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New Main Street director outlines priorities: FIT assessment, fundraising and downtown inventory
Summary
Kristin Johnson, recently hired DDA Main Street director, summarized three weeks of orientation, said she will apply for a FIT (First Impressions Tourism) assessment, is updating the donor and event lists, and plans volunteer recruitment and business-recruitment materials for 2026.
Kristin Johnson, the DDA’s newly introduced Main Street director, used her first substantive report to outline priorities for downtown development and outreach.
"I've been in this position, like, with 3 weeks, I think, maybe," Johnson said, describing outreach to city staff, Main Street board members and downtown merchants. She summarized professional development, including a director’s orientation with Michigan Main Street and attendance at the Michigan Downtown Association conference.
Johnson said the DDA will apply for the FIT (First Impressions Tourism) assessment through Michigan State University Extension (the program selects two communities annually for a first-impression audit), produce an events list for 2026 to support promotions and tourism, finalize a fundraising letter and donor list for imminent mailing, and work on volunteer recruitment materials and a business-recruitment packet. She also noted an impact report draft had arrived and that staff are discussing making online credit-card and recurring giving available via the city website.
Why it matters: the director’s initiatives aim to coordinate downtown events, strengthen fundraising, and present Coldwater consistently to visitors and prospective businesses — tasks that feed into the DDA’s budget and promotional work for 2026.
What’s next: Johnson asked for volunteers to help with a FIT application committee and indicated she would convene an executive-team check-in on the fundraising approach.
