Folks in Jamestown have a plan to lure a few hundred of thousands of people who pass through their fair town on the way to Pymatuning Lake into stopping for a spell and spending some money.

"Jamestown's major industry is going to be tourism," said Mayor Esther McClimans told Jamestown Area Development Association, or JADA, at the organization's monthly meeting Thursday. Jamestown, she said, is building an identity for itself as "The Gateway to the Pymatuning."

To help build that identity, the borough's downtown is undergoing a revitalization, based on the recommendations of a state study funded by Community Development Block Grants in 2002.

"We're not going to force everyone downtown to go Victorian," said Mrs. McClimans, "because, apart from the Gibson house, Jamestown's not really Victorian."

Members of the organization, which is headed by attorney Bart Jones, echoed that, saying the ideal Jamestown would be transformed into a "Cape Cod-y, Adirondack Lodge-type" of resort town.

The results of the state study, Mrs. McClimans said, would be announced soon. The state, she said looked at economic and demographic factors, the surrounding area and the types of activities in the area. A vision statement will also be announced, she said.

In the meantime, Mrs. McClimans discussed a few strategies that might be used in the downtown revitalization effort.

These strategies include freshening up downtown store fronts and facades, marketing Jamestown to the rest of the region and diversifying the types of shops and goods offered downtown.

"We're not going to change the way it looks," Mrs. McClimans said. "You have to get people to like your town as it is. It's not just making it look beautiful, it's getting people to stop and spend some money."

Mrs. McClimans discussed methods of getting people to stop in downtown Jamestown, such as extending the sidewalks out at the intersections to make it appear as if the street narrowed, which would force people to slow down.

"And then, once they slow down, we'll have to attract their interest," she said.

That includes a possible town clock and information center, eye-catching merchandise in storefronts, unified signage throughout the downtown and decorative lampposts.

The mayor said once the plans are announced, the next challenge will be to get state grants to fund the revitalization project. She hinted she might be calling on several members of the Jamestown community to donate their time and effort to helping the project along.

"This is a project that needs full community support," she said.

In anticipation of the revitalization project, JADA decided to hold off on buying new Christmas lights until they could see if new decorations for the winter holiday season could be purchased through grant money.

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