Old Buildings, New Attitudes

Archive for March, 2008

DLSMS Staff will be in Philadelphia, PA. from Saturday, March 29th until Wednesday, April 2nd.  This year’s National Main Streets Conference will focus on entrepreneurship and diversity, and we’re all looking forward to some great seminars and some historic sight-seeing as well!

We applied for and received an Aquila Economic Development Tuition Scholarship, allowing all three staff members to attend this year’s conference.  Thank you, Aquila! Chris Flory, Brad & Carole Culbertson are volunteering in the office while we’re gone, so we thank them for helping us out!

There are many things I am looking forward to this year.  Since this is my first trip there, I can’t wait to see the Liberty Bell, US Mint, Independence Hall, Reading Terminal Market…the list goes on and on.  The National Main Streets Conference always puts together some great educational tours!  Second would be the daily educational seminars – we will each attend at least six seminars so we should come back with TONS of information.  We will also be scouting out a speaker on retail niches, so hopefully we come back with a slate of names to choose from for an educational seminar right here in Downtown LS!  Third is the opportunity to network with other Main Street professionals!  Typically 1,400 “Main Streeters” attend, so we should have fun meeting and trading ideas with a diverse group of folks from across the country!

I’ll udpate the blog as soon as I return.  And by then hopefully we can post pictures!

Sarah

Two recent opinion pieces mentioned Downtown Lee’s Summit and/or Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street.  Just thought I’d pass them on in case you missed them.  First was an article by Yael T. Abouhalkah in the Kansas City Star, the second was by Matt Bird-Meyer in the Lee’s Summit Tribune.  Also check out the Emerald Isle Photo gallery by Jeff Kirchoff of the Lee’s Summit Journal.  I’ll try to link other news stories as we come across them.

Sarah

Today Gina and I had the opportunity to meet 4 super neat kids and their awesome teacher!  DLSMS is a Partner in Education with Lee’s Summit Elementary which is right here in downtown LS.  The Partners in Education program is run through the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, and it pairs businesses up with local schools so kids can learn how to apply what they learn to the “real world”.  Cheryl McLaughlin contacted DLSMS to see if we would talk with some kids from LSE’s ASPIRE Program about what we do here in the Main Street office, with a focus on creativity and leadership.  Gina and I put a short little presentation together for them.

We started with a little history, and explained the Main Street Four-Point Approach.  Then we focused on how we put on different retail and special events.  We gave some examples of our events and even showed them our colorful posters.  We then taught them about work plans and how they help us stay on task.

Then we got to the fun part – the kids came up with and planned their own event!  They wanted to see a downtown ‘LS Idol’ competition, but wanted it to focus on kids in the schools.  I’m telling you – they all had super, well-thought-out ideas!  They were so good about thinking of ways they could include downtown merchants into their event, and they even filled out a work plan!  Who knows, maybe we’ll incorporate something like that into one of our events with their help!

Afterwards they asked us some questions…how we use creativity in our jobs, what we like best about our jobs, etc.  Then they told us what they want to be – an event planner, an astrophysicist, an actor/comedian – a big variety!

It was so fun spending the afternoon with them.  And it was great seeing kids thinking about our downtown in a new and fun way!

Sarah

What a HOPPY day we had on Saturday!  The Downtown Bunny Hop was a success!  Main Street had not held the event for over five years, and we brought it back this year thanks to chair Amy Robertson of Cameron’s Home Furnishings.

Approximately 180 kids came downtown with their families.  We all met at City Hall and waited patiently for the Easter Bunny to appear.  He came hopping along and we followed him up 3rd Street to Howard Station Park.  Mr. Bunny was a real trooper as he had his picture taken for almost an hour!  Thank you Easter Bunny!

Thank you to the 32 businesses who passed out candy!  You all made the day very special for these kids!  Thank you also to the Parks & Recreation Department for allowing us use of the park, as well as the LS Police Department for helping us all hop safely up 3rd Street. 

Sarah

Last night was our Quarterly Meeting.  Couldn’t make it?  No worries!  I’m going to do a quick recap.

President Steve Tominia started the evening off with a nice introduction of DLSMS board members.  We also had a couple new faces attend, including Brookie Lee Glaser of Happybottomus and Dan Phelps of Ciao Bella.  Happybottomus is located at 225 SE Douglas – they just opened up so stop by and check them out.  And if you haven’t stopped by Ciao Bella you’re really missing out!  My favorite is the Ahi Tuna sandwich.  And on a related note, new clothing store Pophearts located at 311 SE Douglas (in the new Vogue condos) has an open house this Saturday, March 22nd from 11 am – 7 pm.  Stop by and say hi!

Promotions Committee Update 

Gina gave an update from the Promotions Committee.  First she thanked Chuck Denton and Mary Pechar for their hard work at the parade.  Throughout the night several people mentioned how great it was to see so many people lining the streets downtown!  She reminded everyone about the Bunny Hop this Saturday.  She also stressed that ANYONE is welcome at our promotions meetings.  A group of 10 die-hard retailers meet twice a month.  The next meeting is tomorrow, March 20th at 8:30 am in the Main Street office. The more the merrier so please join us!

Accepting Nominations for DLSMS Board of Directors

Jeanine announced that there will be two open positions for the DLSMS Board of Directors.  We have nomination forms here in our office and they are due by April 7th.  If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Board, we can get you a form.

CID Update

Brad and I gave a quick update on the CID.  We have probably spoken with 35-40 business & property owners, and we are seeing about 77% support for a sales tax CID.  There are still plenty of people we want to reach out to, so if we haven’t talked with you we will try to contact you soon!  Many people have asked what the CID would do here, and really there are lots of options to choose from!  As Brad mentioned last night, we are trying to build the plan from the inside out and really want everyone involved to see benefit.  We plan to hold Focus Group meetings to help develop the five year plan, and our first one is tentatively scheduled for the first week in May.  CID policies were recently discussed at a City Council Work Session, and Brad and I attended.  It seems the Council generally supports reviewing CIDs on a case-by-case basis, and Councilman Jim Hallam stopped in to reiterate that fact.  As things move forward, we will continue to follow any developments at the Council level.  Brad also wants everyone to know they can contact him if they have any questions.

Wayfinding Signage Update

I gave a quick update about the wayfinding signage.  As discussed in a previous post, Bowman Bowman & Novick presented concepts to the DLSMS Board of Directors in early March.  We showed the Board’s top picks for the perimeter markers, vehicular directional signs, and informational kiosks.  BBN is currently refining those concepts.  We also showed off two different logos in three different color schemes, and asked for everyone to vote for their favorites.  If you’d like to see any of the concepts, logos, or color schemes, stop by our office!

Business Safety Tips

Community Interaction Officer Mark Wiesemann was our key note speaker, and he gave us all great tips on keeping safe in a business environment.  In light of recent break-ins downtown, his presentation and advice was very timely.  Below are some tips he gave us for Burglary Prevention.

• lighting, lighting, and more lighting
• have solid doors and deadbolt locks with 3-inch screws
• have windows that lock and consider laminated glass
• keep windows clear so others can see in
• reduce the amount of cash you have on hand
• consider an audible alarm system and post the alarm sign where it can be seen
• trim landscaping

Officer Wiesemann provided us a copy of his presentation.  For a complete list of all his tips, please call or e-mail the office and we would be happy to make a copy of it or e-mail it to you!

Construction Update

Ron Cox, Director of Redevelopment with The City of Lee’s Summit, gave an update on 4th Street construction.  He said all underground utility work has been completed!  Now the paving is to begin – as soon as the weather cooperates.  The intersection is the biggest priority. 

Ron also mentioned that in the last five years, $64 million has been reinvested in Downtown Lee’s Summit.  Around $19.1 million was private investment.  WOW!  And did you know that our streetscape project has won two awards?  One was the 2007 Missouri Paving Award for Municipal Streets & Intersections.  Ron expects many more great things to happen in the next five years.

2007 DLSMS Summary of Accomplishments

The DLSMS Board of Directors, volunteers, and staff have had a very busy year!  Jeanine passed out the 2007 Summary of Accomplishments and highlighted a few projects.  We would be happy to share this with anyone – let us know and we can drop it by or e-mail it to you.

SAVE THE DATE: June Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation 

Thanks again to everyone who attended the meeting last night.  SAVE THE DATE for our June Annual Meeting tentatively scheduled for June 24, 2008.  You will have the opportunity to vote for two new Board members, will hear a short ‘year in review’ presentation, and annual awards will be handed out to some hard-working volunteers!

Thanks to everyone who came to the 3rd Annual Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 15th.  It sure was chilly, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time!

First of all, THANK YOU to the amazing committee of volunteers who worked so hard to put on this event!  What an amazing job our co-chairs, Chuck Denton of Doherty & Sullivan’s Irish Goods and Mary Pechar of Green Beauty, did organizing everything.  They also had a great committee: Faith Taylor, Mary & Al Guthrie, Lorra & Dave Bagley, LaVena Farmer, Mike & Pat Larkin, and Connie Smith.  Indulge us while we thank some others: The Lucky Charms, Flanigan’s Right Hook, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District for the stage donation, Brian Fitts on sound, Sargeant John Boenker and the rest of the LSPD, all our judges, Grand Marshall Tony Stansbury, and Mayor Karen Messerli for leading the parade on her beautiful horse.  We would also like to give a shout-out to the Easter Bunny for showing up and being an extra special caboose.  He’ll make another appearance this Saturday, March 22nd at the Downtown Bunny Hop!

When it was all said and done, we had almost 60 entries and over a thousand people bundled up to enjoy them.  Everyone in the parade had a great time and we appreciate their participation!  The following were our award winners this year:

• The St. Patrick Award for Best Irish Theme: The Mills Family
• The Emerald Award for Best Business Float: Paradise Park
• Best Overall Award: Kelly O’Kasper
• Best Marching Unit: O’Hara Shamrockettes
• Best Musical Entry: Jerry’s Bait Shop
• Best Vehicle: Cockrell Mercantile’s Antique Fire Truck
• Most Unique: The Drum Tribe of KC

If you were a big winner but haven’t received your trophy, stop by Doherty & Sullivan’s Irish Goods at 213 SE Main Street and see Chuck! 

Save The Date for next year’s parade, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2009.  And make sure to join us this Saturday, March 22nd for the Downtown Bunny Hop.  For more information about that event, make sure to check out our website www.downtownls.org and click on “Downtown Events.”   

Did you know our design committee has been working with a consultant on a comprehensive Downtown Wayfinding Plan?  A quick search on Wikipedia tells us that wayfinding helps people orient themselves in space and to navigate from place to place. 

With funds from the Downtown Master Plan, DLSMS hired consultant Bowman Bowman & Novick to develop a strategy and design concepts for downtown wayfinding.  The consultant is the same one being used for Parks & Recreation’s Gateway Wayfinding – which will provide monument style structures & landscaping at entrance points into the City on major highways and thoroughfares.  Then as people get closer to downtown, directional signage will point them to things like downtown shops & restaurants, City Hall, parking, etc.  We may even have electronic informational kiosks at several of the corners. 

Bowman Bowman & Novick presented design concepts to the Main Street Board of Directors on Tuesday, March 4^th.  The Board chose their favorites and those concepts are currently being refined based on their suggestions. 

Want to see these concepts and learn more about the wayfinding plan?  The Design Committee will be presenting more detailed information at our upcoming Quarterly Meeting, held Tuesday, March 18^th at 6:30 pm in Howard Conference Room A (upstairs) in City Hall.  We will be serving Filling Station BBQ and Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake!  The best way to find out about downtown wayfinding, and other Main Street projects, is to attend our Quarterly Meetings.  We hope to see you there! 

 

Staff at Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. has decided to start blogging!  We will be updating this blog with what’s going on in our office and with our committees.  We might blog about a neat seminar we attend, or new projects we’ve started.  It’s a way for us to communicate with merchants and others in a new way!

 

Coming soon…information about our Downtown Wayfinding Plan!