DDA Projects

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In 1993,  The Village of Fife Lake established a DDA.

The DDA, with the financial assistance of the Village Council, pursued the following projects:

  1. Barrels for flowers along the downtown business area.
  2.  
  3. Street trees planted (MDNR grant).

It was decided not to pursue Tax Increment Funding until we successfully received a grant for a streetscape project. In 1998, the Village Council adopted the TIF Plan, then in 1999 an amendment to include properties to the west including a park adjacent to Pierce Street. A grant was written to the State of Michigan through the ISTEA federal funding for business enhancement.

Fife-Lake-DDA-Projects-Update-9-2024

In September of 1999, we received a grant in the amount of $413,000, with a local 20% match of $103,400. The DDA bonded, with the full faith and credit of the Village Council, the amount of $200,000 to cover project costs. This major project began to replace and extend our sidewalks in the DDA district. This included curbs and gutters, retaining walls, plus street trees. This bond was paid with an early payoff in October of 2016 (four years early).

 

A grant was written to the State of Michigan, also through ISTEA funding, for street lamps along State Street. We received this grant in the amount of $169,000 with a local match of $72,000. We were able to sell streetlamps acknowledging local contributors by placing plaques on the base of the streetlamp in the amount of $49,000 plus $30,000 in DDA funds, thereby financing this project with no bonding. Banners and holiday decorations have been placed on streetlamps.

 

In 2014, the Village of Fife Lake received grant monies to rebuild Pierce Street. At the same time, a sidewalk segment was built connecting State Street to 6th Street. The DDA was a financial contributor to this project connecting to South Town.

 

In the fall of 2020, a sidewalk segment was built from the intersection of State and Pierce Streets west to U.S. 131, connecting to the recently completed State of Michigan Roundabout. This project was completed at a cost of $100,000. The project was paid in full with monies collected through TIF by the DDA.

 

Additional projects:

 

  1. The DDA placed a dock in Lakeside Park to allow boaters a place to tie up their boats while visiting local business establishments.
  2.  
  3. Wayfinding signs were placed strategically in the DDA District.

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