New group looking to revitalize Shreve
A newly formed Shreve organization is desiring to revitalize the village and seek input from its residents.
“We just want people to share their dreams for Shreve,” said Chuck Visocky, one of nine members on the board of the Shreve Community Development Corporation, which formally came together in May after two years of networking with area leaders and community members.
The SCDC introduced itself with a float in Shreve’s Memorial Day Parade and will now talk about its vision when it hosts a free pancake breakfast on Saturday, June 26 at 9 a.m. at the Shreve United Methodist Church’s activity center.
“We’re trying to bring new life to a quaint rural community,” said Visocky, who owns He Brews in Shreve with his wife, Pat.
After renovating a Market Street building for the coffee shop three years ago, people started sharing their wishes for what they’d like to see in the community.
“People were telling us not to make He Brews a nice place,” Visocky said, “because it’s just Shreve.”
When customers witnessed what the family invested in the business, he said some actually cried. “They liked it and were so blessed by what they saw.”
It spurred Visocky, a certified business coach, to begin talking about what could be done to change the overall complexion of the village, working with its assets including its hardware store, armory, restaurant, library, grocery store, coffee shop, hotel and historical society, along with the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area and Brown’s Bog.
The corporation’s plan, he said, is to move forward with a unified approach, working with the community, village council, Triway Local Schools and Structural Building Components Association.
There are needs for some renovation and updates to some structures and finding a purpose for the Shreve Elementary School once it is emptied for a new one-campus structure, housing grades preschool through high school, to be constructed at the site of the current Triway high and junior high location.
“The SCDC isn’t a duplication of anything being done in Shreve. It’s meant to be a partnership,” Visocky said.
As a Triway teacher, Jenna Flinner brings an education background to the SCDC, but she also comes to the table as a mother of three children. “I want Shreve to be somewhere my kids can come home to and be proud of,” she said.
Having moved to Shreve 11 years ago, SCDC board member Brad Latimer, safety director for the Wooster Brush Co., said he sees the potential of what it could be. “I’m excited about what’s happening, and I can get behind that,” he said. “I’m deeply invested in the community.”
“There are good people in Shreve,” said board member Troy Miller, owner of Troy Miller Insurance in the village, “and there are a lot of opportunities here. We just need a vision.”
Visocky said the dreaming piece of the vision is important because dreams can become a reality. Up until now, he said there’s been no real vehicle for the community to share what they want.
Other SCDC board members are Jim Smail, Ron Grosjean, Renee Spencer, Chriss Steiner and Nate Schindewolf. Extended advisory board members are Josiah Martin, Tom Cooper and three to four additional members to be seated.
Flinner said she looks forward to the SCDC meetings and that they are refreshing and positive. “I leave here feeling good. I’m excited to come see what we’re going to do next,” she said.