NILES — The latest step in the city of Niles making its Downtown Riverfront Revitalization Project a reality took place Friday morning at the corner of South Main and West State streets.

Joined by government and business officials, Niles Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz made a ceremonial groundbreaking for the ongoing plan to make the downtown area a thriving space for locals and travelers.

“This is very exciting for the city of Niles. We are doing something unprecedented. This is something that the city has desired and that is needed in our community,” he said in his opening remarks. “I hope when this is all said and done, everyone can put Niles on a pedestal. Everyone sees the transformation not only in Niles, but also with all the other projects throughout the region. We’re very excited and very happy that Niles Public Square and Riverside Park are finally coming into fruition.”

Mientkiewicz credited the $3.5 million funding by the Appalachian Community Grant Program for enabling the project to happen.

The Niles Public Square will be on the grounds that, at one time, inhabited the Robins Theater, Reisman’s Store, Ward’s Costume Shop, a tattoo shop, offices for the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, a pool hall and offices of Attorney Curt Bogen.

Influenced in part on how Cleveland developed its public square by having a downtown park that features a cafe, a natural amphitheater and an ice skating rink, Mientkiewicz hopes that the spot in Niles will become an “urban entertainment area.” The vision for it matches citizen feedback in relation to what to do with the empty buildings.

He also mentioned a third component — the public-private partnership and how that corresponds with the revitalization. In particular, he highlighted the rehab and development of the Masonic Temple, which is being done by Dominic L. Gatta III, president of Gatta Construction LLC.

The initial portion of the project dealt with tearing down the structures that ran from the current McKinley Birthplace Home to the corner of Main and West.

Mientkiewicz thanked Jim Kinnick, Executive Director of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments; John Carey, Director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia; Kathy Zook, ARC Program Manager at Eastgate and MS Consultants for its design and planning of the project, as well as city staff and State Rep. Nick Santucci, R-Niles, who was unable to attend. Niles Planner / Grant Coordinator Bianca Rozenblad elaborated on the usage of the Niles Public Square as well as the adjoining project, Riverside Park. Plans call for spaces for food trucks, a stage for small performances or concerts and temporary seating, a permanent sculpture and noise dampening paneling.

“Our hope for this space is to spur economic development opportunities for downtown and social connection. This is going to be a public square for Niles. We have so many separate entities and businesses around us. This opportunity is going to allow people who work here to come down here. It’s going to be very nice to just get together and connect with people as well as residents throughout the day as well as those who haven’t been to Niles’ downtown. This could be an entertainment spot for people to now come into the downtown area,” Rozenblad said.

In addition to the public square, the Riverside Park canoe and kayak launch will be set up at the corner of First and Brown streets.

“The Mahoning Valley has an environment and nature that is untouched, that doesn’t compare to a number of areas throughout the country, and that, I think, has been untapped for a while. So, that makes me super excited about this overall project,” Rozenblad added.

She pointed out that it’s only an eight-minute walk or three-minute bike ride or one-minute drive from the square to the park. Besides a canoe and kayak launch, it will focus on nature with an educational outdoor pavilion, play furniture pieces and walking trails.

“That particular part reconnects us to the Mahoning River as well as indirectly to Mosquito Creek, where they meet in Niles. So, if individuals are kayaking down the Mahoning River, the goal is to go to Mosquito Creek as well. We’re working on other plans for Mosquito Creek that we’re hoping come to fruition in the future

“MS Consultants involvement in the River Opportunity Plan is going to allow more water recreation on the river, that is going to allow for more community quality of life and more economic development in our downtown area,” Mientkiewicz said.

Mike Danko, president of Trumbull Canoe Trails, said, “More river access is always a blessing, and something to celebrate” but remained concerned about the Girard dam limiting travel.

Eastgate Regional Council of Governments Executive Director Jim Kinnick explained that the Girard dam is planned for removal but because it is the “largest and most expensive to remove” that probably won’t happen for another two years at the earliest.

“We are working with the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio EPA in the process,” Kinnick said.

It will be one of nine total dams planned to be removed for easier access on the Mahoning River.

In regards to Friday’s event, Kinnick said, “The projects were supposed to be transformational and you put together a project that is transformational not only for Niles and Trumbull County but for our whole region.”

He added, “Niles is taking advantage of the river with the project today.”

Following the remarks from Kinnick, he joined Kevin Drozin (MS Consultants Engineer), Giovanne Merlo (Niles Auditor), Mientkiewicz, Rozenblad, Carey, Zook and Gatta for the ceremonial groundbreaking. With bulldozers on either side, the eight government and business officials dug in and tossed a shovel full of dirt.

While rules under the grant stipulate that the funds must be used by October of 2026, Mientkiewicz and Rozenblad anticipated that the project should be completed by the end of this year with an opening celebration set for spring of 2026.