Lack of

City officials were hopeful that Cincinnati State Middletown would give downtown a revitalization boost by increasing foot traffic when it opened last August.

And while hundreds have taken classes at the campus and several businesses have since opened, some students said besides coming downtown for school-related needs, many don’t hang around before or after class.

“There’s not a place for students to just go,” said Joseph Cox, a Cincinnati State student from Middletown.

Though he tries to get classmates to hang out at Java Johnny’s, a five-minute drive east of downtown, Cox said some would rather go home.

“I know a lot of us, as soon as class is over, we just leave, going elsewhere, back to our homes,” said Cox, who usually eats at home for lunch instead of bringing food back to campus. “If there was something close to here, I’d stay here and study while I eat.”

There are four restaurants downtown — Sally’s Liberty Restaurant, Mockingbirds inside the Pendleton Art Center, @ the Square and the newly opened Stained 1054 Bistro.

“I just think they need more variety of options, of things to do to keep people occupied,” said Violet Day, who is a 21-year-old mother studying to be a medical administration assistant.

Having Cincinnati State Middletown in downtown, which is the first community college in Butler County, “was one of the best possible things” for the area, she said. But there’s not much for her generation to do downtown, she said.

Retail shopping, a few more restaurants, and possibly a coffee or smoothie shop were some ideas that students said would likely get them to come downtown before class, or stay in between or after class.

As Cincinnati State Middletown enters its summer programming, it has achieved the new student goals for the 2012-13 school year.

School officials wanted to have at least 200 new students enrolled at Cincinnati State Middletown by now, the end of the second semester. The community college opened in August with more than 350 total students, of which 211 were first-time Cincinnati State students. When the second semester started, of the 400 total students enrolled, 166 were new students. The goal was 150.

The summer semester starts on May 6 and as of April 17, the school has already reached its goal of 100 new students taking classes.

“It would be great if someone had a coffee shop and some of the ancillary shops that the students, staff and faculty could have access and is convenient to the campus,” said Cincinnati State Middletown spokeswoman Monetta Pennington.

Student Rita Clayton, a mother of three, including a fellow student at Cincinnati State Middletown and student at Middletown High School, believes the Broad Street Bash, the downtown summer concert series that starts next month, would attract people downtown year-round if it was year-round.

“They need to have something, some kind of entertainment,” said the Atlanta native and Middletown resident. “People like entertainment.”

She also wouldn’t mind seeing “something for your kids.”

“We need something for the kids in Middletown period between the ages of 13 and 16,” she said. “They’re not old enough to work, but too old for child care. If we could find something for them to do, that would be great. They have a big population for teens with nothing to do. It would keep them out of trouble.”

But one issue that needs to be addressed is communication, as illustrated by student Rebecca Bernhardt, of Fairfield Twp., who was one of 166 new students that enrolled for the spring 2013 semester.

“I don’t know really what’s down here,” she said.

Bernhardt said the campus information board highlights some things, and student deals at some areas, but outside of that, downtown Middletown is unfamiliar to her.

Downtown Middletown Inc. Executive Director Patrick Kay said more restaurants with student-friendly pricing, more retail locations and entertainment options are in the works for downtown. But there is more to do in downtown Middletown than people think.Enlighten us please....

The word probably hasn’t been effectively communicated to those students, he said. A downtown brochure featuring things to do is in the works, and Kay said he would like to set up a “welcome back” event for Cincinnati State students before the 2013 fall semester starts in August.

“We’re starting to get more and more,” said Kay. “I can’t tell you more than that. We’re in talks for a couple more places to come downtown.”Cant say cos your so full of it.

Kay said his group is doing “the best we can to recruit some of those businesses down here,” and many of the things the students want “is just going to take some time.” .....What the hell are you smoking? We will be hearing this in another 10 years.

“Those things will come, those things will happen,” he said. “It’s something that can’t happen overnight. It’s a lot of time, it’s a lot of money.”Money? Havent you heard Mr.Kay,ask nicely and the "Spineless Ones"will some how,someway get you the money.They seem to find it when they say this town is broke.

Someone please shake . Executive Director Patrick Kay to wake him and the "SPINELESS ONES" up.Be a cold day in hell before anyone just hangs out downtown.Why would they?To smell the sewage Gases or stroll down a couple of blocks to be fascinated by the soon to come historical lighting that WE the taxpayers will be paying for? Taxpayers are getting fed up with the lies.