Thursday, October 27, 2016

2 The Johnstown Breeze

One town, two identities

By Zant Reyez
The Johnstown Breeze

Editors note: This is the final

story in a series about the development of the 2534 area in
northern Johnstown.
JOHNSTOWN Like day and
night, Johnstown has two identities.
The night is old town,
with Parish Avenue nestled in
historic downtown Johnstown,
where the ambiance is like a
summer evening in July, laying
in a truck bed on a county road
as critters chatter in the distance.
Johnstowns new day sits
ten miles to the north of the
heart of the town in the 2534
area, where the critter chatter is
made by construction machinery and rush hour traffic.
Big name stores, luxurious
apartments, a whole new Johnstown, are being constructed
away from the heart of the
community.
Even though the name of
Johnstown is attached to the
area, its distance keeps it at bay
from the goings on, the tradition, of historic Johnstown.
As the future of the area and
the town emerges faster than
vehicles on Interstate 25, it
poses questions of how do
services like the Johnstown Police Department and the Front
Range Fire Rescue District

reach there? How do businesses in main Johnstown entice

residents in Thompson River
Ranch and the other subdivisions to make the 15-minute
drive into the heart of Johnstown, when theyre in equal
driving distance to big-brand
named stores?
How does it all come together?
You have mentioned one
of my three largest challenges
as a mayor, responded Johnstown Mayor Scott James,
when asked how he and the
council plan on getting these
two areas of town to see each
as one.
The challenge is (getting)
the people who live up there (in
2534), and a lot of the businesses up there, to understand
that they are a part of Johnstown and exactly what that
means.
Come together
I always knew we were in
Johnstown, Michelle Diaz, a
resident of Thompson River
Ranch, said.
Diaz and her family, originally from Orange County, California, have lived in town for a
year after a brief stop in Firestone. She said she and her
family researched Johnstown,
and like many, wanted that
homey feeling small towns foster.
She and her husband work
in Loveland and Fort Collins,

and 2534 provides a convenience for them for commuting.

The distance from Parish Avenue, however, doesnt keep
her from coming into old town
to grocery shop or mosey
around. She said she encourages her neighbors to venture
out to explore all the aspects
South Johnstown has, but the
responses she hears are ones
James and the council are also
hearing as the area blooms.
There is a general unawareness of whats there (in
South Johnstown), Diaz said.
I think people just think Oh,
its just old down there, so
there isnt really anything there
for me.
I really dont get a lot of
information locally. I didnt
even know there was a (local)
newspaper, she said.
Diaz was just one of many
residents shielding their eyes
under an abnormally hot Saturday, Oct.8, sun during a rendezvous out there aimed
mainly to get local businesses
new cliental.
John Soricelli, JohnstownMilliken Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, labeled getting businesses in
north and south Johnstown to
come together as a challenge.
He called the rendezvous a big
step in the right direction, not
only in terms of gaining exposure, but also providing an opportunity for residents in 2534

to acquaint themselves with

their town officials.
If youre sitting in their
chair, Soricelli said of 2534
residents: OK, gee, I can see
Loveland literally from where I
am. Im just going to go over
here. So, to be able to get them
to know and (get that) awareness of what we got going on
down here, thats a big step.
Dr. Brad Cranwell of Connected Chiropractic was one of
just two businesses from South
Johnstown in attendance.
Cranwell said he saw a few
of his clients roaming around at
the rendezvous, learning they
lived in the area, but didnt
have a concrete answer as to
how to sell residents in the area
to make the 15-minute drive into the older part of town, only
saying its in the best interest
for business owners to utilize
events like the rendezvous.
Its just about getting out,
he said. I mean you cant just
sit in your office and expect
new patients to show up, or
new clients or customers. You
gotta get out.
Soricelli pointed to the relationship forged between the
chamber and Johnstown for
creating a genesis bridging the
gap between businesses in both
parts of Johnstown, and more
events like Oct. 8 are happening, like the Oct. 26 mayor
meet up. The latter event was
a chance to have James hear
questions from business owners in both areas of town.
I think part of it is that the
businesses that are there
(south) have to reach out (to
us), Kevin Lemasters, a
Thompson River Crossing resident of three years, said. You
know, the community itself,
whether its through the city,
through the chamber, really has
to reach out and give us (here)
a personal invite.
Regardless of their location
in Johnstown, the reality when
it comes to consumers is with
S c h e e l s , St a r b u c k s , E t h a n
Allen and other big-name businesses down in 2534, those
businesses dont have to be
sold to people: Consumers will
venture to them simply because
of familiarly.
Mayor James said council
and the chamber arent selling
small town living. Rather, both
parties are offering a look at
the intricacies the old town
offers. This offering, to him, is
another way businesses in town
can bring awareness to their establishment.
Hey, youre in Johnstown
and heres what Johnstowns

about, James said. A lot of

people will say I want to experience that. And that fun event
they (Johnstown) have planned
on a Friday or Saturday night,
Im going to take my kids there
cause that sounds like fun.
That will open their eyes to
whats down here.
As dirt gets dug into, as
steel beams stake their claim in
Johnstown, waiting to support
another big business, the
thought of if the masses will
flock to 2534 to shop and
forego the mom and pop stores
in downtown Johnstown may
arise.
Johnstown Councilmember
Troy Mellon doesnt foresee a
time when downtown Johnstown goes the way of a ghost
town, rather he views it as a
way for downtown to exude
what James, Diaz and Soricelli
all see: small town living.
Nothing stays the same,
Mellon stated. Things either
have to adapt or they die.
Supporting Mellons belief
of downtown remaining viable
as establishments like Parrys
Pizzeria & Bar, Sprint, Big
Daddys Burgers, another hotel, more upscale apartments
and housing look to enter 2534
down the road is keeping
downtown vibrant and exuding
a small town feel.
Johnstown Town Planner
John Franklin said town officials are receiving more and
more positive remarks on the
look and feel of the downtown,
generating a word-of-mouth
about it.
And the reality is that the
development to the north is
helping fund the revitalization
of downtown.
In 2007, the downtown improvement plan began, with
completion coming last year. It
was completed under the $2.2
million dollar budget.
Its become more and more
of a place to notice and to say
Hey, you know, lets go to a
restaurant, walk down the sidewalk and take advantage of the
ambience, Franklin said. It
is a cycle. If you create the basis for businesses to thrive, and
(have) people be interested in
downtown, then they will
come. And then, hopefully, the
businesses recognize that and
start that cycle of growth.
But the biggest road to travel toward getting residents to
the two areas of town is literally a road to travel on. Theres
no direct access from south and
north and vice versa, with resiSee 2534 on page 6