Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood — Developing a collective snow removal option for downtown businesses led the discussion at the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority meeting Thursday.
Members shared perspectives of several downtown businesses that must comply with an ordinance for downtown sidewalk snow removal. Ensuring that the snow is removed in a timely manner is often expensive for individual businesses, whether they pay per removal or seasonly.
At the same time, not all businesses are receptive to the idea of sharing a single contract to ensure the whole downtown is done at once, according to Ironwood community development director Tom Bergman. The options are for the businesses continuing to maintain their specific areas, contracting with the city or to collectively putting out a bid for a private contractor with the capacity to handle the downtown snow removal, he said.
Ironwood Mayor Annette Burchell said if the businesses are not coming together as one voice, then the authority is the right group to find a solution and present it as an option to a mutual issue.
In his report, Bergman said the city’s Downtown Blueprint Plan is ready for revisions. Several items have been completed and other priorities need to move up to replace them, he said.
The blueprint plan is integrated into the city-wide comprehensive plan, he said. The work done so far includes several parks and future work could include more facade projects, downtown safety, public restrooms, outdoor seating plans, and guidance with the zoning ordinance, he said.
On the topic of business incubators, DIDA member Nancy Korpela said she learned from other cities to gauge what those opening startups need before creating spaces.
It’s about providing something economical at the right price point, she said.
Just office space won’t always do, she added. Find out what kind of niche space, studio space or other type of rooms people want versus working at home, she said.
Michael Meyer, director of the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce, said the Jack Frost Festival planning group has posted a preliminary schedule of events occurring on Dec. 6-7. The Jack Frost parade is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7
There will be an update with two event changes on the website, he said. Raffle tickets for the Jack Frost event will go on sale starting Friday, Oct. 4 during the Downtown First Friday events, he said.
