It appears Oxford could soon have a full-time Downtown Development Authority (DDA) director again.
The DDA board is expected to discuss and vote on a proposal to change Ginny Schomisch’s employment status from part-time to full-time at its 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19 meeting.
‘I’m really excited about it,? she said. ‘The board recognizes that there’s a lot of work that we have to do. A position like this does require full-time (status).?
Schomisch was hired in July 2014 at a pay rate of $19.25 per hour for an annual salary not to exceed $25,000.
That works out to an average of 25 hours per week, but the reality is the job requires a lot more, according to her.
‘I don’t think there’s been a week where I’ve only worked 25 hours,? she said. ‘I think it comes with the territory.?
Oxford Village President Sue Bossardet, who serves as vice chair of the DDA board, agreed.
‘The expectations that the board has of the things they want her to accomplish (as listed in the job description) ? there’s no way you can do that in that (amount of) time,? she said. ‘They want the website redone. They want the office re-done and upgraded. They want her to be out recruiting new businesses. They want historic preservation (work). They want her touching base with all the businesses . . . You can’t do that working three days a week. It takes time.?
The DDA has not had a full-time director since July 2013. Back then, the position was eliminated from the budget in order to save money for the cash-strapped DDA, which would have ended the 2012-13 fiscal year with a deficit had the village not stepped in and transferred $15,000 from its general fund reserves to cover it.
‘I’ve been assured by (village Manager) Joe Young that we (now) have the cash flow that will support a full-time director,? said Rod Charles, a member of the DDA board. ‘If it wasn’t for that, I would not be in favor of it because I don’t want to go back to deficit-spending. That would be something that I believe strongly in. I’m not into this spending tax money and going into deficit.?
‘We haven’t allowed (the DDA board) to spend any money for the last year-and-a-half,? Bossardet noted. ‘They’ve done nothing but just pay bills and spend very little.?
As a full-time director, Schomisch would receive an annual salary of $40,040, plus benefits, making the total package worth $52,155, according to Young.
Since coming to work for Oxford, Schomisch said most of her time has been spent organizing downtown events like the Scarecrow Festival in October and the Soup & Sweet Stroll in December.
‘Up until the end of the Soup and Sweet Stroll, I was working on a lot of events and I know that’s not what the DDA is really striving to do,? she said. ‘We really want to work on improving the image of the downtown, filling vacancies and helping out existing businesses.?
‘The events are great and I think the board realizes the benefit of those to a certain extent, but I think we all agree that things that help business and build a strong downtown are probably more important and should have a greater focus,? Schomisch added.
Right now, Schomisch is at the DDA office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
This has made it difficult for her to pick up where she leaves off from one day to the next and schedule meetings.
Working full-time and being in the office five days a week, according to Schomisch, would allow her to have more frequent conversations with entrepreneurs looking to expand their existing businesses by opening additional locations in Oxford.
‘We’ve had a couple meetings with people who are interested in bringing a business to the downtown,? she said.
She would also like to organize some sort of ‘spring cleanup? for the downtown, the goal being to get volunteers to ‘spruce things up? and bolster ‘community pride.?
‘The downtown is beautiful,? Schomisch said. ‘People need to have more appreciation for what’s there.?
If the DDA board votes to make her a full-time employee, Schomisch indicated she would want her tenure in Oxford to be long-term. ‘I really like it here,? she said. ‘I’m very happy.?
Charles made it clear he’s not in favor of having a director ‘just for the sake of having a director.?
He believes having a full-time director is necessary in order to help make infrastructure improvements to the DDA district.
‘The purpose of a DDA is to make the area more attractive to bring in more business,? Charles said.
That being said, he believes Schomisch has the necessary background, knowledge and skills to help accomplish this.
‘I think she has two attributes that the DDA district can benefit from,? Charles explained. ‘One is her academic training in historical preservation and architecture. I was impressed with her academic background. She also has some experience with doing promotional activities.?
Schomisch has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University.
Charles would like to see the DDA do more in the area of ‘maintaining the historic character of our town.?
‘I mean that,? he said. ‘I really hope that’s where she goes with this.?
So far, Charles believes Schomisch’s short tenure has yielded ‘positive results.?
‘The Scarecrow Festival was successful,? he said. ‘The Soup & Sweet Stroll, that was probably the best one I’ve ever seen. At this point, she’s doing well.?
Bossardet also believes Schomisch is a good choice for this promotion based on the successful events she has ‘under her belt.?
‘She’s proved to me that she can handle (the job) and do it,? she said. ‘I think she’s a good fit for the job. She’s proved to me that she knows her stuff. She’s still got a lot to learn, but I think she can bring a lot to the job.?
Schomisch is ‘committed? to getting Oxford recertified as a Main Street community, Bossardet noted.
Last year, Oxford failed its annual Main Street evaluation and as a result, did not receive accreditation from the National Main Street Center in Washington D.C.
‘I think the Main Street program, on a national level, has proven itself as an effective tool for redevelopment,? Schomisch said. ?(There are) tons of success stories throughout the nation. It’s a proven method (for accomplishing) the different revitalization activities and building up a downtown.?
Historic preservation is a key component of the Main Street approach, which is right up Schomisch’s alley.
She believes downtown Oxford has a unique character. She wants to help preserve it and make sure that revitalization efforts don’t turn it into ‘a copycat of some other town.?
‘We’re not attempting to become another city,? Schomisch said. ‘We’re not mimicking everything that other people are doing.?