The DMBA advantage
The Downtown Middleton Business Association (DMBA) presented a number of suggestions at the September 10 Community Development Authority (CDA) meeting to help the downtown businesses through the coronavirus pandemic. Some of these I mentioned in the Middleton e-View 19 newsletter, and they mostly centered around the downtown plaza.
Some other ideas submitted by the DMBA include using signage on Highway 12 exits, as well as the City's online platforms, like newsletters and social media accounts, to draw attention to downtown Middleton.
A mural to the same effect will be painted on the north wall of the Roman Candle building, with the $5,000 cost to be evenly split between the City's Arts Committee and the CDA. It was approved by the Council yesterday (September 15).
This raises the question: What about the businesses located in the other parts of the city? The DMBA is an active and effective lobbyist for downtown businesses, and with the CDA it has an official conduit to City Hall and City resources. The businesses in the other parts of town don't have that kind of built-in quasi-public support structure, and their representatives on the Common Council also aren't anywhere near as dynamic in supporting the businesses in their districts as district 1 alderwoman Kathy Olson is in her efforts for downtown. She, and they, have the added advantage that she serves on both CDA and License & Ordinance (as does, by the way, district 3 alderwoman Katy Nelson).
If the City is going to use public funds for highway signs to draw visitors to Middleton businesses, or its online platforms to help with marketing, then it needs to make sure that those efforts go beyond the downtown area, and that all local businesses can benefit.
Organizing and promoting events of any kind is tricky under the current covid-19 restrictions, but the DMBA has some ideas: a story-walk in October, tied in with a presumably Halloween-related costume contest by the Public Library and the City's Recreation Department; a holiday story-walk, with tree lighting and candy cane hunt, and maybe with virtual visits by Santa Claus; renting out fire pits on weekday evenings and weekends with ticketed seating, while providing firewood, drink tickets and food kits from partner-businesses, while staying within public-health rules; also with live music on these nights.
[I am probably in a minority of one here, but I find that live music usually ruins otherwise nice events; not necessarily because of the music per se, although that is often bad enough, but because it is invariably too loud. Conversation becomes impossible, and what should be a relaxing gathering with nice company, good food, drink and background music, turns into a booming rock concert where the music drowns out everything else. People have to shout to be heard, which by the way is also why public-health authorities advise against loud music: The shower of germ-laden droplets we spew out has a much wider range when we yell. Still, loud noise is hardly going to go away: Musicians think volume improves quality, young people love it, middle-aged people want to feel younger than they look, and old people can't hear it anyway; I am the only one who resents it. So, when the musicians start assembling their amplifiers and loudspeakers, that is my cue to drink up and leave. Cheers!]
Movies on the plaza, overnight campouts, and a winter carnival in January or February with ice skating, an ice sculpture contest, and other cold-weather-related activities are also on the DMBA's list.
Besides all that, the DMBA is making plans to create and sell a 'giftable tin package during the holiday season. The name and design of the pack are still being worked on, but the objective is to drive traffic to participating businesses in 2021. This package will contain offers for product, services or discounts customized to best fit individual business needs.' They are hoping to produce at least a thousand of them, and the profits would be put towards continued efforts to draw people to downtown Middleton. According to the DMBA, more than a dozen businesses have already indicated their interest. It wants the CDA to provide the seed money to help fund production.
The DMBA's list of proposals is impressive, not least because the events, activities and specials can easily be continued post-pandemic. Businesses in other parts of Middleton might also find inspiration here for similar initiatives. But since they don't have a CDA to help them, where would they turn for seed money for gift tins, for example?
MADC for MERL
The City is one step closer to offering a financial support program for local businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, September 15, the Common Council unanimously approved the creation of the Middleton Economic Relief Loan program (MERL) proposed by the Middleton Area Development Corporation (MADC).
Although MERL is a collaborative program between the City and MADC, the latter has the lead in establishing the guidelines and approving and administering the loans. It has committed $100,000 in funding, and the City will contribute the same amount, at least initially. During the Finance Committee debate (and later the Council debate) it became clear that the City would be willing to increase its contribution if the demand from businesses was strong enough. MADC would hopefully do the same.
According to the program description, the 'loans would be approved, originated and administered by MADC on a confidential basis. It is not the intent of this program to have a one-size-fits-all approach. MADC has traditionally customized the loans to fit the needs of the borrower and this would be no different. (...) The intent of the MERL program is to offer low interest loans to businesses in the city of Middleton with flexible repayment terms. The initial six-months period would be interest-only and the interest payments may be placed on deferral. MADC anticipates that these loans would be unsecured; however, a personal guaranty would be required. Repayment of the loan may extend to 48 months depending on the circumstances. MERL will be designed and underwritten as a loan program with low interest terms and the ability to provide extended repayment terms. The approval process will reside with MADC.'
The proposed interest rate of 4% made some Council members question how attractive that would be to businesses. They also wondered if the City should not subsidize the interest in order to bring the rate down closer to zero.
MADC does not necessarily expect all loans to be repaid: 'Due to the current economic environment, MERL is considered a high-risk loan program. The City of Middleton and MADC will share equally in any losses experienced by this program. It should be noted that any final measure of MERL will not be known for at least three to four years when all loans have matured (or defaulted). MADC will make every effort to mitigate risk when and where appropriate.'
Details of the program still have to finalized, including what business expenses would and would not be eligible for a loan. The Council members seemed to agree with district 8 alderman Mark Sullivan's opinion that there should be as few restrictions as possible on how the loan funds could be used.
The MERL program represents a reversal in MADC's position: In May it had refused to participate in a loan program on the grounds that it was not equipped to deal with the administrative effort required.
Inspection fees increase
The Council voted unanimously to increase a number of building-inspection fees, which had not been adjusted since 2012. Since fees are supposed to reflect the costs involved in administering requests, fees that are too low are an indirect subsidy from the taxpayers to the fee-payers, in this case the building developers.
This park is not a park
The Council gave final approval to an ordinance that transforms the green space next to City Hall (City Hall Commons, for the occasion) into a temporary park (until March 31, 2021), in order to allow alcohol consumption there. The space has been green since the old MOM building that occupied it was demolished. Because the City used TIF funds to acquire that building, Mark Sullivan questioned whether turning the site into a park was appropriate: State law prohibits TIF funds to be used to establish parks (hence a downtown plaza and not a downtown park). City Attorney Larry Bechler, normally a stickler for legal niceties, thought that an exception could be allowed due to the temporary nature of the designation. Mark Sullivan was not convinced and voted against it anyway.
A mind like a steel trap
Mark Sullivan was also the lone vote against an ordinance that prohibits parking within four feet of a roadside mailbox between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm. The terms 'within four feet' caused mayor Gurdip Brar's scientifically honed brain to roar into action: "[Is that] four feet on either side or ..., I mean, from which point to which point do you measure?"