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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000 PSD Meeting Minutes PRAII;Ir�PSD AppnGWED Principal Shopping District ,:,;;;i4C CITY CLER% Special Board January 18, 2000 Meeting Minutes 232 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Harry Hepler Terry Terry Gwendolyn Conarton Patricia Cook Ken Stockwell Kevin McKinney BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: David Hayhow STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Jennifer Stratman Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 6:12 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to approve agenda. Moved: H. Hepler Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously Motion to approve the December 14, 1999 board minutes. Moved: K. Stockwell Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer Patricia Cook reported that the November 1999 financials are not ready for review. PSD staff is still in the process of reconciling the information to the city report. A copy of the 2000-2001 projected budget was submitted for review and comment. Leanne Stites noted the new line item for Downtown Lansing, Inc. funding. A budget meeting with the city finance department is scheduled for next week. Ms. Cook will be in attendance and invited Chairman McKinney to attend if his schedule allows. In reference to the assessment income generation item,Harry Hepler questioned the process by which properties are assessed as they change status. Discussion followed. Action item: Joey Berndt will contact the Assessor's office for information on the assessment process as properties change status. Motion to accept the 2000-2001 budget as proposed. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously DIRECTOR'S REPORT Leanne Stites reported the following activities: ■ Meeting with Pat Engle of the Parking/Transportation Dept. regarding the continuation of the Saturday Parking Program and their intention on if/when to begin ticketing violators. Discussion followed regarding the current practice of issuing warnings rather than tickets. A suggestion was made that merchants could be deputized to issue tickets. ■ A reporter for the Greater Lansing Business Monthly recently interviewed Ms. Stites for an upcoming issue devoted to business associations. ■ Ms. Stites, Kevin McKinney, and Terry Terry will meet with the Lansing State Journal Editorial Board on January 20`h to discuss the PSD's role of focusing on physical improvements in conjunction with the Blue Ribbon Committee on Downtown Revitalization. ■ In an update to last month's board approval to contract with the city for tree trimming, approximately 80% of the trimming work was recently completed. The remainder will follow shortly. COMMITTEE REPORTS Marketing—Leanne Stites, on behalf of David Hayhow, reviewed the goal and objectives from the Marketing portion of the PSD work plan. This plan shows a new subcommittee structure. Jennifer Stratman reported that she is following up on surveys to the holiday co-op advertising participants. Additionally, she stated that she sits on several special event committees for the Lansing area and most are beginning to meet in preparation for their current year events. Physical Design—Committee chair Terry Terry reported that the committee continues to work with a consultant to finalize the content of a public opinion survey. Format and distribution channels have yet to be determined. The Lansing State Journal may be approached. Discussion followed on possible ways to encourage survey responses. Mall Maintenance—Committee chair Kevin McKinney reported two meetings were held recently. The committee as a whole is still addressing the snow ridge issue. Surveys regarding trash removal have been mailed to selected constituents and responses are beginning to come back. The contract subcommittee developed a process and timeline for a Request For Proposal on a new maintenance contract to begin July 1, 2000. The new contract may be bid in modules and payment may be tied to performance satisfaction. OLD BUSINESS Blue Ribbon Committee: Ken Stockwell reported that the Board of Water and Light presented a video tape produced by Steiner Associates, the developer who may be interested in the Ottawa Power Station or other Lansing location for a large retail project. Their formula is to mix retail and activities in a human scale environment. This type of project has been successful in several Tier I and II cities around the country and they are looking at the feasibility of developing the same type of project in a Tier III city for the first time. Three subcommittees were formed to focus on economic development, parking, and housing issues. Meeting dates for 2000: A schedule of meeting dates for the second Tuesday of each month was presented. NEW BUSINESS Election of officers: Terry Terry put forth the following slate of nominations: Kevin McKinney—Chairman David Hayhow—Vice Chainnan Gwendolyn Conarton— Secretary Patricia Cook—Treasurer Motion to accept and elect the slate. Moved: T. Terry Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Mini-Grants: Applications received—Lansing Neighborhood Council,Michigan Youth in Government. Motion to grant the $400 Lansing Neighborhood Council request. Moved: G. Conarton Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Motion to grant the$500 Michigan Youth in Government request. Moved: G. Conarton Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously Policy changes—The board reviewed the proposed changes as submitted by PSD staff. After a brief discussion, the board requested the addition of criteria giving preference to requests demonstrating additional customer generation. Motion to accept the proposed policy changes with discussed additional criteria added. Moved: T. Terry Second: G. Conarton Carried unanimously PSD Work Plan: Leanne Stites presented a written work plan for 1999-2000 for board review. Marketing Manager leave of absence: Leanne Stites reported that current Marketing Manager Jennifer Stratman would be taking a twelve week leave of absence and asked that the board support the following: ■ Hiring a contractor to temporarily fill the position during the leave of absence period. ■ Communicate the plan to the funding partners and request their continued financial support. Motion to support hiring a temporary contractor. Moved: H. Hepler Second: T. Terry Carried unanimously OTHER Terry Terry requested to be included in a future agenda to discuss support of Old Town. ADJOURN Meeting was adjourned at 7:32 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: r wendolyn Cona "on, Secretary 6 �7 Date PSD -PROVED Principal Shopping District Pr Board Meeting February 8, 2000 Minutes 232 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Gwendolyn Conarton Harry Hepler Terry Terry Patricia Cook David Hayhow Ken Stockwell BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Kevin McKinney STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Jennifer Stratman Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. by Vice--;Chairman David Hayhow. PUBLIC COMMENT None .APPROVAL OF_AGENDA &.MINUTES Motion to approve revised agenda and January 18, 2000 board minutes. Moved: P. Cook Second: G. Conarton Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer Patricia Cook presented final copies of the November 1999 and December 1999 financial reports. No anomalies were reported. Ms. Cook noted that the City has yet to recognize any assessment income. Discussion followed regarding this issue and the possible interest income implications. Executive-Director-Leanne Stites commented on the.$3.0,000.budgeted revenue-under the"Grant —Marketing Manager" line item, pointing out that only $20,000 was budgeted by the PSD and the City has erroneously.reported_$3.0,0.0.0.. Motion.to accept.the November 1999.financial.reports. Moved: G. Conarton Second: K. Stockwell Carried unanimously Motion to accept.the December 1999 financial reports. Moved: G. Conarton Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Ms. Cook and Ms. Stites-recently-attended a20.00-20.01 fiscal year budget meeting with-the Mayor and other city officials. Ms. Cook related that City officials are aware of the tight financial constraints far the_PSD land-seethed sensitive to the issue.. It is possible that some costs currently paid by the PSD may be shifted to other funding sources. Ms_ Stites reported that the 2.000-2.001 budget is currently out of balance by$15,000 and that she may need to eliminate the Physical Improvements line item to rectify the situation if some costs are not..shiftedto other funriing.sources. Additionally,Ms.--Stites stated.that for the first-time the PSD was included in discussions for Capital Improvement Projects funding. However, the requested$1..6 million-for a streetscape project-had to be eliminated due to limited available funds. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Leanne Stites reported the following activities: ■ Attending several meetings with various individuals and organizations ■ Making a site visit to Plymouth,Michigan ■ Named a subcommittee member on 2-way street conversion COMMITTEE REPORTS Mall Maintenance—Leanne Stites, on behalf of Kevin McKinney, reported that the City has taken an interest in removing the existing dumpsters in the alley behind the 200 block of South Washington, running between Washtenaw and Allegan streets as they are placed illegally. Placement of a large compacting dumpster to be used commonly will require City Council action. The PSD office will work with Public Service in determining a solution to the situation. Discussion followed on trash removal issues in general. A customer satisfaction survey was distributed to all known District A tenants with only an approximate 10%return rate. Originally intended to be used as a baseline satisfaction rating on which to base future contract payments, the low response rate indicates that survey results may not be able to be used as a measure for payment. Action Item. Board.members David Ha_yhow and Ken_Stockwell will.meet to discuss and research trash removal options in an alleyway behind the buildings on the east side in the 100 block of South Washington Square. Kiosk update—Joe Pandy of the Board of Water &Light will_provide estimated costs on removing the utilities from the kiosks. Discussion followed on the potential to remove the kiosks. Snow ridge update—In a recent meeting between the PSD staff,Bob Hurley of Four Seasons Landscaping, and City Traffic/Parking staff, a plan for a more coordinated snow removal effort was established for the South Washington corridor. Physical Design—Committee chair Terry Terry reported that he, Kevin McKinney, and Leanne Stites met with the Lansing State Journal editorial board in late January to discuss the Physical Design Committee activities. It appears unlikely that the Journal will publish the public input survey. The next step for the committee will be to determine the format and distribution channel(s) for the survey. Mr. Terry and Ms. Stites will meet soon to discuss options. Marketing—Jennifer Stratman,Marketing Manager, reported that a publication aimed at downtown workers is being developed. The monthly publication will be designed in-house due to budget constraints. A focus group to discuss possible content will meet in late February. Some discussion from the board followed on format and content. Ms._Stratman also related that the Marketing Committee has been restructured into three separate subcommittees. They are: retail promotions to focus on retail advertising, special events/animation to coordinate event information between several city-wide entities,and downtown promotions to focus on an overall image campaign. Additionally,Ms. Stratman indicated she has attended several meetings as a committee member for upcoming downtown events. Permit.Advisory—Committee.chair Gwendolyn Conarton reviewed the written January 25., 2000 meeting notes with the board. She also indicated that a notice regarding vending opportunities-in.downtov►m,was-recently sent to_PSD retailers and-restaurateurs, with some responses for permits already coming back in. Discussion followed on the response deadlines and non-compliance issues. The committee will issue warning notifications to businesses as needed regarding violations. OLD BUSINESS Blue Ribbon Committee: Ms. Stites reported that the Blue Ribbon Committee will meet on February 10, 2000 and that all subcommittees had met the previous week. The February 10th meeting is being facilitated and will help determine a common vision. The Housing Subcommittee is looking at residential development in downtown. A tour of existing lofts will be given in early March. A focus group to include developers and property owners is planned to determine and discuss obstacles. The Economic Development Subcommittee discussed general visions and histories. David Hayhow reported that the Parking Advisory-Subcommittee met to identify the concerns to be addressed. Proposals for a major study on parking have come back in response to a Request For-Proposal issued by the City. Mr.Kaybowis on the selection committee for awarding the contract. Downtown Lansing: item was skipped Assessment Process Update: Joey Berndt,Executive Assistant, reported having discussions with MaryLou Andrews in the Assessor's office. Ms. Andrews indicated that their office is confident that the rolls are correct based on the status of properties as of December 31, 1998. .All properties are physically audited.every. 3 S years and any time.a building permit is issued, and throughout the building process. Property owners disputing their assessment may request a physical audit by contacting the principal appraiser Diane Lee.at 483-4029. _Disputed assessments must be for current year only and will go before the Board of Review in July, December or March. City Assessor David Tijerina will provide a written report by the end of February of the assessment criteria that are used by field assessors. As.part.of the PSD.renewal process,the PSD office must.indicate to the_Assessor's office that the proposed assessment rolls have been reviewed and are agreeable. Ms. Berndt recommended subsequent to a previous discussion with Mr.Kepler,that committee be formed consisting of two board members and one staff member to compare and review the rolls to the PSD database. NEW BUSINESS Mini-Grant: The Lansing Jaycees submitted an application for funding for an Easter egg hunt on the Capitol lawn that is outside the PSD boundaries. Discussion followed on the merits of the request, the fact that the event is outside of PSD boundaries, and the amount of requested funding. Motion to_grant an "in-district" requirement variance and award $250. No support Motion to.grant.an "in-district" requirement variance and.award S100. No support Motion to grant.a one-time "in-district"requirement variance,encourage future projects to be held within the district, and award $100. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Old Town: Terry Terry suggested that Leanne Stites or Jennifer Stratman regularly meet with the Old Town Commercial Association members to keep them informed on PSD activities. He feels that a more visible.approach to,sharing this.information will_benefit the relationship between the PSD office and constituents in that area. OTHER Ken Stockwell raised the question of berm removal. Ms. Stites responded that the Physical Design Committee is addressing this issue and will be getting-public input via the survey. The committee will ultimately forward their recommendations to the City for consideration and action. Mr. Hayhow commented that the Parking Advisory Committee is addressing the berm issue as well as it relates to parking. Discussion followed. ADJOURN Motion to adjourn. Moved: P. Cook Second: G. Conarton Carried unanimously Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Gwendolyn-Conarton,-Secreta k�h L4,zwo Date PSD25 11: 34 Principal Shopping Dis4d.Gt -— i CLIE Board Meeting March 14, 2000 Minutes 316 N. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: David Hayhow Harry Hepler Terry Terry Patricia Cook Kevin McKinney Ken Stockwell BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Gwendolyn Conarton STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Jennifer Stratman Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 4:20 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to approve agenda and February 8,2000 board minutes. Moved. D. Hayhow Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer Patricia Cook presented the financial report for fiscal year ended June 1999, stating that the figures tie with the audited City figures. No discussion followed. Motion to accept the final financial report for fiscal year ended June 1999. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: T. Terry Carried unanimously Leanne Stites reported that the City has agreed to pay approximately$6,000 in expected water utility costs for Washington Square for the 2000-2001 budget year. This action was taken by the City to bring the proposed budget back into balance, netting an approximate $3,000 overage of revenue to expenses. OLD BUSINESS Assessor Response Update: Joey Berndt presented the written response from City Assessor David Tijerina regarding current assessment practices and procedures. Discussion followed centered on uniformity and consistency of appraisals for the assessment rolls. The board remains uncertain and requests further clarification from Mr. Tijerina, preferably in a dialog format. Action Item: Leanne Stites will request that Mr. Tijerina attend the April 11, 2000 board meeting to discuss the assessment appraisal practices. NEW BUSINESS Personnel Policies: Ms. Stites presented proposed revisions to the current personnel policies that would change the 5 "sick days"to 10 "personal days." Limited discussion followed. Motion to accept the proposed changes to the current personnel policies to specify 10 "personal days" rather than 5 "sick days." Moved: D. Hayhow Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously OTHER Ms. Stites reported receiving an acknowledgement from the Lansing Neighborhood Council thanking the PSD for the gift certificates donated to the Bea Christy Awards Dinner under the mini-grant program. She also stated that the PSD board application for Bob Fish of Beaner's Gourmet Coffee was expected to be before City Council on Monday,March 20, 2000 for appointment. Additionally, Ms. Stites mentioned that the Walnut Neighborhood Association's current newsletter featured an article about the PSD's Physical Design Committee efforts to address the potential redesign of the downtown streetscape. Terry Terry reported that the Lansing State Journal declined to print for free the public survey developed by the Physical Design Committee and that other distribution channels were being explored. The committee has a limited budget of$5,000 which is not expected to be enough to cover anticipated survey and rendering costs. Mr. Terry approached the board for comment and possible financial support. Discussion followed regarding the questions, importance, format, distribution, tabulation and related costs of the survey. Action Item: Terry Terry to research and present expected costs to the board. Motion to support moving forward with the survey. Moved: T. Terry Second: D. Hayhow Carried unanimously ADJOURN Meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: _-,Y U-volt Joey 8 dt, recording secretary 32100 Date D D 'ED PSD Principal Shopping District CITY CLI i Special Board Meeting April 19, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: David Hayhow Harry Hepler Patricia Cook Kevin McKinney Ken Stockwell Gwendolyn Conarton BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Terry Terry STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 6:21 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to approve the revised agenda and March 14, 2000 board minutes. Moved: P. Cook Second: D. Hayhow Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer Patricia Cook presented the financial report for January 2000, stating that the figures tie with the City's reported figures. Ms. Cook noted that the City had posted approximately half of the total expected Special Assessment funds during the month. She requested that the January 2000 Budget Report be received and placed on file. No discussion followed. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Leanne Stites reported the demographic information of the three focus groups that met recently to discuss their opinions regarding downtown. She also informed the board that a temporary replacement for the Marketing Manager position was selected to cover for Jennifer Stratman's maternity leave of absence beginning in May. Additionally, an intern from Baker College has been working on a business inventory project in the PSD office for the past several weeks. COMMITTEE REPORTS Mall Maintenance: The Request For Proposal for a new maintenance contract to begin July 1, 2000 is at the City Attorney's Office for review and is expected to be mailed to potential contractors, City departments and others the last week of April. The RFP was written in an open-ended format and has been modulized by type of service to allow for multiple contract awards, unlike the past. Marketing: Retail Promotions—A new summer event involving a street performance soap opera will be presented to the committee. The PSD participation in this year's `Be A Tourist" event has been expanded to include a more interactive activity and designation as a stamped location. The first issue of"The Downtowner" customer-oriented newsletter was distributed for April,with an overall positive response. May's issue is due out by the end of this month. Special Events—Committee members are looking at potential cooperative efforts regarding fundraising, advertising and volunteer databases. Image—This committee just met for the first time to view video tapes on the previous Lansing image campaign, as well as the image campaign for Baltimore,MD. The updated image message and target audience(s) is yet to be determined by this committee. Permit Advisory: In March this committee met with representatives of four vendors applying for transient business permits. All four applications were recommended for approval. Additionally, Joey Berndt reported that all 13 business extension applications that have been submitted thus far have been recommended for approval. Physical Design: A change in the timetable has placed this committee's charge on a fast track to develop recommendations for an improved streetscape. Jim Logue of MSHDA has agreed to provide the needed design consultant to render the recommended changes. The committee has not moved forward from their public survey process as yet. A phone survey, which expedites the survey process, may cost$3,500 or more. Ms. Stites does not support the expenditure as a valuable use of funds based on the budget of $5,000 for the total project. Committee members Bob Fish and Harry Hepler concur. Discussion followed on the survey questions, merits of a survey, and advanced timeline followed. Board members generally agreed that it is important to produce a graphic concept now and then get public review and comment. Motion to table the expenditure for the design survey until committee co-chair Terry Terry. Moved: H. Hepler Second: G. Conarton Carried unanimously OLD BUSINESS Blue Ribbon Committee Update: Ms. Stites reported that the Mayor moved up the timeline to May for the initial Blue Ribbon Committee recommendations. The Mayor intends to launch some of the initiatives in June at the Committee's conclusion. A vision statement from the Committee has been developed and endorsed. HyettPalma has been contracted to perform work on the business mix strategy. They will be conducting a focus group session with merchants in May. MSHDA and the Housing Subcommittee's work will be a key component to the success of downtown. New Neighborhood Enterprise Zones may be possible. The study from the Parking Subcommittee will continue through the summer,but preliminary recommendations will be available sooner. The PSD board acknowledged the concerted efforts of all Committee members and others that have contributed time, services or goods for the benefit of downtown Lansing. Assessment Update: Ms. Stites announced that the 2000/2001 PSD assessment process has begun. The preliminary assessment rolls are due from the Assessor's Office later this month for review by the PSD. Harry Hepler agreed to assist the staff with review of the rolls. NEW BUSINESS The following mini-grant applications were accepted for consideration without discussion: Motion to award $500 to Board of Water and Light for the "Chili Cook-Off' event. Moved: G. Conarton Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Motion to award $500 to Old Town Main Street to fund the"Festival of the Sun" event. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Motion to award $500 to Michigan Pride to fund the"Michigan Pride Festival" event. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously OTHER It was noted that Downtown Barbers in the 100 block of S. Washington Square closed and that the Downtown Party Store expanded their business to include a new quick-stop restaurant called Downtown Chicken Store &Deli in the 400 block of S. Washington Square, in the former Rib Crib location. ADJOURN Motion to adjourn. Moved: P. Cook Second: K. Stockwell Carried unanimously Meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Joe B rndt, recording secretary , 1--2-7 - C�C) Date PSD Principal Shopping District i- Board Meeting May 9, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: David Hayhow Patricia Cook Bob Fish Ken Stockwell BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Terry Terry Harry Hepler Kevin McKinney STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER The meeting was unable to be called to order due to lack of quorum. Board members present were unable to conduct business and agreed to adjourn ADJOURN Meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted by: 1 Joey Belledt, recording secretary 5. tC-CC Date r� - ' PtkkWED PSD I t}2 Principal Shopping District Board Meeting June 13, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: David Hayhow Harry Hepler Patricia Cook Kevin McKinney Ken Stockwell Terry Terry BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Bob Fish STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Joey Berndt CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA& MINUTES Motion to approve the revised agenda and April 19, 2000 board minutes. Moved: P. Cook Second: D. Hayhow Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer Patricia Cook presented the financial reports for February and March, 2000, stating that the figures tie with the City's reported figures. K. McKinney questioned whether the PSD would be able to expend monies prior to the June 30 deadline (end of the fiscal year). Discussion on approximate unspent funds and ways to utilize it followed. Motion to authorize PSD Director to encumber unspent funds by allocating them to Downtown Lansing,Inc. to implement HyettPalma recommendations. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously COMMITTEE REPORTS Mall Maintenance: L. Stites explained the bid process, pre-bid contractors' meeting, and interviews used to select a maintenance contractor for a July 1, 2000 start date. Heuer Property Maintenance was the successful bidder and a contract with Heuer was negotiated. She indicated that the contract language was reviewed by the city purchasing agent. Motion to accept proposed contract with Heuer Property Maintenance. Moved: P. Cook Second: D. Hayhow Motion carried; 5 yeas and 1 no. K. Stockwell noted for the record that he did not approve hiring Heuer due to his prior experience with the company. There was general discussion on maintenance issues; "dumpster alley"progress; interest of B District to contract for maintenance services. Marketing: Retail Promotions: L. Stites noted that a reprise of last year's "Swing Around Downtown" contest will go into effect July 10, 2000, using a construction/hard hat theme. Weekly meetings with downtown merchants on chiller plant construction take place on Wednesdays at 8:30. Special Events—`Be a Tourist" event—sidewalk chalk art—was successful and will be repeated next year. Consultant Ann Brazeau was hired to coordinate the soap opera, which will run for five consecutive weeks, starting on August 9, 2000. The final episode will be on Friday, September 8, 2000 at 5:30 p.m. Permit Advisory: The committee reviewed and granted two permits; one business extension and one hot dog vendor. The committee will soon recommend changes in the permit procedures to simplify the process for applicants and for administration. Physical Design: T. Terry stated that the committee had a difference of opinion on the merits of a survey to determine public opinion on aspects of streetscape improvements. The group noted that because the streetscape was moved quickly by the Mayor, a survey would be after the fact. The committee reviewed a preliminary plan submitted by the architect hired through MSHDA and made recommendations for changes. Subsequently, they reviewed a work plan for this summer, and helped identify which berm areas would be taken out this summer. They decided that the area in front of the Atrium Building was appropriate for a prototype landscaped area to build. D. Hayhow noted that the Parking Committee had recommended removal of all berms to increase parking space and that the streetscape plans should be refined according to those recommendations. He will contact Dave Berridge to discuss. There was general discussion about other concerns expressed about the trolley stop and other elements of the original sketches. It was debated whether to send a letter to the Mayor asking for more consideration and time before moving forward with work orders. P. Cook stated that the Board should be careful in asking for work to slow down after the Mayor had intentionally put it on a fast track. OLD BUSINESS Blue Ribbon Committee Update: L. Stites reported that efforts to disseminate the HyettPalma retail report to downtown businesses is underway. She will make presentations at two hair shops (targeted because they typically speak to more people each day and can help inform the public) and at two downtown merchant/business-owners meetings later in the month. She also invited downtown workers to a presentation scheduled for July 12. NEW BUSINESS Mini-grants: D. Hayhow went on record stating that he wants to review the mini-grant program at next month's meeting. The following mini-grant applications were accepted for consideration without discussion: Motion to award $500 to Parade into the 21"Century event. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: K. Stockwell Carried unanimously Motion to award $500 to the Heritage Festival in Old Town. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: T. Terry Carried unanimously Election of Secretary: The Board acted to fill the vacant office of Secretary left by Gwendolyn Conarton's resignation. Motion to elect Terry Terry to the office of Secretary. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously OTHER K. McKinney acknowledged the hard work and effort by the PSD staff in its role with the Blue Ribbon Committee on Downtown Revitalization. ADJOURN Motion to adjourn. Moved: P. Cook Second: K. Stockwell Carried unanimously Meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Terry Terry, Secretary PSD Principal Shopping District Board Meeting July 11, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: none BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: none The meeting was unable to be held due to the predetermined of lack of quorum. Respectfully submitted by: Joey Berndt,Recording Secretary APPROVED PSD :J ? ; 112, , 6 Principal Shopping District � CILfi ' Board Meeting August 8, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Fish Harry Hepler Patricia Cook Kevin McKinney Ken Stockwell Terry Terry David Hayhow(late arrival) BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: none STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites Larry Heuer, Heuer Property Maintenance Joey Berndt Robert Jones, Heuer Property Maintenance CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 6:20 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to approve the revised agenda and June 13, 2000 board minutes. Moved: K. Stockwell Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer P. Cook presented the financial reports for April and May, 2000, noting that Special Assessment revenue had posted during April. She also clarified the reason for negative interest income in response to B. Fish's inquiry. No discussion followed. Cook requested that the reports be received and placed on file. L. Stites presented a short year end fiscal report indicating the projected carry-forward amount. DIRECTOR'S REPORT L. Stites reported the following activities: ■ Weekly construction coffees are being held in connection with the Chiller Project along Washtenaw St. Meetings are productive and generally well-attended. ■ The Blue Ribbon Oversight Committee has had several planning sessions since the final recommendations were announced in June. ■ Stites has conducted Blue Ribbon recommendation briefings with hair salons,two merchant groups (although with very poor turnout), and scheduled a downtown worker group presentation that had no turnout. ■ Stites has been working with Michigan Liquor Control Commission regarding outdoor service and temporary encroachment permits to determine the current processes. She has met with the City Attorney who indicates that the PSD has City authority in these matters. She has meetings scheduled with Julie Wendt, director of the MLCC and Marilyn Slade, City Clerk to further clarify the process. ■ A meeting between the PSD,Heuer Property Maintenance and City departments regarding maintenance issues was cooperative and productive. ■ Stites has conducted 7 interviews for the vacant Marketing Manager position. The job was offered to the prime candidate who ultimately turned it down. Second interviews are being scheduled. ■ An aggressive and interesting street animation program is underway in the form of performing clowns, martial arts demonstrations, musical entertainment, a live soap opera saga and more. It has generally been received well by pedestrians and others. ■ Stites is working with P. Cook of the EDC to develop recruitment materials. COMMITTEE REPORTS Permit Advisory: It is the intent to reclaim the authority, full administration and revenue generated with this function. Parks &Rec appears to be amenable to relinquishing their role in the future. The committee is currently in the initial phases and discussions of developing new policies and procedures for next year. The City Attorney's opinion is that the current rules are unsuitable to the purposes of the PSD and should be rewritten. Mall Maintenance: K. McKinney reported that the committee last met in July and discussed the issue of dumpsters in the alley between Washtenaw and Allegan. The committee consensus is the desire to have them removed. A letter to the Mayor has been drafted informing him of the PSD's desire to address this issue and request his support. The letter has not yet been sent. L. Stites introduced L. Heuer and R. Jones of Heuer Property Maintenance,the new maintenance contractor for downtown, and asked them to make their presentations. R. Jones presented a written and verbal progress report of their work since June, a month prior to being awarded the contract. It was acknowledged that they also have obtained private contracts with PSD constituents as well. Furthermore,Heuer is now responsible for maintaining the water in the fountain in the 100 block of North Washington for an additional cost to the PSD. L. Heuer presented a written and verbal proposal for trash removal services within a defined area downtown as a means of providing additional services/benefits to the constituents and potentially removing the need for dumpsters in the alleyway. Discussion followed regarding the logistics, scope of service, possible barriers or disincentives, and potential misunderstandings by clients. Board members commended Heuer on his initiative and creativity, as well as his current level of service. H. Hepler proposed that, in the broader picture, a compacting dumpster may still be the best possible solution to the situation where multi-tenant office buildings and others are concerned. Discussion followed regarding current dumpster placement, code and/or ordinance enforcement, and the proposed letter drafted to the Mayor from the Mall Maintenance Committee. The consensus was that the goal is to remove the dumpsters. To that end,Heuer should be encouraged to offer his trash pick-up service to those who are interested. Additionally, the proposed letter to the Mayor should be sent, violation letters to offending dumpster users should be sent by the Committee, and the compactor solution should pursued further. Physical Design: T. Terry presented written guidelines developed by the committee for the proposed fagade improvement program to be administered by the EDC. Although the text is established, the layout and design of the presentation package is not. It may be possible to utilize the software and files in the Old Town Main Street office to complete this. P. Cook asked whether T. Terry could access software from Old Town's ad. He will contact Amy Collett at the Main Street office. Limited discussion followed regarding the intent and interpretation of the proposed guidelines. K. Stockwell emphasized the need to keep the guidelines flexible. Motion to adopt the written guidelines as presented. Moved: T. Terry Second: D. Hayhow Carried unanimously NEW BUSINESS Mini-grants: The following mini-grant applications were accepted for consideration without discussion: Motion to award $500 to JazzFest 2000 event. Moved: P. Cook Second: K. Stockwell 6 yeas, T. Terry obstained. Motion carried. Motion to award $500 to Car Capitol 2000 event. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 6:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Terry T rry, Secretary 1 60 Da e PSD , n Principal Shopping District'­ Board Meeting September 19, 2000 Minutes 316 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Fish Harry Hepler Patricia Cook Kevin McKinney Ken Stockwell Terry Terry BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: David Hayhow STAFF PRESENT: Leanne Stites CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Kevin McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA &MINUTES Ken Stockwell revised the minutes: "Design guidelines should remain flexible". Motion to approve the agenda and August 8,2000 board minutes, as revised. Moved: H. Hepler Second: B. Fish Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer P. Cook presented the financial report for July, 2000. Leanne Stites notified the board that the City plans to assess the PSD budget this fiscal year for the $9,000 settlement of the Eyde lawsuit. She noted that this will most likely be covered by an unexpected assessment on the new legislative building. Cook asked that the reports be received and placed on file. DIRECTOR'S REPORT L. Stites reported the following activities: ■ Weekly construction coffees continue in connection with the Chiller Project along Washtenaw St. Meetings are productive and generally well-attended. ■ The Soap Opera and Animation Project generated lots of media coverage and publicity for the downtown area. She asked the board to evaluate its value vs. the cost of nearly $5,000. Stites also noted that the"block party"was a complete failure, with virtually no one attending. ■ Stites has finalized PSD authority, through its Permit Committee, to approve outdoor liquor service for establishments within PSD boundaries. ■ Stites noted that the parking report is out. Board members requested copies of the full report. ■ Stites reported that the person hired as Marketing Manager, Sandy Piotter, quit suddenly without notice. The activities are being handled full time for a six-week temporary period by Ann Brazeau, who has conducted several projects for the PSD in the past. The position will be posted again. Committee Reports Permit Committee Stites reported that the Permit Committee, chaired by Stewart Powell of Linn& Owen Jewelry, is taking a thoughtful and well-considered approach to modifying the procedures and rules governing permits in the downtown area. Their final modification will come to PSD Board for approval and then to City Council. The modifications will streamline the entire process for applicants and for PSD staff. Mall Maintenance: K. McKinney reported that the committee last met in August. They decided to move forward on the dumpsters by contacting haulers and business users. L. Stites noted that she had not yet been able to generate the letters. McKinney noted that there is consideration of the PSD paying for the cement pad for around$5,000. He also distributed the results of the latest quarterly customer satisfaction survey. L. Stites noted that the service provided by Heuer Property Maintenance seems to have declined over the past three weeks. She has scheduled a meeting with Larry Heuer to discuss fall clean up. He has not yet issued the notice to businesses regarding daily trash pick-up. Physical Design: L. Stites reported that Bob Smith and Liz Harrow have photographed buildings in the downtown in preparation for the American Institute of Architects plan to provide up to ten architects to assess and offer design drawings for buildings in the facade improvement program target area. P. Cook noted that the EDC and Mayor Hollister are announcing the facade and loft development programs this week. Programs are now open for applicants. She thanked PSd staff and Terry Terry's Design Committee for their assistance in putting the programs in place. NEW BUSINESS Old Town Funding Request Amy Collett,Director and Mary Rozelle, Chair of the Main Street Board, presented a request for a$6,000 increase in the Old Town funding from the PSD. H. Hepler suggested raising the Old Town business assessment to accommodate additional funding and to consider combining the newsletters. There was also discussion about a sense of separation that has occurred between Old Town and downtown and ways to improve the image of both areas. K. McKinney said that he would like to hold a joint board meeting to discuss ways the two groups can better coordinate marketing efforts and how the PSD can assist Old Town in raising the assessment. Motion to approve funding in the amount of$12,000 for Old Town Main Street. Moved: P. Cook Second: B. Fish Carried unanimously ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Terry Te , Secretary APPROVED PSD Principal Shoppfiig District Board Meeting- October 10, 2000 Minutes 232 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: !J Bob Fish Harry Hepler Patricia Cook t Terry Terry David Hayhow Linda Sutton BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Ken Stockwell Kevin McKinney E5 Ell STAFF AND OTHERS PRESENT: Leanne-Stites,PSD-staff Kay Swan-,Accident Fund Company Joey Berndt,PSD staff Sal Durso, Centennial Group Shane Silsby, City of Lan-sing- Bill &Nancy Achenbach,Ma-Ah's Matt DeLong,MDOT representative CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called-to-order at 6.-35-p-.m-. by Vice Chairman David Hayhow. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to,approve-the-agenda and September- 19,2000 board-minutes,with-the_ notation that T. Terry had obstained from the vote regarding the$12,000 Old Town funding. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Board Treasurer.P. Cook presented the financial reports-for August 2000,. stating that they had been reconciled to the City figures. No changes have been made in the PSD budget amounts for potential salary adjustments, although L. Stites.is.currently working on budget modifications. Discussion followed. Motion to receive and place the August 2000 financial report on file. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously DIRECTOR'S REPORT L. Stites reported that she is currently interviewing candidates for the vacant Marketing Manager position. Ann Brazeau is filling the position on a temporary basis in the interim. COMMITTEE REPORTS No reports were given. OLD BUSINESS none NEW BUSINESS 1MIDOT Presentation: MDOT representative Matt DeLong provided information on the I-496 project, stating that work on the eastern section that closes the roadway completely will begin on April 1, 2001 and be completed by September 1, 2001. An incentive program for on=time or early completion will be part of the contract and a public awareness campaign will be in place. The Capitol Loop project involving streetscape design will begin as early as next year west of the Capitol building and will include design elements consistent with existing accessories. Streets will be completely redone in the 2003-2004 season, which includes the CSO work slated for downtown. DeLong requested letters of support from the PSD and/or business community for the design concept plan presented. L. Stites reported that the City intends to remove the pedestrian mall in the 100 block of North Washington Avenue and reopen it to traffic starting next spring construction season. The status of the streetscape work for the South Washington corridor is unclear as that area was decommissioned as a street; Motion to support the concept plan presented by MDOT and instruct staff to write a letter of support to the Mayor. Moved: L. Sutton Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Parking Study Report: D. Hayhow stated that Phase I of the study has been completed. It was determined that the total number of parking spaces available is currently sufficient. Phase II studying the human aspect of the parking program is under way. The report to the Parking Committee will be due in a few weeks. Mini grants: The floor was opened to discussion regarding the mini-grant program in general. Areas of concern included the funding of recurring events, the criteria used to determine approval or denial, whether alcohol is served and identifying the target market for the event. It was agreed that the grant program and funding criteria issues should be placed on a future agenda for re-examination. Motion to award $500 to OTBADA for the OctoberFest event. Moved: P. Cook Second: H. Hepler 5 yeas, T. Terry obstained. Motion carried. OTHER none ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: ,Qt'- kl - l1 -00 Terry Terry, Secretary Date a DDD PSD Principal Shopping District Board Meeting November 14, 2000 Minutes 232 S. Capitol Avenue BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin McKinney Harry Hepler Patricia Cook Terry Terry David Hayhow BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Ken Stockwell Bob Fish Linda Sutton STAFF AND OTHERS PRESENT: Leanne Stites,PSD staff CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 5:35 p.m. by Chairman K. McKinney. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES Motion to approve the agenda and October 10, 2000 board minutes. Moved: P. Cook Second: D. Hayhow Carried unanimously TREASURER'S REPORT Financials—Board Treasurer P. Cook presented the financial reports for September 2000 and noted that the $9,925 Eyde settlement was posted to the Special Assessment account during the month. She stated that the financials tie to the City figures and asked that they be received and placed on file. Gift Certificate account—Cook requested a motion to allow for the creation of a separate PSD checking account for the Gift Certificate Program, noting that the Board of Water&Light recently purchased 1,000 $10 gift certificates. Motion to create a separate gift certificate checking account, designating P. Cook and L. Stites as co-signers. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: H. Hepler Carried unanimously Budget modification—L. Stites presented a modification of the current fiscal year budget to accommodate staff reclassifications. She indicated that any budget modification approved by the Board will likely go to City Council for final approval. Discussion followed on whether to increase the Old Town Main Street grant. Board members decided to eliminate the proposed increase until a joint meeting between the PSD and the Old Town Main Street board chair could take place. Motion to approve the revised budget with modifications. Moved: D. Hayhow Second: P. Cook Carried unanimously COMMITTEE REPORTS Mall Maintenance—K. McKinney reported that the committee has moved to a quarterly schedule. A letter to business users regarding"Dumpster Alley"will be sent this month to be followed by an RFP to the haulers asking for solutions. The Board applauded the Heuer company for its participation in the Halloween Caper and Silver Bells. L. Stites noted that evergreen trees have been planted in the flower tubs—the first winter plant material ever done by the maintenance contractors. Physical Design—T. Terry reported that the A.I.A. design project was complete and provided visuals for Board review. He said the Design Committee had met and decided on a publicity program to promote the drawings and the fagade program. P. Cook distributed a brochure on the programs created by her office. Marketing—D. Hayhow reported that$10,000 earmarked for a co-op advertising program was being used to purchase general television advertising this year. L. Stites reported that the new Marketing Manager,Lisa Brinker, starts work on Monday,Nov. 20. She also reported that the Halloween Caper was again a success, adding that the new attractions were popular. Permit Advisory—L. Stites said that the committee is meeting every other week in order to have recommendations to the Board in time for next season. She noted that changes will include increased fees, new penalties and other streamlined processes. OLD BUSINESS Mini grant policies—The Board reviewed the current policies and agreed that they were sufficient without further modification. NEW BUSINESS none ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Terry Terry, Secretary Date