Downtown Revitalization Efforts Move Forward

Residents in Downtown Ironwood's primary retail trade area may be receiving phone calls during week of March 16th.

IRONWOOD, MI - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - As a part of its data collection activities for the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns, the residents of the City of Ironwood's primary retail trade area may be receiving a phone call during the week of March 16th. The purpose of the calls will be to gather information regarding respondents' perceptions about downtown Ironwood, the reasons they visit the district, and the opportunities that exist for improving the area. The telephone survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete for each household. Participants will be selected at random.

The primary retail trade area was defined at a meeting of the Process Committee, which is a group that was established to help guide the Blueprints process for the city while, at the same time, ensuring a wide range of vantage points are represented. The retail trade area consists of the population centers of Wakefield, Michigan to the East to the Wisconsin towns of Saxon and Upson to the West.

"We want to know how Ironwood's historic downtown district can better serve the needs and desires of the people who do business here," said Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA) Chairman George Goerig. "This process is a good opportunity for citizens and downtown businesses to create a common vision about what they would like their downtown district to be."

The Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns is a partnership between the City of Ironwood, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), the Michigan Municipal League (MML), and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). It is a program designed to give local units of government a five-year action strategy towards revitalizing traditional downtown areas in the state. HyettPalma, Inc., a nationally-renowned downtown consulting firm, is working with these entities and will conduct a site visit during the week of April 20, 2009 to conduct one-on-one interviews, focus groups, field research, and a community vision session.

For more information contact Dan Petersen, Community Development Director at (906) 932-5050 ext. 126, petersend@cityofironwood.org.