Ashland Mayor Matt Miller Shares Community Updates Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
ASHLAND, Ohio — With St. Patrick’s Day festivities right around the corner, Ashland Mayor Matt Miller shared several updates with ACP News this week, including details about the city’s popular “Turning the Creek Green” celebration, progress on redevelopment projects, and upcoming community initiatives.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Set for March 14
Ashland’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration will take place Saturday, March 14, beginning at 11 a.m. at Foundation Plaza. Mayor Miller is encouraging residents of all ages to come downtown wearing green or their favorite Irish-themed attire.
The event will begin with entertainment at Foundation Plaza, including community cloggers, the returning Mirror Man, and the Amazing Giants. Once the festivities begin, participants will be led by an area bagpiper and the city’s “kilt brigade” in a short parade down Main Street to Corner Park, where the official creek-dyeing will take place.
The ceremony to turn Town Creek green is expected to happen around 11:45 a.m.
This year’s event will also feature a special role for local youth. Thirteen children, selected as winners of a recent St. Patrick’s Day coloring contest, will help Mayor Miller and his wife pour the dye that transforms the creek.
Although the celebration is held a few days before the holiday, the creek will be dyed again on March 17, allowing visitors enjoying Ashland’s restaurants, pubs, and downtown businesses to see the festive display on St. Patrick’s Day itself.
When asked if he would be wearing a kilt during the celebration, Miller joked that while others will be dressed in traditional Scottish attire, he has chosen a different St. Patrick’s Day outfit.
“You’ll just have to come to the parade to see what it looks like,” he said with a laugh.
Arthur Street School Demolition Moving Forward
The mayor also addressed questions circulating in the community about the long-vacant Arthur Street School building.
According to Miller, the structure has been abandoned for several years and has continued to deteriorate despite multiple attempts by developers to repurpose it.
Several groups explored converting the building into apartments or condominiums, but each proposal ultimately fell apart due to the high cost of renovations.
“It costs a small fortune to repurpose an old building like that,” Miller explained. “Developers have looked at it and each one has said it would take far too much money to save.”
Residents living near the building have repeatedly expressed concerns that it has become a public safety hazard, prompting the city to work with the Ashland County Land Bank to obtain ownership of the property.
The city has negotiated with the bank holding the lien on the property to purchase it at a reduced cost. Once ownership is finalized, officials plan to pursue state grant funding for demolition, which is expected to cost around $200,000 or more.
The long-term goal is to clear the site and eventually redevelop the land into housing.
Pump House District Continues Transforming Downtown
Meanwhile, the Pump House District redevelopment project continues to reshape the landscape near downtown Ashland.
Mayor Miller said the project’s new three-story apartment buildings are already altering the skyline when entering the downtown area.
“Where we used to see desolation, now you look through and see these marvelous tall buildings going up,” Miller said.
Alongside the apartments, the historic Pump House office building is being renovated and converted into a hotel. While progress has been steady, Miller noted that older structures often present unexpected challenges.
“Every other day they’re discovering something new that needs repaired before they can move forward,” he said.
Despite those hurdles, developers remain committed to the project, which is expected to be completed within the coming months.
Former Chamber Building to Be Demolished
Another downtown structure slated for demolition is the former Chamber of Commerce building located across from City Hall.
The building, which once served as a bank and later housed the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, has experienced numerous structural issues, including roof, plumbing, and HVAC problems.
City officials determined that renovating the building was not financially practical. Instead, the city secured a grant to demolish the structure and start fresh.
In the short term, the property will be used to expand public parking downtown, though city leaders believe the highly visible location could eventually attract new business development.
New Public Transit Headquarters Coming
The City of Ashland also recently received more than $2.1 million in federal funding to build a new public transit headquarters.
Currently, the transit office operates out of a small space in the lower level of City Hall, while vehicles occupy much of the municipal parking lot.
The new 14,500-square-foot facility will be built on property already purchased at the corner of Union and Third Street, near the Council on Aging and behind the city’s Central Fire Station.
The building will allow the city to relocate its transit offices and store, clean, and maintain transit vehicles indoors and out of the elements.
Construction could begin later this spring.
Spring Cleanup Scheduled for April
Mayor Miller also reminded residents that the city’s annual Spring Cleanup program will return beginning the first week of April.
The program allows residents to place large household items at the curb for pickup at no cost. The city divides Ashland into zones and collects materials according to a scheduled rotation.
Residents are encouraged to check the City of Ashland website or Facebook page for the zone map and specific dates for their neighborhood.
A Busy Season Ahead
With a packed calendar of celebrations, redevelopment projects, and community services, Miller said the coming months will be an exciting time for Ashland.
“There’s a lot going on in our community,” he said. “And we hope everyone will come downtown and enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day celebration with us.”
Residents planning to attend Saturday’s event are encouraged to arrive early, bundle up for cooler temperatures, and join the parade as Ashland once again turns Town Creek green.
Shout-out
I would like to give a huge shout-out to Bill Harris Dealerships for sponsoring the monthly updates with Ashland Mayor, Matt Miller. this will help to ensure that Ashland County Pictures (ACP) will be able to continue serving the Ashland area with breaking news and up to date information.
https://www.facebook.com/billharrischevy
https://www.facebook.com/BillHarrisCDJR
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