City of Hart, Michigan
MEMORANDUM
To: mayor clancy aerts & city council
From: STAN RICKARD, City Manager
Date: february 18, 2010
RE: special meeting to discuss michigan main street program
In August, 2009 the City and Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) entered into an agreement for Associate Level training in the Michigan Main Street program. During the last six months, downtown stakeholders (volunteers) and I have traveled to the Michigan Main Street conference in Lansing and visited eight (8) communities to learn about the program. The communities of Niles, Clare, Lansing Old Town, Manistee, Grand Haven, Portland, Howell, and Boyne City (on 2/25) hosted training events.
Volunteers who attended (or are scheduled) one or more of the training events include: Anne Hardy, Bill Hegg, Bruce Vanderhoof, Barb Vanderhoof, Clancy Aerts, Dave Spitler, Dick Huntington, Ginny Huntington, Gayle Forner, Gene Davidson, Jim Hodges, Joan Lundborg, Joe Lesausky, Lee-Ann Shannon, Linda Foster, Linda Kotzian, Michelle Angel-Powell, Nancy Sterk, Sara Bizon, and Tim White.
Furthermore, about 45 downtown stakeholders attended a September, 2009 downtown update meeting and about 60 attended a similar meeting in December, 2009.
Now that the training is concluding, MSHDA will soon be asking approximately 19 Associate Level communities to send a “letter of interest” to enter the Selected Level in Michigan Main Street. This letter is due in Lansing on March 5, 2010. The next downtown update meeting is scheduled for March 2nd, 7 PM in downtown Hart at 117 S. State (next to OHJ).
Based on the foregoing, I am requesting a special Council meeting in downtown Hart on March 2nd to meet some of the downtown stakeholders and consider submitting a letter of interest for advancing in the Michigan Main Street program. I will also be contacting the TIFA board requesting their attendance at this meeting.
I would like to discuss this with you on February 23, 2010.
