Crowdfunding campaign launched for the ‘Arrowhead Pavilion – Downtown Wyandotte’

$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

Lansing, Mich. – Downtown Wyandotte will soon feature an outdoor gathering space with the help of a new crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the City of Wyandotte announced today. The campaign is being offered through Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity. 

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by March 31, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: www.Patronicity.com/Wyandotte.

“Public Spaces Community Places is a good resource for communities to restore or activate public spaces,” said MEDC Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “We are pleased to be able to partner in this effort to transform an underused corner lot into a community gathering place for residents and visitors.”

The new outdoor gathering space will be located at the corner of Sycamore Street and Biddle Avenue in front of Wyandotte City Hall. The creation of this new space will feature outdoor seating and dining areas to create a fun and safe gathering space for residents, shoppers and visitors. 

The space will also have lighting installations to create a safe environment for people to enjoy the space during evenings and artistic installations and plantings to draw visitors to relax and enjoy the area. Additionally, physical structures will create optimal venue space for existing programs like the Wyandotte Street Art Fair, Wyandotte 3rd Fridays and the Christmas tree lighting.

“This is a project that can really enhance our Downtown, providing additional public space for residents and visitors to gather and relax,” said Joe Gruber, Downtown Development Authority Director for the City of Wyandotte. “Achieving our goal is only possible with everyone’s participation, and we are confident that lots of folks will participate, because they are deeply connected to this town and its growth and development.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“The Michigan Municipal League strongly supports the concept of placemaking and using existing assets to create spaces that people love,” said Dan Gilmartin, League CEO and Executive Director. “The project to better utilize the public space in front of Wyandotte City Hall is an outstanding way to make placemaking happen. We hope the community supports this project so that it becomes a source of pride for years to come.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of February 1, 2017, the MEDC has provided $3,228,500 in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 99 projects have been completed successfully with more than $3.8 million raised from 17,463 individual donors.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.