News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Rogers City Main Street and Downtown Development Authority Committee, seen via videoconference, discusses new and ongoing projects in the city at a meeting on Wednesday.

ALPENA — Less than 30% of Rogers City residents who responded to a survey last year believe progress or significant improvement is underway in the downtown area.

A little more than 500 residents responded to the survey given by city officials. Rogers City has a population of about 2,800 people.

Local officials believe tools provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. via the Michigan Main Street Program will turn the tide and make the downtown and rest of the city more attractive to developers and appealing to consumers.

But it will take time, officials say.

It has been a little over a year since Rogers City was named a Michigan Main Street Select Level Community, which qualifies it for support and assistance from the MEDC.

Because the program is still in its infancy in Rogers City, people may not see tangible results from it, officials say. But, behind the scenes, Main Street, Downtown Development Authority, and city officials are busy setting the stage for future growth.

Rogers City is one of nine communities in Michigan granted the select-level tag.

Rogers City Mayor Scott McLennan said that, since the city received the selected status, a lot of logistical and organizational work needed to be done and that took time. He added that the work done in the past year sets the stage for more economic development in Rogers City.

He said that, just because you can’t see progress with your eyes, it doesn’t mean positive things aren’t happening thanks to the Main Street program.

McLennan urged residents to be patient, because more visible progress is on the horizon.

“The bottom line is positive change takes time, and some people think you can just flip a switch and the doors on new businesses start to open,” he said. “This is an ongoing strategy, and we have to lay the foundation to make the community attractive to developers. It is a methodical process.”

The first order of business after getting the select status was hiring a full-time executive director to oversee the Main Street program and operations, which the city did in May when city leaders hired Alex Harimoto.

McLennan said the city was also required to establish four committees that would work with one another and with local businesses and residents to formulate goals and develop plans on how to achieve those goals.

The Organizational Committee, on which McLennan serves, has the responsibility of overseeing the other committees and seeking ways to expand and utilize the tools the MEDC offers. He said the Economic Vitality Committee works with businesses to see what they need and takes input from them which can be used in the planning process. The Promotion Committee is the ringleader for popular events in Rogers City, such as concerts in the park, the Pirate Festival, and the annual Christmas parade. And the Design Committee is responsible for beautifying downtown Rogers City and adding amenities such as custom bike racks.

Recently, the 2022 Main Street impact report was released and offered some tidbits of information about downtown Rogers City, as well as what people would like to see in terms of new businesses.

Last year, Rogers City Main Street officials conducted a survey seeking input from Rogers City residents and Harimoto said more than 500 people responded, more than some larger communities had received.

According to the results of the survey, a brewery or brewpub and a restaurant that serves breakfast and brunch were at the top of the list.

In the shopping and retail category, a clothing store and a business that sells arts, crafts, and hobbies items was in high demand.

McLennan said everyone involved is working to lure developers to come to Rogers City and open businesses downtown that are in demand by residents and visitors, including the types specified in the survey results.

“Those are the types of businesses the Main Street board is trying to attract,” he said. “I’m generally happy with the progress we have made already and we’re on the right path and people will see more moving forward.”

If a new brewery or arts and craft store opens downtown, it would be good news for downtown, because some numbers in the survey weren’t stellar.

The impact report showed 62% of the respondents said that, when they visit downtown, it is to shop, and 29% of the respondents said they see the recent trends downtown as improving or making progress. The report also showed 22% of the people say their frequency of visits downtown has increased in the last year.

“There is still a lot of excitement and there has been progress made, and I really like the direction we are going,” McLennan said. “It takes time and it isn’t going to happen overnight. We just need to be patient.”