April 13 DDA Meeting

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs DDA Meeting — April 13, 2022 ATTENDEES: Roll call recorded Tim Knapp, Jody Eubank, Josh Baker, Cora Smith, Jackie Badum, and Ella Ruddy present; Matt Bagheera was absent, Amy Gillard was sick, and Nikki Law was on vacation. • The board approved the March 9 meeting minutes. No other formal votes were recorded in the transcript. • The downtown lighting project was reported complete. The DDA standardized Main Street fixtures with white LED bulbs and matching globes. The project was reported within its $20,328 budget, although the director said some additional labor or equipment-related charges might still arrive. • Members discussed proceeding with flowers or hardier greenery in downtown tree beds this season, contingent on irrigation repairs and added irrigation feeders. The director will seek a diagram and determine whether DPW or an outside contractor will do the work. Members said dead flowers would be removed midseason and replaced with mulch rather than requiring DDA members to hand-water them. • May 25 was identified as the target planting date, coordinated with the Garden Club's city planting work. Board members discussed supplying volunteer labor, gloves, rakes, shovels, trowels, vehicles, soil, mulch and plant transport. The group hoped to avoid the prior cost of using a student group. • The board discussed recommending removal and replacement of several problem trees, including a tree near Harbor Ice Cream that is buckling sidewalk, and concreting over two long-empty tree-bed locations that were described as tripping hazards. Any tree removals or closures would require replacement trees elsewhere to avoid a net loss under city tree requirements. • Merchant walkway work is awaiting the lifting of truck weight restrictions. Plans call for removing the fountain, installing replacement concrete, and considering café tables. The board still needs to select a concrete treatment; stamped concrete was described as significantly more costly and time-sensitive. Rocky is preparing safety and work plans and is donating substantial labor/resources. • Members supported exploring an MEDC placemaking grant for a broader, phased downtown planning/design vision, including planning or engineering costs. They stressed that the work must be coordinated with the city. The application deadline was discussed as June 3. Worth watching: • Whether irrigation work, planting choices, and ongoing weed/sweep maintenance are resolved in time for May 25. • Whether the DDA and city agree on tree removal, replacement, concrete repairs, and cost responsibility. • Whether the MEDC planning-grant application is completed by the discussed June 3 deadline. Upcoming: A required DDA public informational meeting is planned for May; a business/merchant gathering is planned for June, with no date set in the discussion. Why it matters: The projects aim to improve downtown appearance, safety, business promotion, and readiness for future grant-funded improvements.

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