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Public Invited to Downtown Ferndale Goals MeetingDDAsample01
(Ferndale DDA Press Release, Jan. 9, 2014)
Setting Goals & Objectives for the future of Downtown Ferndale will drive the content and conversation at the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority’s Annual Planning Meeting on Monday, January 20 from 4-8 pm at the Kulick Center, 1201 Livernois, Ferndale. The meeting addresses the G&O’s for the DDA’s fiscal year 2014-15 and beyond.
The Annual Planning Meeting is structured to gather Downtown Ferndale stakeholders — business owners, property owners, public officials, residents and friends of the district for an evening of dissecting past accomplishments and identifying future projects. In preparation for the real-time public input, the DDA is pre-gathering information via its published online survey, currently available at essentialwww.DowntownFerndale.com. Results of the survey will be figured into the evening’s agenda.
The meeting begins with an overview of 2013 and a review of goals set for the first half of 2014. Participants will be asked to rank accomplishments and programs and then further develop ideas in breakout sessions. The sessions will be divided according to the DDA’s volunteer committees of Design, Business Development, Promotions and Organization.
“Public input is desired to bring many viewpoints of what is needed for Downtown Ferndale,” said Cristina Sheppard-Decius, DDA Executive Director. “This meeting gathers people together who want to be part of and have a say in their community; planning for the future, determining what needs to be done and how to do it.”
Past planning meetings have produced measurable results from projects that began as conversations at dinos02sidelogo3the annual gathering. The DDA’s public art initiative, the West Nine Mile Streetscape, Pedestrian Alley upgrades, Third Thursday programs and more began as inklings that turned into fully flushed out projects over time.
“This kind of stakeholder involvement enables the DDA, as an organization, to translate opinions and visions into a viable workplan for the years ahead,” noted Sheppard-Decius. “Of all that we do, all year long, this is the most important step in continuing to make Downtown Ferndale the great place it is.”
Persons interested in attending the Annual Meeting are asked to RSVP to the DDA Office at 248-546-1632 or via email at info@downtownferndale.com. The public is also encouraged to participate in the online survey at DowntownFerndale.com
The Ferndale DDA manages and markets Downtown Ferndale, a district of approximately 350 businesses located over 3.9 linear miles, intersecting at the iconic Woodward Avenue & Nine Mile Rd. For more information on Downtown Ferndale, please call the DDA at 248-546-1632, visit www.downtownferndale.com or Downtown Ferndale on Facebook.
To read about a previous goals meeting, check out this story from 2012 – http://oaklandcounty115.com/2012/02/02/dda-planning-meeting-looks-at-desires-for-downtown-ferndale/
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