Project Name: The Ecorse Flower Competition
What is your first and last name?
Zaid Beeai
What are your preferred pronouns?
He/him/his
What city or village do you live in?
[534]Does your neighborhood have a name? If so what is it?
[535]Are you connected with anyone in your local government?
[536]Are you applying as a business owner, artist, non-profit, DDA, or Commercial Improvement District?
[280]Where will your project take place?
City of Ecorse
Briefly describe your project idea:
Our project to select an official city flower involves a citywide online & paper survey and a local artist designing banners of the flower to hang across Jefferson Avenue. Project partners include Committee members led by Council, administrators, City Paint & Supply, and Ecorse Public Schools.
How will you be involved in this project? Who will you worth with?
The City will assemble a Committee to oversee the city-wide competition, led by two members of City Council. This Committee will work with City Administrators to advertise the survey to encourage residents and local business owners to participate. The survey will be advertised on the City’s website, our Facebook page, school newsletters, flyers hung in local brick-and-mortar businesses, and via email to high school administrators and teachers. The Ecorse Public Schools superintendent, Johsa Talison, will lead the effort to distribute the survey in the schools and get feedback form the students. Due to the nature of summer break, this project will need to occur in the early fall to get student feedback.
Describe the artist’s or artists’ work. This is not about credentials—what do they do as an artist?
Madison is a visual artist who works in both print and digital mediums. She mostly works in two-dimensional forms, such as acrylic or pastels, and is capable on a variety of digital softwares.
Please upload a letter of support for your project from your local governing body:
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Additional Attachments (if any)
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Why does your community need this project?
This place-making project is an important step toward promoting beautification efforts throughout the City in residential and commercial areas and instilling further pride in the City.
Additionally, we hope this project helps retain and or attract residents and patrons of our local businesses. Our efforts to engage with high school students and encourage civic engagement on this project are especially important as they are at a pivotal age to encourage community beautification and investing in our community. We intend for this project to instill pride in the City amongst residents, especially younger residents who will soon be considering whether to continue building roots in the City or move elsewhere to live their adult lives.
What do you hope to achieve through this project?
We anticipate that the theme of the competition and outreach will create excitement amongst community members and further encourage civic engagement, especially amongst high school students.
Additionally, from this project, we hope residents and local business owners will plant more of the selected city flower to help beautify the city. We believe the city flower will help attract visitor, residents, and commuters along Jefferson to spend more time in Ecorse and support our brick-and- mortar businesses.
Lastly, the placement of the banners in the West Jefferson Corridor, located in the DDA, will contributes to the DDA’s efforts and the goals of the West Jefferson Avenue Corridor Plan. The DDA has been working to in bringing attention to the area to attract visitors and investment to redevelop sites in this corridor and increase the City’s tax base. Ultimately, our goal is to create an enhanced streetscape over which residents have ownership and pride.
How do you plan to spend the $5,000 microgrant?
$100 – Advertisement Cost for printing and distributing flyers to promote the city-side survey.
$100-150 – Administrative Cost for drafting and publishing the survey.
$415-465 – Labor cost for local artist to design the banners. They will be paid $20/hour.
$4,335 – Three (3) Banners to display the selected City Flower across Jefferson Avenue, to be used annually during the summer and early fall months. The banners will be 2-sided with grommets and wind slits that cost $1,445 per 50′ by 3′ banner as estimated by Gary Printing Co Inc., located in Lincoln Park.
Subject to minor modification if changes are needed during ordering.
What resources do you already have to make this project successful? Resources could include things like time, partners, expertise, donated goods/materials/space, matching funds, and more. Please approximate the in-kind value if possible.
The City already has community leaders interested in fulfilling and promoting the flower competition through dedication of personal time. We also have a local artist who is prepared to design the banners, a local paint shop to consult on the design, and partners to distribute the survey.
Will your project require special permits from the community you are in? For example, anything that requires a street closure or installing a permanent art piece will likely require a special permit from your local governing body or zoning board. If your project is funded, the MML Foundation is happy to help you navigate that process. Please note that all applicants must obtain any necessary permits for their projects, if selected for funding. *
Yes
Anticipated project launch date:
August 1, 2023
Will you serve as the primary point of contact for this application?
[291]Lead Artist First and Last Name:
Madison Weigel
Lead Artist Website (If Applicable):
https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-weigel-192b2b116/
Business 1: Business Name:
City Paint & Supply
Business 1: Business Type:
Retail
Business 1: Business Owner First and Last Name:
Jackie Brown
Business 1: Physical Location Address
3920 W Jefferson Ave, Ecorse, MI 48229
Business 1: Twitter Handle (If Applicable)
N/A
Business 1: Facebook Page Link (If Applicable)
https://www.facebook.com/citypaint313/
Business 1: Instagram Handle (If Applicable)
N/A
Business 2: Business Name:
Ecorse Public Schools
Business 2: Business Type:
Public Schools – Taxing Entity
Business 2: Business Owner First and Last Name:
Josha Talison (Superintendent)
Business 2: Business Physical Location Address:
27225 W. Outer Dr. Ecorse, MI 48229
Business 2: Twitter Handle (If Applicable)
Business 2: Facebook Page Link (If Applicable)
https://www.facebook.com/Ecorse.Public.School
Business 2: Instagram Handle (If Applicable)
https://www.instagram.com/ecorseschools/
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[325]Business 3: Business Type:
[507]Business 3: Business Owner First and Last Name:
[326]Business 3: Physical Location Address
[327]Business 3: Twitter Handle (If Applicable)
[374]Business 3: Facebook Page Link (If Applicable)
[373]Business 3: Instagram Handle (If Applicable)
[383]Please list the names of any additional partners:
[336]Image Caption 1 (if any): Section of the W Jefferson Corridor
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Image Caption 2 (if any): View of Ecorse Businesses on W Jefferson Ave
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