DIDA prepares for holidays

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood — Work has started on downtown holiday decorations with more to come in the weeks ahead, according to reports at the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority on Thursday.

Tim Erickson, city community development specialist, said that Walmart Inc. provided an $150 donation for the lighting. The wreathes are purchased and the next task is selecting the lighting for decorative light poles downtown from samples.

The donations for holiday wreaths, lights and street pole decorations are coming in, said Tom Bergman, director of community development. The Ironwood Tourism Council helped by approving a $600 contribution.

“So, that was really great,” Bergman said.

In his reports, Bergman said the new city zoning ordinance has completed most of the committee reviews and the consultants are working recommendations into the document where possible. Some of the recommendations are more appropriate for the city’s comprehensive plan, he said.

The city commission will hold workshops on the ordinance in December. The ordinance could be approved in January.

The downtown tax increment financing district has been on hold for the duration of the zoning ordinance project. Bergman has reached out to consultants to get estimates on TIF planning costs in order to get the project started and completed within the optimum tax capture timeline.

The city is looking at where America Rescue Plan Act funds can be used to benefit small businesses, Bergman said. The city commission will work with staff later this year on how to target the ARPA dollars.

“So hopefully, there’ll be some of that carved out locally for small businesses,” Bergman said. “We are also waiting to see if there’s some programming that comes through the state as well.”

In the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce update, director Michael Meyer said a volunteer fair will benefit businesses and organizations that utilize downtown for a host of their events and programs. There are 34 organizations from Ironwood, Hurley and Bessemer that will be at the Memorial Building from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

“We really hope that we will have a good turnout for this,” Meyer said. “Because volunteers in this area are so important. They make so many of the organizations that we all participate in work.”

Meyer reminded the board of the “Route 2 Elsewhere” documentary film screening at 1 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Historic Ironwood Theatre. A panel discussion will follow with filmmaker Dirk Wierenga and area development leaders who appeared in the film, to include Bergman, Richard Stewart, director of the transportation and logistics center at the University of Wisconsin - Superior, and Carver Harries, director of the Ashland Area Development Corporation.

“We hope we get some good questions regarding the socioeconomic development of these communities and especially ours, and how we’re adapting to new economic realities as well as new climate and demographic transitions that are going on around here,” Meyer said.

Meyer invited the DIDA members to attend the annual Jack Frost Festival Tree Lighting on the evening of Nov. 19 at the Historic Ironwood Depot. The event will feature the tree lighting to kick off the winter season along with choral singers, refreshments and perhaps some snow.

In other business, the DIDA members approved going to a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting format starting in November. The meetings will be held at the Memorial Building auditorium and members have the option of attending virtually. The next DIDA meeting will be held at 8 a.m. Nov. 18. The meeting is a week early due to the Thanksgiving holiday.