Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 DLI Meeting MinutesDowntown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Downtown Lansing Inc. Conference Room Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. Members Present: Vince Villegas, Doug Johns Jr., Terry Carella, Bob Trezise Jr., Stacy Wallace, Phil Clacko Members Absent: Kris Elliott _ Board Advisors Present: None Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans, Brittney Hoszkiw, Jessica Yorkp:; Guests Present: Steve Kolonich, Jimmy Baumgras, Linda Tarver-,:," f r Clinton Tarver (arrived at 11:50 a.m.) -- Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Sara Pawloski, Jenn Wood I. CALL TO ORDER r') ra V. Villegas called the meeting to order at 11:33 a.m. r _ 47- 111. _II. CITIZENS COMMENTS Linda Tarver was present at the meeting to speak on behalf of her husband, Clinton Tarver. She stated that she considers Lansing a world class Capital City with a striving night life. She believes that along with the night life there should be night time vending possibilities. She stated that she understands the safety issues and in fact would rather her husband not vend after midnight but she supports his decision to do so and is prepared to rally on his behalf. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES S. Wallace motioned to approve December 9, 2010 agenda and October 14, 2010 minutes. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OLD TOWN COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION UPDATE None V COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Officer Cook reported that she is flexing her hours to accommodate with night time activities downtown. She stressed that she wants everyone to be safe at all hours and to please phone her if you have any problems or concerns. She only had to respond to two calls so far in January. One was at the Library and the other at the CATA station. VI DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE UPDATE & REPORT Steve Kolonich and Jimmy Baumgras with Lake State Landscaping & Snow Removal reported that everything is going fairly smooth. S. Kolonich reported that they have mistakenly salted a couple areas that they were not supposed to but they cleaned up the areas promptly. As of January 7, 2011 36 tons of salt have been used on the downtown sidewalks. VII CORRESPONDENCE None VIII REPORTS Presidents Report- Vince Villegas None Directors Report- Mindy Biladeau M. Biladeau started by thanking Vince Villegas on behalf of herself and the Board for his three (3) years of service as President on the Downtown Lansing Inc., formally Principal Shopping District, Board of Directors. M. Biladeau presented Vince Villegas with a framed proclamation, which she read aloud and a personalized award. M. Biladeau reported that the Mayors office has received two applications from downtown residents interested in serving on the board and she will keep the board updated as things further move along in the application process. M. Biladeau reported that she anticipates having the 2010 Annual Report completed early next week. 2010 was a great year for our organization and downtown Lansing, especially given the tough economic times we are facing. The Design Committee is working on a new draft night time street vendor permit policy for the 2011 season that the board discussed this summer/fall at the request of one of our current street vendors. A draft policy will be brought to the board for review. M. Biladeau reported that Grand Traverse Pie Company is shooting to open in late January, 2011 and MSUFCU will be open for business in March, 2011. The Accident Fund World Headquarters will be moving downtown in late March, early April and Blue Cross Blue Shield will be opening in the Fall of 2011. Communications & Marketing Manager Report- Sara Pawloski S. Pawloski reported that the January edition of the monthly "Around the Block" Newsletter was sent on Friday, January 7 and the business spotlight was the Lansing Art Gallery to feature them after their move. A special edition of the "Around the Block" newsletter was sent on December 22 that featured the Downtown Lansing New Years Eve 2011 Celebration Guide. Updates to the business directory have begun as well as opportunities for businesses to upgrade their listings for the Spring/Summer edition of the guide which will be distributed March — August. S. Pawloski reported that the Greater Lansing CVB 2011 Visitor's Guides are complete and feature Silver Bells in the City on the front cover as well as our annual Downtown Lansing co-op ad. S. Pawloski provided the board with a copy to look at. The planning for the 2011 Frost Fest event is well underway. The date is set for Saturday, February 19 from 6-12 a.m. New additions include an 'icy' game area with pool table and chess and checker tables made of ice. We will be featuring a nationally known live band that will be announced on 94.1 the Edge in the next couple of weeks as well as two local opening bands. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased at www.frostfest.org. MBC is brewing a special Frost Fest brew that will only be available at the event along with warm hard cider and other micro -brews. Monthly Report/Financial Report/Balance Report- Jenn Wood J. Wood provided a copy of the August — November, 2010 Finance Report and briefly went over the numbers and welcomed any questions. B. Trezise Jr. motioned to approve the President's, Director's, Communication & Marketing Manager and Finance/Balance Reports and place them on file. S. Wallace seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Board Officer Nominating Committee Recommendation for New 2011 Officers As stated in by-laws, board officers are selected on an annual basis so a 3 member committee consisting of V. Villeges, B. Trezise Jr. and T. Carella agreed on a slate of board members to recommend. The recommendations were as follows: D. Johns Jr. for President, T. Carella for Vice President, B. Trezise Jr. for Treasurer and P. Clacko for Secretary. S. Wallace passed a resolution to approve D. Johns Jr. for President, T. Carella for Vice President, B. Trezise Jr. for Treasurer and P. Clacko for Secretary. B. Trezise Jr. seconded. Motion passed unanimously. B. City of Lansing 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report M. Biladeau presented the board with a copy of the City of Lansing 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which included all of the DLI final numbers that identically correlated with the DLI bookkeeping final numbers. B. Trezise Jr. motioned to approve the City of Lansing 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. D. Johns Jr. seconded. Motion passed unanimously. C. FY 2012 Budget Discussion M. Biladeau reported that the city is facing a projected 15 million dollar deficit and all departments are being asked to provide a proposed FY2012 budget that does not include any operating transfer dollars from the city. The proposed budget is due on January 28, 2010 and the city will provide feedback approximately 2 weeks later. D. Executive Director Annual Evaluation B. Trezise Jr. motioned to hold a closed session to discuss Downtown Lansing Inc. Executive Director, Mindy Biladeau Annual Evaluation. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. X. OTHER BUSINESS None XI. ADJOURN B. Trezise, Jr. motioned to adjourn. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 1:05 p.m. Minutes by, Jenn Wood Approved by, Phil Clacko, Secreta rya��� Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, February 10, 201111:30 p.m. Members Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Bob Trezise, Stacy Wallace, Terry Carella, Vince Villegas Members Absent: Kris Elliott, Phil Clacko Board Advisors Present: None Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans, Jessica Yorko, Brittney Hoskiw Guests Present: Chris Kolonich, Lake State Lawn & Landscaping: ; Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Sara Pawloski I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:45 p.m. C3 11. CITIZENS COMMENTS rl X.- 7-, �. None. ,- III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES B. Trezise made a motion to amend the January 13, 2011 minutes so the closed session minutes are omitted from the general minutes and submitted separately. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed. IV. OTCA UPDATE None. V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE None. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE C. Kolonich stated the recent snow event clean up went very well. Feedback from Lake State crews and DLI was all positive, including the work Lake State did with the city crews. DLI has had more compliments on the snow clean up than ever. 112 tons of salt have been used so far which is about $6,000 worth. An average winter is about $15,000 so we are under budget so far. Going forward we are beginning to use ice melt on City Hall Plaza only. The crews are beginning to introduce themselves to business owners and get some one on one contact. The crews have also been wearing vests with Lake State's name on them while working downtown to identify themselves. 1 VII. CORRESPONDANCE DLI put together a memo the day before the snow event to set expectations of how snow removal would be done and when. It was hand delivered to and emailed to our downtown business owners. VIII. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns None. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau Board Seat Update The Mayor's office is still working on reviewing applications to fill the vacant downtown resident board position. Main Street Updates The application deadline for selected level Main Street community has been pushed back about six months. M. Biladeau is working on the mandatory bi-annual report that's due to Michigan Main Street on February 18. Business Updates The Grand Traverse Pie Co. ribbon cutting was very successful; about 30 people showed up to celebrate. The Mayor and two news stations were on hand covering the event. The owners mentioned to us they had one of the easiest times opening working with the city on building permits, etc. The owners of Zoup! informed us that of all their locations, downtown Lansing has become the busiest location in terms of sales for the 11 a.m. — 2 p.m. time frame. Secretary of State location is closing and moving to Frandor. Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Training M. Biladeau, J. Wood and S. Pawloski have all been awarded the CTA designation. Total Lawn Care FOIA Request M. Biladeau informed the board that we received a FOIA request from Lansing Total Lawn Care's attorney for the recent new maintenance contract RFP process. Communications and Marketing Manager Report- Sara Pawloski Social Media Update S. Pawloski informed the board that our social media pages have grown significantly above our monthly average for this month. D. Johns requested to begin include a statistics update for social media and our website and each months meeting. S. Pawloski will begin bringing them next month. 2 Downtown Visitor's Guide: Spring/Summer Edition We are working on compiling edits and business listing updates for the Spring/Summer Downtown Guide set to be distributed March through August 2011. Kiosk Advertising Program The Promotions Committee has almost finalized their Kiosk Advertising Program proposal to the board. It should be ready to review and approve at March's board meeting. Financial Report/Balance Report J. Wood was not present so M. Biladeau informed the board that the tax rolls come in winter and summer, so we got a large chunk in January. We're in good shape for having six months of the fiscal year left. D. Johns motioned to put the February reports on file. V. Villegas seconded. Motion approved. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Annual Report Presentation M. Biladeau did a presentation to the board of the DLI 2009/2010 Annual Report and all of our accomplishments for the year. The report was very positively received and the board questioned whether or not we should do this presentation to any else like the LEDC board, City Council or Cabinet members. M. Biladeau will be doing the presentation to the LEDC; City Council and Cabinet members all received hard copies of the report. The report was mailed to all business and property owners in the A District of the PSD and was sent in a media release to the media as well. B. Street Vending Policy M. Biladeau presented to the board the new street vending policy for downtown Lansing. The review and changes to the policy were based on a request by one of our current street vendors to extend the vending time past midnight. The proposal has two vending options: Dawn to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Only two spots will be available for the night locations. Each time frame would be $200 per month. We are proposing a six month pilot program to begin March 1, 2011 and go through August 31, 2011 to clear up any issues that may arise with the nighttime vending. The board discussed several other options for pricing and timing, but settled that this would be the best way to manage the policy. S. Wallace motioned to accept that proposal as is. T. Carella seconded. Motion approved. C. Frost Fest S. Pawloski presented our upcoming event, Frost Fest, to the board including information about ticket sales, live music, drinks available, ice games, new brand and logo, etc. The event is on Saturday, February 19 and the board is excited to see how it turns out. X. OTHER BUSINESS None. X. ADJOURN D. Johns motioned to adjourn. B. Trezise seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 1:32 p.m. Minutes by S. Pawloski: T_�/" Phil Clacko, Secretary ►.i Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, March 10, 201111:30 a.m. Members Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Stacy Wallace, Terry Carella, Phil Clacko Members Absent: Kris Elliott, Bob Trezise Board Advisors Present: Jessica Yorko Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans, Brittney Hoskiw Guests Present: Steve Kolonich, Officer Katrina Cook Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Sara Pawloski, Erica Leyko I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:40 p.m. II. CITIZENS COMMENTS None Vince Villegas, III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella made a motion to approve the February 10, 2011 minutes and March 10, 2011 agenda. V. Villegas seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE None. V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Officer Cook informed the Board that there are no crimes to report for this month. The Open Carry law is now prohibited at the Downtown Library due to problems they had been having with it. There have not been many issues with the increase in protesters downtown. Panhandling has been decreased because of the cold weather. They have begun citing taxi cabs for inhibiting traffic when parked in the middle of the street on the weekends during the night time. She is encouraging the downtown businesses to sign up for the new Business Neighborhood Watch program. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE S. Kolonich informed the board that the trash has been worse on the weekends lately which is to be expected. The cigarettes butts continue to be an issue but they do their best to get them cleaned up. Once the sidewalk cafes are out "for the season, approved permit holders are responsible for. properly maintaining their approved area so this should help with cigarette clean up from the public right away. They have used 150 tons of salt so far this winter for snow removal and one ton of ice melt so far on City Hall Plaza. VII. CORRESPONDANCE None. VIII. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns D. Johns wanted to let the Board know that he was very impressed with Frost Fest. The livliness of downtown on a cold winter night was incredible, including the sell out event and lines at every restaurantibar. He thought the music was a great and he was glad to see it so busy. It was a great event for any age. He thanked the DLI staff and all our volunteers for helping to make it a success. The Board discussed the success of the event after D. Johns report. The reason for the success this year is attributed to the increase in promotion.. Also the live music choice of Atomic Tom fit perfectly with our media sponsor 94.1 The Edge; we got above and beyond the promotion listed in our Media sponsorship agreement since they play them on the station. We saw and heard that people had traveled from up to an hour away including Ann Arbor, Rochester and Royal Oak to attend. We had to turn away hundreds of people, and the bars were completely filled with lines out the door. The Euchre Tournament also filled up with a waiting list. Overall, Frost Fest 2011 was an exciting success and we are looking forward to next year. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau DLI Logo Award Traction won an Addy Award for design of our DLI logo. Lansing First Fridays Lansing First Fridays is a new promotion for the greater Lansing region. DLI is part of the planning committee and promotion committee for the events. The first one is on Friday, April 1. There are several partners and business on board so far. CATA is offering free bus and Entertainment Express rides on those nights. Business Updates Aggie Mae's in the City Market is expanding and opening a deli which will also be located in the City Market. The Downtown Doghouse is reopening soon as The Boardroom. MSUFCU Downtown Branch and Accident Fund's new world headquarters will both be opening this month. Communications and Marketing Manager Report- Sara Pawloski Social Media/Website Update An analytics report for both the downtown Facebook page and our website was presented as requested by the Board last month. Our stats are very good in that traffic is continuing to grow each month to our online media. St. Patrick's Day Special Edition Newsletter We are doing a special edition of our email newsletter for St. Patrick's Day, which will be sent on Monday, March 14. 2 Lansingln the Pink We are partnering with the Mid -Michigan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, again this year, to turn downtown pink. We will be decorating downtown with ribbons like we did last year, but we will be adding a storefront decorating contest and "In the Pink" Party to the promotion to get businesses more involved and to raise some money and awareness in support of Komen in preparation for the Race for the Cure on Sunday, April 17. Financial Report/Balance Report J. Wood was not present to do a report. M. Biladeau informed the Board that Frost Fest generated about $28,000 in revenues and about $22,000 in expenses, therefore DLI's contribution was about $4,000 into the event. Last year we contributed $11,000 to the event so we are on track for this event to become a fundraiser in the future. This is our goal. S. Wallace motioned to put the February reports on file. T. Carella seconded. Motion approved unanimously. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Frost Fest 2011 Recap Discussed under President's Report and Financial Report. B. 2011 Use of Public Right of Way Permits & Operational Guidelines M. Biladeau informed the Board that this is the first year a Business Extension Permit fee will be charged for those who wish to use the public right away in the "A" District of the PSD for sidewalk cafes and/or sandwich boards for the season, March 15 -November 21, 2011. The new Business Extension Permit fee was approved by the DLI Board and by City Council in our FY2011 budget. The fee is $10/lineal ft. of the applicant's storefront. All 2010 permit holders and new businesses were informed last year that a fee would be put in place for 2011 as well as standards for furniture quality so they would all be prepared. A few business owners have been upset about the fee and M. Biladeau has already met with them individually to discuss their concerns. Public Service and DLI are in constant communication with the businesses regarding the Business Extension Permit process including helping applicants figure out their space, dimensions, etc. Regarding the businesses uneasiness about the new fee, the rest of the City charges a permit fee for any use of the public right away outside the "A District of the PSD. In addition, other downtown communities charge a permit fee for use of the public right away like sidewalk cafes throughout the state. C. Sidewalk Cafe Furniture Pilot Grant Program M. Biladeau presented the draft grant program on behalf of the Design Committee. The Design Committee has developed a Sidewalk Cafe Furniture Grant Pilot Program to encourage sidewalk cafe improvements to further enhance a friendly, inviting atmosphere that is unique and diverse in nature within the "A" District of the Lansing Principal Shopping District (PSD) in downtown Lansing The Design Committee will review each permit application on a first come, first serve basis. Applications for the 2011 season will be taken up to June 1, 2011. S. Wallace recommended we state in the application that we will not cover 100% of the cost of their new furniture with the grant that's rewarded. Approved grants will not exceed $750 per applicant. S. Wallace motions to approve the grant application with edits discussed. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. D. FY 2012 Budget Update M. Biladeau informed the Board that the city is probably not going to reduce our General Fund transfer for FY2012 as originally anticipated, however as the FY2012 DLI budget is put together it is best to assume the approval of an Old Town BIZ. If an Old Town BIZ is passed, this would result in the loss of PSD assessment revenue from the `B" District. This would be about a $22,000 loss in revenue. A draft FY2012 budget will be presented at April's Board meeting. X. OTHER BUSINESS None. X. ADJOURN P. Clacko motioned to adjourn. T adjourned at 12:45 p.m. Minutes by S. Pawlosld: Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting Phil Secretary 4 Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, April 14,201111:30 a.m. Members Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Bob Trezise, Stacy Wallace, TerryL-- Carella, Kris Elliott, Phil Clacko Members Absent: Vince Villegas Board Advisors Present: Jessica Yorko, Brittney Hoskiw =' Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans Guests Present: Steve Kolonich (Lake State), Officer Cook Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Sara Pawloski, Jenn Wood, Erika. '_0 Leyko I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:35 a.m. 11. CITIZENS COMMENTS None. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella motioned to approve the March 10, 2011 minutes and the April 14, 2011 agenda. S. Wallace seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE Brittney Hoskiw reported that Old Town is busy getting ready for their upcoming festival season. She reported that the Festival of the Sun will have some additional attractions this year. They have also been busy preparing for their annual ribbon cutting ceremony. They have 7 businesses scheduled for an official ribbon cutting celebration on Friday, May 6 beginning at 11 a.m. New this year, the OTCA is adding Friday night movies to their schedule of events for July. V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Officer Cook with the Lansing Police Department reported that it has been fairly quiet downtown. There were only 6 incidents in March which included, 1 B & E, 1 assault and 4 larceny charges. Officer Cook reported that during the summer months she will be working additional evening hours to patrol the night life and special events that occur. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE S. Kolonich reported that Lake State has been busy cleaning up from the winter months. They have cleaned out many of the rain gardens and flower beds to prepare them for the spring/summer months ahead and will continue to maintain them until the Adopt A Spot volunteers begin there seasonal maintenance. C—) -t Lake State has removed all of the black edging from around the trees and flower beds throughout the downtown area. The edging was beginning to come loose and was a trip hazard. Lake State helped J. Wood do an inventory of trash receptacles so DLI would have an accurate number of existing styles and any maintenance concerns and or replacements needed. S. Kolonich is working with J. Wood to coordinate efforts for the Capital City Clean Sweep, scheduled for Thursday, May 5 and Downtown Planting Day, scheduled for Tuesday, May 24. Lake State will be helping with the Capital City Clean Sweep by donating trash and debris bags and helping out the day of. In addition, they will be using a tool to make all the holes necessary for the planting of all of the annuals ahead of time for the areas to be planted on Downtown Planting Day. This way volunteers will just need to insert the flowers and cover with surrounding dirt making the process run sfiioothly and quicker. VII. CORRESPONDANCE None VIII. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns Jr. D. Johns, Jr. reported that he and M. Biladeau were involved in an extensive interview with a reporter with Capital Gains involving a three part series on the revitalization of traditional commercial districts within the City. They are focusing the series on revitalization strategies used in Old Town, Downtown and now Reo-Town from the beginning to where each district is now. D. Johns Jr. reported that they provided the reporter with a substantial amount of information and that the reporter will also be coming down to take pictures. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau Board Seat Update The Mayor's office has received two applications from downtown residents interested in serving on the board. M. Biladeau will keep the board updated as things further move along in the application process. Business Updates MSUFCU is now open at 104 S. Washington Square and is a great addition to downtown. The Branch Manager, Sally Boyer is currently a member of the Beautification Committee and Dennis Dorogi, the Assistant Manager sits on the Business Development Committee. Aggie Mae's Bakery in the Lansing City Market is expanding their business by adding a fresh Deli counter. The Lansing Barberettes is going to be occupying the former Perrelli's space on the 400 south block of Washington Square and a Thai Restaurant is moving into the former China Wok location. Blue Cross Blue Shield will be opening in September/2011 and DLI will be putting together 300 welcome bags to distribute to all the new workers at their first day in the office. The Dugout Pub, which is a covered patio and an extension of Harem Urban Lounge, will be opening in early May. It will be a seasonal establishment with approximately 25 seats. Communications and Marketing Manager Report- Sara Pawloski Social Media Update S. Pawloski provided the board with graphs showing the statistics of viewers on both Facebook and the DLI website for the month of March. S. Pawloski reported that there was a slight decrease in the number of website viewers which she contributes to the increased number received in February due to the Frost Fest event. Approximately 32,000 people view DLI posts for March and 60%. are between the ages of 25-44 years. Promotions. Programs & Events "Lansing In the Pink" Promotion DLI has partnered with the Susan G. Komen Mid -Michigan Affiliate on a pink promotion again this year called "Lansing In the Pink". The promotion started with a decorating day on Thursday, April 7 where volunteers and staff hung over 1,000 pink ribbons downtown. The storefront decorating contest started on Friday, April 8th and will continue until Monday, April 18th when votes posted from on line viewers will be tallied to determine the business with the most votes. This business will receive a free month of advertising on the DLI website. Currently, Lenny's Sub Shop and Zoup! have the most votes. "In the Pink" week is Monday, April 11 through Sunday, April 17. Each day a different special will be available at a participating business if that customer donates at least $1 to Susan G. Komen. All of this information and more can be found at www.lansin >g nthepink.or. Lansing First Fridays S. Pawloski reported that she is currently sitting on the Promotions Committee for the new Lansing First Fridays regional promotion. Currently there are around 50 businesses registered to participate who will be offering a unique special and or activity on the first Friday of each month. All CATA buses and Entertainment Express Trolleys offer free service that night as well. More information about First Fridays is available at www.laiisingfirstfridays.com. Financial Report/Balance Report- Jenn Wood J. Wood was unable to provide the board with the February Finance Report because she was unable to reconcile with the City IFAS system. Business Development Committee Downtown Social Hour J. Wood reported that the March Social Hour at the Corner Bar was well attended. Everyone in the bar was welcomed and either given a new punch card or another punch on their current card. The Corner Bar had white linens on all the tables with candles, a DJ and an appetizer bar with a variety of crackers and cheese and several different fried items. 2011 Spring/Summer Guides The new spring/summer guides are now available and are being distributed to all downtown businesses, Lansing area hotels and a new brochure rack full of brochures is displayed in the Lansing Center. Beautification Committee The 2011 Capital City Clean Sweep is scheduled for Thursday, May Soh from noon -3:00 p.m. and the Downtown Planting Day is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24 from 9 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. We have received 5 qualified applications for the Adopt A Spot Coordinator position and interviews will be scheduled. Desi,,m Committee 2011 Business Extension Permit Applications There are nineteen businesses that have completed and returned their 2011 Business Extension Permit Applications. Eighteen have been approved and one is currently in route at City Hall. Sidewalk Cafe Furniture Grant To date the Design Committee has approved seven grant applications at 50% of their total cost up to $750.00. The deadline to apply is June 1, 2011 P. Clacko motioned to put the President's, Director's, Communications & Marketing Manager and Revitalization Coordinator reports on file. S. Wallace seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. FY2012 Budget Proposal The board agreed to adopt the FY2012 Budget pending Council Approval. The FY2012 Budget Proposal will be reviewed again at the May Board of Directors meeting. B. Kiosk Sponsorship Program Tabled to the May 12, 2011 Board of Directors Meeting if the program is ready to be presented to the Board. C. Michigan Walk of Fame M. Biladeau explained that the Michigan Walk of Fame currently has a website and because of insufficient funding, DLI is not able to sufficiently operate the Michigan Walk of Fame program. This program had been dormant since 2006/2007. D. Joluis Jr. recommended canceling the current Michigan Walk of Fame, stand alone website address because the Walk of Fame is promoted as an attraction on our downtown site. S. Wallace motioned to cancel the current Michigan Walk of Fame website. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. D. Mobile Food Trucks Discussion M. Biladeau informed the board that she has received several inquires about mobile food truck vending downtown. She explained that it is becoming very popular throughout the country and that we need to get a policy in place. Currently, the DLI does not have a policy allowing or not allowing it. K. Elliott stated that he is very opposed to mobile food truck vending in the downtown area. He argued that they do not pay taxes, assessments or overhead and the competition would be unfair to the businesses that do. If someone would like to vend in the downtown area, they can apply for a Street Vending permit at one of the available permitted seasonal locations. B. Trezise motioned to create a DLI policy that does not allow mobile food truck(s) to vend within the "A" District of the PSD. In addition, allow M. Biladeau to pursue a moratorium be placed on the issue by City Council immediately if needed. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. X. OTHER BUSINESS None X. ADJOURN S. Wallace motioned to adjourn. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 1:03 p.m. Minutes by J. Wood: ? ':f74" Phil Clacko, Secretary Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, June 9,201111:30 a.m. Members Present: Members Absent: Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Guests Present: Staff Present: I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11 II. CITIZENS COMMENTS None. Doug Johns, Jr., Bob Trezise Jr., Terry Carella,`Phil,-. Clacko, Kris Elliott (arrived at 12:00 p.m.)-" Vince Villegas ^ Jessica YorkoC t co Eric Rosekrans, Brittney Hoskiw Officer Cook, Officer Macon i Mindy Biladeau, Jenn Wood, Erica Leyko, Alissa Kellam C, 42 a.m. M. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella motioned to approve the April 14, 2011 minutes and the June 9, 2011 agenda. B. Trezise Jr. seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE None V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Officer Macon with the Lansing Police Department reported that there have been 11-12 officers on night duty as apposed to the regular patrol force of 5-6 officers for problem solving strategies. The force is increasing presence in the downtown bar/restaurant area to let patrons know, without being too heavy handed, that laws will be enforced. The downtown restaurants/bars have been pleased with the increased police presence. Officer Cook reported that there were 80 incidents reported in the month of May. Eight people went to jail for disorderly conduct. D. Johns, Jr. commended Officers Macon and Cook for their combined efforts. Officer Macon reported that the increased enforcement stems from the recent broken window incident. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE J. Wood reported that Lake State continues to provide monthly maintenance downtown. Lake State is currently installing mulch to all of the flower beds on Washington Square, all adjacent streets between Shiawassee St. and Lenawee St. (excluding Allegan St.) and on Michigan Ave. between Capital Ave. and Larch St. Jimmy, with Lake State helped do an inventory of the trash receptacles downtown. The Beautification Committee has agreed that it is important to budget for the replacement of damaged trash receptacles and to replace the old "soup can" looking receptacles with the new design that is used throughout the downtown area. The Board of Water & Light has turned on all of the water downtown so that the irrigation systems can be used. The total Salt use for the 2010/2011 winter season is 150.2 tons for a total cost of $8,035.28 and Ice Melt totaled $682.50. VII. CORRESPONDANCE M. Biladeau provided a copy of two memos that were recently distributed. All business owners and managers located in the 200 south block of Washington Square received a memo regarding Delivery Vehicles/Parking in Public Alley behind the 200 S. Block of Washington Square. This memo was generated from a very productive business owners and managers meeting that was held on Tuesday, March 22. M. Biladeau also provided a copy of a memo dated May 31, 2011 that was delivered to Councilmember Quinney, Chairman of the General Services Committee in regards to the committee's recent inquiry about Downtown Lansing Inc.'s Street Vendor permit application process and policies. VM. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns Jr. D. Johns, Jr. thanked Phil Clacko for once again nominating Downtown Lansing Inc. for the Fifth Third Bank Employee Involvement Grant. D. Johns, Jr. also commended a well written article in last months Capitol Gains that highlighted DLI's Design Committee, Sidewalk Cafe Furniture Grant. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau Board & Staff Vacancies Update The Mayor has recommended to City Council that Tremaine Phillips be appointed to the DLI Board as a residential representative. Sara Pawloski's last day was on May 6. M. Biladeau reported that she will be tweaking the current job description and posting the position very soon. Business Updates Compuware located at 110 W. Michigan Ave. and The Dugout Pub at 400 E. Michigan Ave. Coming Soon: The Lansing Barberettes is going to be occupying the former Perrelli's space at 410 S.Washington Square. A Thai Restaurant is moving into the former China Wok location. Craig Corey Vacations will be opening in July and Blue Cross Blue Shield will be opening in September/October, 2011. DLI will be putting together 300 welcome bags to distribute to all the new workers at their first day in the office. Spring Beautification Projects The removal of the concrete walls at the intersection of Washtenaw St. and S. Washington Square are scheduled to be removed on Sunday, June 12. The Design Committee is in the process of ordering picnic tables and umbrellas to create a public cafe on City Hall Plaza. The Landscaping at the Lansing City Market is complete. 2 Online Social Marketing The Downtown Lansing fan page is up to 1,410 from 1,272 in April. The DLI Twitter profile now has 1,930 followers, up from 1,703 in April. From May 6 -June 4 total Facebook post views was 73,724 with post feedback up to 109% from the previous month. The DLI website is up-to-date daily with news, events and current businesses. Promotions, Programs & Events Taste of Downtown The 2011 Taste of Downtown is Saturday, July 9 from 3-8:00 p.m. A fun, summer festival of food sampling from 16 downtown restaurants, wine tasting of over 100 different wines from around the world and live, local entertainment. New this year is the Kids Corner and beer sales. Sponsors include, Lake Trust Credit Union (Tasting Sponsor), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Entertainment Sponsor), Mike Stein Agency -Farm Bureau Insurance (Foodie Sponsor) and Henry Fox, Sohn Linen (Sample Sponsors). Also, MSUFCU, Cooley Law School, C2AE, Wild Beaver Saloon, Radisson Hotel, and Capitol City Grille are banner sponsors. Silver Bells in the City Silver Bells in the City is Friday, November 18, 2011. Parade applications will be updated and e- mailed/mailed to 2010 participants and posted online on the event website on July 1, 2011. J. Wood has already mailed the Marching Band invites to all High School Bands in the Lansing area and 1 has already been returned. DLI will partnering with Radio Disney again this year and M. Biladeau is currently working with Meridian Entertainment Group on securing a RD performer for a show after the fireworks display. New this year, we are working with Chris Holman Foundation and Playmakers to add a Fun Run prior to the start of the parade, utilizing the parade route. Silver Bells in the city will receive 50-60% of the total funds collected from registered runners and the remainder will go to the Chris Holman Foundation. Communications & Marketing Manager Report Financial Report/Balance Report- Jenn Wood J. Wood provided the Board with the March and April Finance Report and offered a line by line explanation of income and expenses. Business Development Committee Downtown Social Hour J. Wood reported that the June Social Hour was held at the Tin Can/Big Deck on Wednesday the J." and many came out to enjoy the beautiful weather on the deck. A personal tray of chips and cheese dip was provided to all Social Hour attendees. The next Downtown Social Hour is July 6 at Troppo. 2011 Spring(Summer Guides The 2011 Spring/Summer Downtown Guides have been flying off the racks at the local businesses, at the Lansing Center, and the GLCVB Visitors Center. Many have been refilled and we continue to replace and distribute. Some of the businesses have requested an entire box so that they can refill as needed. All local hotels have been contacted and were excited to receive the guides and a brochure rack has been placed at the Lansing Center so any visitors have easy access to them. Business Owner Workshop DLI partnered with The Small Business Technology and Development Center to provide a Groupon workshop to all downtown businesses at no cost. The workshop was held Wednesday, May 18 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. and it covered the benefits of utilizing Groupon. The Groupon representative went over how Groupon works, return on investment, current and future products and redemption of the coupons. The manager with the Nuthouse was present to give testimonials of his experience with using Groupon and to answer any questions. Groupon is a social media tool that has a user base of approximately 70,000 people in the Greater Lansing Area. Postcards were sent to all businesses in the PSD A District. An electronic version of the postcard was distributed to downtown business owners, the Greater Lansing CVB, the Lansing City Market, the SBTDC, and the Old Town Commercial Association to distribute to their members/vendors as well. The workshop was also promoted through our social media networks. Thirty individuals registered for the workshop and 18 attended. We received positive feedback from the attendees and the discussion at the workshop was educational. Beautification Committee Downtown Planting Day The 2011 Downtown Planting Day was Tuesday, May 24. We had over 60 volunteers (390 volunteer hours) come downtown to help plant over 5,000 annuals on Washington Square. Chad Gamble the Director of Public Service with the City, coordinated fifty students and ten chaperones from New Covenant Christian School to help. Lunch from Cottage Inn Pizza was provided to the volunteers. Capital City Clean Sweep The 2011 Clean Sweep event was held on Thursday, May 5 and the weather was absolutely perfect. Over 40 volunteers came out to help pick up trash and clean flower beds and rain gardens throughout downtown. The City of Lansing was the Signature Sponsor. Granger and Lake State were Supporting Sponsors through in-kind donations and CATA, Cooley Law School and Lake ----- Trust-were-ail-Non=Profit-Sponsors--of-the--event-The Lansing Board of Water &-Light-let--us-use— -- their portable water station and Lake Trust Credit Union provided water bottles to all volunteers. Our maintenance contractor, Lake State volunteered their time to help with the event and also delivered and returned the water station. A 10 x 10 tent was placed at City Hall Plaza before the event where lunch was provided and we had 3 people who just happened to be downtown come up and sign up to volunteer for the event. Channel 6 News covered the event and a brief overview of it was on the 5:00 p.m. news on Thursday. Adopt A Spot: We received 5 resumes and cover letters for the seasonal Adopt A Spot Coordinator position that runs May - November, 2011. Three of the five applicants interviewed on Tuesday, May 10 with Mindy Biladeau, Christopher Mumby and myself. We all agreed that Alissa Kelly was the best fit and her first day was Tuesday, May 24''. We continue to receive inquiries about information regarding the adoption of flower beds and rain gardens. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority recently adopted 4 rain gardens on Michigan Ave. and MSUFCU just adopted 2 flower beds in front of their location. I have also forwarded Alissa 2 other organizations who are interested in adopting so she can follow up with them and answer any questions they may have. 11 Design Committee 2011 Business Extension Permit Applications: There are twenty three businesses that have completed, returned and been approved for their 2011 Business Extension Permit. Sidewalk Cafe Furniture Grant Applications: To date the Design Committee has approved nine grant applications at 50% of their total cost up to $750.00. These businesses are Sultans Express, Jalapenos, Grand Traverse Pie Co., Spotted Dog C66, Lenny's Sub Shop, Eden's Juice, The Dugout, Backyard -Bar -B -Q and Zoup!. The total grant dollars used to date is $4,865.64. Cottage Inn Pizza has also submitted an application but more information is required. The grant program has been very well received. The deadline to apply was June 1, 2011 2011 Street Vendor Pernnits: We currently have one night time street vendor permitted to vend at the south west corner of Michigan Ave. and Museum Drive location. This is a pilot program for six months. There are also two day time street vendor applications that have been approved to vend at the north east corner of Capitol Ave. and Michigan Ave. Street Vendor Permits are currently valid March 1, 2011 — November 30, 2011. We also have a fresh fruit, vegetable and flower vendor that has submitted his application and wants to start vending mid to late June at the north east comer of Washtenaw Street and Washington Square. His application has been forwarded to City Hall for review. Public Sidewalk Cafe at City Hall Plaza To continue to become a more metropolitan downtown, the Design Committee has approved purchasing and placing outdoor cafe seating and umbrellas with the DLI logo and website on them at City Hall Plaza. Design Committee members, Bob Rose and Joe Wright used their expertise to design possible layouts and recommended furniture. Commercial grade square tables with seats attached are recommended because the brick blocks used on the plaza make the surface uneven and this style is low maintenance. B. Trezise Jr. motioned to put the President's, Director's and Revitalization Coordinator reports on -- file-T—Carella-seconded.—Motion passed -unanimously-- —� -- — IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Board Resignation, Stacy Wallace T. Carella motioned to accept resignation from S. Wallace. K. Elliott seconded. Motion passed unanimously. B. FY2012 Budget Proposal M. Biladeau reported that a public hearing has been scheduled for Monday, June 20 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers in regards to our request to levy the annual PSD assessment from 2011- 2014. C. Mobile Food Truck Policy Update Tabled to the July, 2011 Board of Directors Meeting. D. DLI Annual Meeting: August 10 or 17 Tabled to the July, 2011 Board of Directors Meeting X. OTHER BUSINESS 5 None X. ADJOURN B. Trezise Jr. motioned to adjourn. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 12:40 p.m. Minutes by J. Wood: Phil Clacko, Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:36 a.m. II. CITIZENS COMMENTS None. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella motioned to approve the June 9, 2011 minutes and the August 11, 2011 agenda. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE None V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Captain Yankowski reported that the Lansing Police Department has experienced many changes and shifts of employees due to the FY2012 budget cuts. As of July 1, 2011 the LPD has lost a total of 68 officers, 36 of them being layoffs. The Downtown Community Police Officer position has been eliminated.. With these changes comes a readjustment of team areas assignments as well. The downtown area was previously, Area 5 and is now Area 4. Captain Yankowski distributed a current list of the LPD areas and the officers responsible for each of them and reassured that enforcement will continue to do the best they can do with the resources that they have available. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE S. Kolonich with Lake State reported that they continue to work at keeping a clean and inviting appearance downtown. Daily, they keep up on the empting of all trash receptacles, the removal of unwanted posters and they are trying their best to get a handle on the amount of cigarette butts that are in the public right away. The removal of the cigarette butts is a non stop challenge, especially in the 200 South block of Washington Square. DLI recently purchased 6 new trash receptacle lids and Lake State has placed them on all of the receptacles that were missing one and also replaced two that were damaged. VII. CORRESPONDANCE None �F^�i\,►rC} Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes ('' ► DLI Conference Room�i-F ' Thursday, August 11, 201111:30 a.m. Members Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Bob Trezis& Yr., Terry Carella, Phil Clacko, Vince Villegas, Kris Elliott, Nicole Proulx Members Absent: None Board Advisors Present: None Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans, Brittney Hoskiw, Jessica Yorko Guests Present: Steve Kolonich, Jimmy Baumgras, Captain Yankowski Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Jenn Wood, Erica Leyko, Alissa Kelly I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:36 a.m. II. CITIZENS COMMENTS None. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella motioned to approve the June 9, 2011 minutes and the August 11, 2011 agenda. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE None V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Captain Yankowski reported that the Lansing Police Department has experienced many changes and shifts of employees due to the FY2012 budget cuts. As of July 1, 2011 the LPD has lost a total of 68 officers, 36 of them being layoffs. The Downtown Community Police Officer position has been eliminated.. With these changes comes a readjustment of team areas assignments as well. The downtown area was previously, Area 5 and is now Area 4. Captain Yankowski distributed a current list of the LPD areas and the officers responsible for each of them and reassured that enforcement will continue to do the best they can do with the resources that they have available. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE S. Kolonich with Lake State reported that they continue to work at keeping a clean and inviting appearance downtown. Daily, they keep up on the empting of all trash receptacles, the removal of unwanted posters and they are trying their best to get a handle on the amount of cigarette butts that are in the public right away. The removal of the cigarette butts is a non stop challenge, especially in the 200 South block of Washington Square. DLI recently purchased 6 new trash receptacle lids and Lake State has placed them on all of the receptacles that were missing one and also replaced two that were damaged. VII. CORRESPONDANCE None VIII. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns Jr. D. Johns, Jr. reported that the DLI Annual Meeting that was held on Wednesday, August 10 at the Waterfront Bar & Grille was very nice. All Board members were present and many also brought their families. D. Johns, Jr. commented that it would have been nice if the Mayor or any Lansing City Council members would have attended. The Mayor and City Council members were all invited. The Mayor was unfortunately out of town on this date. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau Board & Staff Vacancies Update Nicole Proulx with Fraiser Law Firm has been appointed to the DLI Board. Brett Hull, downtown resident in Printers Row has applied to fill the residential representative board seat and the Mayor has recommended to the City Council his appointment. Second interviews for the Communications & Marketing Manager position will be conducted next week and the best candidate will be selected and offered the position. M. Biladeau hopes to introduce our new addition at the September Board meeting. Business Updates Now Open: Thai Village, located at 400 S. Washington Square. They had a very well attended ribbon cutting on Monday, July 25`h. The Lansing Barberettes is now occupying the former Perrelli's space at 410 S.Washington Square. Craig Corey Vacations is located at 215 S. Washington Square inside the Dickinson Wright Building. Coming Soon: Power On will be opening soon on West Allegan, next to Draper Eye Wear. Blue Cross Blue Shield will have 300 new employees downtown on Monday, September 12, 2011 M. Biladeau reported that DLI is working with the downtown businesses to offer coupons/specials/promotions for the 300 new employees at BCBS. Welcome bags containing all the items from participating businesses will be on their desks for them when they report in for their first day of work. Online Social Marketing The Downtown Lansing fan page is up to 1,752 from 1,410 in June. The DLI Twitter profile now has 2,248 followers, up from 1,930 in June. From July 8 though August 8 there have been 140 new Facebook "Likes" and 277,149 post views, which is up 6.6% from the previous month. The DLI website is up-to-date daily with news, events and current businesses. Promotions, Pro -rams & Events 4'' Annual Trick or Treat on the Square Planning for the 4h Annual Trick or Treat on the Square will take place on Wednesday, October 26 is well underway with sponsorship recruitment, activity planning, permitting, etc.. The current challenge that the Promotions Committee is currently discussing is growth management of the event since over 20,000 people attended the event in 2010. Some strategies include charging $1 per child with multiple entry points with wrist bands or just multiple entry points with wrist bands and capping the number of people. The Board discussed the need for better coordinating of entry for the event, more signage and possible ways to generate revenue. K. Elliott suggested extending trick -or -treat stations another block to accommodate participants, charging a small fee like $1 for face painting and/or hayrides, or other activities at the event. M. Biladeau will take all suggestions to the Promotions. Committee for discussion. Silver Bells in the City Silver Bells in the City is Friday, November 18, 2011 and the first of 4 committee meetings is being held on August 18th. All sponsorship renewals, activity planning, coordinating and permitting procedures are currently being addressed. Parade applications continue to be received and J. Wood will be following up with school marching bands in early September when they are back in school. New this year, we are working with Chris Holman Foundation and Playmakers to add a Fun Run prior to the start of the parade, utilizing the parade route. Silver Bells in the City will receive 50% of the total funds collected from registered runners and the remainder will go to the Chris Holman Foundation. Lake Trust Credit Union has renewed and increased their sponsorship commitment this year so this years Fireworks display will be the best yet. The show will be 90 seconds longer and feature many displays that most people haven't seen anywhere yet. Communications & Marketing Manager Report Included in Director's Report Financial Report/Balance Report- Jenn Wood J. Wood provided the Board with the May Finance Report and offered a line by line explanation of income and expenses. B. Trezise Jr. motioned to put the President's, Director's and Revitalization Coordinator reports on file. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Re -Cap of Taste of Downtown 2011 M. Biladeau presented a slide show of the 2011 Taste of Downtown. 70 volunteers, performed 175 volunteer hours of work at the event. Revenue was recorded at $29,245 and expenses totaled $24,400, bringing in a profit of $4,845 in only the second year! There were over 1,100 people in attendance. B. Review of 6 month Pilot Program for Night-time Street Vending P. Clacko motioned to extend the 6 month, pilot program for night-time street vending thru the end of the season, which is Monday, November 21, 2011. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. C. Proposed Revisions to Street Performer Permit Policy Application B. Trezise Jr. motioned to reduce the Street Performer Permit Application fee to zero dollars and to require no liability insurance. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. D. FY2012 Budget Update M. Biladeau reported that the public meeting to levy the annual PSD Assessment was held during the July 7, 2011 City Council meeting. There was no public comment on the issue. M. Biladeau will bring the proposed FY2012 budget to the September Board Meeting. E. Letter of Interest: Michigan Main Street Selected Level M. Biladeau reported that a letter of interest is due by October 7, 2011 to the Michigan Main Street Center if Downtown Lansing Inc. would like to apply to become a Selected Level Main Street Community. M. Biladeau recommended that the Board approve the letter of intent so that the downtown gets the recognition that it deserves and displays the progression of positive forward movement. K. Elliott motioned to approve that DLI submit a letter of interest to become a Selected Level Main Street Community to the Michigan Main Street Center by October 7, 2011. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. X. OTHER BUSINESS None X. ADJOURN B. Trezise Jr. motioned to adjourn. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 12:40 p.m. Minutes by J. Wood: ate_ Phil Clacko, Secretary Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, September 8, 201111:30 a.m. Members Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Bob Trezise Jr., Terry Carella, Phil Clacko, Kris Elliott, Nicole Proulx Members Absent: Vince Villegas Board Advisors Present: Jessica Yorko, Brittney Hoskiw Board Advisors Absent: Eric Rosekrans r� Guests Present: 7 - Moe Baumgras, Officer Merritt Staff Present: Mindy Biladeau, Jenn Wood I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns called the meeting to order at 11:36 a.m. —' R. CITIZENS COMMENTS None. M. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES T. Carella motioned to approve the August 11, 2011 minutes and the September 8, 2011 agenda. K. Elliott seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. OTCA UPDATE B. Hoskiw reported that the OTCA is busy as usual with planning for their upcoming events. They have added some elements to the OctoberFest event and have been actively recruiting and securing volunteers. OTCA is also moving forward with necessary steps to implement a Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) by working closely with the LEDC and DLI. V. COMMUNITY POLICING UPDATE Officer Merritt provided the board with the monthly policing update. VI. MAINTENANCE UPDATE Moe Baumgras with Lake State reported that they continue to work at keeping a clean and inviting appearance downtown. Daily, they keep up on the empting of all trash receptacles, the removal of unwanted posters and they are trying their best to get a handle on the amount of cigarette butts that are in the public right away. The removal of the cigarette butts is a non stop challenge, especially in the 200 South block of Washington Sq. Jimmy Baumgras counted all of the trees on Michigan Ave., between Capitol Ave. and Grand Ave. that currently have LED lights on them and the number of strands per tree so that it could be reported to Kellee Christensen at the Board of Water & Light. Kellee is helping DLI figure out the proper type of extension cords that should be used for the number of lights and watts being used. DLI would like all the lights to be in proper working order by November 14, 2011. VII. CORRESPONDANCE None VIII. REPORTS President's Report - Doug Johns Jr. None Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau C0172772L71iCati077s & Marketing Manager position The position was offered and accepted by Cathleen Edgerly. Cathleen's first day of work is on Monday, September 26`x'. Cathleen brings with her over six years of professional advertising, marketing and program coordination experience in the Greater Lansing region. She has a strong "Love Lansing" can -do attitude and has great social media ideas and skills. Old Town BIZ UPDATE The Old Town Commercial Association has submitted a proposed BIZ district to the LEDC and to DLI. Doug Johns Jr. and M. Biladeau met with Brittney and Aaron Matthews with the OTCA and Bob Trezise with the LEDC on August 11 to discuss the timeline of the OTCA BIZ process and how the proposed district boundaries will impact DLI. J. Wood is working on calculating the assessments in the proposed BIZ district in order to determine the total impact it will have on our FY2013 budget (July 1, 2012 — June 30, 2013). Business Updates Now Open: Power On, 114 W. Allegan St., next to Draper Eye Wear Coming Soon: Blue Cross Blue Shield. Ribbon Cutting is Friday, September 9`s at 10:00 a.m. Closed: Pita Pit, 107 S. Washington Sq. Online Social Marketing The Downtown Lansing fan page is up to 1,813 from 1,752 in July. The DLI Twitter profile now has 2,348 followers, up from 2,248 in July. Google Analytics- DLI is still averaging over 1,000 visits per month. We are back to the number one and two trends of events and dining. We continue to promote monthly sponsorships of the website for a cost of $175/per month. We are booked with advertisers until January, 2012. Promotions, Programs & Events 4"' Annual Trick or Treat on the Square The 4`h Annual Trick or Treat on the Square will take place on Wednesday, October 26 and all major sponsors from last year have committed to this year as well. M. Biladeau is meeting with Rich LaMay from the City next week to discuss road closures to better organize the crowd and allow a steady flow for the 20,000 plus participants. Lansing First Fridays Over 25 downtown businesses are participating in the Lansing First Fridays, Lansing First Fridays continues to grow as more people are becoming aware that it is happening throughout the region. 2012 Co/Op Ad in the GLCVB annual Visitors Guide Eleven businesses are participating in our 2012 Co/Op Ad. The ad spaces were all filled. The ad will look very sin- lar to the 2011 ad and will be submitted to the GLCVB printer ready by the end of September. Silver Bells in the City Silver Bells in the City is Friday, November 18, 2011 and the second of four coordinating committee meetings is on September 15`x'. All sponsorships will be wrapped up by the end of September and all major sponsors are back this year. New this year, we are working with Chris Holman Foundation and Playmakers to add a Fun Run prior to the start of the parade, utilizing the parade route. Silver Bells in the City will receive 50% of the total funds collected from registered runners and the remainder will go to the Chris Holman Foundation. We are continuing and strengthening our relationship with Radio Disney and working with Meridian Entertainment Group on securing a RD artist r to perform live in concert after the fireworks display. We have some great prospects! Lake Trust Credit Union has renewed and increased their sponsorship commitment this year so this years Fireworks display will be the best yet. The show will be 90 seconds longer and feature many displays that most people haven't seen anywhere yet. The deadline to submit parade applications was September 2, 2011 and the parade is full with a waiting list. This year also marks the 15`h Anniversary, of the Electric Light Parade. Communications & Marketing Manager Report Included in Director's Report Financial Report/Balance Report- Jenn Wood J. Wood was unable to provide the Board with a Finance Report because to date, all entries have not been recorded in the City IFAS system so a reconciliation can not be done. B. Trezise Jr. motioned to put the President's, Director's and Revitalization Coordinator reports on file. P. Clacko seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IX. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. FY2012 Budget Update M. Biladeau distributed the City Council approved DLI budget and a revised one. The DLI Board will approve the revised budget once FY2011 is closed out. B. Set Up Sub-Committee/Task Force P. Clacko motioned to approve setting up group consisting of Nicole Proulx, Phil Clacko, Kris Elliott and Bob Trezise Jr. to study and compare our current PSD assessment rates to other PSD's in the State. B. Trezise Jr. seconded. Motion passed unanimously. C. Annual Executive Directors Evaluation J. Wood will forward Doug Johns, Jr. the evaluation form needed to be completed by all Board members. Doug Johns Jr. will forward the evaluation form to all Board members, requesting that they complete and forward back to J. Wood by Friday, October 70i. X. OTHER BUSINESS None X. ADJOURN B. Trezise Jr. motioned to adjourn. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanuuously. Meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m. Minutes by J. Wood: Phil Clacko, Secretary Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room Thursday, December 8, 2011 @ 11:30 a.m. Members Present: Members Absent: Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Guests Present: Staff Present: Doug Johns, Jr., Terry Carella, Phil Clacko, Nicole Proulx, Kris Elliott, Vince Villegas None None Jessica Yorko, Eric Rosekrans Captain Yankowski, Jitmny Baumgras Mindy Biladeau, Jenn Wood, Cathleen Edgerly I. CALL TO ORDER D. Johns Jr. called the meeting to order at 11:35 a.m. II. CITIZENS COMMENTS None III. APROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES K. Elliott motioned to approve the October 25, 2011 minutes and the December 8, 2011 agenda. N. Proulx seconded. Motion passed unanimously. f.") CID IV. OTCA UPDATE M. Biladeau reported that to date the Old Town Commercial Association has not replaced their Director. V. COMMUNITY POLICNG UPDATE Captain Yankowski reported that there have been eleven larceny cases involving vehicles in parking ramps downtown. A suspect has been picked up for questioning but not yet arrested. Captain Yankowski encouraged everyone to hide any valuables that they might have in their parked vehicles so not to encourage a break in. The Occupy Lansing group that has been set up at the south west corner of Capital Ave. and Kalamazoo at Rutter Park, announced yesterday that they would be leaving by the end of the week. The mileage passed so LPD is able to maintain their current staffing levels for now without any additional layoffs. If the mileage would not have passed, LPD would have been forced to lay off an additional 20-40 officers. Captain Yankowski congratulated the DLI staff and committee on a very well organized and executed 2011 Silver Bells in the City event. DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE UPDATE & REPORT J. Baumgras with Lake State reported that they continue to empty all trash receptacles, remove unwanted posters and flyers and maintain the four recycling containers downtown. Lake State replaced all the non working light strands in the trees located on Michigan Ave. between Capital Ave. and Grand Ave. so they are all in working order now. Lake State worked diligently through the night after Silver Bells in the City to clean up the downtown and make sure it was inviting for all the guests who came out for Breakfast with Santa at Troppo the following Saturday morning. It took six guys, working seven hours to complete. CORRESPONDENCE None REPORTS President's Report- Doug Johns Jr. D. Johns Jr. congratulated the DLI staff on a very well coordinated Silver Bells in the City. Director's Report- Mindy Biladeau M. Biladeau reported that Karl Dorshimer, President of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation is currently going through the application process to replace the DLI board seat formally held by Bob Trezise as the board's City of Lansing representative. In addition, each January the Board elects new officer positions including, President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer so look forward to that on the January agenda. The next scheduled quarterly Bar Owner/Manager Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20a', 2011. The meetings are very well received and attended. M. Biladeau reported that the DLI logo recently received national recognition along with the design firm, Traction. The logo was featured in PRINT Magazine as one of the best in design out of 2,500 logos submitted from throughout the country. Aldaco's TACO 911 recently opened at 414 E. Michigan Ave. My Sista's Boutique opened at 113 S. Washington Square and The Black Rose, Irish Pub will be opening soon at 101 S. Washington Square. Communications & Marketing Managers Report- Cathleen Edgerly C. Edgerly reported that the DLI Twitter profile now has over 2,500 followers which is up over 70 from last month. The DLI website is up to date daily with news, events and current businesses. DLI continues to promote sponsorship of the website at $175/month. Website sponsorship offers businesses an inexpensive way to advertise while covering DLI's monthly hosting fee. DLI is beginning to put together the Spring/Summer edition of the Downtown Guides. Merchants will be sent information in mid-December to update or upgrade their information. Financial Report/Balance Report J. Wood provided the Board with an August, September and October Finance Report. A brief explanation was provided for each line item and questions were welcomed. V. Villegas motioned to put the President's, Director's, Marketing & Cominunications Manager and Finance reports on file. N. Proulx seconded. Motion Passed unanimously. VIIII. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS A. Resignation of Bob Trezise M. Biladeau provided the board with a copy of a resignation letter submitted by Bob Trezise. K. Elliot motioned to accept and record the resignation from Bob Trezise. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. B. Resolution for MMS Associate Level The Resolution for the MMS Associate Level was tabled for January. C. Special Events Recap M. Biladeau provided the Board with a brief presentation with highlights from the following special events that have taken place since the October meeting: 4th Annual Trick or Treat on the Square, 27th Silver Bells in the City, 4th Annual Breakfast with Santa and 3rd Annual Downtown Food Fight. X. Other Business M. Biladeau reported that she is currently drafting an agreement between DLI and the OTCA to present to the board for review at the January meeting. XI. ADJOURN P. Clacko motioned to adjourn. T. Carella seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 12:25 p.m. Minutes by J. Wood: _r 1-"`j eAc 1 --- Phil Clacko, Secretary