Montrose, CO – City Councilors Monday interviewed three candidates for two openings on the Downtown Development Authority board.
Michelle Klippert, Brenton Martinez, and Sarah Curtis were interviewed during Monday's City Council work session. Councilors will make their decision to fill the two open seats at the August 21 regular City Council meeting.
The DDA's role is to promote everything downtown Montrose, as a focal point for a strong business community, a social and cultural center, and work towards the economic growth of the district "through a combination of business development, physical improvements, promotion, and creating a unified voice for downtown," according to the DDA website.
Klippert and Martinez are each downtown business owners, while Curtis is the current Executive Director of All Points Transit. All expressed a deep commitment to the city's downtown district and a positive vision of historic Montrose downtown moving forward.
"I embrace growth and I embrace the visual aspect of downtown," Klippert told councilors.
Previously Klippert was part of the DDA from 2014 to 2017 in a committee position. Currently, Klippert works at the Real Estate Store located at 500 East Main Street.
Klippert said she wanted to be a team player and believed her vision of downtown is one that evolves over time to include fresh thinking and new ideas.
Martinez works for Touch of Care located at 1100 E Main St. He said growing the number of parking spaces would increase the number of people stopping to explore downtown, Montrose. Increasing foot traffic throughout the DDA district will greatly benefit downtown businesses, Martinez said.
"I really value the community here," Martinez told councilors adding he wanted to help downtown become "more attractive to live and more attractive for businesses."
Curtis told councilors that a "vibrate downtown is important" for any community, and creating more spaces like Centennial Plaza to walk around and gather in would be important within the DDA boundary. She told the council that better transit options could play a part in downtown's growth and her experience with All Points Transit could help with those efforts.
Curtis said she spends a lot of time in downtown and admitted that serving on the DDA board would just be a lot of fun.
"So much of my life takes place downtown," Curtis said. "All of my favorite shops and restaurant are downtown."
The DDA board is comprised of downtown property owners, business owners and residents who live within the DDA boundary. The Montrose City Council is tasked with appointing members to the board when openings occur. By law, the City Council places one of its members on the board to serve as a liaison between the City Council and DDA board.
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