Main Street program stays, for now
After pondering a withdrawal, the City of Charlevoix has decided to remain affiliated with the Michigan Main Street program — or rather, has declined to withdraw from the partnership they have with the state's municipal economic development initiative.
The overwhelming response from local businesses potentially swayed the decision made at the last DDA meeting by the board members. Charlevoix Downtown Development Director Lindsey Dotson said she was inundated with calls from owners worried about the loss of support if the program were to be dissolved.
Although specific reasons for the contemplated pull-out were not elaborated on, the impetus seemed to be that some of the Downtown Development Authority board members doubted the program's current worth in relation to the effort needed to maintain certification, according to Charlevoix's Mayor Luther Kurtz and Dotson.
At the Nov. 16 DDA meeting, the board members declined to take action regarding the issue with Downtown Development Authority Chair Maureen Owens expressing the sentiment that it is “good to reexamine a program” every so often.
Charlevoix has been part of the Main Street program, a national initiative that gives economic development tools to local communities, for over five years.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix Main Street program stays, for now
