DDA Meeting 12.13.23

Detailed briefing

DDA Meeting — December 13, 2023 • The DDA approved the prior meeting minutes without recorded opposition. The main agenda item was an update on the Merchants Walkway design from OHM landscape architect Vanessa Warren, who said engineering was about 85% complete. • The design would address crumbling stairs and walls, regrade the walkway for improved accessibility, and capture drainage now sheet-flowing through the area. Proposed amenities include seating, planters, colored concrete patterned to resemble brick, columns with tile, and a stamped identity feature such as a downtown logo or compass-style marker. • Board discussion generally supported trying to preserve the existing rusty wrought-iron fence. OHM said the bid documents can require a contractor to assess whether it is salvageable; if it is not, the project would need another solution. Members also favored plain retaining walls rather than added texture or color. • A participant offered to donate tile artwork for the proposed columns, while the contractor would install it. Another participant urged limestone caps on the columns to direct water away from tile. OHM said it would seek construction alternatives after concerns that stamped concrete and site access could substantially increase costs and future maintenance needs. • OHM will provide plans to DPW for review of work the department may be able to perform, such as pipe installation. Any work performed by DPW would be removed from the construction contract. OHM said it hoped to take the project out to bid in January, with options allowing the DDA to compare costs and prioritize safety-related groundwork, walls, and the walkway. • The board did not make a clear final decision on a proposed $5,000 contribution for this year’s CBD snow-removal billing/administration costs. Members requested clearer information on what the money would cover, whether charges would be passed to property owners, and what Council expects in future years. A motion to seek more information reportedly split 4-4; speakers then expressed uncertainty about whether it passed. Worth watching: • Whether OHM’s January bid package includes affordable alternatives and a contractor determination on salvaging the fence. • Whether City Council clarifies the proposed $5,000 snow-removal administration request, future downtown service approach, and fee handling. • A public commenter asserted property and easement objections to work involving the fence, retaining wall, landscaping, and proposed logo; the meeting did not resolve those concerns. Upcoming: OHM hopes to bid the Merchants Walkway project in January; the DDA may need a special meeting after City Council provides snow-removal information. Why it matters: The DDA is moving a long-discussed downtown repair project toward bidding, but costs, construction responsibilities, snow-service policy, and property concerns remain unsettled.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.