Downtown Development Authority

Meeting Minutes

5/4/16

Members present: Joe Erickson, Rich Ernest, Jacek Olszewski, Jason Pragacz, Tony Smydra, Dan Sullivan,

Members absent: Tom Domitrovich, Lynn Sullivan, Ken Waldrop

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5 pm by President Sullivan.

Meeting Minutes: The minutes from the 3/2/16 meeting were reviewed and corrections were made. Smydra moved, Olszewski seconded to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS

Ontonagon Multi-Use Connective Trail: There was a discussion on the Multi-Use Connective Trail that leads to the downtown area. The former railroad grade runs between the slew and the downtown area. The vision is to have that area become a walkway along the river with the excess street lights from River Street placed along the trail. Additionally, the area would remain green space with some landscaping. The green space could be used for community activities. MI-Trale has put a lot of work into portions of the railroad grade, particularly the area out of the Village. At present, the railroad grade that is in the Downtown Development Authority area is “a mess in our back yard.” It was agreed that President Sullivan should attend the OCRAG meetings that are held on the second Wednesday of the month.

Property Report: Erickson provided a report from the Village Treasurer of properties that are being foreclosed on because of property tax delinquency. The building that is next to the former Wager's Restaurant is now up for auction. Currently, the Wagar's building and the vacant lot next to it are owned by the Village due to tax delinquency. The three properties are a “nice” parcel on the main street. There was a discussion on whether the DDA should try to acquire the properties. It was decided not to try to acquire the property at this time, but rather to let the auction move forward. Should the building revert to the Village, the DDA would look to acquire all three properties, apply for Brownfield funding, and clean up the properties. There was a discussion about attempting to keep the shell of the original Wagar's building for aesthetic reasons.

Main Street Store Fronts: There was a discussion on the desired look for the store fronts on River Street. Erickson mentioned that at some point in the past, there was a Facade Improvement Grant of $3,000 available to store owners on River Street and that the desired facades were addressed in the Village Zoning Ordinances. Examples of desired look of facades are the Forever Flowers building, the Nonesuch building, and the River Rat building (formerly Keith White's store). There was a discussion on how to implement a policy for future building/renovations of businesses on River Street. President Sullivan will follow up on the matter, looking to see what other communities have for a guide or template. Ernest suggested that prior to implementation of a policy that public meetings should be held for community input.

DDA District – TIF Funding: Pragacz asked about TIF funding. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects. As things progress, the DDA captures excess funding and it is availability to be used in the DDA district.

Streetscape update: Erickson advised the DDA about the work on River Street. The excess lights have been removed from River Street and are being stored. The sidewalks have been restored and look great. Work is in progress for the lights to be installed by the Community Building and at James K. Paul Park. The LED lights can be set at 30, 40, or 60 Watts. Currently the lights on River Street are set for 40 watts. Erickson suggested that at some point in the future, the lights in the middle of the blocks could be set for 60 watts to provide more lighting, if desired.

There was a discussion about changing the lights on the bridge to LED. It was unclear whether the Village could move forward with the project or if this was an issue for the state Department of Transportation. Smydra will follow up on this at the transportation meeting in Houghton. The consensus is to do all of the lights on the bridge at 30 watts. That would allow all of the lights to be lighted and reduce the cost of operation.

Crowd Funding: President Sullivan related that he had spoken with Sue Priess at the Miner's State Bank about handling an account for Crowd Funding for the Bandshell project. The bank is willing to do so. There are five parcels of land involved. One is owned by the Village, one by the County, and three by private owners. Erickson will generate a list of the owners of those three parcels. Sullivan will contact the owners to see if they are willing to donate the land to the Village for the Bandshell project.

Beautification of Ontonagon Sign on M-64: Roberta Silver and a group of hobby gardeners have volunteered to plant flowers at the base of the sign if the DDA would provide the funding for the plants. Ernest moved, Pragacz seconded, to authorize $300 to be spent for plants and vegetation only. The motion carried.

Beautification of River Street: L. Sullivan will contact people on the list to do clean up on the main street. Erickson indicated that the Village takes care of the urns on the corners and that it is the responsibility of business owners to take care of the area in front of their businesses.

Ernest moved, Smydra seconded, to close the meeting. The motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 6:22 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tony Smydra, Secretary