Staff proposes signage-focused RFP to speed Downtown Revitalization Fund awards

Carol Samuel gave an update on the Downtown Revitalization Fund and presented a proposal to emphasize signage in the next grant round, using remaining funds the staff said total roughly $97,000. She said signage can be costly for small business owners and that the city, with state support, could issue an RFP to create a shortlist of designers and manufacturers to streamline bids and speed projects.

Samuel described the mechanics: the state requires the city to reimburse the lowest bid, so the shortlist would still produce competitive mini-bids per project; applications would likely be sized between about $3,000 and $6,000 for new signs and require a 10% owner match. She noted that signage in the historic district would still go through state historic-preservation review (SHPO) and that the application period could run through the end of January to allow outreach and marketing to business owners and the chamber. Council members asked which businesses would be eligible and raised fairness concerns about helping new applicants after some owners had already paid for signs; staff said eligibility and legal-status checks would be built into the application process and that they would revisit the language of the prior resolution if needed.

Staff said they would add signage criteria to the DRF review committee and consider outreach to businesses in and outside the historic district, including waterfront properties in the DRI area. The council agreed staff should check prior resolution language and return a clearer resolution describing the signage emphasis.