Paul Cervenak and Sue McGinnis are the latest additions of the Oxford Community Development Authority board.
The pair was appointed by council Tuesday to fill the seats vacated by Roger Knapp and village Manager Mark Slown.
Knapp resigned his seat in early September while Slown voluntarily relinquished his status as a voting member with council approval.
The manager continues to serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member.
Cervenak will replace Slown. His term expires in 2007.
An Oxford Township resident since March 2001, Cervenak is employed as the Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Shooltz Realty at 932 S. Lapeer Rd.
“I’ve got a lot of vitality and interest, both at a personal and business level, to make sure Oxford is the best it can be,” said Cervenak referring to his new position.
Part of Cervenak’s motivation to join the OCDA stems from the fact that Coldwell Banker Shooltz Realty plans to move its Oxford office out of the township and into the village.
The company purchased the house at 110 S. Washington St. with plans to tear it down and construct a new office building, Cervenak explained.
“When that plan became apparent several months ago, I decided it was even more imperative that I become involved in the community,” he said.
As a real estate professional, Cervenak said he understands that the success of his business is linked to the downtown’s overall health.
A former Rochester resident, Cervenak said he would like to see Oxford Village look to the thriving city as a “model” and “try to bring whatever it can” from that example to its downtown.
“I see the potential for (Oxford’s) downtown to be developed into a very cultural, shopper-friendly, merchant-friendly environment,” he said.
Right now, downtown Oxford suffers from the “same curse” as downtown Romeo, both have one main road running through them to the north and south coupled with east and west sides “limited in terms of development,” Cervenak explained.
This layout resulted in Romeo’s repeated failures to “sustain a downtown merchant environment,” he said.
For that reason, expanding commercial development along East and West Burdick St. is “critical” to downtown Oxford’s future, Cervenak stated.
Adding commercial developments along Pontiac or Mechanic streets were other possibilities mentioned by Cervanek.
Representing the average resident’s point-of-view on OCDA will be McGinnis, who replaces Knapp. Her appointment expires in 2005.
McGinnis’ motivation to join the OCDA, for which she’s been doing volunteer work since the summer, sprang from her desire to make a difference in the community.
“I just want to be able to contribute something to the community because it’s my home,” said the Pleasant St. resident, who’s lived in the village since 1997. “I want to contribute something, not just sit back and complain.”
Safeguarding the downtown’s appearance is a top priority with McGinnis.
“I’m personally interested in the design and architecture (of the buildings) and maintaining that,” she said. “ I would like to see us maintain our historic heritage.”