EDC puts focus on goals

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood — The Ironwood Economic Development Corporation will be looking to update goals over the next few months, according to discussion at their virtual meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting started with the renomination of EDC Chair John Wyssling, who was reelected 5-0 as chair for another year. Dave Ramme was also reelected as vice chair.

EDC members Mark Ruppe and Velda Sclafani were not present. Sclafani’s term has expired and her seat is now vacant.

The EDC approved an initial list of goals at the February meeting and before work could continue the pandemic resulted in cancelation of meetings, according to Tom Bergman, director of Ironwood community development. The list will be emailed to the members for more in depth discussion in December.

“This is just the beginning of our conversation about goal setting,” Bergman said to the EDC. “We just kind of wanted to start the process and get you thinking about stuff.”

The February goal list included a review of the target market analysis for retail to potentially expand that to include a potential downtown hotel study, a housing study and some industrial uses to see where expansion was needed. The downtown tax incremental finance plan was another goal that was shelved until the city’s zoning ordinance is completed.

Another goal is attraction and retention of talent. The aspects of that include mentorship, trade needs, business retention, marketing for remote workers and working with InvestUP

The final goal from the previous year in the Redevelopment Ready Communities and priority sites.

“When thinking about our goals, one thing we want to do is narrow it down to one or two things,” Bergman said.

Since the market plan was put together, the EDC and city staff have not really identified one goal to focus on as achievable within a year, he said. With this year’s goal process, the members and staff should look for something that the EDC can offer good direction for the city to accomplish.

The EDC has had input on the industrial district and whether there is a need for one or two districts and that information was relayed to consultants, he said. Similar discussions will be held regarding the zoning ordinance that will be useful for consultants to help produce an initial draft.

“There may be more of that coming up in the next few months where I will be bouncing some ideas off you guys so I can forward that on to the zoning consultants to see how those ideas can be included into the ordinance.”

Some of the goals are linked to the outcome of the zoning ordinance in order to proceed, said Tim Erickson, community development specialist for the city of Ironwood. The projects out of that process can become goals.

EDC Member Joseph Lemke said if there was a measure of the goals accomplished in the past that would help as a tool to structure goals going forward.

Projects and goals for the EDC should be somewhat planning focused to aid the city commission in making decisions. The input helps guide decisions on needs and planning before dedicating funds and seeking grants.

Wysling suggested a meeting with the staff prior to the next meeting to suggest several ideas for the EDC to decide if it can bring out in the community or have an effect on future community development.

In the COVID-19 business update, EDC member Gary Burnett asked Bergman to check with Gogebic County about possible Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding that is designated for the service industry center. He said not all businesses are aware of the opportunities and that other counties have not distributed funds and deadlines for applying are looming.

In the adult-use marijuana establishment ordinance update, Bergman said staff are preparing the commercial application process before the ordinance goes into effect on Nov. 10. There is a high number of business owners who are interested in applying, he said.

The next EDC meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2.