City extends professional services agreement with Ellensburg Downtown Association
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Summary
Council authorized the city manager to sign a $60,000-per-year professional services agreement with the Ellensburg Downtown Association to continue downtown events, marketing and projects including roofline lighting and a mural program; the EDA said volunteers and events significantly increased outreach and economic activity in 2025.
The Ellensburg City Council on Feb. 2 approved a professional services agreement for 2026–27 with the Ellensburg Downtown Association (EDA), authorizing the city manager to sign a contract that provides $60,000 annually to support downtown programming, events and economic-development efforts.
Kelly Vandenberg, city arts and economic-development manager, introduced Theresa (Theresa/Teresa Chanes) Chanes, the EDA executive director, who presented a report summarizing 2025 accomplishments: expanded downtown boundaries (from 16 to 25 blocks), a large increase in volunteer hours, strong social-media engagement and a slate of events driving foot traffic and sales for downtown businesses. Chanes described several initiatives including a mural restoration and a roofline lighting project, and said the EDA is planning to host the statewide Main Street “Places 2026” conference in Ellensburg in October, which she estimated could bring more than $200,000 in revenue over three days.
Councilmembers discussed the EDA’s boundary expansion, business outreach and the need for volunteers to support the statewide conference. One councilmember abstained from the vote due to a committee role; the motion to approve the city manager’s signature on the agreement passed by voice vote with recorded abstentions.
Next steps: the city will execute the professional services agreement and continue coordination with the EDA on event planning, boundary and façade efforts and preparation for the October conference.