For all the best information about how to make a great downtown, check out the new Michigan Main Street Center website.  You can learn about how a small town, like Rogers City can become a healthy and vibrant place.  Rogers City is working dilligently to become a Main Street Community--a growing community lead by volunteer citizens who seek to revitalize the heart of our town.  Learn more about the Main Street program at this website:

http://www.michiganmainstreetcenter.com/Home.aspx

If you want to get involved in Rogers City's Main Street Associate program, please contact me.  There is room for everyone who wants to help this community.  You will find just the right sort of fun thing that you want to do.  We have traditional committee work in four areas (promotion, design, organization, and business development), but we also have hands-on activity such as doing downtown decorations, helping conduct community events, providing marketing assistance, providing IT assistance to local business, website development, using social media, helping people in need, helping people start new businesses, planting flowers, community art and music, and more--Rogers City's Main Street Associate Program has a need for almost every skill and talent.  We have a great group of people, including our Main Street gang. We want you to be part of rebuilding this community!

Labels: Main Street Associate, Michigan Main Street Center

The Community Development Authority (CDA) and City Council have decided on a new street light style for Rogers City. Below is a link showing this product, made by Beacon, Inc.:

Miramar%20Luminaire.pdf

Improving our downtown street lighting is part of the effort to revitalize our downtown and become a selected main street community. Currently, Rogers City is listed as a Main Street Associate. If you want to get involved or to find out more about this project, please contact me.

Labels: Beacon, Main Street Associate, Street Lights

Monday, July 6, 2009 at 7:00 pm is the next meeting of the Rogers City Community Development Authority (CDA) Main Street Design Committee. The Design Committee has been working for months to obtain new energy efficient Street Lights for downtown Rogers City. During this meeting, the committee will determine its recommendations about these lights to send to the City Council and the CDA Board. This meeting will literally put a new light on our town for years to come. Come to the meeting, help us make the right decision, and we'll all see the light!

Labels: Main Street Associate, Street Lights

In July 2008, Rogers City was named as an Associate with the Michigan Main Street Program (www.michigan.gov/mshda/mainstreet). Our new designation gives Rogers City a good chance to become a recognized Main Street community with all the benefits, priviledges, and economic opportunities associated with that status. Currently, recognized Michigan Main Street communities include Boyne City, Calumet, Marshall, Portland, Clare, Muskegon, Niles, Grand Haven, Howell, Iron Mountain, Old Town Lansing, Scottville, and Manistee.

Being a "Main Street" city is not merely a bragging right. During 2008, the 13 cities listed above experienced over $9,000,000 of new private investment. Since 2003, these cities had over $35,000,000 of new private investment. Main Street works!

As an Main Street Associate we are entitled to free training and expert advice on ways to make Rogers City's downtown more successful. With the additional prospect of Wolverine's proposed Clean Energy Venture, Rogers City has an unprecedented opportunity. Right now, we have a real chance to make our downtown something lost four decades ago--a vibrant, successful center of community life!

Some say, "the economy is terrible." Some say, "the downtown is failing." Some say, "it will never happen." In response, we say, "it is darkest before the dawn." We say, "the history of the city is strong." We say, "we can make it happen." It may take some time, but we will turn this around.

"Main Street" is not a project, it is not a grant--it is a proven method. The key to this method is citizen involvment. Rogers City is your downtown; what do you want it to become? If you care, Rogers City is looking for you! Now is the time to get involved.

We need community volunteers to help in four area: design, promotion, organization, and business development. We need all sorts of helpers: people who will show up, listen, and share; we need young people and older people; people who like to make things; people who like to decorate or design, people who like to work in a committee and people who don't, people who are good with numbers and people who are not, and people who want to lead us to success.

The City will provide you with training and a group of like-minded friends with whom you will work. Our only goal is to make a better downtown. There is no deadline, no due-date, and no fee. There is no political agenda here--only our community. You don't have to be a long-time resident. You don't have to be a full-year resident. You don't even have to be a resident. You don't have to pass any test or have a degree. You can give as much or as little time and energy as you want. Nobody will critique you; we will work together.


If you are interested, please contact Mark Slown at City Hall, 734-2191 or mslown@rogerscity.com

Labels: Main Street Associate, MSHDA, Rogers City Fall Decorations

Great News for Rogers City! The State of Michigan has named Rogers City as an Associate Member of the Michigan Main Street Program. This designation is in recognition of the efforts the City and the Community Development Authority (CDA) to implement the Main Street program. The primary benefit to being named a Michigan Main Street Associate is that the City and CDA will receive free training on how to improve the downtown. The press release below is the official announcement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N E W S R E L E A S E

Contact: Mary Lou Keenon
Communications

Telephone: 517/373-0011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17, 2008

MSHDA Announces Michigan Main Street Associate Level Communities

LANSING – Keith Molin, interim executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) announced today that 17 Michigan communities have been selected by MSHDA to take part in the Michigan Main Street Associate Level program. The 17 selected communities will receive training over the next one to two years in the basics of Main Street, including training in organization and promotion, economic restructuring and design and quarterly Michigan Main Street training.

“Michigan’s economy cannot thrive without thriving downtowns.” Molin said. “This program is creating opportunities for new development and economic growth in downtowns across our state.”

The Michigan Main Street Associate program is part of Governor Granholm’s Cool Cities Initiative to create vibrant communities in Michigan. These efforts are based on numerous recent studies showing that investing in our downtowns creates vibrant centers, making our state economically stronger. The 17 communities to receive the Michigan Main Street Associate Level designation are:

· Belding

· Blissfield

· Brighton

· Davison

· East Jordan

· Eaton Rapids

· Escanaba

· Grand Rapids “Uptown”

· Lansing Principal Shopping District

· Manistique

· Mt. Pleasant

· Owosso

· Owosso West Town

· Plainwell

· Rogers City

· Ypsilanti

· Zeeland



Communities wishing to become a Michigan Main Street Community or request information regarding the Michigan Main Street Associate program are asked to contact Laura Krizov at MSHDA at (517) 241-4237.

MSHDA is a quasi-state agency that provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, and address homeless issues. MSHDA’s loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds and notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. For more information on MSHDA programs and initiatives, visit the Web site at www.michigan.gov/mshda.

Labels: Main Street Associate