February, 2006

2005 DOWNTOWN MESA ASSOCIATION (DMA)

[FORMERLY MESA TOWN CENTER CORPORATION] AND

ULTIMATE IMAGINATIONS, INC. (UII) HIGHLIGHTS

DMA Board and Executive Committee

•    Celebrated 21 Year Organization Anniversary – ‘Then And Now’ – 21 Years Of Change PowerPoint Photographic Presentation.

•    Updated and Revised Five-Year and One-Year DMA Strategic Plan Priorities Document.

•    Increased involvement by individual DMA Board members utilizing their leadership and expertise talents to benefit downtown.

•    Eight (8) new DMA Board members were elected, bringing new perspectives to DMA Board of 34 downtown leaders.

•    DMA Contract Budgets – Improvement District, Public Space Management remain stable, while Parking Management Contract Budget grows to implement downtown parking plan/paid event parking plan.

•    Audited F/Y 2004-05 DMA Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles.

•    Further strengthened North American downtown professional network ties through Tom Verploegen’s Past Chairmanship of the International Downtown Association (IDA) Board of Directors in 2005.

     Policy Development Committee

    Developed ‘Downtown Mesa: A Square Mile of Unique Style’ brand shown below in going through a nearly two-year very open public process.

•     Drafting a comprehensive multi-modal transportation system policy and set of position statements to move people and goods into and around the downtown Mesa area including downtown stakeholder participation, light rail extension through a designated high transit corridor, widening access routes into and around downtown, promoting downtown directional signage from the SR 101, SR 202 and US 60 as well as arterial streets, encouraging pedestrian traffic, supporting light rail terminus station in downtown, encouraging bike lanes and pedi-cabs within downtown, and developing and maintaining parking downtown.

•     Developed (in early 2006) support for City of Mesa one-half cent sales tax increase and primary property tax annual cap up to $30 million in order to help maintain downtown City facilities, downtown development and services, and DMA contract program service levels.

Business Development Committee

•    Continuing business recruitment, retention and expansion efforts to fill available buildings/spaces (e.g., marketing renovated buildings, helped to recruit AAA Landlord Services, Inc. and Virginia Ikeda investments, and IntelaSight as a new business, pursuing a restaurant/retail recruitment strategy, and to help facilitate Broadway Corridor development and advise on the development of a Mesa Community College downtown campus.  Net gain of seven businesses in downtown Mesa in 2005).

•    Improving Downtown Focus and specialty publications (see DMA publications order form sheet) as primary vehicles to market downtown Mesa economic growth and promote business development in downtown. 

•    Developing a downtown marketing brochure to target potential investors, specific business categories, and real estate professionals.

•    Investigating potential of free Wi-Fi (wireless internet) zone in downtown Mesa in collaboration with City and MCC and other sponsors or advertisers.

Programs & Operations

(P&O) Committee

P&O Promotions & Publications

•    Successful Sculptures In The Streets fundraising reception with more than 140 attendees at the November 5^th celebration, including numerous sculptors, sponsors and downtown business folks and guests.

•    Much expanded  and improved DMA website updated in-house (www.DowntownMesa.com).   Now receive an average of 276 visits per day.

•    Continue to increase both the size and content of the Downtown Focus through more photographs, articles and special topic inserts.

•    Improved Bits & Bytes periodic e-mail DMA newsbulletin in content and distribution. 

•    Increased use and variety of DMA across Main Street banners, and street light pole banners (Thanks to Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau for making the new cultural and arts banners currently displayed.).

•    Collaborated in extensive promotion of the new Mesa Arts Center and in the promotion of downtown businesses with arts center patrons.

 P&O Public Space Management

•    Continued a seven-day-a-week Clean Sweep Work Schedule for downtown square mile DMA maintenance program (also utilizing community service workers on weekdays and weekends totaling 4,000 donated hours for the year).

•    Further initiated a Safe & Sound Downtown strategy through a part-time Safe & Sound Coordinator who is also a Clean Sweep Ambassador in working with the City’s Crime Prevention Program.

•    Implementing a very specific “Downtown Mesa Core Shared Parking Use Action Plan” (48 pages) addressing the parking needs for the Mesa Arts Center, older downtown business core, and downtown municipal parking as part of the parking management and parking events contract with the City of Mesa.  More than a dozen physical parking improvement projects (resurfacing, new lighting, new parking lots and on-street parking re-designs adding more than 560 new parking spaces in the downtown core).  Now have a DMA parking coordinator and parking event supervisor to more timely address parking management and parking events needs and opportunities.

Ultimate Imaginations, Inc. (UII)

•    Updated the one-year UII Strategic Plan Priorities Program and will be updating the five-year strategy.

Sculptures In The Streets

•    Sculptures Exhibit VI with 78 pieces ended mid-April 2005.

•    Sculptures Exhibit VII with 73 pieces began in early November 2005 to last until April 7, 2006.  Sculpture Guides available.

•    Significant print and electronic media generated on sculptures and Downtown Mesa (television, newspapers, magazines, etc.).

•    Facilitated with Mesa Permanent Sculpture Panel commission and purchase for Mesa Permanent Sculpture Collection (now 27 permanent sculpture pieces).  Added 3 sculptures pieces in 2005 (Big League Dreams, They Are Waiting, Big Charlie Black) and obtained re-casting of Hot Bread.