GRIFFITH | The Town Council on Tuesday envisioned a revitalized downtown with a new streetscape and new businesses occupying all vacant buildings.

"The downtown has been neglected for many years," said council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.

The council held a first reading on an ordinance to create a Downtown Revitalization Committee to work with the Redevelopment Commission.

The new panel will have five members with one-year terms.

"It would be great if some Griffith citizens and business owners would come forward to sit on this committee," Ryfa said, adding applicants should send a resume or letter to the council.

The committee will determine the geographic limits of the revitalization area, probably including the 100 block of South Broad Street and the 100 to 200 blocks of North Broad, Ryfa said.

The board will determine if the area should include the south side of the Canadian National Railway tracks.

The new streetscape would include street lights, landscaping and possible facades for the storefronts, said George Jerome, R-2. The committee will try to secure funding for the project.

Ryfa said the committee will study whether a South Shore station would fit the long-term plans for the downtown.

If the proposed South Shore extension takes place, it will use the CN tracks across Broad south of Main Street, town officials said.

The committee probably will be created in two weeks and have its first meeting in March. The project will not leave the drawing board for a couple of years, but now is the time to begin planning, council members said.