[0:00] Yeah.

[0:00] The problem is this is not natural for checking accounts.

[0:03] We have a lot of residents who

[0:07] don't check their accounts.

[0:08] Depending on what account.

[0:10] Yeah, well, just because it's inaccessible to certain people.

[0:14] That's what's disturbing. I think this

[0:16] era where we get so reliant on so much

[0:20] and won't double-check, and then when we actually .

[0:24] You start it out. That's a little start.

[0:27] Again.

[0:28] Sure, it makes it easier.

[0:30] Yeah.

[0:30] So it's an offset. Sometimes you can't access the offset.

[0:34] Sure,

[0:35] but I think it's a thing.

[0:37] What?

[0:37] If it's an extension of a book or whatever you need.

[0:41] Use it lots so you're comfortable with it.

[0:44] Certainly makes it not have to stare at a book by yourself.

[0:48] Use a book. It doesn't

[0:52] .

[0:52] Yeah.

[0:52] Are we watched? Did I watch anything?

[0:54] Right.

[0:55] Well, I don't know, but they should've been talking, but especially if you're still

[0:58] writing.

[1:09] Yeah.

[3:18] No,

[3:30] if

[3:31] we're

[3:51] talking.

[6:05] So then Joe,

[6:06] she watches. So Joe sent a,

[6:10] "What was the speeding ticket?"

[6:14] For two diapers in an hour, in the one hour.

[6:18] I love it.

[6:19] So whatever. But the second one was the best one.

[6:23] Resisting arrest.

[6:26] And then she-

[6:26] Oh, get it. Ah.

[6:28] And then she

[6:30] all started to cry when she discovered.

[6:34] That is perfection.

[6:37] Yeah. I love it. I mean, it's just two ordinary nights.

[6:41] There's a busy weekend.

[6:42] Yeah, for some reason.

[6:43] 14.

[6:44] All

[6:50] of you?

[6:52] Two. That's a big kid. He's tall.

[6:54] Very tall. He was as big as my two daughters.

[6:57] Good stuff.

[6:58] No,

[6:59] for a second, I want to go to the store up there, but I got to drink another sip,

[7:03] man. I need to get a lot.

[7:05] It's just me.

[7:06] This is Mom and

[7:10] Dad.

[7:10] My uncle lived there, so.

[7:13] One more.

[7:13] Super nice studio.

[7:17] It's just anywhere I go.

[7:21] Well, is it a

[7:23] bungalow? She said my niece's dad or sister is doing that.

[7:29] Nothing in

[7:31] Princeton. Both sides of the

[7:34] family.

[7:36] I said to her, "If you like this, she won't."

[7:42] She loved that.

[7:54] Okay.

[7:57] Good

[7:57] question.

[8:18] All

[8:28] sharing gen approach.

[8:33] I just love this. So cool.

[8:39] Yeah, I know.

[8:40] From here.

[8:45] As I feel like we're going to be referencing that for some years, but I wanted to

[8:48] get started talking to you all early.

[8:50] But it's not, yeah, just-

[8:52] But so Steven, yeah. Just Steven.

[8:54] Took a little while to get done, so

[8:58] here.

[8:58] I

[9:00] will tell you, I went to Arthur for a little bit on that race.

[9:05] Hated it.

[9:06] Oh,

[9:07] no.

[9:07] It was just too long, too much, too hot. Too definitely.

[9:11] Yeah.

[9:11] Their roads are very uneven, and I was behind a

[9:15] woman with just water, just like this, like, "Oh, just walk down."

[9:20] It made me nervous.

[9:22] Actually, my best friend, she loves ours, said...

[9:28] Yeah. Mine's evolved. I know they are.

[9:32] I know, I can tell you the same.

[9:35] It's longer. Ours is like-

[9:37] It's not as long.

[9:38] So all part of.

[9:39] No, limit is more.

[9:41] Limit is more.

[9:42] Yeah, by a lot.

[9:42] But it turns slightly on a straight path, so you're like, "Is this?"

[9:46] But it has some cute ones, but there was one guy, I didn't know he was at ours.

[9:58] Wow. It did. I walked very slowly

[10:02] because I was like-

[10:02] She is going to, yeah.

[10:05] Having a

[10:06] normal day,

[10:10] yeah.

[10:10] Yeah.

[10:11] Hey,

[10:19] Pete.

[10:19] Well, how are

[10:21] you?

[10:21] Good, how are you?

[10:21] We're good.

[10:22] Last night and then this morning.

[10:23] Getting ready to be an empty nester.

[10:26] If we do-

[10:27] Whoa

[10:27] ... I'm an empty nester.

[10:28] We hit that also.

[10:30] Well, I have another one, though, but I'm sending mine first

[10:34] off.

[10:35] Oh, your first is going. You're beginning the process of

[10:38] empty nesting. Kicking them out.

[10:44] Now you get to work, Steve.

[10:46] What's that?

[10:47] We like how they said-

[10:49] College or did they move couch? So I think

[10:52] most, a lot of kids move back in with their parents after

[10:56] grad. So it could be only a short-

[10:58] For now.

[10:59] Yeah, for now.

[11:00] Empty nester for now. We get a taste of it.

[11:02] Yeah. This will be the first semester that he's going away to school.

[11:05] The others were already-

[11:06] Do you know something? It relates to something-

[11:09] Yeah.

[11:10] My cousin looked at that.

[11:11] What's that?

[11:11] And then her brother moved-

[11:13] I know

[11:13] ... over to her cousin's.

[11:14] It's amazing. It's amazing.

[11:16] So we're going to talk about future.

[11:19] So I need to know-

[11:20] I need you working, spending.

[11:24] That was our first rescue.

[11:27] NGTA.

[11:30] The son of the

[11:35] daughter.

[11:38] I don't know what's going to become check after this.

[11:41] My middle child,

[11:42] they have it.

[11:44] My 30-year-old, Linda,

[11:47] she knows she'll need to do that alone for her mental health.

[11:51] Everyone has to see.

[11:53] She's like, "I need to live alone." She actually lives with her boyfriend right

[11:57] now, and I think she's possibly going to a place on her own.

[12:00] Not because she doesn't love him or whatever. They've been together for what?

[12:04] All projects.

[12:06] Will you help at least-

[12:07] I think I know who

[12:08] ... Craig, Cindy, and Ruggieri could help you.

[12:11] Yeah. So we know that we'll have people, but we'll see who plays.

[12:15] So who knows. But what you were in the library on-

[12:17] Yeah, we will.

[12:18] I can't make sense right now. Slow down.

[12:22] Sam, are we good to go?

[12:24] I don't know. Just one at

[12:27] a

[12:27] time.

[12:33] I'm trying to.

[12:34] Yep.

[12:35] She's wiggling the camera with us.

[12:38] So we'll call to order the Plymouth Downtown Development Authority-

[12:40] Recording in progress

[12:41] ... meeting for August 10th. Sam?

[12:46] Yeah. Just a couple of reminders. To make sure you have your mics on when making

[12:49] comments, so the folks on Zoom, which I don't think there are any yet,

[12:53] but if there are any that pop in, they can hear us.

[12:56] And then for those on Zoom,

[12:59] we can get you in the panelist room to make comments at the appropriate time.

[13:03] We will do a roll call.

[13:07] Attendance. Director Saloom?

[13:09] Here.

[13:10] Director Signs?

[13:11] Here.

[13:12] Director Perry is not here.

[13:14] Director Harris is excused. Director Frye?

[13:17] Here.

[13:17] Director Elliott?

[13:18] Here.

[13:18] Director Eckley?

[13:19] Here.

[13:20] Mayor Phillips-Ack?

[13:21] Here.

[13:21] Vice Chair Matsu?

[13:22] Here.

[13:23] And Madame Chair Pollard?

[13:24] Here.

[13:25] We have a quorum.

[13:26] Thank you.

[13:27] Do we have any citizens' comments this evening for anything not on the

[13:31] agenda?

[13:33] Do we have anyone online?

[13:36] Nope.

[13:37] All right. I'll take a motion to approve the agenda with one

[13:41] addition. We did not list

[13:44] Director Eckley as being present for last month's

[13:48] meeting.

[13:49] That is actually in the minutes.

[13:50] Oh, okay.

[13:53] Okay. Sorry. Oh, that's right. I apologize. Motion to approve. I apologize.

[13:56] Motion to approve the agenda.

[13:58] Second.

[13:59] Motion made by Director Signs, seconded by Mayor Phillips-Ack.

[14:03] All in favor?

[14:04] Aye.

[14:05] All opposed?

[14:08] Motion carries. All right. Now I'll take a motion to approve the

[14:12] minutes with the addition of Director Eckley being present for the meeting.

[14:18] So moved.

[14:19] Second.

[14:21] Move.

[14:22] Motion made by Mayor Phillips-Ack, seconded by Director Signs.

[14:26] All in favor?

[14:28] Aye.

[14:29] All opposed?

[14:31] Motion carries.

[14:33] Do we have any board comments this evening?

[14:39] Sure.

[14:39] I have board comments. I always have board comments.

[14:42] So we didn't have a meeting in July, so it's kind of funny all

[14:46] the stuff we missed, but Fourth of July parade was great.

[14:49] Hopefully people were there. I was there. It was great.

[14:53] I think the concerts are going really well.

[14:57] James is doing a great job. Rico, you and Sam are just doing a really good

[15:01] job at... Really good comments from people about the vendors

[15:05] and the music and everything's really, really good.

[15:08] So,

[15:09] as to be expected.

[15:11] And also, I want to let everybody know at The Pen next month, so it'll be before

[15:14] our next meeting, on September 10th, we have a collaboration we're doing with

[15:18] Michigan Environmental Council.

[15:22] We're showing a documentary film called "Troubled Waters," and

[15:26] we're going to have a panel discussion with the Michigan Environmental Council

[15:31] organizational members there. And I think it'll be a very

[15:35] engaging conversation because when you think about it, we are so

[15:38] fortunate. We have 20% of the world's fresh

[15:42] water supply that we have surrounding us, and so our

[15:45] responsibility is great. So I think it'll be a really good conversation, and it's

[15:50] a free program, and I invite everybody to hopefully come and

[15:53] check it out. That's all I got.

[15:56] Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you.

[15:58] Anyone else?

[16:00] I have something to add. Not this past weekend, the weekend before,

[16:04] Joe and Ellen and I were standing around and talking to our permits

[16:08] colleagues, and a young man or old man, I don't know which,

[16:12] came up to her and told her what a fabulous city we live in.

[16:15] And this is a credit to our DDA because he said,

[16:19] "You cannot get bored. There is something to do every night of the

[16:23] week here," and it's the best city he's ever seen.

[16:26] And that's all I keep hearing, is everybody loving our city, so thanks for all the

[16:29] hard work everyone's doing.

[16:32] Thank you.

[16:36] I just wanted to add my thanks to Municipal Services, that the

[16:39] morning after Art in the Park, I could not tell that Art in the Park had happened

[16:43] over the weekend. And I know that that's something that they always accomplish, but

[16:47] it always amazes me how we can come in on a Monday morning, and they've done such

[16:51] an incredible job overnight to clean up.

[16:53] I'm not implying that Art in the Park leaves the city a mess at all, but it is a

[16:57] lot of work to kind of rearrange and put everything back together.

[17:00] And I always appreciate when they make that happen.

[17:03] Even by the end of night, it's spotless.

[17:06] Yeah.

[17:06] It's pretty impressive. DMS just plows out and takes care of it.

[17:09] Yeah. And I feel like Art in the Park went pretty smoothly this year.

[17:14] There were a few parking issues, but not any more than we normally have,

[17:18] and they were resolved relatively quickly.

[17:20] So

[17:22] yeah, it was a good event this year.

[17:25] Shannon, do you have any board comments?

[17:27] No. Thank you.

[17:29] All right. Then we will move on to 6A, strategic plan

[17:33] update. Sam?

[17:35] Yeah, just a few updates this month.

[17:38] If you remember back in June, the DDA board accepted the

[17:41] deliverables from SmithGroup on DTP Forward.

[17:45] Staff has started exploring some of the implementation and funding

[17:49] options. It looks as though we're going to be beginning

[17:52] with project set two, which is the

[17:56] area around Harvey and Wang.

[17:59] There's potential for maybe something to happen before then.

[18:02] In early 2027, there's a water main that may be

[18:06] addressed in another section of town, but that's to be determined at this time.

[18:13] City staff met with the DDA a few weeks

[18:17] back. We're working on a plan for some upgrades on the north side of the parking

[18:20] deck. You remember that garage that housed the old

[18:24] sweeper there was removed last year.

[18:26] So we're looking at cleaning up the pavement there, it's in pretty

[18:30] rough shape, adding some bike racks in that area.

[18:33] And we're also looking at cleaning up the area, the walkway between the

[18:37] parking deck and Main Street, the lower

[18:40] portion that is right behind Campari's there.

[18:44] So, there's some painting that needs to be done.

[18:46] We want to update the planters, and

[18:50] improve pedestrian flow,

[18:53] and potentially some decorative lighting in that location that's been similar to

[18:56] what's been done in a couple of the other walkways.

[18:59] So,

[19:00] we're developing that plan, and

[19:03] hopefully in the next month or two, this board will see what we're looking to do.

[19:08] With the Main Street median trees being removed, we're looking at

[19:12] options to light the median for the holiday season, so we're

[19:16] looking into some options there. We're meeting with the chamber

[19:21] next month to talk about, or actually next week, to talk about holiday

[19:25] decorations. Outdoor dining season ends October

[19:28] 31st.

[19:30] The renovation project, the parking deck, that actually wrapped up a while

[19:34] ago, but we haven't had a meeting since it was finalized.

[19:38] And we also had, when the city contractor, many of you might have noticed right

[19:41] before Art in the Park, we had a contractor in doing some

[19:44] spots around downtown patch work.

[19:48] We had some issues in the park, lower level of the parking deck that

[19:52] needed to be addressed in the near term, so that was done at that point.

[19:58] Appreciate that.

[19:59] Yeah. It was great. With people walking on the streets, it was important to get

[20:03] that fixed up. So, the only other update I have is our

[20:07] contractor did come in,

[20:10] again, right before Art in the Park, and shaved and smoothed some additional

[20:14] areas of sidewalks as well. So,

[20:17] any questions or comments?

[20:21] Sam, do you know if

[20:24] the

[20:26] valet parking's coming back for the fall?

[20:30] I do not at this point. It's open for people to apply.

[20:34] There hasn't been any applications as of yet.

[20:36] I would assume The Ledger would return again, as the

[20:40] first couple of years have been successful.

[20:42] But that's entirely up to them if they want to apply.

[20:45] And I haven't had any conversations with Stefan or

[20:48] anybody else from The Ledger at this point about that.

[20:51] Sam, is that open for people to apply right now, or...?

[20:55] It's a good question. I don't know if it

[20:59] stipulates in the policy of when applications can start.

[21:02] I'd have to check on that. But yeah, probably within the next month.

[21:06] If you want to pass that along to Stefan that he needs to get a jump on it, that

[21:10] would be helpful. Yeah. That's the reason I was asking. I didn't know- Yeah. ...

[21:12] if they already started, so yeah.

[21:15] Yeah. Yeah. It's always better to be early on that, because it does

[21:19] take a few weeks for administration to process everything.

[21:23] Yeah.

[21:26] Sam, I don't know if I missed it or not.

[21:28] When is the tree light contractor

[21:31] coming through?

[21:32] Oh, well, he actually started today.

[21:34] Oh, good. Okay. Good.

[21:35] He was on Forest today.

[21:38] Got a big chunk of Forest done today.

[21:41] He'll be returning in the next two or three days, before completing.

[21:45] We will probably have him back again in November, as

[21:49] DMS crews are planning doing significant tree trimming

[21:52] on Ann Arbor Trail and then on Main, and that can cause some

[21:56] issues where we're gonna have to clean some stuff up.

[21:59] But we usually do that anyway before

[22:02] our event, the holiday event. So,

[22:05] I would anticipate when he has to come in in November, it's just a few hours to

[22:08] clean a couple things up. But yeah, the majority should be done by the end of the

[22:11] week.

[22:12] Great. Thank you.

[22:13] Yep.

[22:13] It makes our city look so special with the sparkle lights.

[22:20] Yeah, they had a good setup. We were walking by on Forest this

[22:24] morning, when they were... And it was interesting how they

[22:28] didn't take up more space than what they needed to for the parking, and so they had

[22:32] it blocked off and had their hi-lo just

[22:35] moving along. But then they would put the

[22:39] spaces back in use as soon as they could.

[22:41] So I thought that was good that they seemed to be conscious of the need for the

[22:44] parking spaces as well.

[22:45] Yeah, and the new contractor's been really good about meeting and discussing those

[22:48] potential impacts. We don't want to

[22:52] put no parking in half the downtown.

[22:54] We're taking 15 to 20 spaces at a time, so then he can work, move

[22:58] the spaces as he goes. And then really,

[23:02] the early morning is the best time, because there's not as much

[23:06] impact on the park. There's not as many activities downtown.

[23:10] Mm-hmm.

[23:10] So yeah, moving forward, he's gonna be starting on Mondays.

[23:13] We have a lot of the retailers are closed on Mondays.

[23:15] Awesome.

[23:15] It's a really good day to get a big chunk done.

[23:17] So, he's very cognizant of those issues, so...

[23:23] Any other questions?

[23:26] Nope.

[23:27] Thanks, Sam.

[23:30] Moving on.

[23:33] Seven, new business.

[23:37] So back in June of 2026, the DDA board accepted and approved the final

[23:41] deliverables for DTP4ward, our streetscape upgrade

[23:45] project,

[23:47] from the consultants at Smith Group.

[23:49] Over the past month, DDA and city administration met to discuss project

[23:52] implementation, phasing, and funding strategies.

[23:55] Preliminary discussions focused on engineering and construction projects for

[23:59] 2027. Again, what I mentioned before, project

[24:03] set two, or the area near Harvey and Froehlich, where underground

[24:07] work is needed.

[24:09] While specific allocation of funds for the 2027 infrastructure project has

[24:13] not been determined at this time, it's believed that most of that portion of the

[24:16] project can be funded through DDA and city funding

[24:19] While work on DTP4 is expected to begin in 2027 with DDA and city

[24:23] funding, significant funding from outside sources such as state and federal

[24:27] grants will be necessary to continue future work.

[24:30] Project set one, the Main Street corridor and around Kellogg Park, is estimated to

[24:34] cost around $20 million, and project set four, Ann Arbor

[24:38] Trail and Forest, is estimated to cost approximately $8 million.

[24:42] Though construction on those sets is not expected for several years,

[24:46] the timeline to apply for grants that can address such costs

[24:50] dictates near-term preparation.

[24:53] DDA Deputy Director Rakow is participating in

[24:57] SEMCOG and Grant Writing

[25:01] USA's administered workshops to grasp the fundamentals of grant writing

[25:04] and administration. DDA staff met with SEMCOG

[25:08] representatives to explore funding sources that match the DTP4 project.

[25:12] We'll be hosting SEMCOG in a couple of weeks as well.

[25:17] But based on many exploratory discussions with SEMCOG, city administration, and

[25:21] leaders from other communities with experience in similar projects, DDA staff has

[25:25] identified the need for professional grant writing assistance,

[25:29] especially for the state and especially for the federal-based

[25:32] grants that have complex technical requirements and are

[25:35] resource-intensive and very competitive.

[25:38] Smith Group's proposal for the Streetscape Upgrade Design project listed

[25:42] professional grant writing assistance as an add-on service at a cost of $10,000 to

[25:45] $20,000. While Smith Group's exemplary work thus far

[25:49] indicates probable high-quality services, DDA staff believes that it's

[25:53] best to practice due diligence to ensure the best possible professional

[25:57] grant writing assistance.

[25:59] The RFP process to hire Smith Group for the design phase of DTP4 took more

[26:03] than six months to complete, with many dedicated DDA staff hours.

[26:07] As there is some urgency in beginning the grant writing process, a federal grant

[26:10] application may take up to and potentially more than a year to be

[26:14] prepared and finalized, a more streamlined process is

[26:17] recommended. Instead of a comprehensive RFP, it may be best for DDA staff

[26:21] to gather cost quotes and qualifications over the next month or so to

[26:25] allow work on grant writing to begin before the end of 2026.

[26:29] DDA staff would like the DDA board to discuss and give direction before proceeding.

[26:33] Just to note, under Section 2-126 of City Code

[26:37] of Ordinances, professional grant writing services would be considered a

[26:41] professional service, not a traditional contractual service, so a formal

[26:45] bidding process is not required for professional services.

[26:49] DDA staff recommends reaching out directly to two

[26:53] to four reputable providers of professional grant writing assistance, in addition

[26:56] to the Smith Group, to obtain quotes and qualification references.

[27:00] Submitted quotes will be reviewed, and DDA staff will make a recommendation to the

[27:04] DDA board in the next month or two.

[27:06] Although the resolution is attached for consideration, DDA staff requests that the

[27:10] DDA board discuss the issue and give direction to the DDA

[27:14] staff

[27:16] prior to the DDA staff proceeding with seeking

[27:19] professional grant writing assistance.

[27:23] I move the resolution.

[27:24] Second.

[27:26] I'm sorry, who was the second?

[27:27] Second. Me.

[27:28] Oh. So motion made by Director Elliott, seconded by Mayor

[27:33] Phillips.

[27:34] Yeah.

[27:34] Anybody have questions, discussion?

[27:38] Mitch?

[27:40] So the idea of not doing the full-blown RFP over the next six

[27:43] months sounds like a good idea, because that sounds like more work than is

[27:46] necessary. But is there an idea of doing some

[27:53] preparation to make it as good evaluation process as

[27:56] possible? I would suggest that's a good idea.

[27:58] I'm curious to hear what you think.

[28:00] Yeah. We've had some discussions.

[28:02] I'm not exactly sure what that's going to look like at this point, but we have

[28:05] about five or six bullet points that we're going to include when we reach

[28:09] out to these organizations directly.

[28:12] That will include some of the... This may sound kind of obvious,

[28:16] but obviously, qualifications,

[28:20] grants that they've gotten, what

[28:24] communities they've worked with, and which grants they've obtained.

[28:28] Obviously, cost,

[28:30] and there's I think two or three other bullet points-

[28:33] One-

[28:34] ... that were on the top of my head-

[28:35] ... run-on thought is-

[28:35] ... that we were talking about. Yeah

[28:36] ... that Smith Group probably has

[28:38] a deeper understanding than others about

[28:41] what's been done so far. Maybe it's a good idea to somehow level the

[28:45] playing field a little bit so that it sounds like they could be a good candidate,

[28:49] but so that it's a fair evaluation.

[28:52] So it's about getting the other participants a little bit up to speed on what has

[28:56] been done.

[28:56] Yeah. We plan on including all of that information.

[28:58] We have all that stuff listed on our website, the plan,

[29:02] the whole process, and all of those things.

[29:05] I've also met with Oliver from Smith Group in recent times just to

[29:09] discuss

[29:11] some of the things that they've done with other communities to get a little bit of

[29:14] better understanding from our perspective of what we need to seek out.

[29:17] So,

[29:19] yep. That's-

[29:21] From your discussion with SEMCOG, could you get some referrals from them as

[29:25] well from working with the different mayors?

[29:27] Are they trying-

[29:28] They shy away from-

[29:29] Okay, because they don't want to be liable? Okay. Fair enough.

[29:31] Well, they don't want to play favorites, I don't think-

[29:34] Okay

[29:34] ... with that.

[29:34] I didn't know if they had a list they could share.

[29:36] Yeah.

[29:36] That's okay.

[29:36] That was the conversation-

[29:37] Okay. Figured.

[29:37] ... that we had, and that was their response.

[29:39] That was actually my question.

[29:40] Which makes sense.

[29:41] That was my like, "How do I phrase that without it seeming..."

[29:43] No, I think once you start evaluating and you see the success rate,

[29:49] you're

[29:51] looking at the right metrics, you're looking at the right things.

[29:53] And I appreciate the fact that you're not going for an RFP, because that

[29:57] I don't think is necessary at all.

[30:01] The grant writing now is much different than it used to be.

[30:04] You're right.

[30:05] For sure. Things have streamlined.

[30:06] But I've written federal grants before, not for this much,

[30:10] but if you don't have it done the right way, it's a

[30:13] technicality that throws your application out.

[30:16] So to have people who have seen success- And

[30:20] understand the system. I have no doubt you're going to find the right

[30:23] person. And I appreciate the fact that you acknowledge the fact that you

[30:27] need to find someone to help with this because of the complexities there.

[30:31] And Reiko, at some point,

[30:33] you will be able to do it. It's just-

[30:35] You will.

[30:37] Trust me.

[30:37] You will.

[30:38] Once you see it, you'll go, "I could do that."

[30:39] But right now,

[30:41] this is a perfect setup for you to be able to take the SEMCOG

[30:44] training and watch the process of what a professional does, and that

[30:48] eventually will save us money

[30:51] when we've got someone on staff who

[30:54] has experience, which you will get experience once you go through the process.

[30:57] So, I really appreciate the fact that you're doing this, because

[31:00] the money is there. You just have to have the right

[31:04] person to find it, and you can mess it up really easy if you

[31:08] don't have the right person. So, I really appreciate the fact that you guys

[31:11] are doing this in really a thoughtful,

[31:16] very precise way. So, thank you for doing that.

[31:19] I wanted to add that to address Director Matu's

[31:23] question.

[31:23] I'm sorry, can't hear you.

[31:25] Oh. To address Director Matu's

[31:29] question, I think the upcoming meeting with SEMCOG and

[31:33] the conversations that will-

[31:35] Yeah

[31:35] ... continue is going to really help us in shaping the evaluation process as well.

[31:39] That's what they do. They're experts, so they are a really good resource, and

[31:43] they seemed very open to keeping the communication channels

[31:47] open and for us to lean on them as that kind of resource.

[31:51] And thank you for being proactive as opposed to having to be

[31:55] reactive. You guys are so far ahead of the game, which is a great thing for

[31:58] everyone because it'll allow you to gather all that data.

[32:01] I've seen, and I'm sure you guys have as well, when you have some grant writers

[32:05] that come in and say they can do grants, and then you go, "No,

[32:09] not so much."

[32:10] Well, and then you don't want to be scrambling at the last second-

[32:12] Yes

[32:12] ... trying to get your-

[32:13] No

[32:13] ... phrases correct and things done-

[32:14] No

[32:14] ... clinically correct and then-

[32:16] Right

[32:16] ... mess it up.

[32:17] And the federal government requires some of-- The one grant I wrote,

[32:21] and we got it, it was almost $200,000.

[32:24] But the paperwork, it was three-inch thick stack of paperwork, and you had

[32:28] to make sure that everything was done exactly right or it was out the

[32:32] window. But

[32:34] yeah. So, I think it's interesting. Now, Sam, do you know if...

[32:39] And I don't even, Redevelopment Ready Communities program,

[32:43] is there anything within that

[32:46] with how far we have our certification that can help

[32:49] with funding any of these little

[32:53] things?

[32:55] Or do you know?

[32:55] That, I don't know off the top of my head exactly, but I do know

[32:59] there's opportunities. I know at the Michigan Downtown Association conferences,

[33:04] they've mentioned opportunities.

[33:07] There's usually a representative from MEDC that does a presentation at those.

[33:11] And

[33:12] I

[33:13] don't know exactly where we're at in the certification process, and that kind of

[33:17] does dictate-

[33:17] Yeah

[33:17] ... what you're eligible for.

[33:19] Right.

[33:19] I have an idea, but I don't know exactly.

[33:21] So, if you have the full certification, that does open a lot more

[33:25] funding opportunities.

[33:26] Yeah.

[33:26] So, I don't think we're quite there yet.

[33:29] We're working toward that, but-

[33:29] But I think we still, we're far enough along that we do-

[33:31] Yeah

[33:31] ... have some resources that we could use.

[33:34] Yeah, 100%. Yes.

[33:34] Yeah.

[33:34] Yes.

[33:34] Because I don't want to forget those things, because that took a lot of time to get

[33:37] the-

[33:37] So-

[33:38] ... process done

[33:38] ... between SEMCOG and the MEDC, I think,

[33:42] I don't want to say all of that work, but I think-

[33:45] Yeah

[33:45] ... we can explore kind of what the

[33:48] obvious opportunities are.

[33:50] Yeah.

[33:50] Because there are some that are relatively obvious.

[33:53] TAP Grant being one from SEMCOG. In the plan that y'all have,

[33:59] Oliver and Smith Group listed quite a few that

[34:03] would be probably in the wheelhouse that we can kind of look at ourselves.

[34:06] But the bigger federal ones are just so complex.

[34:10] Yeah.

[34:10] So, we may be able to get the ball rolling on some of

[34:14] the, whether at the MEDC and the SEMCOG level, because there is support

[34:18] within those organizations to help you with the application process.

[34:22] But the federal ones are just a completely different level.

[34:24] Yes, they are. Absolutely. Okay.

[34:26] One more. So, once you get your hands around

[34:30] the different options and their strengths and weaknesses, will we get a chance to

[34:34] take a look at-

[34:35] 100%, yeah.

[34:36] If that's the next good event-

[34:37] Yeah

[34:38] ... for

[34:39] us. Yeah.

[34:39] I didn't want to

[34:43] just jump right into that. I wanted this board to have the opportunity to give

[34:46] direction about how we attack that first.

[34:49] So, if this resolution is approved tonight, that'll give

[34:53] us the direction, and then we'll be coming back to the board either

[34:57] at no later than October, unless something strange happens with the

[35:00] process where we're having trouble contacting people or something.

[35:03] But

[35:04] I would like to have it on the next agenda.

[35:06] That may be a little bit optimistic, but for sure by October.

[35:09] And then you'd get the opportunity to see what

[35:13] the qualifications to different companies that we've looked at, and we'll

[35:17] likely have a recommendation at that point.

[35:20] Awesome.

[35:22] Any other questions for Sam and Reiko?

[35:26] No?

[35:28] All in favor of the resolution?

[35:30] Aye.

[35:31] All opposed?

[35:34] Motion carries.

[35:37] Yay.

[35:39] Sam, reports and correspondence?

[35:44] Yep. We have one Downtown Day in Michigan 2026, and I'm going to

[35:48] let Reiko handle this one.

[35:52] We've been celebrating Downtown Day in Downtown Plymouth for several years now.

[35:56] It is usually the fourth Saturday in September.

[36:00] It's usually declared through a proclamation by the

[36:04] Governor of Michigan.

[36:06] Downtowns across the street are celebrated as unique commercial and social

[36:10] cores of their community. The City Commission approved this

[36:14] year's DDA run Downtown Day event at its July 20th,

[36:18] 2026 regular meeting. And so we are planning for Downtown

[36:22] Day on Saturday, September 26th from noon to 7:00.

[36:28] There will be live music, family-friendly entertainment.

[36:32] We will also be giving some information regarding DTP

[36:36] Forward, and DTP businesses will participate in several

[36:40] options.

[36:42] The bulk of our activity will be in Kellogg Park.

[36:46] We're currently booking music and entertainment, and we've reached out to

[36:50] businesses regarding event sponsorship and participation options, and

[36:54] we are creating marketing materials to promote the event.

[36:58] One of our new fun ideas we had, a little twist on the

[37:01] scavenger hunt that we've done for several years.

[37:03] We're calling it the DTP Token Scavenger Hunt.

[37:06] Businesses that donate gift cards towards prizes will be listed

[37:10] as scavenger hunt participants, and they'll receive DTP

[37:14] tokens, which are customized coins, to hide at their

[37:17] locations. Visitors will visit participating businesses,

[37:21] explore, hunt, and hopefully shop for a token, and find

[37:25] the tokens and shop at the locations and claim prizes at the DDA

[37:29] tent in Kellogg Park.

[37:32] Last year, during our Downtown Day, we worked with consultant Smith Group

[37:36] to have a community engagement pop-up for DTP Forward.

[37:40] This year,

[37:42] we are finalizing an informational video highlighting the major

[37:46] themes from those final designs.

[37:49] The video is expected to be available for public viewing at the DDA tent in

[37:52] Kellogg Park on Downtown Day, and we hope to continue informing the

[37:56] community and maintaining momentum for the DTP Forward project.

[38:02] Thank you.

[38:03] Any questions about Downtown Day?

[38:05] That's awesome.

[38:07] Any last-

[38:07] You'll probably see us out, Julie and I will be out doing some recording for that

[38:11] video this week.

[38:13] Yes.

[38:13] As long as the weather's nice on Wednesday, we'll-

[38:15] Hopefully.

[38:15] Yeah, we got

[38:18] the voiceover and if you see me out on the

[38:21] Main Street median or right there along Kellogg Park, that's what I'll be doing on

[38:24] Wednesday if the weather's nice.

[38:26] Well, the videos for the Michigan Downtown Association were

[38:30] good. They were very cute and nicely done, and...

[38:33] Yeah, that's something that we forgot to mention during the update.

[38:35] We

[38:38] took over the Michigan Downtown Association social media on Friday.

[38:41] They allow for communities to take over their social media during the

[38:45] month of August. So, Reiko and Alex did a great job with that,

[38:49] making videos and talking about some of the historic and the landmarks

[38:53] and showing the activities of the concert, so I thought they did a really good job.

[38:57] Yeah, I would say it was 90% Alex, our PR assistant. She does a great job.

[39:02] And y'all know Sam Scanell. Yeah.

[39:06] I thought he was going to go under, like you go under the stairs and do it.

[39:10] That's one take.

[39:17] Any other questions for Downtown Day?

[39:20] Last year was fun.

[39:22] I know you'll send out a note for volunteers as well, but if-

[39:25] Yeah, well, we're looking for volunteers, so if anybody wants to help out, we

[39:28] usually need some volunteers just to help man the tent.

[39:31] So, when we do the scavenger hunt, staff's got to run around, and

[39:35] so we give the tokens to the business, but we'll also be hiding many around just

[39:38] the outside of downtown. So, if anybody's interested in helping out just manning

[39:42] the tent, we have a... What do you call the bingo?

[39:47] Uh-

[39:47] Like a-

[39:48] Little bingo ball-

[39:49] Got a bingo cage

[39:50] ... cage. Yeah, thank you.

[39:50] The cage, and-

[39:51] Little bit. Small cage

[39:51] ... so people will come, and they'll get to choose.

[39:54] The ball will have a corresponding prize.

[39:56] So, that will be the main thing, maybe a little bit of set up and breakdown, so

[40:00] we'll be looking for volunteers. So, if you or anyone you know is

[40:03] interested and, or have any kids in the eight hours or anything like

[40:07] that, we're happy to have them.

[40:11] It is always a fun day, so...

[40:19] All right.

[40:20] We will take a motion to adjourn.

[40:23] Motion to adjourn.

[40:25] Support.

[40:26] Motion made by Director Sign, second by Director Fry.

[40:32] Yep. All in favor?

[40:36] I.

[40:36] All opposed?

[40:38] Motion carries. Thank you, everyone. Have a good evening.

[40:47] Record-

Downtown Development Authority - August 10, 2026

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