July 14, 2005

By Diane Chiddister

The Winds Cafe. The Little Art Theatre. Walking in the Glen. Walking everywhere. A safe place to raise children. A vibrant arts community. The Antioch School. Stimulating people of diverse backgrounds and opinions. Tolerance for individual expression.

These are a few of the reasons villagers have chosen to live in Yellow Springs, according to the 30 people who attended a Monday night gathering sponsored by the advisory committee of the Community Information Project. Ron Schmidt, the chairman of the Information Project advisory committee, introduced the gathering as a time to provide input into the question of why Yellow Springs is a “special place to shop, work, live and learn.” The event was facilitated by Fred Bartenstein.

More than any other single aspect, participants at the meeting expressed appreciation for Yellow Springs’ sense of community.

“I am sustained by the marvelous conversations I have downtown,” said Don Hollister, who said he knows a Columbus man who visits the village just to sit on a bench and take in “the feeling of community.” Another man, from Lebanon, visits Yellow Springs to listen in on downtown conversations, Hollister said.

Ven Adkins said that he and his wife, Ellen, knew they had chosen the right place to live shortly after they moved here in 1984 when their neighbors gathered at the annual Halloween bonfire. “It brought people together,” he said.

Yellow Springs’ racial diversity was cited by several as a powerful draw. Miami Township trustee Mark Crockett said that for he and his wife, Gail Zimmerman, the decision to raise their children in Yellow Springs was based on feeling that “here, being a biracial couple is a non-issue. Somewhere else, it’s an issue.”

Karen Wintrow said that her son, who has been raised in Yellow Springs, “doesn’t see race when he sees people. I can’t think of another place where that would have happened.”

Several participants who moved here from urban areas cited Yellow Springs’ safety as a reason to live here.

Others, such as Suzanne Clauser, expressed appreciation for villagers’ support for each other’s talents. For instance, she said, she felt valued as a television writer even when most of her friends didn’t watch TV or even own one. “You’re free here to do just what you want. It’s a great gift,” she said.

But how to get more people to live, work, shop or learn in Yellow Springs?

The Community Information Project, which Schmidt said grew out of the Yellow Springs Community Forums, seeks to attract new residents, to strengthen existing workplaces and attract new ones, to increase visitation for shopping and recreation, and to strengthen local learning institutions, according to Schmidt.

He said that the project’s advisory committee would use the suggestions provided by the meeting’s participants, though he noted that the group did not know specifically how.

The Information Project was started last year by the Yellow Springs Men’s Group and was initially called Balancing the Scales.

To attract new residents, Yellow Springs needs to offer a broader range of housing choices, including more homes for middle-income families, Len Kramer said. Keeping rents reasonable so that young people can move here is also critical, Hollister said.

“Council could do a better job seeking developers who create a wide range of choices,” Clauser said. “Many of our teachers can’t afford to live here.”

Yellow Springs would be more welcoming if downtown were more accessible to people who ride in wheelchairs, several said, and others stated that public transportation to nearby towns could also heighten Yellow Springs’ desirability.

Noting that many at the meeting first visited Yellow Springs through an arts event, several participants suggested that the community offer more arts and cultural activities as well as support those already offered.

Several participants suggested the need to increase outsiders’ awareness about Yellow Springs as a good place to visit and live. An effective Web site would help, along with taking greater advantage of existing channels of communication, such as the WYSO Web site, some said. Filmmaker Patti Dallas suggested that the village make a DVD showcasing its qualities.

Yellow Springs also needs to address outsiders’ negative myths about the village as well as the village’s negative realities, several said. Specifically, several participants said that Yellow Springs is perceived as being permissive about drug use, a perception that can keep families away or cause local families to send their children to schools outside the village.

“Why are they sending their kids out of town? Because they’re afraid of the drug scene,” Clauser said.

To attract new businesses, participants suggested that the village identify desirable businesses and aggressively recruit them, and Krista Magaw suggested making special efforts to recruit businesses that use environmentally sustainable practices. Fran Rickenbach suggested that making the village wireless would be enticing to both businesses and residents, and Phyllis Schmidt pointed out the need to identify or create spaces to house new businesses. Wintrow said that she would like to see more “cross-promotion” between local businesses and arts events, such as restaurants and the YS Kids Playhouse.

In addition, some said that the village needs an effective support system for existing businesses.

“We need to develop a stronger, more vibrant Chamber of Commerce,” said Ven Adkins, who also suggested that Yellow Springs could benefit from a business -incubator.

Pat Murphy, the executive director of Community Service, Inc., which is focusing on the issue of peak oil, suggested that the Village identify emerging national issues, such as the energy crisis, and take a proactive response for new businesses.

“We should identify opportunities we can spot coming and position ourselves for that,” he said.

To attract new shoppers and visitors, participants suggested offering more parking, extended store hours and more benches downtown. A visual and performing arts center also would draw more visitors, said Beth Holyoke, a member of the Yellow Springs Arts Council.

Kramer said the village could use a “first-class hotel” downtown, and another participant suggested that the hotel include a spa, which hearkens back to Yellow Springs’ history as a spa and resort town. Magaw, the executive director of Tecumseh Land Trust, suggested that the community market “agra-tourism and eco-tourism” events to out-of-towners.

The recent cleanup of the “pocket park” between the Senior Center and The Emporium has created a new “conversation point” downtown, said Murphy, who suggested that downtown could use more similar spaces for both visitors and residents. And Mills Lawn School student Jake Hardman suggested that Yellow Springs needs a good candy store.

Improved public transportation could attract new learners to Yellow Springs’ many educational institutions, several said, and Council member Jocelyn Hardman saw a need for creating new conference facilities.

Megan Quinn suggested making greater efforts to attract international students to schools in Yellow Springs, and others suggested that the community increase publicity about the many quality educational opportunities here, from the Antioch School to Antioch University McGregor. Rickenbach suggested that Yellow Springs open a cooking school, and others suggested that a performing arts center could offer classes for the visual and performing arts.

Holyoke said the village needs to keep in mind that it wants to attract people who take an active role in the community.

“It’s not just new residents we want,” she said. “We want new citizens.”