The city of Chillicothe and Main Street Chillicothe, along with DREAM team representatives kicked off the DREAM Initiative for downtown Chillicothe with an inaugural celebration Monday night at the Livingston County Library. Patrick Hanlon, representative of GAV Urban Consultants, began the presentation by explaining that the DREAM Initiative provides select communities access to technical and financial support. The initiative targets communities like Chillicothe that are taking a comprehensive approach in downtown revitalization. He went on to say that the investment and community support in Chillicothe already exists.

Kim Martin, representing Missouri Development Finance Board, was also present and will act as a bridge between all parties in the downtown revitalization project. Mark Kiesling, Missouri Department of Economic Development, stated that DED's goal was to develop a long-term relationship through the DREAM project. He also spoke about a revolving loan fund that will help with the cost of improvement projects. He stated that one of DED's main goals was to preserve the historical architecture and feel of downtown Chillicothe.

Rachel Davis, Missouri Housing Development Commission, talked about the programs offered in order for revitalization plans to progress. HeRO, home repair opportunity is one of those programs. It looks at the demographics of an area to better access what changes need to be made. She also stated that Chillicothe's housing study will take place in June or July of this year  and will take around five weeks to complete. She also spoke about the Home Repairs Program, which is a grant that gives homeowners in the demographic area $20,000 to bring their homes up to city code. First Place Loan Program will be available for first time homebuyers, in which 3 percent of the value of the home is given to owners to beautify their home. A trust fund program will be set aside for non-for-profit organizations to help with homelessness and low-income.

The panel addressed questions from the crowd dealing with the issue of parking, which was identified as a major concern in the downtown area. Questions were also raised about the modification of buildings to increase usefulness of the second stories. Community members also wanted to know what the revitalization project would do for the individual business. Hanlon explained that each business owner would have the opportunity to to provide input toward their wants and needs for each building. He also stated that the business owner's visions will be incorporated into the overall plan.

The panel of representatives explained that the downtown revitalization project will be a long-term commitment and that even after the three-year DREAM Initiative contract is up, that DREAM will be around to continue the efforts towards a more beautiful and functional downtown Chillicothe. For more information on the DREAM Initiative. visit www.dream.mo.gov.