – City officials report they are eyeing completion by early summer of components of projects funded by Ohio’s Wonderful Waterfronts initiative.
Ground was broken last year on the Niles Public Square and Riverside Park, and both projects remain on track despite slowdowns because of winter weather, Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said.
In 2024, Niles was awarded $3.5 million from the $204 million initiative, a component of the Appalachian Regional Grant Program established using $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act Funds.
“Riverside Park will be complete in May, with a ribbon cutting near Memorial Day,” Mientkiewicz predicted. “Niles Public Square will be complete by July, with a ribbon cutting near the Fourth of July.”
Niles Public Square, which is being constructed on the site of the demolished Robins Theatre at the intersection of South Main Street and West State Street, is about half complete, with site and hardscape work continuing through the winter, he said.
“Things have been picking up a bit with the more favorable conditions,” he said.
All of the drainage and electrical infrastructure is complete, with light pole bases having been set in place. Concrete seating walls are finished; some sidewalk has been installed; and the food truck area is complete. Shade sails, signage, benches/receptacles, artificial turf and landscaping will be completed in the spring.
Further along is Riverside Park, located just southeast of the Main Street viaduct, which is about 90% finished, Mientkiewicz said. Finished components include the concrete canoe/kayak launch, parking area, walkways and restroom facility. The pavilion area is erected, but work remains to be done. Landscaping was mostly installed this past fall, and the nature-play playground is almost done. Benches and waste receptacles also remain to be installed.
“Both projects for Niles are well on their way to completion. We are waiting for the spring temps to rise to allow contractors to pour concrete,” said Kathy Zook, Appalachian Regional Commission program manager at Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.
Eastgate led the multijurisdictional grant application submitted in late 2023 that resulted in the $14.2 million being awarded to riverfront projects in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Projects in Warren, Youngstown, Struthers, Lowellville and Bristol Township were among the other local recipients of Wonderful Waterways funds announced in 2024.
The projects are intended to promote economic growth through downtown revitalization along area riverfronts and small communities, as well as investments in shoreline restoration, Zook said. The first project to be completed was the restoration of a bridge and trail improvements for the Western Reserve Greenway Bike Trail in Bristol, which was finished last October.
The remaining local projects are in various stages of development and are on track to be completed by October this year, as required by the program, Zook said. A related project funded with $250,000 from Niles’ riverfront grant, the renovation of the nearby Masonic Temple building, also is proceeding, she said.
According to Mientkiewicz, all of the planning and engineering work covered by the grant are completed, representing about 80% of that work. Another 20% of the planning work that’s outside the grant’s scope is in motion. Demolition work in the structure is done; water and sewer connections have been repaired; a roof has been installed; design/engineering for the space has been completed; and building permit plans have been reviewed and approved.
In late 2024, developer Dominic Gatta of Gatta Construction outlined plans to renovate the former temple, 22 W. Church St., to accommodate an approximately 4,000-square-foot kitchen incubator and an area nonprofit organization that would occupy the remaining space of the 28,000-square-foot building.
Potential spinoff activity city officials would like to see include outdoor recreation, retail and a restaurant/brewery located near the river or downtown area, said Bianca Rozenblad, planner/grant coordinator for the city. Some inquiries have been made regarding canoe and kayak rental and transportation services.
“The end game will be to have these services in each of the communities,” Mientkiewicz said. “We had always hoped that the ACGP-provided amenities will attract not only residents but visitors from surrounding areas, thus spurring additional economic development, especially in the downtown area, that aligns with our revitalization vision.”
Infrastructure upgrades taking place in conjunction with the Niles riverfront projects will include waterline replacements along Brown Street and 1st Street this spring and paving of the two streets in the summer, Rozenblad said.
Pictured at top: Niles Public Square is being constructed on the site of the demolished Robins Theatre.