The Authority was formed in 1984 and became the "think tank" for the
City Council. The original members were Rex Ellsworth, Richard Ransford, Mike Sinchak, Donald Hutchinson, Harry Schubel, Douglas Campbell, Mike Rowe, Rudy Petzold & Shelia Everts. In 1985 Sara Dost replaced Shelia Everts. The Board of Directors agreed to use Eric Nelson, a student from Texas A&M University to use Caro's Master Plan for his masters thesis. This would come to be a very valuable tool for the DDA.
In Mr. Nelson's remarks he made the following observations: "The downtown of Caro manifests itself as an economically healthy center of the community. This strength is the direct result of its commercial and service availability, its role as a county seat, and the concerns, displayed by the community, to improve the downtown district. Caro has an untapped potential to grow stronger as a vital downtown center, rich in image and community focus."
Thus the work for the improvement of the downtown was laid out for the
board and the city council. Merchants in Caro have a long history of
cooperation with the city. For instance, in the 1870's Peter Bush donated land to build a court house, Samuel Sherman gave properties to construct a jail, William Heart partnered with Charles Montague in acquiring a good railroad connection, Heart donated $5,000. And Montague donated the land for the depot, then gave $5,000. And helped raise $30,000 from area citizens for its completion in the 1870's.
During World War II the merchants donated funds to build the "Merchants Building" at the Caro fairgrounds, which is still used today.
In the 1800's lumbering played a major role as a prominent industry of Caro. In the 1900's it became a strong center for agriculture and commerce. Community leaders look forward in the 2000's to adding industry to the commercial base for the area. With this in mind the Tuscola Economic Development Corporation has employed a director and office staff to obtain this goal. Success has been reached in this endeavor, with more industry and commercial commerce on the horizon.
During the 1990-91 streetscape project, which was a renovation of the downtown, merchants again stepped forward to join in. 1310 lettered bricks were sold and placed in the new sidewalks, and several have been added since. Wiring was put in place for speakers so that downtown Caro can enjoy music on the streets during business hours. The State Savings Bank, now Chemical Bank, was helpful with support of this project.
In 1999 hanging flower baskets were hung during the summer months with live flowers in the downtown area, and new Christmas decorations were used to decorate the area.
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