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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-16-13 Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Minutes/ Downtown Business Improvement District Board Meeting Minutes January 16, 2013 Attending: Mike Basile, Eric Bowman, Dan Himsworth, Ileana Indreland, Steve Stinson, Eric Sutherland, Buck Taylor, Sean Becker, Chris Naumann Absent: Public Comments None Disclosures None Minutes ACTION: Buck Taylor moved to accept the September minutes as presented. Eric Sutherland seconded the motion. All voted in favor. ACTION: Ileana Indreland moved to accept the October minutes as presented. Eric Sutherland seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Finance Report Chris presented the Finance report reviewing the revenues and expenditures to date. He noted that all of the expenses were as anticipated and budgeted. Chris pointed out that as the board had requested the capital expenditures are listed separately as expenses. Chris also noted that Holiday Light Sponsorships fell below the budget goal. This was in part due to several construction companies that sponsored the program last year no longer had big downtown projects going this year. Chris mentioned that he switched insurance carriers for the Mule and truck which should lower the premium expense slightly. The Board had no further questions regarding the finances. Program Director’s Report Executive Director’s Report Maintenance Program Update Below are the FY2013 year-to-date maintenance statistics with the comparable time period from FY2012. As the numbers show we are seeing a decrease in the amount of trash collected and a decline in the number of graffiti tags removed. The fall maintenance staff currently consists of 1 PTE. FY2012 to date FY2013 to date Difference       Trash Emptied 1981 1522 -459  Graffiti Removed 54 32 -22   Holiday Decorations Update At the October meeting, which lacked a quorum, Ileana made a motion that was seconded by Mike Basile to purchase additional streetlamp holiday garland not to exceed $2600. The motion remained “open and on the table” and Chris asked for a board vote via e-mail. All six votes submitted approved the motion. The garland was subsequently purchased and installed this holiday season. Parking Garage Update The Parking Commission’s ad hoc “Armory Hotel Committee” reconvened and made revisions to the preliminary Armory Hotel parking proposal. Most notably, the number of “staging permits” has been reduced from a quantity of 30 down to 15. The committee met with Cory Lawrence of the Armory Hotel group to discuss the revisions. The Parking Commission will be releasing an RFQ in the coming weeks soliciting professional firms to develop redevelopment plans for all four public parking lots. The plans will include: parking lot reconfiguration to meet code and maximize efficiency; pedestrian-scale amenities such as lighting and sidewalks; landscaping and hardscaping to meet code screening requirements; and stormwater mitigation measures. The designs will utilize the preliminary design work already completed for the lot at Rouse and Babcock. / / / Discussion and Decision Items Economic Profile Survey and Report Chris presented a proposal to conduct a series of survey to collect economic data about downtown that would be compiled into a comprehensive report. He explained that downtown is in need of more economic data to help retain and attract new businesses and development. There are many critical questions to which we do not have answers: How many employees work downtown? How many square feet of retail space is there downtown? What is the average wage for part time employees downtown? How many residents live downtown? Chris said that such data would be collected through three surveys specifically designed for business owners, property owners, and residents. The data would be compiled into a report and the data would be updated every year or every other year. He provided some examples of similar reports from other downtowns. The board agreed that such a report would be very useful and fill a void in our knowledge about our own downtown. Chris informed the board that he estimated the total project cost to be $6000. The TIF Board has already pledge to fund half of the project. Chris said he would be asking the DBA Board to contribute as well. He hoped that all three member organizations of the Partnership would participate. ACTION: Dan Himsworth moved to allocate $2000 of board reserves to help fund the Downtown Economic Survey and Report. Eric Bowman seconded the motion. All voted in favor. With no further new or old business, the meeting was adjourned.