Coldwater DDA approves consent agenda, hears event, grant and cleanup plans

The Coldwater Downtown Development Authority on March 25 approved its consent agenda and February bills totaling $6,983.87, and heard updates on upcoming events, grants and downtown promotional work.

The board excused three absences during roll call and approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from the regular DDA meeting on Feb. 25 and committee minutes from March. The board then approved the February bills and accounts. A board member asked about a $2,040.22 credit-card charge listed as covering multiple items, including supplies for a student art project; the director said the $25 meetup gift card is covered by a sponsor and that the card statement grouped several charges.

The meeting's program updates were led by Matt, substituting for Tibbetts, and the DDA director. Matt outlined upcoming family-focused events: a Minecraft movie screening with a pre-show pizza party, a Taylor Swift tribute concert with tickets on sale, and additional "more than a movie" evenings. He also described summer theater programming and new workshops, including a circus workshop and a puppetry class led by local artist Clovis Bordeaux. Matt asked the board and community to consider hosting traveling company members for summer productions.

The director reported several marketing and downtown initiatives: the DDA has launched a LinkedIn account and is updating web and newsletter archives; monthly Main Street meetups drew about 21 participants in the most recent session. The director said the community was selected for an MSU Extension fit assessment, with site visits and recommendations expected over the summer. The facade grant application is under city-attorney review and will likely open with the new fiscal year in July. Erin applied for arts funding from the Mission Arts and Cultural Council and secured $16,000 (recorded in the meeting as $16) to support new murals and student art projects; the larger sculpture project has been deferred until next year and an existing metal tree sculpture will remain in place for now.

Organizers promoted a free succession planning workshop to be held locally; at the time of the meeting two people had registered and organizers said they hoped for a minimum of about 10 participants. The director also said the DDA is producing a MyMainStreetStory profile of Kuehle's Jewelry for its newsletter and website to highlight downtown businesses.

An Earth Day cleanup is scheduled for April 22 (rain date April 23), 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; volunteers are invited to a post-cleanup pizza at Broadway Wheel. The director said maps and guidelines are prepared and volunteers may simply show up without signing up in advance.

The director said a budget meeting would follow the DDA meeting; the agenda for the next board meeting will include budget discussion. With no public comments, the Chair adjourned the session.