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The citizens who attended the February 1, 2006 meeting heard a presentation concerning possible issues affecting Houghton's streetscape project, and then broke into six different groups to brainstorm. Their suggestions included the following:
Group 1: Cheryl
Keep traffic (US41) in downtown
Some say bypassing downtown is okay
Slow down traffic through traffic calming measures
Wayfinding signage
Public art in various areas
Clean up the stairwells; walkways
Make
Isle Royale Street
and others a main connection down to water
Better street lighting
Outdoor eating area
Seating outside businesses
Bike lanes and bike parking
Not sure need wider sidewalks
We like the seat walls
Group 2: Phyllis
We want something done with the Yooper looper at the west end
No support for roundabout
Consider a complete loop
Library needs to be tied into downtown
Some support for pedestrian mall
Better lighting on main street and on decks
We like the idea of public art
Get vibrant and wild
Upper cross walks got no support
East end welcoming gateway needs work
Window washing is important
We should be a boating
Mecca
Better signage and wayfinding from waterfront
Group 3: Shalini
Bike lane desirable
Better lighting important with energy conservation
Sustainable improvements
Light pollution should be considered
We like multi functional planters
We want a consistent style of signage
Helpful if we could improve attractiveness along waterfront
We like public art ideas
The ideas should be integrated down
College Ave.
like a bike lane all the way to MTU
We like the look of brick streets
We like raised cross walks and the idea of them in middle of the block
Developing landscaping plants, more trees, native plants
Mini parks between buildings
Make enough space on sidewalks for seating and cafes
Remove the unused overhead crosswalks
Signage to remind motorists to give pedestrians the right of way—change the culture!
Need stoplight on Montezum
Group 4: Illa
Floating dock on east side of bridge to accommodate small boaters who want to shop downtown
I don’t feel safe walking downtown because of traffic
Need traffic light at Huron and Quincy to slow traffic down and make people go toward water
Mall in lower level parking lot near the Library (with shops)
The stairway from underground parking would be good place to have paintings on the walls (it’s dark and dingy there)
Move Coons! Why are they downtown?
Bike friendly, racks could be built by local high school students
Speed limits for the snowmobilers
No parking behind the Mining Gazette due to trucks unloading….hello!
What about retail in the Mining Gazette area?
We love the pedestrian bridges
The police should issue more speeding citations
Making Montezuma two-way doesn’t sound like an improvement, plus the city would then have to take care of snow removal
Group 5: Rob
Get rid of the bumpouts
No trucks downtown—route them around downtown
Public art would be good
Boat racks and kayak racks
Bike lane would be great
Banners downtown
More historical signage would be good
Raised crosswalks to calm traffic
Make both ends of Houghton more attractive
Group 6: Kurt
Our group agreed on very little
Traffic: creating a two way on Montezuma and on Shelden would make it easier to get around
Capitalizing on our location and our waterfront; why are cars parked on the waterfront? Modify existing parking structures; removing them completely, or rebuilding them, perhaps with residential and or commercial space.
Docks on the waterfront
Improve snow removal especially on side streets
Slow down the traffic on Shelden in a variety of ways
Make the south side facing sidewalks bigger to accommodate cafes
Eliminate parking meters but maintain enforcement
Utilize side streets for parking
Redesign the waterfront with multi use
Community space by the new library
Public ice rink by the new library
Remove the overhead walkways
Get deer camera in walkway to produce evidence of its use
Other comments
Has anyone studied walkability? (Yes, click here.)
Outdoor seating and outdoor heating
We’re not using winter enough to our benefit
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