DIDA's Signage and Walking Tours Projects Advance
IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, May 23, 2008 - The Downtown Ironwood Development Authority held a special budget workshop yesterday at 8:00 AM CST in the Women's Club Room on the second floor of the Ironwood Memorial Building.
Members attending the meeting were: DIDA Chairman George Goerig; Vice-Chairman Joe Karius; Mayor Bruce Noren; Cory Gresham; Louise Demasi; Jackie Powers; Wayne Ozark; and Steve Frank. Eva Smith-Furgason was excused. Also attending the meeting were the following City Staffers: DIDA Secretary Jane Bowman; Community Development Director Dan Petersen; Finance Director Julie Frederickson; and City Manager Scott Erickson. Citizen Tom DeCarlo also attended the meeting. The Superior Chronicle was the only press present at the meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 8:00 AM by Chairman Goerig and Secretary Bowman recorded the roll. The minutes for the past two meetings were approved, and so was the docket.
No citizens addressed the Authority on Agenda items.
The budget review amounted to a shuffling game. The DIDA has a very limited budget of just over eleven thousand dollars. Many of the Authority's expenses are fixed, so there was little that could be done to amend the current budget. Totals were tweaked and a few new line items (accounts) were added to the DIDA's books. Nothing earthshaking to discuss here. The DIDA did a good job of tweaking the numbers to better match the actual and expected expenses.
Steve Frank reported to the Authority that the Saari Signs & Designs bid on the historic plaques and sandwich-board signs was considerably lower than the previous bid he presented to the Authority. The Authority decided to purchase the signs from Saari Signs. This move clears the way for Larry Peterson to begin his walking tours in the very near future.
The Authority also voted to allow the sign committee to hash out the details on the Hurley 51/Silver Street wayfinder sign. The committee will meet with Bob Constantini, the owner of the Brite Spot 2, and the City of Hurley to make sure the sign best suits all parties involved.
A decision on the railroad bridge sign was not yet made because contact to the needed party could not be established. Further discussion will be at the next Authority meeting.
The Authority voted to continue meeting twice a month instead of the usual once a month "to keep the momentum going.' The Authority was made remarkable changes recently. The once dysfunctional group now appears to have found a direction and everybody on the board seems to be on the same page. There is a new-found enthusiasm in the group, and the new downtown business district will benefit from their efforts.
Tom DeCarlo asked the DIDA for their blessings in his quest to restore Norrie Park as a local swimming hole. DeCarlo recalled a time when every neighborhood kid would be at the park swimming during the summer. He wants to repair the dam near the park that made the swimming area possible. The DIDA agreed to give him a letter of support. City Manager told DeCarlo that he should address the Parks and Recreation Committee on the matter. Dan Petersen told DeCarlo he would help him in his efforts as well.
Jim Albert
