Downtown Developments, May 2015: Q's and Authorities

[XLFD]

An underreported aspect of the Ludington scene is the actions of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) also known as the Downtown Ludington Board (DLB), which typically meets each month in an open meeting and decides what to do with their $180,000 annual budget and limitless monthly enthusiasm to make Ludington's downtown the center of the known universe.

What they do and what they don't do is going to be analyzed each month here on the Ludington Torch, so you can be kept up to speed on what's happening at the meetings, if there is anything of interest.  Here is what happened at this month's meeting held on the afternoon of May 4th. 

The meeting featured practically all of the DDA Board with three notable exceptions:  Mayor Ryan Cox, de facto City Manager John Shay, and former three term Mayor John Henderson.  Wayne Brown, insurance agent from East Ludington Avenue, chaired the proceedings, and business began with approval of the April meeting's agenda and minutes.

Public comment featured the husband of local Marie Quillan talking about a new business to come in at 225 S. James Street (pictured above, from 1999, its on the NW corner of Filer and James).  It would be called the "Q Smokehouse" (possibly related to this Q smokehouse) and be essentially a restaurant featuring smoked and barbecued cuisine.  He noted he had done electrician work in several local projects and hoped to get the business off and running by the end of the summer. 

South James was on the menu this afternoon.  Joe Stickney, DPW director, noted that petunias were to be going in down South James starting this year, being planted around the trees after they remove the current mulch of red wood chips.  Marilyn Cunic, one of the owners of the Blu Moon noted that vacant and currently absent property owners would qualify in getting petunias in front of their business, although she did not make clear how it was to be paid for with.

The theme continued with news that the former Skoog's Heating building was in the process of being refurbished into an 'eclectic marketplace, likely featuring a Thai food restaurant in the back of it.  This also might be viable before the year's end.

They noted that there would be two "after-parties" for this year's Friday Night Lives (FNL).  These are parties held in the open North James Plaza area that start once the events of FNL shut down.  I've always wondered how these were received by the downtown alehouses who lose business assuredly from the outside drinking novelty that they are unable to provide.  The one owner of such establishments that sits on the board, who is also on the City of Ludington Daily News has never said ill of it herself on the record.

The Oktoberfest committee noted they were hoping to make some purchases for the event which is said to bring in $27,000 worth of revenue, including heaters for their tent and more barricades.  They hoped to offer more races and activities for the kids while their parents are partying.

They later revealed they would alter the "community garden" (where the bowling alley used to be, shown below) to make more room for Brew Fest, and hinted at future possibilities for this area.  The hope is that they can eventually get a developer to put in a hotel or convention center there, but the target market analysis for the space has still not been finished.

Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) chief, Brandy Henderson, noted some numbers from the last year.  6000 stops at the visitor center, continuing a 5-6% growth trend on visits there.  Total hotel revenues for the county were also up to about $12 million, which means the income for the CVB also went up because of their room tax.

Kathy MacLean of the Chamber of Commerce talked of the annual awards meeting primarily.  Wally Taranko noted that two ribbon cutting ceremonies were scheduled to take place, a revamped Sandcastles Museum on May 14th and the Maritime Museum on May 11th. 

A committee looking at revising the currently restrictive drive-thru policies for the downtown area, noted that the lack of allowing such drive-in convenience lost them the possibility of getting a Biggby's Coffee downtown.  One is supposed to be going in at the Sprint Building in PM Township, formerly housing another coffee house, Starbuck's. 

The meeting lasted only about 35 minutes, very quick for one of these meetings, some of the board members crediting the short meeting to the absence throughout of the often talkative two Johns. 

[Willy]

I've always wondered why the motels would volunteer to collect money for this organization or are they forced to do it. Do other businesses take in a fee and fork it over to the DLB. My guess as to why the meeting was short might be that your presence made them nervous. The "in" crowd didn't feel comfortable with someone present who will not smooze them with compliments on how they are keeping the Ludington area from collapsing because of their incredibly important existence.

[AQUAMAN]

Wasn't the city of Lud. given that land on the Ave. where the bowling alley was? Yes they were. And look at the eyesore it's turned into. A "community garden"? More like a community gargoyle! It's ugly, empty, and lacking in any merit now, and has been for several years in a row. If the DDA wants to upgrade the downtown area, as is their quest and duty on this board, they could start right there and make something worthy and notable there with their ill gotten funding. I scarcely think it would take more than a lousy few thousands dollars to clean it up and make it presentable. This is what I would have brought to that meeting if there for sure. Looks like their own grass humped up there is way over 10" high too, more like two feet high, violation of overgrowth if you ask me.

[XLFD]

I am on the understanding that the "community gargoyle" name was already taken by a certain councilor who peers from the tops of buildings, obsessed with finding unauthorized signs in the right of way. 

The city doesn't own that lot, per se, but they have been under the hope that some developer will pay top dollar (or at least legally commit) to build a hotel there someday from getting it from the holding company set up.  It may pay out, but they are trying to do the whole thing very surreptitiously (i.e. sneakily).  I know if I was a ethical developer, I'd stay clear of a place that had such micromanaging and secrecy.

[XLFD]

Any place that furnishes temporary lodging in Mason County needs to pay the 5% room tax as described here in an article started by Aquaman back in early 2011 (http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/local-cvb-chair-annou...). 

The places got a 'vote' for each room they offered.  Since it passed, one has to believe that the places with a lot of rooms (and ergo votes) must have been enticed somehow to inflict this on themselves.  Perhaps even the vote was gamed or rigged, as why would someone vote for such a tax on themselves unless they think they're getting more bang back for it?  Look at what just happened to Proposal 1, rejected on a scale of four to one-- and likely the only suckers voting for it were unionists, government workers, those who swallowed the propaganda, and other agencies/people who stood to gain from it.

[AQUAMAN]

Why would anyone in their right mind want to spend a fortune building an upscale Hotel and Convention Center on that pukey lot in downtown Ludville? Convention of what, breakwall walkers? Kirby vacuum cleaner salesmen? Those DDA people are whistling in the wind, and so is Kaye atop her perch on the ledge. If, and I mean IF, the COL got off their wishing hands and went out and advertised and promoted this pos parcel, gave generous tax and grant incentives, cleaned it up, you know, act like a normal private business person, maybe someone might come knocking on the door. All I hear and see is cheap talk, for umpteen years, not actions. Pappy used to say, "wish in one hand, and shit in the other, and see which comes first"....lol.

[AQUAMAN]

And please don't forget, no signage around this parcel, or face the consequences of her wrath of anger.

[XLFD]

Back in 2008, just before the economy bottomed out, there was a deal forged between Western Land Services and the City that would have had WLS set up a tall building as their main US office, at where the Ludington Fire Department station is, and development of the rest of the bowling alley block into a hotel/convention center.  Almost all of the block would have been demolished.

The city had brought land for a fire station on Dowland Street in 2007 (the old Padnos lot at 428 E Dowland), dissent about the lot's contamination made many in the LFD want to move elsewhere.  It would actually have been perhaps the best lot, since a fire station lot would be almost all paved over, and hence keep the contamination contained.  We had spent many man hours preparing for the move away from the current station, relocating seldom used equipment elsewhere in the months before I resigned from the LFD.

It never materialized since, and probably never will without any interested party not being heavily subsidized by our state and local governments to do so, the first action being for the holding company to sell the property for a token amount, and tax holidays for many years to follow.

[dowland]

Everybody local including myself was mad at the state for subsidizing the Muskegon ferry when we had the privately owned historic ferry located in Ludington.  Now the power's to be want to do the same thing to Stearn's hotel.  This will only hurt them.  The Bowden family has devoted their lives to the upkeep and continuation of the historical presence of Stearns hotel in our community.  This would be a betrayal of small business owners for all of Ludington.  What local industry will they try to get involved in next: Restaurants or bars maybe.  Let the free market work.  They should not be able to choose winners or losers. 

[AQUAMAN]

How about marinas for boats dowland? Ever see the unfair competition there? I'm talking about the city marina, with over 100 slips, supposed to be a harbor of refuge only for boaters, not a full seasonal slip arrangement. Then, add to that the Harbor View facility, also over 100 slips, and converting to city ownership in 2018. The total State of Michigan investment to start building these was over $5 Million, not to mention all the improvements and maintenance since their opening. The local marina owners have to put up with that unfairness, and have over 30 years at the city marina alone. They even stole charter boats to squash any competition from the private sector.

[Willy]

Thanks for that information X. Good points downland & aquaman.

[dowland]

Amen, AQuaman. Then there is the private marinas at  S.Washington Ave they use for just a slurry pond to trap storm run off which is filling in  the channel. 

[AQUAMAN]

The city not only Dumps large quantities of waste into that back bayou, they also had to rebuild that S. Washington Ave. bridge to nowhere, at a cost of over $3 Million, to continue to block those marinas from having any bigger boats enter, to prevent any fair competition. A bridge orig. built to help improve traffic to the Paulina Stearns Hospital, and Dow employees, that's the reason. NOT a reason now for many years, and the city knew this all too well, despite pleas for it to be torn down.