Last year, the Downtown Development Authority’s effort at National Main Street accreditation was a ‘swing and a miss.? This year, it hit a homerun, earning approval in all 10 criterion, accreditation and praise from Main Street evaluators.
Main Street is a national program focused on revitalizing historic communities. Lake Orion’s DDA participates in conjunction with Main Street Oakland County (MSCO).?
‘Last year, we didn’t get the accreditation and I made a promise to everyone that we’d get accredited ? and we did,? said Gene Carlson, DDA chair.
When results were in from the previous evaluation and the DDA was fully satisfactory in only one criterion, Carlson said he ‘rallied the troops? to work on areas in criticism.
‘We went out and started banging away at them one of a time and it worked. We made it a priority,? he said. ‘I’m really proud of the staff and volunteers who worked hard to get things done, and I’d like to say a public thank you to everybody who contributed to this. It puts us in the top tier, the elite group of villages and towns in the state.?
The board chair said being without a permanent DDA director made things a bit difficult.
The board removed former executive director Lois Golden from the position Sept. 8, 2009 and hired Cindy Czubko for the interim.
‘With Cindy being temporary, even though she was a fantastic director, she just was stepping in and not knowing Lake Orion and not knowing what we’ve been doing for the last few years,? said Carlson.
‘Personally, I had to spend a lot of time on this ? more than a typical chairman would spend.?
Newly hired Suzanne Perreault took the position mere weeks before the Main Street evaluation.
Two of last year’s biggest criticisms were the DDA’s relationship with the village, and the downtown authority’s lack of volunteers.
Carlson says the tenuous relation has ‘definitely improved,? noting, ‘We’ve had some personnel changes and it’s a big improvement in the relationship.?
MSOC’s Bob Donohue agreed.
‘Leadership with new village manager is a big part of that. The relationship with and leadership from the village has really been a plus,? he said.
Donohue also gave the DDA good marks for volunteer participation and said personnel and boardmember changes made room for improvement in other areas.?
‘After Golden left, the combination of Cindy’s (Czubko) experience and leadership, Janet Hartman’s dedication, a lot of really good volunteers coming in and new board members ? there’s a lot of enthusiasm,? he said. ‘That then triggered a better rating on active board and committees.?
Donohue also praised the DDA’s budget documents, noting they were some of the best he’s seen.
‘The budget is very clear as to how the money is spent. We were very pleased to see the level of detail in the budget document,? he said.
The DDA will officially be awarded Main Street accreditation Feb. 18, when National Main Street announces evaluation results.