The city of Houghton, MI, is determined to meet two goals each winter: keeping walkways clear and comfortable, and creating as many fun, outdoor events as possible.
“We try to keep things walkable for folks,” says City Manager Eric Waara. And, in addition to plowing the streets, the city provides outdoor “winter harbors,” areas where people can stop off to use a restroom or find something interesting and unexpected like ice sculptures, snow sculptures, and even a free-standing snow house. “We’re white for six months of the year, so we make sure there’s something interesting out there,” says Waara.
The city has also had success creating fun and engaging activities for people of every age. In one particularly creative example, the city closes a downtown block and installs a temporary luge track.
“We start setting it up on a Thursday night, piling all the snow on an uphill/downhill block,” says Waara, “Then we host a competition for cardboard sleds, with everyone from little kids to college students doing it.
“Over the last two years, we’ve had 30 mph winds and 0 temperatures and got more people out than when it’s nice … it’s crazy,” Waara says.
More tips from the city that receives an average of 218 inches of snow each winter appear in the March issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter. Click to learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange and other resources for revitalizing downtowns and commercial corridors.