Goodman’s Good Works

Petoskey’s Passionate Advocate

Sept. 28, 2014

"I am not a Petoskey native, but I wish I was," chuckled Becky Goodman, downtown director for the City of Petoskey.

Well known for her steadfast pro-Petoskey attitude and dedication to her job, Goodman most often hovers behind the scenes; her real passion is to put downtown Petoskey center stage. Highlighting downtown has been her goal ever since she moved north from her downstate home, a spur-of-the-moment decision that has stood the test of time.

UPSTATE JUMP

"I grew up in a small town outside of East Lansing called Haslett," Goodman said. "As far as urban environments, I had it all. And my "˜going away’ time was working "˜Up North’ on Mackinac Island during the summers."

In the late 1960s, a day trip during one of those summers brought Goodman to Petoskey for the first time, which she called "crazy times." She stayed at the Perry Hotel which, at the time, had beaded curtains in the rooms and peace signs on the walls. "Those summers are when I fell in love with northern Michigan," she said.

One marriage later, Goodman and her husband found themselves raising a family downstate in Lake Orion, a former resort community near Detroit whose motto was "Where Living Is Always a Vacation."

"We had an historic home with a garden and I thought we would live there forever," Goodman remembered.

After working in interior design, independent bookselling, and local politics, Goodman became involved in the region’s downtown development and received training from "some of the best urban developers in the country." Then, a posting for a downtown development job in Petoskey fortuitously caught her eye.

"I asked my husband, if I got the job, would he go with me," she said. "It was one of the most impulsive things I have ever done, but I have not ever regretted it. I have always felt northern Michigan in my roots and I will be ever grateful to Carlin Smith for hiring me."

DOWNTOWN HEAVEN

When Goodman first moved to Petoskey, her professional peers told her that she was going to "downtown heaven." "And they meant it!" she said. "I am so proud to be working in this community."

Today, Goodman is at the helm of the Petoskey Downtown offices and also serves as vice president and conference committee chair for the Michigan Downtown Association (MDA). Her typical workday starts with coffee at her desk, which overlooks a grove of 100-year-old black walnut trees that grow in downtown’s Pennsylvania Park. However, her week is never the same twice.

While on the surface, it may appear that Petoskey has undergone a downtown renaissance, Goodman explains that part of downtown’s charm is in the balance. It’s a full-time job to help downtown make progress while still retaining the Petoskey that so many know and love.

"I think Petoskey has always been a premier destination for its time," Goodman said. "So the trick has been maintaining our position."

For Goodman, this requires meetings to plan and execute everything from flower planting to events to marketing the Petoskey "brand," as well as orchestrating major happenings like the annual sidewalk sales and the very popular Holiday Open House.

"We left the sheltering wings of the Chamber and became a city department years ago, and this is where Downtown Petoskey has grown since I have been here," she explained. "We now have a fully functional downtown development office that is equipped to handle everything." This includes managing many of downtown Petoskey’s challenges, one of which, you might not expect.

CHARACTER STUDY

"The first challenge is"¦ managing parking," Goodman said. While this may sound unglamorous, parking actually plays a pivotal role in how both locals and tourists navigate the downtown area.

"In a seasonal downtown, simply defining and creating the number of spaces can be difficult," she explained. Running the parking office is like a business all its own with specific policies to uphold, as well as customer service to provide. "It’s difficult, as the public generally does not harbor a lot of warm feelings about parking meters and parking tickets," Goodman laughed.

The second challenge, according to Goodman, is making everyone happy.

"We have a diverse merchant base with varied needs and downtown is just large enough that it has different neighborhoods that also have their needs," she explained. "I know in my heart that it is impossible to please everyone, but that doesn’t make me stop trying."

The challenges–big and small–are part of what she enjoys, along with the opportunity to help mold downtown Petoskey’s future, which Goodman says became even brighter after the new streetscape was installed a few years before she arrived. "That made a huge physical difference in the appearance of downtown," she said. "Petoskey has been a leader in efforts like that–that define the downtown district and give it character."

COOL CITY

Character is tops on Goodman’s list. She believes a big part of downtown Petoskey’s charm is in its history.

"It is no secret to those who know me that I am a preservationist," Goodman said. "So probably the most fun for me so far was working on a directive of our Cool Cities study that we control future development by writing our own design guidelines. Our finished document was based on architectural details and standards that are indigenous specifically to our downtown and promote design that will always seem authentic and real for this place, no matter when the building is built or renovated."

Goodman feels that trips back to her old stomping grounds in Detroit further solidify the fact that she’s made the right choice.

"The opportunity to live here has been a gift to me," Goodman said. "I see it so clearly when we make a trip downstate for any reason: the littered mess, the congestion, the homogenization, the lack of natural beauty, even–to some extent–the fear. All of it just overwhelms me." Goodman says that living full-time Up North is a lifetime achievement for her.

"Petoskey offers a true urban environment, a county seat with professional offices, great restaurants, art and culture, a college and an academic life, if you seek it, shopping, community, and natural beauty everywhere," she said.

"I laugh sometimes that I have been lifted from "˜Where Living Is Always a Vacation’ to where living really is a vacation."