Jorge A. Briones, MHDA Executive Director
The realities of the current economy are hitting downtown Morgan Hill in a major way. With 2007 coming to a close, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association has announced that the previously touted downtown holiday ice rink, which was planned to open before Christmas, is no longer a possibility due to rising costs.
“It’s a huge disappointment for this year,” said MHDA Executive Director Jorge A. Briones. “It’s disappointing to the community. It’s disappointing to the board and the office. On a personal level, it’s disappointing to me that it’s not happening. But also, it was designed to be our major fundraiser for this year, and to loose it, that’s scary.”
The city of Morgan Hill had approved a $50,000 loan months ago to help the MHDA facilitate with the holiday ice rink. But as their deadline drew nearer, unanticipated funds became more then the Downtown Association bargained for. Facing potential debt if they went forward with the rink, Briones decided to cancel the ice rink.
“I challenge people to find another person that’s more disappointed that there isn’t an ice rink this year then me,” says Briones.
Last August, Briones and the Downtown Association had set up an extremely ambitious time frame for development of downtown. But, things were looking brighter then than they are now. With the economy currently in the biggest recession since the great depression, Briones admits that that five-year plan that looked just out of reach 5 months ago is no longer feasible.
The Morgan Hill Downtown Association hopes to continue promoting events like the Saturday farmers markets, even in the current floundering economy.
“This was quite the transition year, let me tell you. We had so much that went on and so much that happened. We got to the end here, and quite honestly, we ran out of time. Unfortunately, we ran out of tine on the big crescendo, the thing that so many people were looking forward to,” says Briones.
Another huge factor that will determine Downtown Morgan Hill’s future is that many of the developers who were in talks for building residential apartments in downtown are no longer in a position to even think about breaking ground.
“Even the bigger developers that would be willing to come out and get started on something can’t necessarily get the money released to them by the banks. The banks are still sitting on the money. So, until that frees up, who knows if that is going to happen at the end of 09? Is it going to be in 2010? Is it 2011? It’s kind of like, who knows, looking into the crystal ball, when that’s going to be,” says Briones.
But, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association believes that the challenges of the last year were a valuable learning experience.
“We definitely have a much clearer understanding of what all is involved in making it come together, and the timing that we need to work on it,” he says.
“Ultimately, my job is herding cats. We have a lot of people who have their own universe that they need to be responsible for, they look out for their own best interests. That takes me trying to get everybody together and say, ‘Lets work as a team,’” says Briones.
Though the economy is rough, Briones believes that downtown merchants are doing ok, and that they are trying to keep a positive, though realistic, attitude.
A view of El Toro from Main Street, right off of downtown Morgan Hill.
“When I go up and down the street, I don’t get the feel that this is a bunch of doom and gloom and we’re in a bunch of trouble here. I get more of the feeling of ‘Yeah, times aren’t very good. We wish they were different, but as long as I can keep moving along here, I’m going to keep doing that,’” he says.
For the near future, Briones and Danielle Boulger, the MHDA Events Administrator, are keeping a low profile to reorganize their efforts.
“This is a time for us to regroup, and get the business back in order and back in control. We’ve been going and going so much that we’re both physically and mentally exhausted. So, this is a good time for us for a break,” says Briones/
Next spring, the MHDA hopes to go forward with the long-planned Mushroom Art Auction, as well as a new event, a potential “Wine Crawl,” a trick-or-treat of sorts for adults through downtown that would involve local wineries.
“We’ve embarked this year on a challenge of trying to make downtown more vibrant, to make it be more on the forefront of peoples minds. I think we’ve done that to a certain degree, but we have a long way to go,” says Briones.
For more information on the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, visit www.morganhilldowntown.org/
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