The Lake Orion DDA wants more people to know about the benefits and attractions of the downtown district. And so, too, does the village council.
As a means of accomplishing their shared goal to promote the downtown area, the DDA Board asked the council to approve a budget amendment that will redirect existing funds to pay for new marketing materials.
Council members recently gave approval to DDA Director Lois Golden’s request that a new line item be created in the organization’s budget specifically for promotional materials.
As a result, $10,000 that had previously been used for market studies, will be applied to marketing expenses.
The DDA’s budget related to expenditures will remain the same, however, market study expenses will be reduced to $25,000 from the previous year’s $35,000.
The difference ($10,000) will now be applied to the costs of promoting the downtown area.
Golden said the DDA plans to create updated brochures informing business leaders, developers and residents of the advantages of doing business and shopping downtown.
‘We have a lot of popular attractions to promote,? she said. ‘There are the lakes, our many parks, our local trails. We need to get the word out about all of these.
‘At the same time, our downtown has achieved historical designation, and we have a number of new businesses that have opened in the past year. We need to get the word out.?
Golden pointed out that the village benefits significantly from businesses operating on M-24, a portion of whose taxes go toward DDA projects.