A project developed by Main Street Ottumwa and the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation will soon have the downtown sporting a new and improved look.     Beginning next week, new trash receptacles and benches will be installed in the downtown core.  Currently, the downtown contains a mish-mash of trash cans in various shapes, colors and sizes and very limited seating opportunities. The new items will be of the same color and design, which will give the downtown a much more coordinated, appealing and inviting look.  The project also calls for an increase in the number of receptacles downtown.  “A common complaint of downtown business owners pertains to trash left on the sidewalks,” stated Main Street Ottumwa director Fred Zesiger.  “With the increased number of cans that will be installed throughout it will be much easier to keep the area clean.”  This project has been made possible thanks to the generosity of Ottumwa Rotary, the Fahrney Foundation and Legacy, who have all provided grants to purchase the new receptacles and benches.  The new items will be installed by the City of Ottumwa over the next several weeks.  City staff have made it a priority to have the new items in place before RAGBRAI and the Babe Ruth World Series so that visitors to the events can enjoy the new amenities.   “These improvements will make a significant difference in the look and feel of downtown and are only the first step to a comprehensive streetscape plan currently being developed,” stated Kelly Genners, ORLF VP of Programs.  “We have secured Gēnus Landscape Architects to identify other opportunities to enrich the area in the future as part of Legacy’s Reclaiming Main Street initiative.”