Beulah Brainstorm

Beulah Brainstorming:                        Streetscape Meeting                        3/4/08

 

Committee:  Pat Elliott, Phil Downs, Vicki Carpenter, Patty Cantrell

Pat welcomed folks and gave the overview for the evening’s work.  He also shared budget information and current plans on sidewalk/curb plans and sewer project impacts. Public parking, other than the streets, is found behind the library and at the trailhead building.

Comments and Ideas for Streets:

·      Trees for downtown

·      Eliminate the overhead wires downtown

·      Planning ahead for underground wiring as we redo sidewalks

·      Update the benches downtown

·      Tie the soon to be painted trash cans along with the benches with a theme

·      When the village gets sidewalks done, could the contractor be asked if he would offer better rates if residents are interested in new sidewalks as well

·      Upcoming sidewalk repairs were shared

·      Street lighting be changed into something more aesthetically pleasing

·      Safety issues regarding crosswalks (Are cars required to stop when pedestrians are in the crosswalks?  Cars stop in TC on Front St., however the  crosswalks in TC are marked.)

·      Currently the village has covered all sidewalk costs although the ordinances state the property owners are responsible. This would open up more funds for the village

·      Recycling area is hodgepodge, can it be redesigned?  (library shared a design for the parking lots with the village)

·      Is there another place to store sand/salt which would open up more space

·      Need to have better parking for boat trailers and for business owners/employees

·      Better signage for retail, especially for those off the main street (some preliminary work on a ‘map’ type document is in discussion) 

·      Additional signage for parks is needed, using the trailhead building

·      Signage on the street identifying who and what

·      Signage limits when you’re out of the downtown area, parking is limited and could there be some reserved parking for specific businesses. Current parking is often taken up by boat trailers, especially on weekends

·      Earlier proposals made suggestions of one way streets which would offer more angle parking spots

·      Limited parking spaces downtown may be keeping businesses away as well as customers

·      Signs that identify where you are and what’s where (signs like those in malls that indicate what directions you need to find your destination)

·      Signs that indicate at the entrance to the village (Benzie Blvd and Spring Valley) about the Trailhead bldg and even the bike trail

·      New banners to replace or alternate with the US and MI flags

·       New banner company makes banners that advertise specific events (short term items and costs back to the event sponsor, could return revenue to the village, he shared an example) or promote the village or themes, etc  (Crystal Mt has done this as well as Interlochen)

·      Any new light poles can be purchased with the hardware in place for flags, banners, etc.

·      Sponsor a banner by businesses and events

·      Lake Street could have a boardwalk on the beachside, playground to launch area (this could keep people from having to walk in the street or congregate)

·      Should it be considered to widen the current sidewalk and add vegetation on the beach side, may not be enough room to do both

·      With the prevailing winds at the current ramp, could Fair Park be arranged with boat docking

·      Boardwalk should take as little beach as possible, have it up to the curb/pavement

·      Develop the lake frontage as a valuable asset (spend money there rather than on street lights as that is what draws people here)

·      Extend the current sidewalk area (from the playground area, which already has benches on it) to the ramp.  This keeps the kids slowed down and the beach a bit more separated from the street.

·      Grant dollars may be available to do many of these upgrades and would need to be explored.  Members of the community have grant writing experience and have offered their skills.

·      Could the recycling area be relocated to another area and open the parking up (over by Brookside?)

·      Upgrades on downtown building facades, are any ordinances in place to address this, can there be resources discovered to encourage property owners to clean it up.

·      Some unfinished buildings are in litigation.

·      It was felt that once folks see upgrades happening, they may be more motivated

·      Flower boxes, trees, perhaps to be bigger for impact/flowers maintained, should shrubs/bushes be considered, barreled trees on the street and then moved to other city areas for transplanted, putting flowers along curbside (such as Onekema, Charlevoix) and ways to water/maintain

Categorize the ideas:

Accessories:  signage, flowers, benches, banners, maps, vegetation restoration, trees

Sidewalks:  underground wiring, resident upgrades/village prices, crosswalks,

Lighting:  sponsor poles, look to replace poles with more options for brackets/lights, etc.

Parking:  trailers, signs to locate, traffic flow, better/more, move recycle bins/increase space,

Boardwalk: along current street/curb, extend current sidewalk from playground to ramp

Fair Park/Boat Dock (move to waterfront info), buoys that transient boaters can clip onto

Some activities, such as accessories ideas , may be short term while most of the others would long term due to money or time to research. 

Keep in touch on the website:  villageofbeulah.org  then click on brainstorm    You can put comments on the website.

Closing thoughts:

·      A letter to the editor to share the status of our meetings and of our efforts

·      People want to help the Beulah Brainstorming committee, contact any of the members or call the village office and leave a message.

·      Encourage folks to attend the village meetings

·      Engage CLCBA in this process