BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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Gene Woelfel welcomes visitors to Othniel Looker House
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HARRISON -- The tale of this city becomes clear on a five-minute drive west on Harrison Road.
Strip malls and condos give way in town to rambling frame homes and old-fashioned shops where customers are known by their first names. Construction becomes renovation. Newcomers and passersby mingle with lifelong residents from their teens to their 90s. Harrison shifts from a road to a pike to an avenue. Ohio melts into Indiana. Old and new Harrison seem two towns from different eras. But, for now, the parts are united in a goal: Harrison, population about 7,500, wants to bring business and growth while remaining a typical small town.
"There's a lot of cooperation. That's one of those things that makes Harrison a unique place," said Councilman Walt "Coke" Powers. "We have an older Harrison recognizing and accepting the new people moving into the community."
For a while, there was competition.
Downtown merchants hungrily eyed interstate-bound traffic that made modern strip malls on "the hill" near Interstate 74 an instant success. The old heart of town fell silent in the late '80s and decades-old businesses closed. To stay afloat, Harrison Home Bakery -- known for its personal service and old-fashioned scratch goods -- opened a branch shop on the hill.
"When we came here (26 years ago), this was a real nice little self-contained town. Our business went up, up, up -- and then it stagnated," said bakery owner Dieter Noller.
In 1995, downtown entrepreneurs banded together and hired consultant Jerry Caruso to begin a "Main Street" program. Under his leadership -- and with contributions from local industry plus $25,000 per year from the city -- old buildings have been restored and new companies have opened.
The annual Celebration of the Arts and Christmas Walk events coordinated by the Main Street group attract droves of shoppers.
Downtown's revival
Mr. Noller closed his branch store that same year. The downtown shop is now filled with second- and third-generation residents as well as newcomers, drawn by his reputation and the free cookie offered to every child.
A few doors away, at Village Pharmacy, owner and pharmacist Jeff Biddle greets customers by name. His store was the first renovated under the Main Street program.
"Just that work on one building alone woke a lot of people up. It just snowballed from there," Mr. Caruso said. "When I first came here, the challenge was the perception that downtown Harrison was unsafe to shop in and there was nothing there. That has completely turned around."
Main Street Harrison tries to attract niche shops and personalized services. It does not directly compete with the chain supermarkets, discount and clothing stores on the hill.
"I think once upon a time there was some division and some rivalry. But now we all live together," said Mr. Biddle, who serves on the Harrison Planning Commission. "We don't want to sacrifice one end of town for the other. We need to keep the community whole."
Melding the two
Most residents spend time on both ends of town. But Mr. Biddle said some newcomers think the city business district ends at the bottom of the hill. And others stick to the older section.
"Personally, I prefer downtown. It has more charm to it than the helter-skelter of that Colerain Avenue-type place," Mr. Noller said. "But for the future, Harrison is on the right track. That's what people want -- 30 or 40 fast-food places. And that's what we've got."
City officials are working on widening roads and plan to revamp zoning and land-use plans this year.
"Unfortunately, some of the development has not been done in a way that's real flowing. It's kind of piecemeal," said Councilwoman Deborah Acra. "But I don't think we're too late to fix that. I think we can backpedal a bit and work with the business owners to change that."
Longtime links
Harrison has always been known for transportation and industry. There was the Harrison-Cincinnati toll pike of 1836. The Cincinnati-Whitewater Canal came through town two years later. The Cincinnati, Lawrenceburg & Aurora Traction Line carried passengers and cargo by rail from the turn of the century through the 1930s. Greyhound bus service began in 1926 and the Harrison Airport opened in 1947. Metro bus service to Cincinnati began about two months ago.
The city's oldest industry, Campbell Hausfeld foundry, has been joined over the years by JTM Provisions Co., Hubert Co. and Torbeck Industries.
Harrison just bought new water fields to supply residents and industry through 2020. It maintains its own sewage treatment center and utility company. There is a 1 percent income tax, and property tax rates are kept low.
"Money was put away over the years," said Mr. Powers. "We're using it now."
Southwest Local School District, which serves Harrison and four surrounding townships, is expecting 12 percent growth over five years. The November ballot will ask residents to approve a $20 million bond issue for new classrooms, a gymnasium and an auditorium. "This is not an area where we go back to people for money every two years," said Superintendent Kay Bowling. "But as the community grows, schools must respond. There are no options -- we're to that point."
The national award-winning school district is a major attraction for parents who have remained in or moved to the city.
"So long as we have the attitude that parents and volunteers and community are a part of our schools, and schools are a part of the community, we can maintain connectivity even with so many new members," Ms. Bowling said.
Lifelong residents Ann and Gene Woelfel, who helped found the Village Historical Society in 1961, delight in telling new residents and students about the area's history. The couple devoted years to moving and restoring the Othniel Looker Home, built in 1804 by the area's first official settler, who went on to become Ohio's fifth governor. They give tours to students as well as the general public.
"When we started work on the home (in 1961), people were beginning to be aware that we had to do something about these historic things and not just tear them down. We had to get rid of the slogan "Newer is better,' " Mrs. Woelfel said.
Children collect and trade cards bearing Harrison police officers' pictures and career statistics. Senior citizens sign up to have an officer visit them at home every day. Officer Mariann Duncan spends her days teaching and assisting at the junior and high schools.
Such efforts have helped residents move beyond the scandal of former Police Chief Thomas Keenan, who is awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting an employee.
"For a police department to survive in the 1990s, you actually have to form a partnership with the community," said Chief Chuck Lindsey.
That desire runs through the city's institutions. People continue to work together for their common success and to meet individual needs.
"I think all of the changes have occurred just because of life -- the growth and development and that sort of thing," Ms. Acra said. "But here in town, if someone dies, neighbors bring casseroles and pies to their home. If somebody needs to run an errand, someone will watch their kids for them.
"It's still that hometown kind of place."
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