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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Lansing, Inc. Minutes 02.12.26DOWNTOWN LANSING SEPTEMBER 2025 BOARD MEETING 215 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE STE. 100 DLI Board Meeting February 12, 2026 | 11:30 am 215 S. Washington Square Ste. 100, Lansing, MI 48933 Members Present: J. Estill, J. Hinze, K. Tomac, K. Klein, A. Rusek, J. Flores Members Absent: J. Durham, J. Pugh Board Advisors Present: None Board Advisors Absent: Peter Spadafore & James Lennon Staff Present: C. Edgerly, J. Markham, K. Litwin, M. Gonzales Guests Present: None Minutes 1. Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 11:32 a.m. by J. Estill 2. Citizen’s Comments (items not on the agenda): None 3. Correspondence: None 4. Consent Agenda Approvals ● Agenda February, 2026 ● Minutes from January 2025 Meeting ● Committee Reports ● Monthly Financials Motion by A. Rusek to approve consent agenda. Second by K. Klein. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Old Town Updates: Cathleen shared James Lennon’s report regarding Old Town as follows: OTCA held their annual meeting and welcomed two new board members, Elyse Ribbons (Chendu Teahouse) and Terri Salas (Plante Moran). Chocolate Walk sold out and feedback was great from merchants. Cinnamon Lane Bakery opened in the former October Moon space. Seams is expanding into the old Spin location. Tanooki’s opening in the former Blue Owl space. Lumberjack Fest will be held on Saturday, March 7th. 6. Reports: ● Director’s Report: C. Edgerly shared the following updates including Promotions Committee: Met yesterday and annual Brrr Crawl coming up with 6-7 volunteer shifts still open. The event has 8 participating businesses. The planning team kicked off the Downtown Egg-Stravaganza on Saturday, April 4th from 10am-1pm. Lots of volunteer opportunities leading up to the event including stuffing eggs, and 40+ volunteer roles the day of. Business recruitment needed as well as other spots. Links to signups will be emailed to the board. $7500 in sponsorship is the goal. DOWNTOWN LANSING SEPTEMBER 2025 BOARD MEETING 215 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE STE. 100 Salt shortages have hit downtown. Lake State has been making multiple passes to shovel by hand. Big thanks to Lake State for the extra work managing without salt. State of Downtown: C. Edgerly and J. Estill shared some ideas for this year’s State of Downtown. Brief updates are included in packet but looking at any changes based on feedback. Looking at doing a more interactive State of Downtown centered around Michigan’s Downtown. Looking at advocacy and allocation based on examples from Albany. Discussion held by board on how Albany received money to support them as the state capital, if the event should be public vs. by invite. Discussion took place on whether we can get a stipend to support instilling a sense of pride and ownership into Lansing as the state capital. Jesse suggested two events: one giving the speech as the state of downtown and secondary Public Discussion held on how to handle the breakout sessions and ideas. Plan is to be held in early April. ● President’s Report: Jen Estill expressed she has been having discussions with those interested in working on Cedar and Larch area and MDOT. Anyone who wants to be involved can contact her. 8. Action/Discussion Items: -Budgets: C. Edgerly walked the board through updates to the draft budget that was approved for presentation to council based on increased assessment revenues and transfers due to district changes. Match on Main has also been reinstated. DLI can apply on behalf of two businesses. Rusek reviewed the process to apply to make sure matches are cohesive. Big Red Ball sponsorships/fundraising changes made. Downtown flowers and hanging baskets came in lower than anticipated (all sponsorship revenue). Most changes were made to be more conservative in estimation of expenses. Professional services were budgeted lower than previously thought based on upcoming work needed. Motion to approve proposed budget so that C. Edgerly can provide it to the city council by A. Rusek. Seconded by K. Klein. Goal was to keep a fund balance appropriate for emergencies and unexpected costs. After meeting with new staff at treasury, there is interest income coming in. Reporting will be forthcoming and Kate will continue working with the city on the interest incoming going forward. The board also discussed future planning to have something in place for a written documented agreement between the City and DLI to call out interest revenue. Something to consider and move to - DLI handling own funds separate from that. Continuing discussion held on what fund balances should be as DDA. Estill would like to explore options while continued fundraising is happening. Advent House Quarterly Update: The board reviewed the quarterly downtown report from Advent House. Hinze expressed an interest in looking into Advent House contract and seeking RFP’s to other organizations in preparation for the May board meeting Agenda. Review for quotes requested. Board discussed who to consider and reach out to, exploring updates and looking at if any changes at city level are needed or what to look for. No action item needed at this time. Current Committee Projects: Board reviewed ongoing projects planned for FY 2026-2027. Leo Grant Talent Upgraded Scope: C. Edgerly shared an updated regarding the $1.37 million dollar award based on enhancements surrounding the CSO street reconstruction project including lighting and art. CSO delay for two years - reached out to LEO to continue approval of expenses within agreement. Tie-in and enhancing Gentlozzi’s ongoing upgrades. Cathleen will meet with LEDC and move forward with updated grant agreement. The board asked if we need to expend funds in 2026 or can we have a longer timeline? Estill asked if any way to get the overview of what the grant covers and opportunities to use it? DOWNTOWN LANSING SEPTEMBER 2025 BOARD MEETING 215 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE STE. 100 9. New Business: None 10. Motion to Adjourn: J. Hinze motioned to adjourn at 12:36 p.m. 2nd by J. Estill. Motion approved unanimously.