Tuscola Council names downtown park in honor of Mayor Dan Kleiss
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THE NEW PARK SPACE next to the Community Building in downtown Tuscola was named Kleiss Plaza Monday night by the City Council in honor of longtime Mayor Dan Kleiss. Photo by David Porter.
By David Porter
That green space between the Community Building and The Vault Art Gallery in Tuscola now has a name. The Tuscola City Council approved dubbing the area Kleiss Plaza at the request of Marci Shoemaker and Peggy Helm. The vote took place on the 40th anniversary of Mayor Dan Kleiss being sworn in as an alderman.
Kleiss joined the Council in 1988 and was elected mayor in 1988, a post he has held ever since. The green space was created within the last year using up remaining funds from an expiring tax increment finance (TIF) district. The project included paving downtown alleys and parking lots.
Shoemaker said the area needed a name so people would no longer have to say, “you know that space …” She said the name is a fitting tribute to the longstanding mayor who oversaw numerous economic development projects in the city. She noted that Kleiss is also a 50-year Tuscola High School alumnus and in the TCHS Hall of Fame.
“I didn’t get in this to have anything named after me,” Kleiss said Monday night. He said he joined city government to help make the town a place where his kids and others would want to stay and live. “We’ve had our ups and downs,” he said. “It’s been very exciting for me.”
He added that the plaza is not yet complete. He said he wants to see a stage built for outdoor concerts. He suggested that Shoemaker’s husband, Alderman Alan Shoemaker, should help with that since he has a long history with musical performances.
City Hall was filled up with friends and family members to witness the renaming of the small park. The ordinance naming the park also includes rules for the area, which mirrors regulations at the city’s other parks.