Daily Press file photo A couple buys produce at the Escanaba Farmers Market in this file photo. The Escanaba Downtown Development Authority says it is looking for new ways to support local businesses, improve community events and spaces and learn new ways of conducting business this year.

ESCANABA — 2022 promises to be an exciting year for the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority, as the group looks for new ways to support local businesses, improve community events and spaces and learn new ways of conducting business.

While not all of the changes have taken affect yet, the authority’s make up is experiencing a dramatic shift in 2022. Historically, both the city’s mayor and city manager have been voting members of the authority board. However, during the city’s Redevelopment Ready Communities certification process it was discovered the authority is supposed to be composed of 8 to 12 appointed board members and the city’s “chief executive officer” by state law. There was some confusion about whether the city’s CEO is the mayor or the city manager, but it was ultimately decided the city manager is the city’s executive officer and the mayor should not be a voting member.

“There was also an issue that the city council has a vote on our budget that kind of gave the person that was the mayor two bites at the apples in terms of discussing our budget as opposed to being at arms length,” said Escanaba DDA Executive Director Scott Czasak.

The issue was further complicated because the city’s mayor, Mark Ammel, sat on the DDA prior to his election to the city council. When he was elected he resigned his appointed seat but was immediately reinstated on the authority as mayor. His original seat was filled by For the Love of Cupcakes owner Kelli Van Ginhoven in December, but the city’s decision to strip the mayor of voting rights on the authority means another voting seat will soon be open. That seat will be filled by an appointment by City Manager Patrick Jordan with the city council’s blessing and Ammel will serve as a non-voting liaison.

Regardless of who takes the soon-to-be-open seat, the DDA has a few items on its agenda for the coming year, including improvements to the market place and area signage.

None of the city’s current signage features the city’s new logo, which depicts a blue wave and silhouette of the U.P. with the words “City of Escanaba Michigan” in black letters. Some of the signs point visitors in the wrong directions, such as signs pointing to the old farmers market location on North 9th Street, and others, such as three message board signs located around the edges of the city’s limits, are difficult to keep current.

Upgrades to the signs are already included in the DDA’s budget for the year. All of the outdated signs will be replaced or updated and the message boards will be converted to digital signs.

“Even though they’re outside of the DDA zone, apparently they’re part of a partnership between the city and the DDA so we’re working on getting those replaced,” said Czasak of the message boards.

Improvements are also in the works for the farmers market facility, including additional paving to make some of the landscaping less prone to abuse by vandals.

According to Czasak, the farmers market was a huge success in 2021, as visitors to the market bounced back after the pandemic fears of 2020 began to ease. The facility and its commercial kitchen have also been rented on multiple occasions for things like birthday and graduation parties and class reunions.

While the farmers market is typically seen as a warm-weather venue, the DDA is discussing ways to better incorporate it in the city’s holiday festivities. One idea being discussed is holding the city’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony in conjunction with the annual Christmas parade and moving a tree inside the marketplace for the event. This would allow the DDA to eliminate some of the issues caused by the lack of space and facilities at Center Court and turn the tree lighting into a more holistic holiday event, but it could raise other issues like where to procure a live tree or store an artificial one.

Currently, the tree lighting his held in conjunction with the Downtown Partners in Business’ Black Friday on Tuesday sales, which is just one of the Partners’ events the DDA supports. Money has already been put aside in the budget for this year’s events, including the Escanaba Sidewalk Sales.

Joining forces with the Partners is just one way the DDA works to support businesses in the DDA district, but one of the most popular programs for business owners, the facade grant program, ceased during the height of the pandemic when the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) stopped funding the program.

“They have some new programs they’re starting to role out,” said Czasak, noting funding is starting to move towards promoting mixed-use developments.

Regardless of which programs the DDA helps to facilitate to business owners in the downtown, Czasak says supporting and attracting business is the DDA’s primary goal.

“(We’re) making sure we get as many storefronts filled as we can (and) looking forward to new business coming,” he said.