At the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority meeting on Oct. 18, the board voted to ask for name suggestions for the Palmer Event Space on Main Street across from the municipal building.
With the construction project construction nearing completion, it needs a name and the city wants folks to make suggestions.
DDA Board Member Bill O’Reilly said he’d been given suggestions such as Palmer Plaza, Palmer Place, City Center, City Plaza and Chelsea Plaza for the central gathering place downtown on Main Street.
Anyone who would like to submit a name for the event space is encouraged to do so by Nov. 8 and there are two ways to do it.
Folks can send their ideas to [email protected], or you can drop off a suggestion in an envelope to the city office addressed to Palmer Lot Naming Suggestions, c/o John Hanifan.
The board is expected to discuss the names at its next meeting before submitting suggestions to the Chelsea City Council, which has the final say on the official name.
In other business, the DDA finalized a draft of the rental policy for the location, which includes rental fees for people and groups that wish to rent the property for events. The final policy decision will be up to the Chelsea City Council, which is expected to vote on it at its next regular meeting.
In addition, City Manager John Hanifan updated the DDA about the final stages of this construction project. He said that there is still work to be done on the landscaping and the planned archway is being fabricated and is expected to be finished next week. In addition, a final punch list of smaller items will need to be completed. He said the planting of trees – about 50 total – may happen in April rather than in October.
It’s expected that the parking areas will be ready for the Nov. 10 annual Wine, Women and Shopping event, however.
In other business, Tom Colis, of Miller Canfield explained the bond process and how “refunding” bonds (lowering the interest rate) works. He said at the 10-year anniversary of the issuance of a bond, generally, if the interest rate is favorable and if the associated costs would lower the total cost of the final payout, it’s an idea worth considering.
The DDA has three existing bonds, he said. One from 2009, which has about $700,000 to be paid off by 2029 and was used to redo the parking lot by the city offices.
The second bond is from 2014 with a payoff date in 2024, which was for the parking lot by the Mack Building and the ramp near the Purple Rose Theatre, a third from 2017, specifically for the Palmer lot construction, which goes through 2037.
When the DDA gets close to the “callable date,” of the 2007 bond, it will be determined whether “refunding” the bond would result in a substantial cost savings and/or perhaps combine it with the second bond.
It’s expected that the DDA will look at the options in March. Ultimately, the DDA is looking for lower interest rates as those increase closer to the maturity of the bond.
The DDA also discussed potential changes in downtown parking and allowable times for different parking spaces throughout the area. The discussion ranged from having employees park further away from stores, thereby opening up spaces for customers and visitors, to the possibility of changing the allowable amounts of time for parking in certain places. Also mentioned was the potential need for parking enforcement.
Included in that discussion was a request from developer Joe Ziolkowski to look at parking signage along the Jackson Street corridor, where new retail and housing is planned.
“Certainly, there is a need for longer term parking to accommodate the new residential tenants, existing retailers, and the new retail operators along the Jackson Street corridor,” he wrote, “but closer to businesses, there is a need for short-term parking of a half-hour, one hour and two-hour increments, which would facilitate the turn-over of parking spots and better reflect the change in use of the Jackson Street corridor area and its new and existing retail businesses.”
The DDA agreed that this was an issue that needed their consideration and a policy that addresses both short-term and long-term parking goals as part of the strategic plan for the downtown.
I like Palmer Plaza or Palmer Place. To name it anything else, people will most likely call it “the old Palmer lot”
Be sure to submit your choice to the city as per the story’s instructions.
I have submitted the suggestion “Robert Lee Daniels Community Events Plaza”
Bob Daniels was a true man of the community. He worked tireless for the Chelsea area in so many capacities. I can’t think of a more appropriate name for a place where people from the Chelsea community gather.
Why not name it Why not name it The Palmer Family Memorial Plaza….
Please be sure to send your name suggestions either via email to the city dda email address in the story or drop off your idea to the city offices by the deadline included in the story.