By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MIDDLETOWN - Everything old is new again today as city officials invite people back downtown to unveil a reborn central business district after a two-year, $13 million renovation project to dismantle the old City Centre Mall.

"This has been a long time coming," said Mayor David Schiavone. "Two years ago, the city decided to rebuild downtown. I'm hoping everyone will remember Dec. 14, 2002, for a long time as the day we began to rebuild downtown."

The dismantling of the once cavernous and largely abandoned mall was seen by city leaders as key to reviving the long, largely dormant city core that had lost business in recent years to Middletown's growing eastern sector, which has easy access to Interstate 75.

Mr. Schiavone said the city leaders' decision to fund the $13 million rebuilding project, which opens downtown streets once closed by the mall, is key to Middletown's economic future.

"City Council should be congratulated for stepping up on this project, and this is the end result," he said of the retro-themed streets, retail and office fronts.

They replace the troubled mall, which had begun to decline only a few years after opening in 1975. Business and residential migration eastward out of downtown hastened the mall's demise.

The celebration is open to the public at no charge - except for carriage rides. Initially the crowd will be lined up along Central Avenue - from Verity Parkway to Main Street - to view the parade, which begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and formal dedication at Central Avenue and Main Street.

Residents will then be encouraged to wander the new downtown streets and storefronts to enjoy free snacks, hot chocolate, punch and coffee served by city staffers. Theatre and musical groups will perform, and the Middletown Historical Society will have a display of the city's past.

Santa Claus is also expected to make an appearance.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com