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ZANESVILLE — A joint gateway project between the City of Zanesville and Muskingum County Convention Facilities Authority could transform the main entrance to downtown Zanesville.
The area around the Zanesville-Muskingum County Welcome Center and Secret Auditorium could become a new entertainment district, with an improved auditorium and a new fairground and restaurant on the Welcome Center grounds.
Each entity will develop a portion of the project, with CFA’s work centered on the area around the Welcome Center and the urban portion centered on the Secret Auditorium.
“We’re considering a project around the Welcome Center,” said Mike Bennett, a board member for the Muskingan County Convention Facilities Authority. With other projects in the city center underway, he said, now is the right time to start looking for development properties, including the former Ohio Electric garage on Fourth Street.
The project will include renovations to garages, upgrades to electrical systems and other amenities to make the building more attractive to potential tenants. The board is also looking for a long pavilion in the welcome center parking lot that will provide a covered space for vendors or presentations during various events. The landscaping will be “a better, more aesthetically pleasing, more functional gateway to the city centre,” Bennett said.
The pavilion project will result in the demolition of the portion of Elberron Avenue connecting Fifth and Fourth Streets. Sidewalks will replace roads, and removing them will free up more space around the pavilion area.
The Secret Auditorium car park, already a busy place this summer hosting various events including a summer concert series, will be remodeled by the city with landscaping and other improvements. This work will be funded by a $50,000 Ohio State budget allocation.
To make Secrest itself a better venue, Zanesville Mayor Don Mason wants to see a new pre-event venue added to the south side of the building, allowing for a larger lobby and entryway.
“We’re still planning, but are determined to continue with renovations to provide a better experience,” he said. The improvements will also make the building more ADA-friendly and more accessible to older residents and those with health needs.
“This is a great historic building that needs to be refurbished to encompass all the kinds of events that artists and entertainers would like to have there,” he said.
The former Ohio Electric garage has three sections, two of about 1,800 square feet and a larger section in the middle of about 4,000 square feet. CFA bought it in the late 1990s, Bennett said. “We’re looking at how to develop the property in a way that benefits downtown Zanesville and takes people off the interstate and into the city’s central business district.
“We reached out to some local restaurant operators,” Bennett said. So the board is reviewing the proposal and starting negotiations. “Hopefully we can have a tenant in the next few months.”
A new restaurant will be the focal point of the entertainment district and help build momentum for the rest of the city center, Mason said. With residents eating out in surrounding areas like Newark, Cambridge or Coshocton, “millions of dollars leave our town every year,” Mason said. “We can build this area and make Zanesville more lively and fun again.” In addition to the former AEP garage’s potential tenant, another downtown restaurant is expected to be announced soon, Mason said. Say.
Bennett said he expects renovations to begin in the first quarter of next year, with all tenant improvements completed by the end of 2023 and the new business opening in early 2024. The pavilion project will be completed within the same time frame, he said.
Although still in the design phase, an early estimate of the total cost of the CFA portion of the project was about $3.5 million, Bennett said. This includes building renovations, pavilion construction and the demolition of Elberon Avenue.
With bed taxes starting to increase after COVID-19, and years of operating frugally, “our financial position is very strong,” he said. “Whether we’re funding the rest with savings or financing, I’m confident we’ll be able to handle the entire project, especially since we’ve received two very generous grants from both local foundations and state participation.”
CFA received a $500,000 grant from the Straker Foundation and a $250,000 grant from the Rogge Foundation.
“We’re excited,” Bennett said. “I think it fits very well with the overall momentum in the city centre.”
ccrook@gannett.com
740-868-3708
Social Media: @crookphoto
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