PROJECTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2022/ 2023
The following is a list of the Alpena DDA's accomplishments, projects, investments and events for FY 2022/2023.
The DDA's fiscal year ran July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
Design & Beautification Projects
Beautification Investments
Fresh Waves 2023
Our fifth year of Fresh Waves was the biggest project to date! We had over 30 artists apply from all over the country and selected 8 artists who completed 6 pieces of vibrant artwork. With the support of the Sunset Project and Michigan Arts & Culture Council, over $30,000 was invested into this new outdoor gallery of artwork in the alleyway. Learn all about the pieces completed here.
Promotions & Marketing
Promotional Events
2023 Flower Festival
On June 2-3, 2023, we hosted the first ever Alpena Flower Festival. The two day festival filled downtown with 30+ creative floral displays and interactive pieces of floral art created by four local florists. We leveraged $10,000+ of sponsorships from 30+local businesses who decked out downtown for the beginning of the summer season. In addition, we partnered with local non-profits to host flower-themed activities, including live music with the Alpena Street Performers, workshops with Art in the Loft, a storytime at the library, and more.
Grants
DDA staff wrote and helped facilitate the following grant awards to improve the downtown:
The DDA's fiscal year ran July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
Design & Beautification Projects
- Continued our partnership with NEMROC and had two employees work seasonally to pick up trash and cigarette butts throughout downtown
- Purchased new flower planters to rent out to downtown businesses
- Continued renting out bike racks to downtown businesses
- Lead the transformation of the Center Alley (between 2nd and 3rd) into a pedestrian-only gathering space. With grant support from the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan, we purchased + installed string lights ($2,600)
- The beautified space was used for live music and events hosted by Fresh Plate, Rusty Petunias, HopSide Brewery, and Thunder Bay Arts
- Students from Pied Piper School planted and took care of 10 planters filled with flowers
- Fundraised $3,000 to purchase begonias for around 50+ tree bases downtown. On May 20, over 20 community members volunteered to help plant them at our second annual Flower Planting & Clean Up Day
Beautification Investments
- 49 hanging flower baskets $3,850
- 10 tables & benches for outdoor seating $4,000
- 10 planters in Center Alley $2,700
- String lights $2,600
- Holiday greenery in Culligan Plaza with Falls Creek $1,400
Fresh Waves 2023
Our fifth year of Fresh Waves was the biggest project to date! We had over 30 artists apply from all over the country and selected 8 artists who completed 6 pieces of vibrant artwork. With the support of the Sunset Project and Michigan Arts & Culture Council, over $30,000 was invested into this new outdoor gallery of artwork in the alleyway. Learn all about the pieces completed here.
Promotions & Marketing
- To promote the downtown, we also:
- Wrote and published 17 blog posts on Blog Downtown Alpena with over 9,700 views and 4,600 visitors
- Continued to maintain Downtown Alpena's social media accounts and website
- Facebook 10,707 followers
- Instagram 3,425 followers
- Tik Tok 312 followers
- Continued to maintain relationships with local media and run relevant advertisements to promote events and general downtown awareness (social media, print, radio, digital)
- Sent monthly e-mail newsletter to nearly 500 subscribers
- Continued to maintain www.downtownalpenami.com with relevant information
- Sent out a holiday mailer with 12 collaborative ads from downtown businesses to 2000 Alpena mailing addresses
Promotional Events
- Hot Cocoa Crawl (Jan)
- Alpena Ice Festival (Feb)
- Flower Planting Day (May)
- Friday Night Street Performers (May- Sept)
- Alpena Flower Festival (June)
- Fishing for Downtown Dollars (July)
- Sidewalk Sales (Aug)
- Chili Chowder Cook off (Oct)
- Holiday Open House (Nov)
- Visit with Santa (Dec)
2023 Flower Festival
On June 2-3, 2023, we hosted the first ever Alpena Flower Festival. The two day festival filled downtown with 30+ creative floral displays and interactive pieces of floral art created by four local florists. We leveraged $10,000+ of sponsorships from 30+local businesses who decked out downtown for the beginning of the summer season. In addition, we partnered with local non-profits to host flower-themed activities, including live music with the Alpena Street Performers, workshops with Art in the Loft, a storytime at the library, and more.
Grants
DDA staff wrote and helped facilitate the following grant awards to improve the downtown:
- Match on Main Grant Awards
- Rusty Petunias- $25,000 for second story renovation
- My Glass Wings- $25,000 for workshop space renovation
- Michigan Arts & Culture Council- Project Support for Fresh Waves ($14,000)
- Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan
- $1,500 for Center Alley string lights
- $1,500 for Flower Festival 2024
- $800 for downtown planters
- Facade Restoration Initiative- $400,000 to regrant out to local facade projects
- Thunder Bay Theatre Renovation
- $723,921 from MEDC Community Revitalization Program
- $140,000 from the State Historic Preservation Office- Resilient Lakeshore Heritage Grant Program
- $110,000 from Michigan Arts & Culture Council- Capital Improvement Grant Program
FUTURE PLANS
Ongoing projects and priorities for the remainder of 2023 & 2024 include:
As of June 30, 2023, the DDA had $193,731.38 in its general fund balance and $43,697 in its assigned Economic Development balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Boundary Expansion. Alpena City Council approved the DDA Boundary Expansion in November 2023. A large priority in 2024 will be meeting with stakeholders, incorporating the new properties and businesses into our current marketing, and determining which projects and investments are priorities in the expanded district.
- National Register Nomination. The DDA, in partnership with the City of Alpena and Thunder Bay Theatre, is in the process of having Downtown Alpena listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination will be finished in 2024 by Firefly Consulting and will share the national significance of our downtown buildings and architecture.
- Facade Restoration Initiative. The DDA received a $400,000 grant from the MEDC to regrant out to projects that will be completing transformative facade renovations. We will be calling for applications and regranting out funds in 2024.
As of June 30, 2023, the DDA had $193,731.38 in its general fund balance and $43,697 in its assigned Economic Development balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Economic development initiatives & recruitment programs, including Retail Recruitment Program (ongoing)
- Streetscape & Parking Lot improvements: Second Avenue, downtown parks, parking lot enhancements (5 year goal)
- Parking improvements such as pay-for-parking and parking structure (5 year goal)
PROJECTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2021/ 2022
The following is a list of the Alpena DDA's accomplishments, projects, investments and events for FY 2021/2022.
The DDA's fiscal year ran July 1, 2021- June 30, 2022.
Design & Beautification
Ongoing Investments
Promotions
Promotional Events
Economic Development
The DDA's fiscal year ran July 1, 2021- June 30, 2022.
Design & Beautification
- Continued our partnership with NEMROC and had three employees work seasonally to pick up trash, cigarette butts, and beautify our downtown.
- Continued investing in outdoor tables, benches, bike racks, and flower boxes to place throughout the downtown.
- Purchased three new bike racks crafted by local artist Jake Idema ($6,000)
- Contracted with Falls Creek Produce & Flowers to decorate Culligan Plaza with live greenery for the holiday season.
- Supported the closure of the alleyway between Second and Third Avenue to vehicular traffic on a trial basis for the summer and fall months. Invested in new planters to place in the alleyway ($1900)
- Awarded a $5,000 Facade Grant to 205 W Chisholm St (Presque Isle Farm tasting room)
- With leadership from Julie Dietz and help from the City, we raised over $1500 for flowers to be planted near the tree bases downtown. On May 28, we had a clean-up and planting day where nearly 20 volunteers planted and cleaned up downtown.
Ongoing Investments
- Downtown Street Performer series, May through October $1,000
- Alpena Chamber of Commerce + Economic Development $1,500
- Fresh Waves Mural Project $8,000
- Hanging flower baskets $3,600
- Outdoor furniture $3,100
- Fresh greenery in Culligan Plaza for the holidays $1,400
- Summer employee for downtown maintenance + projects through the City $1,500
Promotions
- Participated in the Rural Innovation Exchange, which highlighted stories and updates from Downtown Alpena
- To promote the downtown, we also:
- Wrote and published 16 blog posts on Blog Downtown Alpena with over 11,000 views and 5800 visitors.
- Continued to maintain Downtown Alpena's social media accounts and website
- Facebook 9,245 followers
- Instagram 3,038 followers
- Tik Tok 99 followers
- Continued to maintain relationships with local media and run relevant advertisements to promote events and general downtown awareness (social media, print, radio, digital)
- Sent monthly e-mail newsletter to nearly 500 subscribers
Promotional Events
- Coffee & Cars (All summer)
- Sidewalk Sales (July 15-17)
- Premier of Fresh Waves the Documentary (Aug 12)
- Back to School Shopping (Aug 21)
- Splurge and Spree Thursdays (December)
- Alpena Ice Festival (Feb 12)
- Alpena Restaurant Week (Feb 12-19)
- Easter Egg Hunt (April 9)
- Flower Planting Day (May 28)
- Live Mannequin Shopping Event (June 10)
Economic Development
- Recruitment Grant Awards
- Glik's $10,000
- Style Wherehouse $1,939
- Match on Main Grant Awards: Wrote 4 total Match on Main grant requests through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on behalf of downtown businesses to reactive underutilized space. The following were successfully awarded and reimbursed via the DDA:
- HopSideBrewery $21,250
- Presque Isle Farm Cider $25,000
- JJ’s $25,000
- Launched the Downtown Alpena Social District and purchased the first 250 cups for participating businesses ($2241 total). Expanded the boundaries with support from Alpena City Council in May 2022.
- Worked with the City to amend the parking ordinance, including raising fines for violations.
FUTURE PLANS
Ongoing projects and priorities for the remainder of 2022 & 2023 include:
As of June 30, 2022, the DDA had $235,434 (Fund 2) and $105 (Fund 5) in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Finish out the process of evaluating our boundaries and updating our Downtown Development and TIF Plan. This process began in late 2020 and is expected to finish in February 2023
- Invest in the alleyways downtown to make them more pedestrian friendly
- Celebrate the fifth year of Fresh Waves by commissioning murals in the alleyways. The DDA has a $14,000+ grant for this project in summer 2023
- Replace existing bike racks and flower baskets to rent out to businesses
- Continue to execute marketing campaigns to promote the downtown district (social media, newspaper, radio, TV)
- Continue hosting promotional events (Chowder Chili Cook-off, holiday events, Mural Celebration) and launch new events such as Restaurant Week & Ice Festival
As of June 30, 2022, the DDA had $235,434 (Fund 2) and $105 (Fund 5) in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Economic development initiatives & recruitment programs, including Retail Recruitment Program (ongoing)
- Streetscape & Parking Lot improvements: Second Avenue, downtown parks, parking lot enhancements (5 year goal)
- Parking improvements such as pay-for-parking and parking structure (5 year goal)
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PROJECTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2020/ 2021
The following is a list of the Alpena DDA's accomplishments, projects, investments and events for FY 2020/2021.
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
Design & Beautification
Ongoing Investments
Promotions
As part of our promotions of the downtown district, this year we launched:
Events
Economic Development
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
Design & Beautification
- Reviewed and revised our Facade Grant program and procedures.
- Continued our partnership with NEMROC and had three employees work seasonally to pick up trash, cigarette butts, and beautify our downtown.
- Continued investing in outdoor tables, benches, bike racks, and flower boxes to place throughout the downtown.
- Contracted with Falls Creek Produce & Flowers to decorate Culligan Plaza with live greenery for the holiday season.
- Supported the closure of the alleyway between Second and Third Avenue to vehicular traffic on a trial basis for the summer and fall months.
Ongoing Investments
- Downtown Street Performer series, May through October $1,000
- Alpena Chamber of Commerce + Economic Development $1,500
- Fresh Waves Mural Project $10,000
- Hanging flower baskets $3,400
- Outdoor furniture $2,400
- Fresh greenery in Culligan Plaza for the holidays $1,400
- Summer employee for downtown maintenance + projects through the City $1,500
Promotions
As part of our promotions of the downtown district, this year we launched:
- Vibrant, Artsy, Growing campaign on social media.
- Downtown Dive-In feature on Instagram to highlight DDA programs, projects, grants, and events.
- Wrote and published 19 blog posts on Blog Downtown Alpena with over 7300 views and 3500 visitors.
- Continued a monthly radio advertising package through True North Radio Network
- Continued to maintain Downtown Alpena's social media accounts and website
- Continued to maintain relationships with local media and run relevant advertisements to promote events and general downtown awareness (social media, print, radio, digital)
Events
- July 24 & 25- Sidewalk Sales
- Summer 2020- Coffee & Cars
- October 22- Flannel Fun Night
- November 18- Virtual Holiday Shopping Night
- December 12- Jingle Bell Crawl
- December 12 & 19- Virtual Storytime with Santa
- February 25- Snowed In Virtual Shopping Event
- March 25- Spring Fever Shoptacular
- May 2- May 8- Small Business Showcase
- June 19- Blues Festival
Economic Development
- Supported small businesses by awarding COVID-19 relief grants to match All in for Alpena awards totalling $13,775.
- Launched our Retail Recruitment Grant Program, which provides grants up to $10,000 for existing businesses to relocate or expand into the DDA district.
- Created a Grow Your Business Downtown tri-fold and a dedicated page on our website with information about local and state resources for new and existing businesses.
- Submitted two Match on Main grant requests through the MEDC in March 2021. Red Brick Tap & Barrel was awarded a $25,000 grant through the program to renovate the alleyway next to their building and transform it into a vibrant outdoor seating and bar area.
- Prepared & launched the Downtown Alpena Social District in partnership with the City of Alpena. The Social District allows patrons 21+ to purchase an alcoholic beverage from a business who has received a Social District Permit and walk around the district with it.
FUTURE PLANS
Ongoing projects and priorities for the remainder of 2021 & 2022 include:
As of June 30, 2020, the DDA had $284,219 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Replace existing bike racks and flower baskets to rent out to businesses
- Evaluate boundary expansion and update Downtown Development & TIF Plan
- Continue to execute marketing campaigns to promote the downtown district (social media, newspaper, radio, TV)
- Invest in the alleyways downtown to make them more pedestrian friendly
- Beautify areas around trees and improve landscaping downtown
- Continue hosting promotional events (Chowder Chili Cook-off, holiday events, Mural Celebration) and launch new events such as Restaurant Week & Ice Festival
As of June 30, 2020, the DDA had $284,219 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Economic development initiatives & recruitment programs, including Retail Recruitment Program (ongoing)
- Streetscape & Parking Lot improvements: Second Avenue, downtown parks, parking lot enhancements (5 year goal)
- Parking improvements such as pay-for-parking and parking structure (5 year goal)
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PROJECTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2019/ 2020
The following is a list of the Alpena DDA's accomplishments, projects, investments and events for FY 2019/2020.
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
Design & Beautification
Ongoing Investments
Promotions
Events
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
Design & Beautification
- Purchased new winter banners featuring local artwork
- Planted twenty-three new trees in the downtown district
- Contracted with Falls Creek Produce & Flowers to decorate Culligan Plaza with fresh greenery during the holiday season
- Commissioned local artist and blacksmith Jake Idema to fabricate two large bike racks to be placed in front of the Antique Mall on North Second Ave & Culligan Plaza ($6,600 total)
Ongoing Investments
- Downtown Scrims for vacant properties with Art in the Loft $1,000
- Downtown Street Performer series, May through October $1,000
- Alpena Chamber of Commerce + Economic Development $1,500
- Fresh Waves Mural Project $10,000
- Hanging flower baskets $3,200
- Outdoor furniture $2,400
- Summer employee for downtown maintenance + projects through the City $1,500
Promotions
- As part of our promotions of the downtown district, this year we launched:
- Seasonal promotional videos, which were filmed by Irving Entertainment
- Coffee with Kingsli, a weekly series on Facebook Live
- Monthly radio advertising package through True North Radio Network
- Continued to maintain Downtown Alpena's social media accounts and website
- Continued to maintain relationships with local media and run relevant advertisements to promote events and general downtown awareness (social media, print, radio, digital)
Events
- Downtown Sidewalk Sales (July 2019)
- Downtown Mural Celebration: Fresh Waves (August 2, 2019)
- The Longest Table (August 25, 2019)
- Chili Chowder Cook-off (October 5, 2019)
- Rise Artisan Market (October 26, 2019)
- Bard at the Bar (November 13, 2019)
- Small Business Saturday (November 30, 2019)
- Visit with Santa weekends (December 14 & December 21, 2019)
- Leap Year Local (February 29, 2020)
- Virtual Shopping Nights (May & June 2020)
FUTURE PLANS
Ongoing projects and priorities for the remainder of 2020 & 2021 include:
As of June 30, 2019, the DDA had $315,820 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Launch Retail Recruitment program
- Replace existing bike racks and flower baskets to rent out to businesses
- Evaluate potential boundary expansion
- Create Historic Plaque program for historic buildings downtown
- Continue to execute marketing campaigns to promote the downtown district (social media, newspaper, radio, TV)
- Continued event hosting (Chowder Chili Cook-off, Bard at the Bar, holiday events, Mural Celebration)
As of June 30, 2019, the DDA had $315,820 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Business development & recruitment programs, including Retail Recruitment Program (launch this year)
- Culligan Plaza updates (2-3 year goal)
- Streetscape & Parking Lot improvements: Second Avenue, downtown parks, parking lot enhancements (5 year goal)
- Parking Structure Investment (5 year goal)
PROJECTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2018/2019
The following is a list of the Alpena DDA's accomplishments, projects, investments and events for FY 2018/2019.
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
The DDA's fiscal year runs July 1- June 30.
Design & Beautification
Ongoing Investments
Promotions
Events
- Invested in new white lights for downtown holiday decorations
- Purchased new bows for downtown holiday wreaths
- Invested in fabrication of new holiday wreaths
- Re-landscaped Pocket Park with Prattscape, laid new irrigation
- Purchased downtown banners featuring local artwork
- Facade Grants awarded
- 129 W. Chisholm St. $5,000
- 500 W. Fletcher St. $5,000
- 109 W. Chisholm St. $5,000
- 109 & 111 River St. $10,000
Ongoing Investments
- Downtown Scrims for vacant properties with Art in the Loft $1,000
- Alpena Chamber of Commerce + Economic Development $1,500
- Fresh Waves mural $12,000
- Hanging flower baskets $2,000
- Outdoor furniture $2,400
- Summer employee for downtown maintenance + projects through the City $1,500
Promotions
- Ran a digital marketing campaign with Q+M Agency
- New branded digtal graphics $1,000
- Influencer Outreach $850
- New landing page $3,000
- Paid marketing campaign $5,900
- Created a new portfolio of professional photography of the downtown with Don La Barre Photography
- Launched Downtown Ambassador Program for social media
- Created promotional videos with Irving Entertainment for 2020 launch
Events
- Downtown Chowder & Chili Cook-off (October)
- Bard at the Bar (November)
- Runaway Elves, Downtown Gingerbread Competition, Visit with Santa weekends (December)
- Alpena Blues Festival & DDA Family Zone (June)
- The Longest Table (August)
- Downtown Mural Celebration (August)
FUTURE PLANS
Ongoing projects and priorities for the remainder of 2019 and 2020 include:
As of June 30, 2018, the DDA had $297,815 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
View more budgetary and fund balance information here.
- Alleyway improvements- making them more pedestrian-friendly and accessible
- New bike racks- replacing existing ones and consolidating bike parking
- New flower baskets for businesses to rent out
- New networking and outreach to downtown businesses (economic development initiative)
- Continued promotional campaigns (social media, newspaper, radio, TV)
- Continued event hosting (Chowder Chili Cook-off, Bard at the Bar, holiday events, Mural Celebration)
As of June 30, 2018, the DDA had $297,815 in its fund balance. As the 2004 TIF + Development Plan describes, this balance is expected to contribute to the following projects which require a larger amount of investment:
- Streetscape & Parking Lot improvements: Second Avenue, downtown parks, parking lot enhancements (5 year goal)
- Parking Structure Investment (5 year goal)
- Land Acquisition & Economic Development Opportunities (business incubator, performing arts center) (2-3 year goal)
View more budgetary and fund balance information here.
