The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Chamber to help DDA
Local businessman donates almost $30,000 to help fund operations
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 11, 2007
A local businessman has anonymously offered to donate almost $30,000 to ensure the continued operation of Milan's Downtown Development Authority through 2007.
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As part of a series of budget reduction moves in November, the city excised its $45,000 funding of the agency, effectively eliminating Director Rebecca Mangani's position and casting the future of the DDA into doubt.
Mangani's last day on the job was to be Dec. 31.
With the unexpected anonymous donation, Mangani now expects to continue heading up the DDA part time for at least this year. The donation will be given to the Milan Area Chamber of Commerce, which will then compensate Mangani.
"I have such a love for this town that I am so grateful this happened," Mangani said. "I have always felt that if the DDA totally folded, it would be hard to bring it back again."
Mangani said the anonymous donor expressed belief that the DDA is a valuable asset to the business community and did not want to see it dissolve. She said she was approached about the idea in mid-December, but wasn't assured anything was in place until three days ago.
"I stepped out in faith Dec. 31 and showed up on (Jan. 2)," she said.
Mangani planned to meet on Wednesday with the donor and a subcommittee of the DDA's board to iron out details of the arrangement.
A significant focus of the DDA is promoting downtown Milan through events such as Discover Milan, a Main Street block party, trick-or-treating downtown, sidewalk sales and spring cleaning.
"Marketing Milan is essential," said Mangani, who estimated half her time is spent organizing promotions and events.
In light of her reduced hours, Mangani said some events may have to be put on hiatus and other responsibilities cut, but she would like to continue staging Discover Milan, which she has already started organizing for May 5.
She said she also would like to continue working toward improving downtown's visual presence. In the past year, the DDA has initiated grants for the city to replace downtown trees, restructure the parking area on the north side of West Main Street, and to remove blighted ash trees.
One of the DDA's proudest accomplishments, she said, was the passage late last year of an updated commercial zoning ordinance that opened downtown to a wider range of new businesses.
Mangani, who had only been on the job 13 months before the city cut the DDA's funding, hopes the extra year of life granted the DDA gives the city's budget and the state's economy a chance to revive, inviting the chance for the city to bring the DDA back under its budget umbrella.
"Once the city is back on its feet, hopefully we'll be able to talk with them about how important the DDA is," Mangani said. "But there are many, many (unknowns) out there right now that are going to make that determination."
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or .
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