Amanda Baker, Downtown Development Coordinator
More than 70 residents showed up for the Community Report Forum hosted by the MSUE First Impressions in Tourism (FIT) team and the East Jordan Community Marketing Team.
East Jordan continues to show up for community input when it comes to efforts for growth and improvement. The Community Marketing Team, made up of representatives from the DDA, Chamber of Commerce, City, school, and local community groups, recently invited representatives from MSUE FIT program to assess the town and report on their findings as first time visitors with no prior knowledge. On August 27, 2018, the assessors shared their unbiased responses with the community.
Lead by Andy Northrop of MSU Extension, assessors came into town at various times during May and June. Five different assessors visited East Jordan either with family or solo and their results were generally positive. The visitors focused on 12 parts in their assessment: online presence, initial “5 minutes,” community information, visitor motives, destinations, residential areas, tourism assets, downtown business area, waterfront, senses and safety, lasting impressions, and overall trip reflections.
Northrop shared that most visitors found the chamber’s website very helpful in planning their visit and had also visited social media sites like Facebook, Yelp, and Trip Advisor. Most visitors were impressed once they got in to town with East Jordan’s parks and water. When trying to find information in the community, visitors found signage to be less clear than needed. Overall, information was accessible once they found the Chamber of Commerce.
In assessing what might motivate people to come to East Jordan, the overwhelming response was nature, with sporting activities, and in transit elsewhere rounding out the top 3 reasons. The destination evaluations found the community clean, friendly, and inviting, but showed room for improvement in more shopping and dining options, as well as cultural and historic attractions. The East Jordan residential areas rated fair to good with assessors noting the presence of numerous historic homes, but some in need of more upkeep. The tourism assets of the community showed well, and visitors were impressed by the Marina and Bandshell, but found Tourist Park and Sportsman’s Park to be underutilized.
The downtown business area ranked well as clean and friendly, but fell short when it came to pedestrian connectivity. The visitors were impressed by the waterfront, but felt parts were underutilized and East Jordan was not fully capturing this asset. The senses and safety assessment noted the potential smells of industry in town, and a general “roughness” in the areas surrounding downtown. Overall, the assessors enjoyed their time in East Jordan, but were disappointed to find many businesses closed on the weekend and a lack of options for dining, lodging, and shopping.
What does all this information mean for East Jordan, and what are the next steps? The Community Marketing Team is using this information to create a list of action items to help with not only tourism, but business attraction and economic growth for the area. Some suggestions, like updated links on websites, are already being addressed. The DDA is right on course for pedestrian connectivity and improvements spreading out from Main Street, and all the community members who attended the report have been sharing the information to help create awareness of East Jordan’s strengths and weaknesses. The Marketing Team will work together with the business community and continue to take steps to enhance East Jordan.
If your community is interested in how community assessment can work for you, contact Northern Lakes Economic Alliance at info@northernlakes.net.
