DIDA Swears In Two New Members & Seeks Quotes of Lure Brochures

IRONWOOD, MI - Thursday, November 12, 2009 - The Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA) held a brief meeting this morning to accomplish two things -- swear in new members Rick Tippett (Woodtech Builders) and William Penrose (Back Street Cycle) and to examine and discuss the proposed Downtown Lure Brochure that DIDA Member Eva Smith-Furgason has been working to produce.

The meeting was called to order at 8:00 AM by DIDA Chairman George Goerig. DIDA Secretary Jane Bowman recorded the roll. Members in attendance included: Chairman Goeig; Vice-Chairman Joe Karius; new members Rick Tippett and William Penrose; Mayor Bob Burchell; Gail Johnston; Corey Gresham and Eva Smith-Furgason. Also in attendance were City Staffers: Jane Bowman and City Assessor/Building Inspector Dennis Hewitt.

Following the recording of the roll, both Tippett and Penrose took the oath of office by signing a sworn statement.

The docket was then approved and Chairman Goerig gave citizens a chance to address the Authority on agenda items. There were no citizen's wishing to address the DIDA.

Bob Burchell handed out print-outs of a lure brochure (a brochure designed to lure visitors to the area) his 12-year-old son, Robert, created. Eva Smith-Furgason explained the changes Robert made to her brochure as the DIDA members examined the proofs. Several of the members commented on the professional job Robert did creating the flyers.

The general consensus of the Authority was that the overall look and set-up of the brochure was perfect for the DIDA's needs, however some minor changes were suggested. Smith-Furgason told the Authority that a smaller version of the regional map would be included along with a larger Downtown map that showed the location of designations using numbers.

Joe Karius suggested that the photos in the brochures feature people and that historical photos be added to reflect the City's heritage and mining history. William Penrose suggested eliminating the regional map and focus solely on the Downtown map. Rick Tippett liked the idea of featuring both maps, but said the focus should be the Downtown map.

The Authority briefly discussed the cost of printing the brochures and the quantities that would be required. They also discussed funding options for the flyer. Bob Burchell suggested that the DIDA partner with the Visitor's Bureau to reduce costs to the DIDA.

After considerable discussion, the Authority voted to seek bids for the publication of the documents and to table approval of the final document until after the bids are received. The DIDA's next meeting will be December 4th, 2009, at 8:00 AM.

After the meeting was officially adjourned, Chairman Goerig asked the Authority members if any of them would volunteer to decorate and hang lighting in the Pocket Park. Rick Tippett and William Penrose agreed to decorate the park. Jane Bowman handed Mayor Burchell a poem that a citizen requested be recited at the tree lighting ceremony in the Park.