Podcasts about redevelopment authority

“Good Morning Red Wing” News Director Greg Taylor talks with Kurt Keena, Executive Director for the City of Red Wing Government Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Executive Director & Bob Hawley, Executive Director for Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity about the new Owner-Occupied Housing Rehab Program, and more!

Returning with Robert and Haley is Robert Lilligren, President and CEO of NACDI. Today, Lilligren brings guest Terri Smith, Director of the Metropolitan Council Housing & Redevelopment Authority! Plus, hear from Kahomy Weston, Owámniyomni Okhódayapi's Program and Project Coordinator!!

Guest host Shannon Roers-Jones is joined in studio by Chris Brungardt, CEO Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Alex Rubick, Project Manager with Roers, to discuss the lengthy process of affordable housing on Afternoons Live.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Green Bay Public Market would receive $4.2 million in aid from the city, under a proposal the city's Redevelopment Authority will review Tuesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Hailey heads to one of the longest main streets in Wisconsin, located in Jefferson County. Watertown's Main Street is no ordinary main street. It's been redeveloped and transformed into a remarkable city center. Follow along as Hailey uncovers all the details about the downtown development project, the goals, and the profound community impact.Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/watertown-the-downtown-development-project/Watertown: https://www.watertownwi.gov/; Redevelopment Authority: https://www.watertownredevelopment.org/; Main Street: https://www.watertownmainstreet.org/; Historical District: https://www.watertownmainstreet.org/; Bentzin Family Town Square: https://www.watertownredevelopment.org/thesquare; The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/blog/The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpodShop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsinDiscover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsinDiscover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworksJefferson County: https://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov/. Follow on social @jeffersoncountywi

The next We Question and Learn program will feature an interview with Tina Mengine, President and CEO of the Erie County Redevelopment Authority and Craig Palmer, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Erie Water Works.

Learn about Vancouver's call for applicants to join the City Center Redevelopment Authority board, a vital role in shaping the future of downtown. Discover more and apply at https://tinyurl.com/4pp9dbxj on www.ClarkCountyToday.com. #CityCenterRedevelopment #DowntownVancouver #Redevelopment

This episode features special guest Shaun Adams, Peachtree Corners' new Community Development Director who continues as Assistant City Attorney. Shaun's responsibilities include identifying areas that could benefit from redevelopment, planning, administering, and implementing redevelopment projects, and helping to identify and obtain public funding for projects. Part of our discussions include the 6-month moratorium on new residential development in the central business district which reflects a reassessment of the city's needs. Included in the podcast discussion was a discussion on zoning and development, emerging market trends, navigating development pressures, and community and business roles. Hosted by Rico Figliolini.Redevelopment Authority of Peachtree Corners: https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/21... Peachtree Corners City Meeting Calendar: https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/Ca...Timestamp:00:00:00 - Shaun Adams: New Community Development Director00:01:21 - Peachtree Corners Resident Balances Legal and Community Roles00:03:26 - Community Development: Zoning, Permitting, and Collaboration00:07:24 - Adapting City Codes to Changing Needs00:09:54 - Adapting Zoning to Emerging Market Trends00:12:37 - Navigating Zoning Overlays and Mixed-Use Developments00:15:07 - Examining Zoning and Development Trends00:20:01 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Cities and the Growth of Smaller Communities 00:21:30 - Navigating Development Pressures and Public Input00:25:28 - Leveraging Comprehensive Plans for Strategic Development00:29:43 - Exploring Proactive City Planning00:32:23 - Upcoming Agenda and Code Updates00:33:57 - Upcoming Planning Commission and City Council Meetings

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"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Red Wing Mayor Mike Wilson with a recap of the City Council meeting on Monday, presentation of plaque for Jay Owens for 29 years of service to the City, Arbor Day Proclamation - Mayor Wilson is asked to read the Arbor Day Proclamation, Housing and Redevelopment Authority update by HRA Director Kurt Keena, Public Comment - Carol Overland was presented a plaque as winner of the 2024 Jay McCleary Sustainability Award, consider a motion to approve the proposed 2025 Budget Calendar, discuss Cannabis Legislation and possible City Dispensary, consider a motion to prioritize and direct staff to apply for FY25 Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), and discuss Police Department Facility timeframe.

Last week the Northfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority extended by one month their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Northcountry Cooperative foundation on a proposed manufactured home cooperative neighborhood on seven acres of land owned by the HRA in the southeast part of the city.  The project has been discussed for nearly a year. Last May, […]

Brent Nystrom and Galen Malecha of the Northfield Housing & Redevelopment Authority talk about potential affordable housing developments in the area.

 Brent Nystrom and Galen Malecha of the Northfield Housing & Redevelopment Authority talk about potential affordable housing developments in the area. 

The Northfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority will meet tonight, and a discussion about the exclusive Memo of Understanding with Northcountry Cooperative Foundation which is set to expire at the end of the month, is a key item on the meeting's agenda.  NCF has been working with the City of Northfield on a proposed cooperatively owned […]

It's the Friday news roundup! A familiar Pittsburgh voice — former host of 90.5 WESA's The Confluence, Kevin Gavin — joins the team to talk about where you can see local cherry blossoms, Duquesne basketball, and new West End Bridge designs that hope to “complete the loop” of Pittsburgh trails. Plus, newsletter editor Francesca Dabecco quizzes Kevin and host Megan Harris on their Mister Rogers knowledge in honor of Fred's birthday week. We always cite our sources: Hosting NCAA Tournament games means millions of dollars for hotels, restaurants, and bars with thousands of college sports fans flooding into town. Check out this Duquesne basketball player's athletic clothing line! Kevin talked to Riverlife executive director Matthew Galluzzo for WESA two years ago. At the time, he said the West End Bridge connection is the largest remaining gap in Pittsburgh's Downtown network and a major missing link for some regional trail systems” — all part of their Completing the Loop plan. The West End Bridge project comes via a $2 million grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County's Trail Development Fund. Did you know the Mister Rogers trivia? Here's 4 fun facts about the sweaters he wore in Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're also on Instagram @CityCastPgh! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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lovethylawyer.comA transcript of this podcast is available at lovethylawyer.com.Go to https://www.lovethylawyer.com/blog for transcripts. In collaboration with the Alameda County Bar Association, Love Thy Lawyer presents an interview with: BART Attorney Byron TomaSan Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District – Office of the General Counsel (Department Head: Matthew Burrows) Staff Attorney, January 2008 to present Advising various government clients, including Media Affairs, Marketing, Expressive Activities Permitting, Planning, Engineering and Operations, Office of Civil Rights, Real Estate, “Art at BART,” Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Office of the Independent Police Auditor, Police Department, Public Works Construction and Procurement Contracting. Appearing, as needed, on Pitchess Motions and Workplace Violence Restraining Orders. Working on issues related to CEQA/NEPA, the Political Reform Act, Govt. Code Section 1090, conflicts of interest, incompatible offices/activities, Public Records Act, Records Retention, Privacy Rights and the Brown Act. Supervision of law clerks and post-graduate volunteers. Santa Clara University School of Law Adjunct Lecturer, Externship Program, May of 2016 to May 2019 Serving within the Legal Externship Program to review student externship placement summaries, student diaries, assignments, and other administrative duties as required by the position. Alameda City Attorney's Office (Department Head: Teresa L. Highsmith) Assistant City Attorney II, July 2006 to November 2007 Advising various government clients, including the Chuck Corica Golf Course, Recreation and Parks Department, Information Services Department, Alameda Free Libraries, Finance Department, Housing Authority, Development Services Department, Community Improvement Commission (Redevelopment Commission), Alameda Reuse & Redevelopment Authority, 5150 Gun Retention cases. Supervision of law clerks and volunteers. Marin County Counsel's Office (Department Head: Patrick K. Faulkner) Deputy County Counsel III, December 2000 to July 4, 2006 Sonoma County Counsel's Office (Department Head: Steven M. Woodside) Deputy County Counsel IV, April 1987 to December 2000  Alameda County Bar AssociationThe Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA) is a professional membership association for lawyers and other me Louis Goodman www.louisgoodman.comhttps://www.lovethylawyer.com/510.582.9090Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, MauiTech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, OaklandAudiograms: Paul Roberts louis@lovethylawyer.com

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The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with real estate, construction or economic development backgrounds who are interested in supporting the growth and success of downtown Vancouver. https://tinyurl.com/4twhphyb #VancouverWa #CityCenterRedevelopmentAuthority #downtownredevelopment #VancouverCityCenterVisionplan #downtownVancouver #realestate #construction #economicdevelopment #VancouverCityCouncil #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Red Wing Mayor Mike Wilson with a recap of the City Council meeting on Monday, Proclamations & Recognitions: two City Public Works employees who went beyond the call of duty to make sure a lost wallet got back to the right person, two new Police officers, Dominik Olsen, Patrol Officer & Brian Metling, Investigation Captain were sworn in. A Red Wing Baseball update by Paul Irwin. Presentation by Red Wing Park Naturalist, highlighting programming. Presentation by Peter Leatherman with results of the Community Survey. Update by Kurt Keena on Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Vote to consider zoning change for Three Rivers housing project failed to get super majority to pass. Voted to approve $10,000 for Hope and Harbor funding to support their fight against homelessness.

Join Travis Condon and Kat Deal on the road at Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority (FRA) with Executive Director Meagen Donoghue. Tune in to hear about how she and the FRA work with the city to redevelop unused buildings and blighted areas into new public green space, a new multi-family house, or turning an old factory into a space for a brewery, a tech company, and much more.   #podcast #podcaster #podcastshow #podcastlove #businesspodcast #newpodcast #podcastnetwork #podcastcommunity #applepodcasts #spotifypodcast #podernfamily #podbean #newepisode #insidenorthcentralma #insidenorthcentralmassachusettspodcast #mylocalma #visitma #massachusettspodcast #massachusetts #northcentralmassachusetts #development #economicdevelopment #fitchburg #economicgrowth 

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The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with broad business backgrounds to fill vacancies on its Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) Board of Directors, responsible for overseeing the Vancouver Hilton Hotel and Convention Center operations and the city's Waterfront Gateway Project. https://bit.ly/3P3xBcv #CityOfVancouver #DowntownRedevelopmentAuthorityBoard #CandidatesToServe #PropertyManagement #ProjectFinancing #FinancialManagement #ContractManagement #BoardOfDirectors #VancouverHiltonHotelAndConventionCenter #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Host Tricia Pritchard sits down with Ricky Houk to discuss two programs that help people in Butler County make home repairs at no cost. Butler County HRA, PA | Official Website (housingauthority.com)

Is a City Marshal system in our future and what would it look like?After a short hiatus, Rico and Brian are back with a new episode of Prime Lunchtime with The City Manager. There's a lot of new and exciting information about what's happening in the City of Peachtree Corners. Today's topics include; a possible future City Marshal System, The Redevelopment Authority and Downtown Development Authority plans, honorary road names, and much more.

The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with real estate, construction or economic development backgrounds who are interested in supporting the growth and success of downtown Vancouver, to fill three seats on its City Center Redevelopment Authority (CCRA) board. http://bit.ly/3UpYkzH #CityOfVancouver #DowntownVancouver #CityCenterRedevelopmentAuthority #SeekingApplicants #DowntownRedevelopment #VancouverCityCenterVisionPlan #VancouverCityCouncil #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

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10/18/22: Joel is joined in the studio by Chris Brungardt to talk about Fargo residents having the opportunity to serve on a local board. Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of the Fargo Housing & Redevelopment Authority.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with real estate, construction or economic development backgrounds who are interested in supporting the growth and success of downtown Vancouver. https://bit.ly/3fSbFBw #CityOfVancouver #VancouverCityCouncil #CityCenterRedevelopmentAuthority #Applicants #Positions #DowntownRedevelopment #VancouverCityCenterVisionPlan #Business #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

On our Wednesday program, an ailing Joel interviewed Tina Mengine, CEO, and Chris Groner, VP of the Erie County Redevelopment Authority. On conversation centered on the sprawling EMI project on West 12st Street in Erie, and their plans to bring online tens of thousands of square feet for light industrial use in that corridor.

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Our guests today were Eric Charpentier, Executive Director, Brainerd, Crosby, and Crow Wing County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and John Schommer, Rehab and Maintenance Director, Brainerd, Crosby, and Crow Wing County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

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Like many other public spaces, libraries were forced to restrict public access during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, librarians shifted how they offer their services and what services they offer. They moved programs online and offered curbside pick-ups. They helped provide resources to people who were homeless, and provided valuable information about pandemic safety to the public. Many libraries have since reopened, but their role in their communities continues to evolve.  In addition to pandemic-related changes, digital technologies are also changing libraries, forcing them to reimagine what services they need to offer. And some libraries are facing staffing shortages.  MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with two Minnesota library leaders and an education writer about the changes they've seen and what they think Minnesota's libraries might look like in the future. Guests:  Karen Lemke is the Library Director at the Rochester Public Library. Pang Yang is the deputy director at Ramsey County Libraries. Scott Carlson is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education. He recently wrote a report on academic libraries called “The Library of the Future.”  Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. Hear their conversation using the audio player above and read the highlights below. “One service that libraries provided pre-internet was that they were a kind of filter on fake news,” Scott Carlson said. “The role of the librarian to sort of designate what is a valid piece of information and what is not really has grown.” He added that librarians are struggling with budget constraints as they work to serve students, academia and their communities. A listener, Andrew, called in to share his memories of growing up in North Dakota and visiting the library just a few blocks away from his grade school. In the children's section, he said, “there was a bathtub lined with pillows and painted with an octopus. So, you could go and sit in the bathtub and read your books.” He said that at 47, he could still tell you where to find the library's copy of “The Boxcar Children.” Todd called in to share his appreciation for how well libraries have served his kids. “Some of the Hennepin County libraries have little rotating spaces that let them pretend to be, you know, post office workers or bakers, and they love browsing the shelves and seeing books,” he said. “I get to follow their enthusiasm, which is a wonderful thing for parents to do.” At the Rochester Public Library, director Karen Lemke said the pandemic demonstrated that “when individuals don't have a home, and there is a stay-at-home order, there's an issue.” She said that in 2020 they worked with Olmsted County, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, city teammates, community organizations and volunteers to provide access to essentials like a bathroom and running water. Now, social workers can help visitors at the Rochester Public Library access services. “Not everyone is comfortable walking into a traditional government building,” Lemke said. “So, this is a really natural fit of meeting people where they feel comfortable.” At Ramsey County Libraries, deputy director Pang Yang spoke about librarians as “social-first responders.” Yang said during the pandemic, libraries fielded a range of calls – from needing help on a computer to concerns about a family member's mental health. “Part of it is making sure that we center staff, and we center the community,” she said. Yang said they provide staff training to use the resources they have, and that they partner with organizations and departments to address community members' more specialized needs. A listener, Melissa, called in from Sioux Falls. “My high school library probably, like, saved my life,” she said. “I had a really rough childhood. And I would disappear into books a lot.” Library staff took notice, and encouraged her to work with them as a librarian's aide. She shelved and repaired books. “That one simple course was the best experience I had through my high school entirely,” Melissa said. “We want to connect people to information because we do believe in the value of good, quality information, but sometimes the resource isn't information,” Lemke said. “It really is about helping people and being here for our community.” Yang added that during the pandemic, Ramsey libraries worked with the county to provide laptops and internet hotspots for people without access at home. They will keep working to provide internet services for community members who need it.

The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with broad business backgrounds who are interested in getting more involved in city government. https://loom.ly/xBflfow #CityOfVancouver #DowntownRedevelopmentAuthorityBoard #VancouverHiltonAndConventionCenter #Operations #Finances #Promotion #Candidates #PropertyManagement #ProjectFinancing #FinancialManagement #ContractManagement #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

The city of Vancouver is seeking applicants with broad business backgrounds who are interested in getting more involved in city government to fill one, mid-term vacancy on its City Center Redevelopment Authority (CCRA) board. https://loom.ly/s9Nh0-g #CityOfVancouver #VancouverCityCenterVisionPlan #CityCenterRedevelopmentAuthority #Applications #MidTermVacancy #BroadBusinessBackgrounds #DowntownRedevelopment #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Kalamazoo public meetings brought to you by Michigan Radio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we discuss economic development strategies in Lincoln, building well-distributed affordable housing, homeless prevention efforts, and using data to drive decisions.About Dan MarvinDan Marvin serves as the Director of the Urban Development Department for the City of Lincoln, Nebraska.Dan Marvin has served as an At-Large member of the Lincoln City Council (2005-2009), a member of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Commission, worked on the City of Lincoln Infrastructure Finance Committee, and the Lincoln Economic Development Task Force.During his service on the Lincoln City Council, Dan served on the Railroad Transportation Safety District, Community Development Task Force and the City Council Internal Liquor Committee. Dan reorganized city government through an early retirement plan that lowered the cost of government, helped craft financing plans that provided over $200 million dollars toward water and sewer utility infrastructure and $68 million dollars for road infrastructure. Dan also worked with the Lancaster County Board to help craft the financial plan for a new $70 million dollar jail facility.From 2009 to 2013 Dan served as the Secretary / Executive Director of the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency (WHJPA). Dan played key roles in the development of the political and financial structure of the WHJPA. The WHJPA project is the single largest project of its kind in Lincoln's history. It is a $350 million public investment project that includes roads and utilities, private land acquisition, district energy system, parking facilities, and a 16,000 seat multi-purpose arena. This project will eventually spawn well over $300 million dollars of additional private development.In 2014 Dan served as the executive director of the Nebraska Democratic Party. As the ED, he managed a budget of over one million dollars. uring the year Dan was responsible for directing a number of operations including the State Convention and assisted in a successful statewide petition effort to raise the State's minimum wage.In 2019 Dan became the Director of Urban Development for the City of Lincoln. The Urban Development department is responsible for managing Lincoln's share of federal Community Development Block Grant funds, serving as the City's Redevelopment Authority, coordinating the acquisition of Right of Way and sales of City property, and managing public parking resources.Prior to 2019, Dan owned and operated Marvin Investment Management Company, a registered investment advisory firm. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 1981. Dan and his wife, Donna, have lived in Lincoln for over 30 years. They have three children.

Kalamazoo public meetings brought to you by Michigan Radio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Tuesday on Lake Effect : We learn about a massive project to clean up Milwaukee’s waterways. Then, David Lee from Imagine MKE makes the case for changes to arts funding in Milwaukee. Then, revisit the latest Listen MKE which featured spoken word artist and author Kondwani Fidel. Plus, hear some great songs coming from local musicians for this month’s Milwaukee Music Roundup. Guests: Dave Misky, assistant executive director of the Redevelopment Authority for the City of Milwaukee; Jennifer Bolger Berceda, executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper; Brennan Dow, Milwaukee Estuary and Sheboygan River Area of Concern Coordinator with the Wisconsin DNR David Lee, CEO of Imagine MKE Kodwani Fidel, spoken word artist and author Matt Wild, co-found of Milwaukee Record

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Discussion about the City of Buffalo's Downtown 2040 Plan. City of Buffalo feedback page ---- tinyurl.com/3sqxev58 Page report --- https://www.ci.buffalo.mn.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/downtown-2040-plan.pdf24 minute video -- https://buffalo.viebit.com/player.php?hash=2KFRKaROCvSW17 page recap------ https://www.ci.buffalo.mn.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/excerpts-council-presentation-downtown-plan.pdfPROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE CITY’S DOWNTOWN 2040 PLAN!The City of Buffalo is seeking feedback on the Downtown 2040 Plan which provides new strategies and recommendations for how the downtown will grow and change over the next couple of decades. The plan outlines four character areas in the downtown and outlines recommendations and improvements over the next 20 years.Read the full Downtown 2040 Plan. If you don’t have time for 60 pages, try viewing the 24-minute video summary or reading the 17 page highlights excerpt.The Downtown 2040 Plan includes key policies and recommendations that will guide the Planning Commission, Housing & Redevelopment Authority and City Council with future decision making. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the context, setting and existing conditions including identifying distinct character areas. Chapter 2 explores applicable issues and a variety of opportunities, most carefully discussed with the Stakeholder Group. Chapter 3 sets up the plan framework that organizes specific recommendations for each character area. Chapter 4 focuses on implementation and possible phasing for improvements.Public feedback can be submitted through February 5th, 2021 in a variety of methods.Submit questions or feedback via email to CityAdministrator@ci.buffalo.mn.usParticipate in a ZOOM meeting on Tuesday, February 2nd from 4:30-5:30 with Mike Lamb and City Staff to share feedback and ask questions about the process or document. Use the following link to access the ZOOM meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81998977581?pwd=ZU1wWkh3M1NjVFdJSnVOUVk0OWp2UT09Submit questions or feedback via mail to: Buffalo City Center, 212 Central Ave, Buffalo MN, 55313Be sure to message us on Facebook your guesses! We are giving away $350 for the Superbowl!Follow the Buffalo Community Podcast on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRL...Follow the Buffalo Community Podcast on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/buffalocommu...Go to our websitehttps://buffalocommunitypodcast.com/For any questions you can reach us atbuffalocommunitypodcast@gmail.comYou can follow the "Buffalo Community Podcast"Facebook: @buffalocommunitypodcastTwitter: @PodcastBuffaloInsta: @buffalocommunitypodcastThank you,Mark Benzer & Tyler ReissThe Buffalo Community Podcast guysTyler Reiss is the lead agent with Hoekstra & Reiss team at Edina Realty in Buffalo MN. you can contact him about your real estate needs at www.TylerReiss.com

Once a month Jesse Davis joins Heidi and John on the Friday Morning Show for On the House. Today they are joined by Diane Larson from the Itasca County Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Chris Jenkins from Northland Counseling Center. They join us to discuss the Aurora Heights development, a local affordable housing project going up on the site of the former Riverview Elementary School. They talk about the need for affordable housing in the Grand Rapids area and give us details on the project including the number and size of the units. The project deadline is set for January 2022.

Greetings and are you ready to alight your bonfire? For it is Guy Fawkes Day, and today we remember remember the fifth of November! Oh wait. What’s that? I’m being told that this is America, and it’s a different kind of November 5th, with the presidential election still not quite resolved. What will happen today? Who knows? But, we’re in history, and this is the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter and newscast for today.*Seventh District Representative Abigail Spanberger will most likely return to Congress having been re-elected in a close race against Republican Nick Freitas. With all precincts in and at least 89 percent of mail-in and early voting ballots in, Spanberger got just over 5,000 more votes, or 50.5 percent of the vote. However, Freitas is not ready to concede.“Our campaign will be waiting until the canvass officially concludes on Friday, at which we will be making an appropriate statement,” Frietas wrote on Twitter.  Spanberger declared victory last night.“It has been the honor of my life to serve our community in Congress, to represent the people of our ten counties and I thank you all for putting your trust in me again and re-electing me for another two years,” Spanberger said. “As we celebrate tonight I know there are many who cast a different vote and who volunteered for a different candidate and I know they are disappointed. I hope over time I will earn your trust as a representative even as we disagree.”As of this recording, neither of the candidates for the presidency have won the required number of electoral votes. Spanberger addressed voters in a live stream Wednesday evening*There are another 1,366 cases of COVID-19 reported today by the Virginia Department of Health. The seven-day average for new daily cases is now at 1,288. The seven-day rate for positive cases has increased to 5.8 percent for all of Virginia. In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are another 19 cases today with seven from Charlottesville, five from Louisa, four from Albemarle, two in Fluvanna and one from Greene. It has been two weeks since a new fatality has been reported in the district. The seven-day average for positive PCR tests has decreased to 1.9 percent in the district. All of Virginia’s health districts are considered to be at moderate or substantial community transmission, with higher burdens reported in the Central, Southwest and Near Southwest regions. The director of the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts has called for high schools in those communities to halt contact sports due to increasing numbers of COVID cases. Dr. Cynthia Morrow cited “core indicators” from the Centers for Disease Control that are in the red zone. As of yesterday, Alleghany had 462.8 cases per 100,000 people over the past 14 days. The positivity percentage over 14 days was at 15.7 percent. The Roanoke district’s numbers were 497.5 and 10.8 percent respectively.How is your part of Virginia doing? Check the CDC page for your locality.  “We are for the second week in a row in high burden, increasing trends of substantial transmission,” Morrow said during a press briefing yesterday. “In addition, the contiguous regions to us are also in high burden, increasing trends of substantial transmission. We are about as high risk right now and with these metrics we really should be operating at phase 1, phase 2 practice.”Morrow said she talked to school superintendents in the area on Tuesday.“They asked us how we felt about close contact sports such as wrestling and even basketball  and we have to say that we would applaud any effort that they have to reduce transmission by not having those sporting events,” Morrow said.  For the city of Charlottesville, the metrics are currently much lower, with 201.6 cases per 100,000 and  the positive percentage over the past 14 days is at 1.1 percent. For Albemarle County, those numbers are at 112.2 and 2.1 percent. *A subcommittee of the city’s Housing Advisory Committee gave an initial review Wednesday of a draft affordable housing plan put together by consultants as part of the overall Comprehensive Plan update known as Cville Plans Together. City Council and the Planning Commission will hold a work session on the 133-page draft plan on November 10. Subcommittee members were asked to give initial impressions. Christopher Murray represents the development community and he said the plan didn’t seem to address economic issues.“The supply and demand element that is not acknowledged is the cost of land itself, the availability of land,” Murray said, adding it calls for a land bank but doesn’t contain enough information about land trusts.Ridge Schuyler, dean of community self-sufficiency programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College, said the plan should also acknowledge ways for households to create more wealth. “It’s not just the cost of housing but its the amount of income you have to afford that housing and besides one throwaway sentence there was no focus on economic opportunity and helping people earn more income,” Schuyler said. Among other things, the plan calls for a dedicated $10 million a year in capital funds for affordable housing projects. Last month, the city gave the final approval of $3 million in funds for public housing renovation and redevelopment as well a final approval for a $5.5 million forgivable loan to the Piedmont Housing Alliance for the first phase of the redevelopment of Friendship Court.  In all there are to be four phases “The document does a good job of highlighting [Charlottesville Housing and Redevelopment Authority] and public housing redevelopment but does not once mention Friendship Court redevelopment and I think that’s a gap,” said Piedmont Housing director Sunshine Mathon. “I would like to get into a little bit about the proposed $10 million a year because I think there are some nuances to that number that we should flesh out and make sure we are all clear on.” Realtor S. Lisa Herndon wanted more emphasis in the plan on pathways to home ownership. “I definitely believe 100 percent believe that there are multiple ways to create home ownership especially looking at subsidies and I truly am against simply just having a great focus on redeveloping public housing,” Herndon said. “I think that is a model that truly needs to be rethought of.” Chris Meyer said he was concerned about a call in the plan for seeking state legislation to allow for rent control. “I was a little concerned when I saw a lot of new suggestions on regulations of landlords and rental properties including a cap on home rentals or regulated rental prices and other things,” Meyer said. “I did like though that they started talking about helping tenants engage in those processes.” City Councilor Michael Payne said he wanted to see more information in the plan about land banks and land trusts.“I think the funding is also a really important question especially in light of our budget challenges and given the election results in the Senate I also think that the likelihood of additional money from the federal government is also a lot lower,” Payne said. You can watch all of the HAC Policy Subcommittee meeting here. Learn more about the plan *The city has hired a community development director from Georgia to serve as its next Director of Neighborhood Development Services. Parag Agrawal currently works in Milton, a city of about 40,000 people in Fulton County. Before that he served in similar positions in Rhode Island and Bridgeport, Connecticut. “Parag is a experienced development professional who has a breadth of experience that’s very needed in the Neighborhood Development Services department,” said interim city manager John Blair. Agrawal said he looks forward to beginning work on November 30. “The Department has an excellent team of staff members who are very committed, dedicated, and knowledgable and are working on some very important projects that will make our city more sustainable and more affordable,” Agrawal said. “I will say that the city of Charlottesville is such a great city because the residents of Charlottesville are so actively engaged.” Agrawal replaces Alexander Ikefuna who was demoted in February but will remain with the city. Parag Agrawal begins work in Charlottesville on November 30 *There are two meetings today. The Natural Heritage Committee will see a presentation on wildlife corridors from the Virginia Transportation Research Council from one of the state’s leading experts on reducing vehicle collisions. Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed legislatio n to create a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan to identify locations where steps can be taken. (meeting info)The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will meet at 7 p.m. They will be introduced to a new search tool that’s designed to help people find affordable housing. That’s a project of the TJPDC’s Regional Housing Partnership. According to the executive director’s report, there will be a discussion on altering the name of the TJPDC. The Thomas Jefferson Health District will become the Blue Ridge Health District on January 1. The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library system could also soon get a new name.“We have in the past considered both a change from Thomas Jefferson as well as change from Planning District Commission to either Regional Commission or Regional Council,” Boyles wrote. “Should you desire staff to pursue options, we could report back to you in February.”And while not strictly a government meeting, the Center will have a virtual presentation from the owners of the Ragged Mountain Running Shop on their walk last year across England. That begins at 4 and is open to all. (info)Thanks for reading. Want to support this work? Support my research by making a donation through PatreonSign for a subscription to Charlottesville Community Engagement, free or paidPay me through Venmo This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Kelly McEllroy, from the Allentown Redevelopment Authority, joins us for an interview. Kelly has been in the real estate industry since 1999. She started with her new construction Real Estate License at Traditions of America. After working several years for New Construction projects, she ventured into the resale market. She worked for ERA Rudy Amelio and Century 21 Pinnacle. Her main concentrations were in Foreclosures, Property Management and Resale transactions. Kelly recently joined the Allentown Redevelopment Authority as the Assistant Director, where she works with grant funding and involved with the government processes involved with redevelopment. One of the main things she has learned over the years is that houses need purpose, just like people; if they lose their purpose they start falling apart and it is costly to bring them back to life. This is especially true with Foreclosure’s and Blight properties. As with any transaction, being involved and invested from start to finish produces the best results. She loves seeing construction from start to finish and ending with a family falling in love with their new home. Check out our website at www.realestateinvestormba.com Follow us on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realestateinvestormba LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/realestateinvestormba-com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realestateinvestormba/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/reinvestormba

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On this episode of Below the Radar, we speak with Kenneth Bailey, the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention. With our host Am Johal, he discusses how social justice issues have been exacerbated during the pandemic and protests in support of racial justice and defunding the police. You can learn more about Design Studio for Social Intervention: https://www.ds4si.org/ Design Studio for Social Intervention's book Ideas-Arrangements-Effects: https://www.ds4si.org/writings/iae Below the Radar Twitter: https://twitter.com/BTR_pod Below the Radar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelowTheRadarpod/ Bailey is the co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention. His interests focus on the research and development of design tools for marginalized communities to address complex social issues. With over three decades of experience in community practice, Bailey brings a unique perspective on the ethics of design in relation to community engagement, the arts and cultural action. Projects he has produced at ds4si include Action Lab (2012- 2014), Public Kitchen (2011-2018), Social Emergency Response Center (SERC, 2017), People’s Redevelopment Authority (2018) and inPUBLIC (2019). Bailey was recently a Visiting Scholar in collaboration with University of Tasmania and also a founding member of Theatrum Mundi NYC with Richard Sennett. He is currently pursuing his MFA at Bennington College. His new book (co-authored with DS4SI) is entitled “Ideas—Arrangements--Effects: Systems Design and Social Justice” (Minor Compositions, 2020).

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Welcome to Wimmer’s Wilderness. In this episode, we have a conversation with Ryan Kernosky, the Community Development Director and Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. We discuss Community Development, Economic Development, Public Service, and so much more, including how the Covid19 Pandemic is affecting local communities. I am your host George Wimmer. I have 30 years of volunteer work, community organizing, and 16 years in local government – 12 as mayor. Wimmer’s Wilderness is an informed look at Politics, Community, Government, Environment, and Education from a local perspective.

The Bay County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of establishing a countywide Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

In 2016, Red Wing Downtown Main Street hosted a Retail Challenge to bring one retail store to downtown. The competition was so successful that it filled four storefronts! Learn about how we did it, and how you can replicate it in your town. To download the pdf of all the materials Red Wing used to host the challenge, CLICK HERE. To View this Podcast with the presentation slides, go to our YouTube page HERE: https://youtu.be/d47sEl8cWN8 To learn more about Red Wing Downtown Main Street: http://downtownredwing.org/ Intro and Outro Music by Sam Tsui and Casey Breves GUEST INFORMATION Name: Megan Tsui Organization: Red Wing Downtown Main Street, Red Wing, MN Title: Executive Director Email: director@downtownredwing.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DowntownRedWing/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/downtownredwing Megan Tsui has been the Executive Director of Red Wing Downtown Main Street since 2016. She loves working with the local businesses and being their advocate. She recently completed the “Historic Real Estate Financing’ Course offered through National Main Street and the National Development Center. She hopes to use that training to help bring new development to Red Wing’s second and third stories. She lives in Red Wing in an 1875 Italianate Victorian with her husband Kent and their cats and dogs. TRANSCRIPT Megan: Hey, everybody! It's Megan Tsui. I'm super excited to be here today and I'm going to be the guest. You lucky ducks. I'm going to talk about a contest that Red Wing did in 2016 to fill vacant storefronts. We called it a retail challenge and it was really successful and really fun. And I'm going to go over some of the details. I'm doing this podcast a little differently today. If you're listening right now on a podcast, all you hear is audio, but I also have slides and I'll put that up on YouTube so you can actually go to YouTube and watch the whole presentation. If you'd like to, it's meetmedowntownpodcast.com and then search on YouTube and it should pop right up. I'll also link to it off my website, meetmedowntownpodcast.com website. And you'll be able to find it there as well. So, like I said, I have slides and I'm doing the audio and so sometimes I might forget that you can't see what I'm talking about so I apologize in advance. Otherwise, I also want to encourage you to go to the website because I'm going to have a downloadable packet for you of how you can do this in your town. And it has all of the information that we used to make this happen in Red Wing. And you can download it there. It's a PDF that has everything from our criteria, the plan, what we gave away, the marketing, everything. So, it's pretty much a plug and play kind of a download. So I'd encourage you to go to the meetmedowntownpodcast.com and then click on the latest podcast, which right now would be the, How to Fill Vacant Stores Using a Retail Challenge Contest. And you can click and download that kit there and get started on your own, and you don't have to reinvent the wheel, which is something I do not like to do. So let's get started. And again let me remind you, if I refer to something on the slide, I'm sorry, I forgot that not everybody can see. All right, let me tell you a little bit about my town. We're situated along the Mississippi River and it's this beautiful river town, very historic. We have everything you could think of for outdoor fun. You can go fishing, boating, biking, hiking. We have skiing, both Nordic skiing and downhill skiing. You can climb a bluff if you want. And it's just this very idyllic setting right around the curve of the Mississippi. And like I said, there's bluffs and all sorts of beautiful scenery around our town. We have a legacy manufacturing community in this town, I guess. We have the Red Wing Shoe, which some of you may have heard of. They make boots and shoes and, especially for the working, working folks. The Red Wing Pottery is also located here. And then we have Riedell Skates. They make skates for a lot of the Olympians. And these are manufacturers that have been here a long time and are very rooted in our community. And we're really lucky that, especially the Red Wing Shoe is still owned by the same family, as it was when it was started. And so they are very dedicated to our community and to our downtown. Actually, the Red Wing Shoe Corporation is headquartered right in our downtown. So we have a beautiful place to live. We're very lucky. It's idyllic. It's, it's wonderful. But we had a problem in 2016. I mean the recession hit us in 20--, you know 2008, 2009, 2010, and we weathered that a lot. But for some reason in 2016, we had this rash of vacancies that really left some gaping holes in our town. The reason we had some of those vacancies was that some owners retired without a succession plan. They retired and they closed their business and that was it. Some businesses just became obsolete. You know, when in this challenging retail environment, some businesses just can't make it or they just got tired. That absolutely happens. And then we had, we identified a couple voids, one especially in the outfitter idea. We did not have someone who you could, you know, if you were a tourist and you stepped into Red Wing, stayed overnight, you couldn't ride a, rent a bike or anything like that. So we knew that we wanted some sort of a business to be in that, to help fill that void. The other area we knew that we wanted to do to make sure to have some, somebody fill in some way, was Red Wing-themed products. Nobody was doing, you know, the T-shirts and coasters and bags and buttons. And nobody was doing that in our town, and we felt like there was a really missed opportunity to market our town. So, what did we do? We started the Red Wing Minnesota Retail Challenge. This was the primary marketing slide. Again, sorry for anybody who's listening on the podcast. It's basically a very simple drawing of a building in our downtown. And then it just says, “Red Wing, Minnesota, Retail Challenge” on it. And it says, “Do Downtown.” And it was very simple for a reason, because we wanted to make sure to have, to keep the idea of what we were going to do for the retail challenge and the kinds of businesses that we wanted to attract, to have it be pretty, we wanted to be ready for anyone. We knew there were those voids, but we also wanted to make sure that people felt like they could come to our downtown and open a store. So we didn't want to be super specific, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. There were six goals of the Retail Challenge. One was to recruit businesses that would enhance the business mix in downtown Red Wing. Number two is to provide businesses a head start during the toughest year of operation, which is, of course, the first year. Number three is to strengthen the local economy by attracting unique and specialty businesses. Number four, transform empty business spaces into more attractive and beneficial locations. Number five is to build a buzz and promote Red Wing as a great place to start a business. And number six is to display the community's commitment to downtown Red Wing. That's one thing that we're so proud of, is our community loves our downtown. And it’s apparent in everything we do and how much support we get. So it's wonderful. So those were those six goals of the retail challenge. We had very clearly identified eligible concepts. This was an important piece and I'd highly encourage you to think about these very carefully. And again, if you download, if you go to the meetmedowntownpodcast.com website and download that kit, you'll see all this in there and how we communicated these eligible concepts to potential contest entries. One, they had to be a new retail business. It must add to the downtown business map mix. It has to drive traffic to our downtown. Second or third retail satellite businesses from an existing location in another town were eligible. A significant expansion of a current downtown retail business that includes an added business concept. So, we weren't just looking to fund a retail business to get bigger, they had to add something. And then the last one was, this is a retail-specific competition. Service businesses are not eligible. The main difference between a retail business and a service business is that a retail business stocks and sells tangible goods, things you can touch and feel, whereas the service business sells non-tangible products, things you cannot touch and feel. We really wanted to stress and help to define that for folks because we didn't want to waste anybody's time and we didn't want to set anybody up for failure. So we really identified those clearly, and I think that was very important. The next thing we did is, we built an incentive package for folks, the business that was going to win. And there were different parts to that incentive package. So the assets and rent portion of the package was $20,000 in cash to be used to buy hard assets. That was sponsored by the Red Wing HRA, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority. They had a special grant program where they could grant funds to a Downtown Main Street and then we could distribute those funds in hard assets. So that's a pretty big deal to a business starting out. There was a low-interest loan from the Red Wing Port Authority that they offered up. And rent and utilities were subsidized by landlords. We asked all the different various vacant spaces, the landlords of those spaces, if they would help to offset some rent and utilities for a certain amount of time. And that value ended up to be about $4,000. And as you know, when you're starting a business, that's a big deal. There was also part, an incentive package of marketing. And that included merchandising and retail consulting, which was a $500 value; social media consulting which was a $1,000 value; cash for social media advertising, 500 bucks. We had someone who donated $500 so that we could do that. Graphic design services, $2,500. Local newspaper advertisements, up to $1,300 value. Gift certificates towards signage, $150. A one-page basic web site, $750 value. And the local radio station donated $1000 in ads. So, what a great way to kickstart a business, was really what this ended up being. All right. We also had legal, financial, and technical aspects of the incentive package. Those included $500 in legal counsel, $500 in accounting and tax services, business consulting, 500 bucks, value of that. We partnered with a bank that waived all the fees for this first set of business checks and endorsing stamp, etc., for $125 dollar value. And then we had some technology support for $150. A few other things that were offered up, and this is where you can really see, we have a great community, the first thing is we, the Downtown Main Street, offered up a one-year membership to our organization. We had one sponsor package for Downtown Main Streets Events for 2017. So, we put on a bunch of events especially the holiday stroll at winter time. And so that was a thousand dollars that we gave so that they could advertise or sponsor something that we were doing. There's a one-year membership to the local YMCA, $572 value. We have a local State Technical College and they offered one free online course for $100 in value. And then we had $2,000 cash to go towards facade improvements. And so what an amazing package we had in a total of almost forty thousand dollars by the time we were done. And we really had to partner with all these local organizations, and they were all really excited to do so and to offer, you know, the why, probably normally wouldn't think of being in the retail, you know, recruiting business. But all of a sudden, look at how that could really help make a family think twice about moving a business to Red Wing or opening up a business in Red Wing. So the timeline for the contest, on March 18th in 2016, we had the initial press release and announcement of the competition happened. By April 15th, we have Phase 1, where there was a business concept and officially the entry form was due. We wanted to prevent people from spending a lot of time on a concept that wasn't going to meet our needs. So we wanted, we had that part of the entry really helped us not waste anyone's time, again. By June 3rd we had, business plans were due. June 24th, that's when the final proposal presentations or the pitch happened and personal interviews happened. And then June 29th we announced the winner of the grand prize. And the business had to be opened by October 1st. We really wanted people to take advantage of the amazing tourism that happens in Red Wing during the fall and then also take advantage of those holiday sales that can really get you through some pretty lean months in the bleak winter around here. So we promoted the contest, like I said before, with a press release. There was a package of information that spelled out everything that was available on our web site. We visited shops in nearby towns that we thought would be a really good fit and fit some of the voids that we had and talked to those store owners about moving here and about the contest and what we could offer. And then we had signs in the window of participating locations and participating vacant spaces that alerted you that this contest was going on. So as you know, one of the biggest things a person needs before they start a business is a business plan. So, Phase 1 is really the business concept. Phase 2 is the business plan. And like I said before, in Phase 1 we really wanted to make sure we weren't wasting anyone's time. So we asked them to define what types of merchandise they were going to sell. What the definition description of, is the market for their retail business. How they will enhance downtown Red Wing and the Red Wing community as a whole. What resources, assets the applicant has and what resources would be needed to develop their concept fully. That included personal finances, etc. What their qualifications were to develop or expand their business, and what similar businesses and how they propose their businesses were different than those businesses that were already in town. And any other information that they might really sell the committee on the concept. So that was Phase 1. We asked for that in writing and got, I believe, 10 different concepts. Phase 2, if you were a business that we felt, or had the idea for a business that we felt, would be a good fit, you moved on to Phase 2 and I believe we had eight move on to Phase 2. Phase 2 was a business plan. And that includes things like the company summary, the products, the market analysis, the challenges, opportunities and strengths, a financial plan, a resumé, any management history, references, how many full or part-time employees this project would or business would employ. And then the finances, of course. We also asked for a community impact summary that asked them how this business would impact our community, because ultimately that's what we were after as much as anything. One of the ways that we help support businesses during this contest is we offered a Business Plan-in-a-day Workshop before that Phase 2 was due. The business plan was due in between Phase 1 when people knew that they could move on in the contest. We offered this Business Plan in a day. It was a six-hour-long workshop about what goes into a business plan, and it allowed people to get started writing their business plans, and then ask questions about writing a business plan. I taught that class and it was really a great way to help people get this part done because it's oftentimes the thing that they put off the longest and yet is the most necessary to actually getting started, to getting up and running. We also had some business writing assistance from the local small business development center in our area and some consulting with their consultant. So it really helped people to feel like they were more ready. At this point, it started to feel pretty real to a lot of these business owners who had said, you know, and for 10 years I want to start X business. And all of a sudden, it's looking like it could actually happen for them. And so we wanted to make sure that they were realistic and had the tools and the resources they needed. We also did a pitch clinic, something that I've done, worked with my alma mater college that, I was entrepreneur-in-residence there, and helped get those students ready for a pitch competition, a business plan competition there. And so I brought those skills and did a pitch clinic for anybody who made it into that Phase 2 and was going to pitch their business to the judges. And so that was a great way for those folks to get used to talking about their business, hone their presentation, get to the meat of the presentation and really be ready for that, that Phase 3, which was the final presentation and the pitch and then interview with the judges on the committee. The judges were made up of some retail business owners, community residents, city officials and then the Red Wing Downtown Main Street Board of Directors. So we had six businesses finally submit and go through the pitch. So of those six, let me tell you who the business was that won. The business that won was Red Wing Bicycle and Outfitter. Again, you'll remember I talked about the void that we had in the outfitter area of a business here in town. And so this is Andrew Peterson and he was the lucky winner. He had had a business, a bike shop, repair shop before in Red Wing and closed it to spend more time with his family and, he said, kind of get a normal day job. And he hated every minute of it. And he really missed his bike shop and we missed his bike shop in town. So he was the winner. And in the slide if you're watching on YouTube, that's one of the members of our Red Wing Main Street Board of Directors and Andrew. And so he has kayaks and bikes and equipment and he repairs bikes and sells bikes and all sorts of outdoor stuff. So that was great. But that's not the end of the story. Well, we wanted to have one retail business started and we had the funds for that one business all identified in the kind of winning package. There were three additional stores that opened as a result of our retail challenge. So three additional stores opened as a result of the retail challenge. Isn't that just crazy! That just blew our minds and we were really, really excited to have one store much less three. So let me tell you a little bit about the stores that opened up during this time. Red Wing did not have a comic book store and it didn't have a game store. So that was definitely one of the businesses we were super excited about that was interested in coming to town. Adam Hansen and his wife Sarah had a little baby, they were living in Minneapolis, and they wanted, Adam had always wanted to have a comic book store. And so they actually sold their house in the Twin Cities and moved to Red Wing to open up River Town Comic and Games. And they bought a house in town, and they really became members of our community because of this contest. They happened to be in Red Wing one day during the, when we were marketing the retail challenge and saw a sign in the window of one of the vacant spaces announcing the challenge. And that's how they got involved. So that absolutely works to put things in windows, etc. You know, sometimes we wonder what, what works and what doesn't. But we knew from their story that it did. So Adam opened his comic book store and the local port authority offered some low-interest loans to the other folks who decided to open because of the retail challenge. Backwoods Framing & Engraving is a big story. Luann Brainerd is the owner of the store and she actually purchased the building. She was a part of the competition. She didn't win, but she purchased the building and received some funds from the Port Authority to help her fix up the building and then open up her framing and engravings shop. She had had it out of her house for many, many years and needed to get it into town. She lived out in the country a little bit. And so it was a great opportunity for her to make the move into Red Wing. And, like I said, she bought a building and then converted the second floor into apartments. And she has one and then I believe she rents out another one. And she did a whole bunch of improvements to that building. It had been a long time neglected building that the landlords just hadn't invested in for quite some time. And so it really helped bring up the value of the properties in downtown because of what she did. So, again, I know the Port Authority helped her with some of the costs of the things that she had and some low-interest loans and some other things that helped her. We had a pop-up store, The Red Wing Mercantile, that opened up for that Christmas, as a 2016 Christmas season, and it was wonderful. It had those, that Red Wing merchandise in it. It had all locally made, you know, regionally made products, and it was just a beautiful store. Unfortunately the woman who ran the store had a family and had, you know, a regular job and so it was just too hard to do both the store and her job and have a family, so she did end up closing the store after the holidays, but it still was, we think it was a great success. There are some additional dollars that were brought in to the contest from the City of Red Wing. Those stores that didn't win the contest received five thousand dollars in seed money. And then again, many of them received an additional low-interest loan from the Red Wing Port Authority. So it was a really amazing thing to see everyone step up and collaborate and get excited about this program and this contest. I've been asked before about how much time did this take, and it took a great deal of time. But what took a lot of the time was getting the contest set up. And so again, if you want to go to the meetmedowntownpodcast.com website, we can help you get through a lot of that part of, what are the goals and all the things you need to convince people to help support the effort by putting in things that you can give away. I'll tell you, though that in Red Wing, this contest happened, the executive director was let go. It's a long story. But this program was 100 percent administered by volunteers and board members. So, if you think about the amount of time, you know, you could have to make this happen. It was really, I think a good way for volunteers and board members to understand how to plug themselves into a very specific contest. And I think that was one of the, a big advantage to this and how we got more than just staff to put this together. I was not the executive director at the time. I had helped in a consulting role with the organization before I came on board as the director, so I was pulled into this contest a little bit too. So it was just such a great way to make this happen without a bunch of staff time. I mean, and because the director had been let go and there was some drama around that, this contest really helped the organization be seen as still very viable and important for our community. There were a couple ripple effects that happened that we attribute to this contest. One, a shoe store from a neighboring town opened up a pop-up store that Christmas and decided to stay. So she stayed for about two years in her store, with a shoe store, and it was really great. It was right along Main Street and it was a beautiful store. And then she had some things happen in her business and so ended up closing it. But we know that, you know, she came because we invited her because we stopped by and handed her something and said, "You should come and move to our town, you know, move your business or open another business in our town." And so she did. And we were really glad to have her in our community, and she didn't take part in the contest but she did open a store. We also had Duluth Trading Company, is a really fun company that does work apparel and footwear and accessories. And we had, during the retail challenge when we were out, when the board members were out trying to recruit businesses to come to town, we'd reached out to Duluth Trading Company a couple of times. And we don't have any idea if our reaching out for sure brought them to town but we know that we did. And then pretty soon after they actually opened a retail store right in our downtown. So, who knows? But we're just going to say that all of it adds up in some way. We can't be sure there's a correlation there, but we're going to say there may be. So here we are about three years later. Here's where we stand. So Red Wing Bicycle and Backwoods Framing & Engraving are still open and they're still in the same locations and I think that they're doing very well. The comic book store is closing this spring and Luya opened up a store in a neighboring town and closed ours. So the shoe store did close. The Red Wing Mercantile pop up was open for one holiday season. But what we've seen is a continued pretty low vacancy rate in our downtown for retail because we think that we learned a lot during the retail challenge and it really helped us to support our retailers and we're continually trying to do that the best we can. So, could you make this happen in your town? I hope so. The biggest takeaways that I want to give you are, the keys to the success in Red Wing were the partnerships. When I've given this talk before, that's kind of when people go, "You know it's hard. Our local EDA or local port authority doesn't understand that, you know, fill in the blank, or we don't have, you know, a group that's willing to give that kind of money, or we just don't have..." And that could be a problem. But I think you just go where you can find the partners that are willing, and a lot of times what happens is the, you know, one partnership leads to another which leads to another. So, give yourself time to build up those partnerships and figure out what are the ways that those different businesses and different organizations in your community can help contribute to this effort. I mean, at the end of the day there were probably 20 different businesses or organizations that supported this new retail business. If he were to come in, you know, let's say he'd moved to town and had, you know, started this business, didn't know anybody. Think how much harder it is to start a business than with when you have 20 different partners behind you either in marketing or the newspaper or radio station. All that stuff adds up to really help support and create an environment in which the business can be successful. I think the other keys to our success was creativity. We were trying to think outside the box, and then we had very clear expectations and guidelines. Because we had clear expectations and guidelines in the very beginning, we didn't have a lot of hurt feelings towards the end. I mean, we, yes the people who didn't win were disappointed and, but a lot of them opened their business anyway. So, we had clear expectations and guidelines. But then I also think, I want to add, that we also created that level of support with the business plan and the pitch clinic and having the consultant from the Small Business Development Center, because those resources then became somebody, you know, people that that business could count on into the future. So, they were not just on their own. So that is how Red Wing did their retail challenge in 2016. And I really, really hope that you will consider doing one in your downtown. I think that they're really fun. It's actually, it's time-consuming, but I wouldn't say it's difficult. And I think it's something that can help change a conversation and a lot of downtowns. And it really puts you on the, the frontlines of filling those vacant spaces. So, it really, the landlords and the building owners, you start to become pretty important to them, which, sometimes it's hard. You know, we can sometimes reach those, those business owners but they may be just leasing this space or something else. But when you do a retail challenge like this and you start to connect to those landlords, all of sudden you become a pretty important resource. So, I think that was another thing that we learned from the challenge. So, I welcome your questions You can ask me questions either in the comment section on the web site, again meetmedowntownpodcast.com, go online and download the packet. It's a PDF that has everything that we used to make this happen and you can steal away, duplicate away anything you want out of there or you can go on social media. I'm on Instagram and on Facebook and you can ask questions there as well at the www.Meetmedowntownpodcast. All right. That's what I have for you today. Have a great day and I'll see you downtown.

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council vice-chair Bill Brown is the founder and principal of Spectrum Consulting Group LLC. Brown also serves on the City’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority board.

This episode promises to scare the hell out of you as BTE Radio welcomes Author Bob Cranmer to talk about his families terrifying experiences living with “The Demon of Brownsville Road.” Eric Altman is joined with week by our next contestant in the BTE Radio Co-Host contest Marie Samuels. Eric and Marie welcome Former Allegheny County Commissioner, Politician and Author Bob Cranmer. About Bob Bob Cranmer has been involved with government since 1990 as an elected official or as a government relations specialist. He represents a spectrum of different of clients, which include governmental entities such as: Allegheny County Housing Authority, and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny and Fayette Counties, Non-profits such as: Family Links, the Pittsburgh Opera, Ohio Valley General Hospital, and the River City Brass Band. Corporations which have included: Ammann & Whitney Engineering, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Mistick Construction, and Bombardier Transportation. Bob's area of expertise and “bi-partisan” relationship management includes local city and county governments, as well as the entire state government in Harrisburg. Bob is a native of Pittsburgh, growing up in the borough of Brentwood where he still resides with his wife Lesa. He graduated from Brentwood High School in 1974 and Duquesne University in 1978, upon which he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Bob went on to serve nine years in the active army, several of which as a Company Commander in the 101st Airborne Division. He also served in the United States Army Reserve with the rank of Major during the Persian Gulf War commanding a Military Intelligence unit. Bob's employment has included positions with AT&T Bell Laboratories, AT&T Corporate Marketing, and Communications Technologies Group, LTD. Kimball & Associates, and most recently the Harrisburg lobbying firm of Pugliese Associates, managing the Pittsburgh office. In politics, Bob was elected to Brentwood Council in 1991 where he initiated an economic development corporation, which generated over 30 million dollars of new development. It now serves several municipalities and is a model for other communities. In 1995 he was elected Allegheny County Commissioner where he served as chairman of the board. As a Commissioner Bob ushered in sweeping changes to county government, reducing county taxes in excess of 50 million dollars per year, reducing county personnel by 18%, reorganizing county government from forty-one departments to six, creating the position of County Manager, a county 911 system, and forming a city/county economic development organization which generated several billion dollars worth of new projects and related economic development. He led the effort to establish home rule in Allegheny County, which created the position of County Executive and County Council. His other notable accomplishments include the construction of PNC Park, Heinz Field, and the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center. He was also a driving force behind the creation of the Allegheny County Airport Authority to manage the Pittsburgh International Airport. In 1988 Bob bought what he thought would be his dream home in the Pittsburgh suburb where he was raised. In his book the Demon of Brownsville Rd, Bob recounts the harrowing details of the evil presence that tormented his family and the epic spiritual war he fought to save everything he held dear. Strange activity began just a few short weeks after the family moved in. Cranmer said the strange but seemingly harmless activity continued for a number of years before turning dark and violent. At the advice of his mother and to allay his own creepy feelings about the house, Cranmer had a Roman Catholic priest perform a ritual blessing on the place. During the blessing his oldest son stood in the doorway in the form of an "X" and blocked the priest from entering his bedroom, he revealed. The entity's activity slowly became more sinister and interactive. Cranmer remembered being harassed on a daily basis with physical attacks. Eventually the activity was more than the family could take and the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese became involved which resulted in almost daily mass being held in the home along with multiple exorcisms. Join us this Sunday night as we talk with Bob about his terrifying encounters while living in a dream home that turned into a nightmare as we talk about his book, Demon of Brownsville Road. To learn more about Bob and the book visit http://demonofbrownsville.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/demonbrownsville Join Eric and Marie for this episode as we welcome Bob Cranmer to the show and talk about the Demon of Brownsville Road. Tune in live 8:00 to 10:00 pm Est. at www.para-x.com/live.htm; www.planetparanormal.com or http://tunein.com/radio/Para-X-Radio-s84861/

This episode promises to scare the hell out of you as BTE Radio welcomes Author Bob Cranmer to talk about his families terrifying experiences living with “The Demon of Brownsville Road.” Eric Altman is joined with week by our next contestant in the BTE Radio Co-Host contest Marie Samuels. Eric and Marie welcome Former Allegheny County Commissioner, Politician and Author Bob Cranmer. About Bob Bob Cranmer has been involved with government since 1990 as an elected official or as a government relations specialist. He represents a spectrum of different of clients, which include governmental entities such as: Allegheny County Housing Authority, and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny and Fayette Counties, Non-profits such as: Family Links, the Pittsburgh Opera, Ohio Valley General Hospital, and the River City Brass Band. Corporations which have included: Ammann & Whitney Engineering, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Mistick Construction, and Bombardier Transportation. Bob’s area of expertise and “bi-partisan” relationship management includes local city and county governments, as well as the entire state government in Harrisburg. Bob is a native of Pittsburgh, growing up in the borough of Brentwood where he still resides with his wife Lesa. He graduated from Brentwood High School in 1974 and Duquesne University in 1978, upon which he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Bob went on to serve nine years in the active army, several of which as a Company Commander in the 101st Airborne Division. He also served in the United States Army Reserve with the rank of Major during the Persian Gulf War commanding a Military Intelligence unit. Bob’s employment has included positions with AT&T Bell Laboratories, AT&T Corporate Marketing, and Communications Technologies Group, LTD. Kimball & Associates, and most recently the Harrisburg lobbying firm of Pugliese Associates, managing the Pittsburgh office. In politics, Bob was elected to Brentwood Council in 1991 where he initiated an economic development corporation, which generated over 30 million dollars of new development. It now serves several municipalities and is a model for other communities. In 1995 he was elected Allegheny County Commissioner where he served as chairman of the board. As a Commissioner Bob ushered in sweeping changes to county government, reducing county taxes in excess of 50 million dollars per year, reducing county personnel by 18%, reorganizing county government from forty-one departments to six, creating the position of County Manager, a county 911 system, and forming a city/county economic development organization which generated several billion dollars worth of new projects and related economic development. He led the effort to establish home rule in Allegheny County, which created the position of County Executive and County Council. His other notable accomplishments include the construction of PNC Park, Heinz Field, and the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center. He was also a driving force behind the creation of the Allegheny County Airport Authority to manage the Pittsburgh International Airport. In 1988 Bob bought what he thought would be his dream home in the Pittsburgh suburb where he was raised. In his book the Demon of Brownsville Rd, Bob recounts the harrowing details of the evil presence that tormented his family and the epic spiritual war he fought to save everything he held dear. Strange activity began just a few short weeks after the family moved in. Cranmer said the strange but seemingly harmless activity continued for a number of years before turning dark and violent. At the advice of his mother and to allay his own creepy feelings about the house, Cranmer had a Roman Catholic priest perform a ritual blessing on the place. During the blessing his oldest son stood in the doorway in the form of an "X" and blocked the priest from entering his bedroom, he revealed. The entity's activity slowly became more sinister and interactive. Cranmer remembered being harassed on a daily basis with physical attacks. Eventually the activity was more than the family could take and the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese became involved which resulted in almost daily mass being held in the home along with multiple exorcisms. Join us this Sunday night as we talk with Bob about his terrifying encounters while living in a dream home that turned into a nightmare as we talk about his book, Demon of Brownsville Road. To learn more about Bob and the book visit http://demonofbrownsville.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/demonbrownsville Join Eric and Marie for this episode as we welcome Bob Cranmer to the show and talk about the Demon of Brownsville Road. Tune in live 8:00 to 10:00 pm Est. at www.para-x.com/live.htm; www.planetparanormal.com or http://tunein.com/radio/Para-X-Radio-s84861/

Keith Asel is a Regional President for Hawthorn Bank. Keith’s civic involvement currently includes serving on the Boards of Directors for the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council and several boards within the St. Luke’s Health System. In addition, he participates in the Lee’s Summit School District’s Partners in Education program, R-7 Business Roundtable and chairs the Lee’s Summit Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority.