By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MASON - A downtown entertainment district. An amphitheater with seating cut into a hillside. A series of parks scattered between existing buildings.

These are among the many ideas that Poggemeyer Design Group presented in the city's downtown revitalization during council's work session Monday evening.

"We kind of pride ourselves in that small-town feeling, but we've become a big town," Mayor John McCurley said. "But that downtown is still that small town, and we need to preserve that."

That could be done with an overarching theme such as "Mason Village" or "Olde Mason," said Charlene Kerr, principal owner of Poggemeyer, the Bowling Green firm hired in 2001 to complete the plan. The theme would be reflected in information and directional signs, gateways into downtown and the preservation of historical buildings.

It also would be seen in any new construction, include a proposed entertainment district. The area would be a focal point for artists-in-residence, sports bars and possibly a theater or arts center converted from an existing building, according to the plan.

An amphitheater, with seating cut into a hillside, could be built between downtown and the new municipal center, high school and community center on Mason Montgomery Road.

"The whole idea of the amphitheater is a gathering place between the new and the old," Ms. Kerr said. "But (the city) might not want an amphitheater. You might have a gazebo instead. It's the concept."

Other ideas include a bed and breakfast, several small parks, and a train depot. Burying the electric lines, additional street lights, wider sidewalks and having a brick "M" in the center of key intersections also would tie together the downtown area, the plan suggests.

To set the plan in motion, Ms. Kerr said it was "critical" for the city to hire a downtown manager to work with city officials, the Downtown Mason Revitalization Committee and downtown businesses.

Another key to revitalizing downtown will be drawing more pedestrian downtown and making vehicular traffic flow better, Ms. Kerr said. That could be done by rerouting truck traffic away to a downtown bypass or creating traffic circles at the intersections.

"We really need to slow the traffic down in order to make it more pedestrian friendly," Ms. Kerr said. "People who don't want to slow down and are in a hurry can take an alternative route."

Creating more parking lots and on-street spaces, as well as bike paths and walking trails, also were suggested.

Funding could come from community block grants, loans or economic development programs, Ms. Kerr said. The city should start applying for the money in September.

The first phase of improvements would focus between Reading Road and Mason Montgomery Road.

The city has discussed revitalizing downtown for several years, and in 1999 hired Linda Fitzgerald, president of Loveland-based LSR Consultants, to spearhead the project and oversee nearly 100 community volunteers who have been giving feedback for the plan.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com