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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-06-12 Economic Development Council Minutes with attachments, approved1 of 6 City of Bozeman Economic Development Council (EDC) Meeting Minutes September 6, 2012 10:30 am – 12:00 pm Madison room, City Hall, 121 N. Rouse Members Attending: Cheryl Ridgely (Bozeman Deaconess Hospital), Daryl Schliem (Bozeman Chamber of Commerce) Anders Lewendal (Contractor), Stuart Leidner (Prospera Business Network) Teresa McKnight, (Montana State University Innovation Campus) (arrived mid meeting) Members Absent: John Hoagland (Vice-President of Simms), Tracy Menuez (Human Resource Development Council), Deputy Mayor Jeff Krauss (liaison) Staff Present: Chris Kukulski (City Manager), Brit Fontenot (Director of Economic Development and Community Relations), Aimee Brunckhorst (Deputy City Clerk) Guests / Public Present: Kelly Pohl (Gallatin Valley Land Trust) Steve Schnee (Schnee’s Boots, Shoes and Hunting Gear), Josh Fairchilds (Oboz Footwear), David Weinstein (Outdoor Industry Association), Earl Mathers (Gallatin County Administrator) Chris Mehl (Bozeman Commission) NOTE: These minutes are not word for word and should be considered in addition to the audio recording of the meeting. A. Call to Order Chairperson Daryl Schliem called the meeting to order at 10:35 a.m. B. Public Comment Daryl Schliem opened public comment. Seeing no public comment, Daryl Schliem closed public comment. C. Minutes – August 2, 2012 Quorum was not present. Move approval to the end of the meeting. Minutes of the Economic Development Council for September 6, 2012 2 of 6 D. Non-Action Items 1. Bozeman Parks and Trails Bond Discussion (Open Space Bond Campaign Steering Committee Members Kelly Pohl, Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Josh Fairchilds, Oboz Footwear) http://bozemanparksandtrails.com/ Brit Fontenot introduced the topic and Kelly Pohl, Program Director at Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Kelly Pohl, Program Director of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust began an overview slideshow on behalf of the Open Space Bond Campaign Steering Committee. (See attached slideshow) Ms. Pohl introduced committee members Josh Fairchilds and Steve Schnee (co-chairperson) and said city staff was also available to answer questions about the bond. Ms. Pohl began her presentation with an explanation of what the open space bond could accomplish if passed by the voters on the November ballot. Ms. Pohl explained bond funds could be used in a variety of ways including further developing or expanding existing parks and trails, creating new parks and hiking, biking and walking trails. Other ideas include filling in the gaps in current trails, developing safe routes to school and creating sports fields to meet the growing demand and to attract regional tournaments. Ms. Pohl explained we need this bond saying Bozeman is growing and it is important to maintain our high quality of life and growing in a thoughtful way. The 2007 Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Plan maps out opportunities for trails and park development, and the Bond would help us implement this plan. This bond would also help protect our water quality, preserve our natural areas, improve our health, and further build the community that businesses and families are attracted to. The bond could also help expand our transportation options. Parks and trails can improve our economy by enhancing recreation and tourism based economies and by drawing sports tournaments. Ms. Pohl pointed out there are more trail related jobs in this country then there are lawyers. The Bond would be a general obligation bond to be voted on November 6th . The average household would be taxed less than 4 dollars a month. The bond would require the city to be accountable for the funds. Funds could only be used for specific purposes. A citizen led advisory board will evaluate projects and make recommendations to the City Commission who will then make the final decision. The Bozeman Parks and Trails Campaign Committee is attending civic organizations, and other groups to help receive endorsements, positive votes for the bond, volunteers and fund raising for the campaign, letters to the editor, etc. Ms. Pohl provided a handout with contact information. Steve Schnee spoke about why he supports this measure and is engaged in the campaigning saying he and his wife located to Bozeman in the early 1970’s bringing their small shoe repair business here because of the quality of life value system here (before the term was even coined). Mr. Schnee explained he feels this is a unique point in time, with a populous that is willing to Minutes of the Economic Development Council for September 6, 2012 3 of 6 invest in quality of life and invest in the future, a supportive City Commission and a downturn in the economy. Property values are becoming more reasonable. Mr. Fairchilds explained Oboz Shoe Company began in 2007 and has 200 dealers across North America and distribution in 16 countries. They started with an office team of 2 and have since grown to 8 here in Bozeman. Outside Bozeman is how they came up with the name and they brand that heavily and the culture of “Main Street to the Mountains”. They have outgrown their current facilities and all the employees have indicated they would like to stay in the Bozeman downtown core because of things like the walk-ability of the location, the open space and the parks. Bozeman is a unique place for businesses to start and grow. A lot of the driving desire is the ability to work in Bozeman. Mr. Fontenot asked about examples of the impacts of regional tournaments. Daryl Schliem spoke regarding the efforts of the Tournament Committee and how difficult it has been to get actual numbers, but tournaments definitely have a huge impact. They have about seven tournaments here a year. The Committee spends about $100,000 a year to bid on tournaments, but further sports facilities would allow them to expand the tournaments into areas such as soccer, lacrosse and baseball. Tournaments translate into dollars across the community. Ms. Ridgely asked what the bond money will get us and whether there is a funding gap. How will the priorities be set so we can close the loop on one of the gaps? Mr. Schnee explained that the Advisory Committee and the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and City Commission will help determine those priorities and develop a matrix to help compare projects. Ms. Pohl said The Blitz Soccer Club and Lacrosse Club are helping us determine what they would need to bring tournaments to Bozeman. Mr. Leidner asked about metrics and leveraging bond funds. Ms. Pohl said she anticipates the bond funds will be leveraged heavily with other funds from grants, partnerships, the Clubs, etc. Missoula and Helena both have open space bonds and have incredible leverage for those programs. Mr. Leidner asked about how the Aquatics and Recreation Feasibility Study and possible future city pools or recreation facilities will play into the open space bond. Mitch Overton, the new city of Bozeman Parks and Trails Director, explained the Feasibility Study is a separate issue and the results still remain to be seen. Commissioner Chris Mehl said the Commission is well aware of possible future obligations especially to the outdoor pool which is on its last legs, regardless of what may happen with the bond. The underlying state law that allows this open space bond to happen will not allow bond money to be used for the pool. Minutes of the Economic Development Council for September 6, 2012 4 of 6 Mr. Kukulski spoke to the importance of collaboration with the city and the important component of partnerships to expand on the capacity that can be done with the bond. Ms. Pohl spoke regarding the cities current means to expand parks in the city and how this process often leaves out regional parks. Possibilities include working with developers to expand on what they are doing and leverage more amenities for the public. Mr. Fontenot spoke regarding how quality of life issue is an important piece of the Economic Development Plan falling within the six planks of the platform of our plan. He asked about the impact of having this passed on the parks department as a whole. Mr. Overton said it is viewed as acquisition and development and further economic development as the overall regional economic impact. Mr. Overton also mentioned anticipating increased responsibility for further maintenance of parks, trails and facilities if the bond passes. Commissioner Mehl said the City Commission is very aware that management is an important factor that will need to be accounted for as a bond would be implemented. The City Commission has discussed the need to use bond money incrementally and adjust as we go along. He also spoke regarding the incredibly low interest rate the city can get right now if this bond passes and he and Mr. Kukulski spoke further about the financial aspects of the bond to the tax payer over the long term. Council members wished the Committee well and then asked about corporate interest. Commissioner Mehl introduced guest David Weinstein, Outreach and Advocacy Manager with the Colorado based Outdoor Industry Association. He is here because Bozeman is such a hub for the outdoor industry. Ms. McKnight asked about corporation support and involvement in things like sports facilities and sports fields and the possibility of corporations becoming involved in investing in these partnering opportunities for naming rights, etc. Ms. Pohl said she feels there is a lot of opportunity for corporation involvement. Thom White with the Recreation and Parks Department said corporation involvement has been fairly low up to this point. Mr. Overton said they are beginning to look into cultivating those types of opportunities to leverage money. Ms. McKnight spoke further about the need for these types of opportunities for the corporations that are moving families here and need to promote their support for these types of ‘family values’ and activities. Minutes of the Economic Development Council for September 6, 2012 5 of 6 Further discussion among staff and Council members focused around family values, quality of life and the partnership with the parks and recreation department and facilities. Ms. Ridgely thanked David Weinstein for being here today and spoke regarding seeking the advice of the Outdoor Industry Association about what opportunities Bozeman may be able to provide to support the further development of the outdoor industries here. Mr. Fairchild explained there are at least half a dozen outdoor industries within Bozeman in addition to Oboz and Schnee’s, including Hyalite Outdoor Group, Symms and Mystery Ranch. Bozeman is a hot bed for these types of companies. Mr. Schnee spoke regarding Gore acquiring Sitka and how Gore, as the parent company chose to relocate Sitka to a location that is situated in a hunting area. Thus, Bozeman received Sitka. David explained he has been working closely with Josh, Chris and Brit. He heads up outreach and advocacy for the Association. He is hosting a happy hour with many of the outdoor based companies in Bozeman to discuss economic development and the importance of outdoor recreation and how sustainable the jobs. David said they have close to 1300 members across the country and support about 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, outfitters, etc. Mr. Fontenot spoke regarding attending the Salt Lake City outdoor retail show recently and how he visited with some of our local manufacturers and retailers and communicated with them about how they are valued. He also spoke to other manufacturers to help further awareness of the outdoor industry here and the high priority the city is placing on supporting this sector. He spoke regarding what Bozeman can become in terms of a crucible in outdoor businesses that come here to conceptualize, test, manufacture, market and sell their products. All these issues are connected and the city is trying to keep at the forefront of supporting these businesses. Ms. Ridgley spoke regarding the economic development plan and spoke regarding the difficulty of measuring quality of life. If passed, this bond will lend a tangible element to help us measure and expand quality of life in a meaningful way. C. Minutes – August 2, 2012 This item moved from the beginning of the meeting to the end as the quorum was reached. Ms. McKnight explained she had several minor corrections for the minutes that she could email to Ms. Brunckhorst. The Economic Development Council approved the minutes of August 2, 2012 with minor edits. E. FYI/Discussion 1. The upcoming EDC Vacancy Minutes of the Economic Development Council for September 6, 2012 6 of 6 Mr. Fontenot informed the Council that the City Commission will be considering removal of John Hoagland from the Council during their next Commission meeting. He further spoke about the need for Council members to assist in recruiting a new member. E. Adjournment Daryl Schliem adjourned the meeting at 11:30 a.m. * NOTE – Full audio of this EDC meeting is available at: http://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink8/0/fol/46967/Row1.aspx ____________________________________ Daryl Schliem, Chairperson PREPARED BY: ____________________________________ Aimee Brunckhorst, Deputy City Clerk Approved on October 18, 2012 Economic Development Council meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability that requires assistance, please contact our ADA Coordinator James Goehrung, at 582- 3232 (TDD 582-2301). A General Obligation Bond for Bozeman What is the Bozeman Parks & Trails General Obligation Bond About? A $15 million bond measure to: –protect critical lands in Bozeman –preserve our quality of life by: •Protecting water quality & natural areas •Creating new parks •Building new trails •Developing new sports fields Water Quality & Natural Areas –Acquire sensitive lands along creek corridors –Preserve water quality by creating buffers –Protect natural areas from development Parks –Acquire land to create new parks. –Improve and develop existing parks. Hiking, Biking and Walking Trails –Acquire land for new trails –Develop connections between existing trails –Create safe routes to schools Sports Fields –Create sports fields to meet growing demand and to attract regional tournaments –Soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and others Why? Because Bozeman is growing. •Bozeman is expected to add 20,000 people in the next 20 years •Maintaining high quality of life while Bozeman grows •2007 Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Plan identifies need Excerpt from the PROST Plan Why? To protect our quality of life. •Protect our water quality •Preserve our natural areas •Improve our health •Expand transportation options •Build community Why? To Improve our Economy. •Attract and retain businesses. •Enhance recreation- and tourism-based economies. •Sports tournaments draw in millions to local hotels, restaurants and businesses. •Increase property values. What are the details? •The Parks & Trails General Obligation Bond will be on the November 6 ballot •Cost to the average Bozeman household less than $45/year •Requires City accountability: –Funds used only for specified purposes. –Public process with citizen-led advisory board and City Commission –Subject to independent annual audits Who Supports the Measure? •Bozeman Parks & Trails Campaign Committee –Robyn Erlenbush, co-chair –Steve Schnee, co-chair –Page Dabney, treasurer –Over 25 businesses, youth athletics, user groups, and conservation organizations Endorsed by nearly 50 businesses & organizations: •360 Pet Medical •Altitude Gallery •Bangtail Bikes & XC Skis •Blitzz Futbol Club •Bogert Farmer’s Market •Bozeman Daily Chronicle •Bozeman Recreation & Parks Advisory Board •Bozeman Running Company •Bozeman Tourism Business Improvement District •Bozeman Yoga Center •Bridger Ski Foundation •C4 Innovation •Collin’s Coalition •Cottonwood Enterprises •Country Bookshelf •Crowley Fleck PLLP •DTM Consulting, Inc. •ERA Landmark Real Estate •Gallatin Valley Lacrosse League •Gallatin Valley Land Trust •The Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company •Greenspace Landscaping •Hey Day •Hyalite Equipment •Insty Prints •Integrity Builders •Intrinsik Architecture •Learning by Nature •LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. •MercuryCSC •Montana Ale Works •Montana Conservation Voters •Montana Details •Montana Import Group •Mystery Ranch •Northern Lights Trading Company •Oboz Footwear •Owenhouse Ace Hardware •Owenhouse Bicycling & Fitness •Play it Again Sports •Run Dog Run •Sauce Headwear •Sola Cafe •Sonoran Institute •Suelto Boutique •Trust for Public Land •Vargo’s Jazz City and Books •Vino Per Tutti •Wild Joe’s Coffee “The citizens of Bozeman have an opportunity to dramatically shape the future development of their city in this fall’s general election… and it’s a measure Bozeman voters should support enthusiastically.” BDC Editorial Board 9/30/2012 “The Parks & Trails bond will make it easier for us to grow our economy, and that’s good for all of us. We can’t afford not to make this investment.” Josh Fairchilds, Oboz Footwear How can you help? –Endorsements –Letters to the Editor –Volunteers for field trips, canvassing –Yard signs –Fundraising –Votes! www.BozemanParksAndTrails.com Connect with us: