Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDLI 2020Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room January, 9, 2020 Members Present: K. Dorshimer, S. Schriner, C. Zarkovich, TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton, C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, S. Dhladhla, B. Kuiper I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:34. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence IV. Approvals • Agenda for Jan. 9th, 2020: TJ Bucholz moved to approve, C. Zarkovich seconded. MOTION PASSED. • Minutes from Dec. 12th, 2019. S. Schriner moved to approve, K. Dorshimer seconded. MOTION PASSED. • Committee Reports C. Zarkovich moved to approve, TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. V. Community Policing Update: (D. Reust): Officer Reust wasn't able to make it but wanted to share that overall crime downtown is down. The dedicated CATA Officer will hopefully start in the coming months, once negotiations are finalized. VI. Downtown Maintenance Update & Report: (Lake State): None VII. Reports: • Director's Report: C. Edgerly reported that the MI Place Webinars and other trainings from Michigan Main Street are now available. Michigan Main Street's new version of an annual report that Cathleen piloted in Howell, is now available and will be great for DLI. The new format is easy to read, and should serve as a great recruitment and retention piece as well. Tuesday there was the announcement for Lake Trust's `Make It Downtown Lansing' lease assistance program with regard to bringing businesses downtown. Several calls and in-person visits have already come through with potential business owners seriously considering new bricks and mortar location in downtown Lansing as a result of this program. President's Report- J.V. Anderton: J.V. wanted to update the Board that he will not be here for February's meeting. The Downtown Traffic JAM event went very well this past month, feels like something you would see in Manhattan. All Board members should consider attending next month's event as its only $5 and you'll be done by 6. Monthly Financials -J. Tischler: The questions surrounding the numbers from last month's budget are actually positive numbers from additional fundraising efforts by staff that weren't originally budgeted. J. Tischler moved to accept statements as presented. S. Schriner seconded. MOTION PASSED. VIII. District B Grant Application Wording: We need to get the wording up so that they can apply. C. Nader asked for some adjustments. The application will be on the website asap. IX. FY 2020-2021 Budget Review and Approval: The board reviewed all line items in the budget, highlighting changes that were made based on last month's discussion, and more conservative fundraising numbers to make sure the organization can rneet goals. K. Dorshimer moved to accept the budget as presented. C. Zarkovich seconded. MOTION PASSED. X. Officer Elections: TJ Bucholz moved to accept the slate of current office holders. C. Nader seconded. MOTION PASSED. XI. Board Members Serving on Committees: As a working Board, and in keeping with our Main Street program objectives, all Board members need to be on committees. The office is working on a committee get together to gather new members and interest in February. Please make every effort to attend. XII. Downtown Traffic JAM! Re -cap: Attendance was a little lower than staff had hoped, but feedback was all fantastic. The next one is Jan 16th at the Knapps Center, with a speak-easy theme. XIII. Other New Business Motion to adjourn made by J. Tischler. C. Zarkovich seconded. Meeting adjourned at 12:28 p.m. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room February, 13th, 2020 Members Present: K. Dorshimer, S. Schriner, C. Zarkovich, TJ Bucholz, C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: JV Anderton Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, S. Dhladhla, B. Kuiper I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:38 II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence IV. Approvals -Agenda for Feb 13th, 2020: -Minutes from Jan. 9th, 2020: -Committee Reports J. Tischler moved to approve Agenda, Minutes, and Reports, TJ Bucholz seconded, MOTION PASSED. V. Community Policing Update: (D. Reust): Officer Reust: Things are going well. Traffic increasing slightly. T.J. Buscholz brought up the discussion of panhandling and how to address increases that he has seen. Discussion took place regarding panhandling, homelessness in the human realm and respecting everyone, use of public space and recommendations should anyone get aggressive as well as how to address panhandlers as they approach customers within private businesses. VI. Downtown Maintenance Update & Report: (Lake State) No one is present from Lake State due to the snow and cleanup. Overall they stay in constant communication with staff and are quick to address any areas that staff contacts them about. VII. Reports -Director's Report- Cathleen Edgerly: Traffic Jam is tonight, starting at 4:30 p.m. This month highlights local artists through the Artist Umbrella and Curtainless Theatre. `Wine about Winter is next Wednesday' at Edmunds from 4:30-6p.m. where everyone can share complaints and concerns about downtown. City leadership have been invited along with property owners, businesses, volunteers, etc.. The Board's proposed budget has been shared with the City of Lansing department leaders for presentation to Council in April. Cathleen intends to work on an ongoing relationship with Council, providing quarterly updates. Rotary Park: has been an ongoing talk with the city, who would like a part time staff person for the park. Cathleen is working on a draft agreement for the board to review before things move forward. DLI would provide staff and other organizations would provide the funding through the foundation. President's Report- J.V. Anderton: J.V. is absent, so C. Zarkovich gave an update. March 3rd at 8am is the next Business Huddle at the Nuthouse from 8-9am Monthly Financials -J. Tischler: We have some percentages we look to be a bit behind on, but the reason is that between March and June the majority of funding will be coming in for several projects, so if the funding doesn't come in then, programs and projects will need to be altered or we will be at what appears to be a deficit. The same goes for a major sponsor, and sponsorships for events like Forks and Corks. We're essentially on track as expected because expenses and income from our activities come in spurts. Motion to approve the financial updates and reports made by J. Tischler, seconded by K. Dorshimer. MOTION PASSED. VIII. District B Grant Applications: Review and approval of OTCA's 2019-2020 report and 2nd installment. The Board reviewed OTCA's request for the 2nd installment of last year's payment. J. Tischler moved to approve, TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. FY 2020 Requests: The Board reviewed requests applications that were submitted. Two applications were received OTCA is asking for 18K, MICA is asking for l OK. Discussion took place regarding the number of applicants, funding availability, and future diversity in applicants. J. Tischler moved that we approve OTCA's full ask for 18K that they asked for. C. Nader Seconded. MOTION PASSED. C. Nader moved to approve 2K for MICA and create an ask for other applications for the rest of the funding. J. Tischler seconded. MOTION PASSED. Additional discussion took place that if no one else makes an ask for those dollars by the end of the fiscal year, C. Zarkovich made a motion for OTCA to get the remaining 2K to spend within grant guidelines. S. Schriner seconded. MOTION PASSED. IX. Website RFPs: Two RFPs just came in, but they haven't been reviewed yet. A review team with C. Nader and J.V. Anderton will be put together to assess proposals. X. Forks and Corks: March 24th is the event from 6-9pm. $7500 has been raised in sponsorship so far and WILX has provided in-kind media promotions. 14 restaurants are participating. XI. Taste of Downtown Refresh: Promotions has been surveying and discussing with downtown restaurants what their concerns/frustrations/reasoning for not participating in the past were. A refreshed approach is being proposed which is more experiential and not just concentrated within one closed off block, as well as offering more "Tastes" than just food and beverage. A fresh Taste of Lansing includes partnership with the auto show that comes downtown, focuses on our downtown parks, pop-up artists and performances in vacant spaces, etc. XII. Pocket Park Space: B. Kuiper: The rendering is just about finished. Walls are designed and produced from Detroit, furniture from Kalamazoo, and hopefully a mural can also be incorporated in the area. This "corner community space" will focus on community seating and placemaking. There is talk of activating the space with a ping pong event. There will also be native plants. XIII. New Business XIV. Adjourn: -Motion to adjourn made by K. Dorshimer, C. Zarkovich seconded. Meeting adjourned at 12:58 p.m. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes DLI Conference Room April, 2nd, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, , TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: C. Zarkovich, K. Dorshimer Board Advisors Present: None Board Advisors Absent: Brian Jackson Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:34 am. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence Nothing outside of what's expected right now given the stay at home situation. Multiple businesses have sent emails or Facebook messages to the DLI staff team expressing thanks for the weekly emails, sharing of financial resources, virtual chats, and marketing efforts. IV. Approvals Agenda for April 2M2020: J. Tischler moved to approve. C. Nader seconded. MOTION PASSED Unanimously. Minutes from Feb 13th, 2020: S Schriner moved to approve. TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED unanimously. V. Action Items: A. Funding Support for Small Business Mortgage/Rent: Lake Trust approved the re -purposing of up to 15K of the `Make It Downtown' funds to be repurposed to support to up to 5 businesses. J. Tischler moved to approve the repurpose of those funds contingent on DLI appropriately documenting the shift in our budget. TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. B. Part -Time Rotary Park Programming Coordinator Agreement:Delta Dental and the community foundation have agreed to provide IOK each for 3 years to fund this position, at a total of 20K per year support a part-time employee. J. Tischler moved that we execute the agreement and move forward hiring when it's appropriate. S Schriner seconded. MOTION PASSED. VI. New Business: TJ Bucholz suggested that DLI staff look into looking at all resources and ensure that we as an organization are doing all we can to support small businesses. C. Nader recommended consideration of cancelling all DLI events until the fall, and look at using the funds allocated to those events to support downtown businesses. Cathleen and the DLI team will look into what there is available how to best re -allocate and budget funds. Our next meeting will be held during our regularly scheduled meeting date on Thursday April 9th at 11:30a.m. Per MML and Executive Orders, this meeting will only address pressing necessary action items. VII. Adjourn S Schriner made a motion to adjourn and C. Nader seconded. Meeting adjourned at 11:50a.m. Lansing City Council Resolution #2020-055 suspended the Council rule requiring physical presence at meetings for the duration of the declared state of emergency. Michigan Executive Order 2020-15 provides temporary authorization of remote participation in public meetings and hearings. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting April 9th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, C. Zarkovich, TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:35 am. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence -None IV. Approvals -Agenda for April 9th, 2020: -Minutes from April 2nd, 2020: -Committee Reports J. Tischler moved to approve Agenda, Minutes, and Reports, TJ Bucholz seconded, motion passed. IV. Action Items a. Review of current financials and emergency budget adjustments: At the emergency meeting we discussed whether we have the option to shift more of our budget in order to help Downtown Businesses. Staff scoured through the budget to see what we might be able to do. Cathleen summarized the following schanges that she and Board Treasure, J. Tischler discussed including: A. Eliminating the adopt -a -spot coordinator position B. Reduced Conference/Travel costs for remainder of FY as National Main Street Conference has been cancelled C. Perennial Plant Costs: While we're moving forward with hanging baskets as they were ordered and growing since January — and cancelling order would break the contract while also hurting as small business, no new perennial purchases will be made D. DLI Will absorb ROW patio permit charges and waive them for restaurant. E. Revenue decreased fiom Forks & Corks event that was moved to September. Board will evaluate A FRESH Taste in May, but costs and revenue will be impacted. F. Small Business Grants: Lake Trust is assisting in fundraising (they approved repurposing up to 15K of the previous "Make it Downtown" lease assistance funding) with a Patronicity campaign set up through DLPI. The goal of fundraising 30K has been set to help with small business grants and downtown's recovery, and the campaign would launch today. -Make it Downtown Lansing's review team will still be making the decisions about who will be getting the funding, etc. -The E.V. Team will help to set the final criteria for applicants. -The Board discussed business types that would be eligible to apply including: Restaurant, Retail, Attraction Based, Personal Services were all discussed as businesses to include, rather than law firms, lobbying firms, etc. Consideration of what funding businesses have also received was also discussed. Number of employees will also be part of consideration. J. Tischler moved to approve the amended budget for the new grants, K. Dorshimer seconded. MOTION PASSED JV Anderton moved to delegate to staff and the EV team to set parameters as to who qualifies for the Patronicity campaign (with K. Dorshimer's amendment to keep the board updated consistently, TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. VI. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by K. Dorshimer. C. Zarkovich seconded. Meeting adjourned at 12:13. 1. Lansing City Council Resolution #2020-055 suspended the Council rule requiring physical presence at meetings for the duration of the declared state of emergency. Michigan Executive Order 2020-15 provides temporary authorization of remote participation in public meetings and hearings. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting May 14th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer, J. Tischler C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: C. Zarkovich, C. Nader Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:34 am. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence -None IV. Approvals Agenda for May 14th, 2020: K. Dorshimer moved to approve Agenda, J. Tischler seconded, motion passed. Minutes from April 9th, 2020: J. Tischler moved to approve Minutes, TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED V. Old Town Commercial Association Update: S. Schriner reported that during COVID there isn't much happening, no one hired for the ED yet, though some promising candidates have emerged. VI. Reports Director's Report (C. Edgerly): Budgets have been presented and C. Edgerly participated in virtual Committeee of the Whole conversation. At this time it looks like our budget will be adopted as presented, with ammendments expected next FY due to the impacts of COVID. National consultants have asked to use DLI's Trust Kit and re -skin it for other communities across the U.S., giving DLI credit for inspiration. Board discussion took place regarding if consultants are going to be profiting from it, we may ask for a percentage of that, but overall we don't feel comfortable profiting from other communities at this time.. Right now Cathleen will see what they are doing with our work in order to determine how to move forward. President's Report (JV Anderton): Not much to report here outside of what is included in Action items. J.V. opened the meeting asking Board members for input on what they have heard regarding DLI's efforts, how businesses are doing, and any other feedback. Monthly Financials (J.Tischler): There is some assessment income that appears to have been placed in the wrong category that he and C. Edgerly are looking for clarification on. Cathleen has been representing us in budget meetings with the city. DLI's assessment income should continue. If the general fund changes, DLI funding may change, but right now we are watching and staff are working on strategic plans for the next year and what programming adjustments will be able to be made quickly. K. Dorshimer made a motion to approve the monthly financials for the record: K. Dorshimer moved. TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. V. Action Items a. R.O.W. Patio Permit Fees (J.V./Beth) Last month DLI decided not to charge for right of way permits. We need to refund the folks who have paid so already, including deposits. Applications and approval still have to be granted, but there will be no charge for the permits this year. Karl moved to refund all permit funds collected including deposits, TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION PASSED. b. A FRESH Taste (Siso/Cathleen) Promo met and plans are underway, but based on the circumstances there are plans to forego food trucks this year to cut down on crowds. Virtual elements will be included as well as other options where participants can choose how they participate, with activities not only planned for July 18, but throughout a week — typing into a celebration with Recovery and re -Grand Opening efforts. Plans include: o Music in the park(s) o Downtown scavenger hunt o Cash mobs/gift card efforts o Partnering with Rivertown Adventures o Pop -Up vendors and spaces o Alley -way art o Live performers the week of July 13 on sidewalks of downtown during lunch-hour Board discussed plan and likes plans, with the understanding that it needs to be flexible and timelines may move based on Governor's orders. K. Dorshimer moved to go ahead with this plan. J. Tischler seconded. MOTION PASSED unanimously. c. Website Update (Cara/Cathleen) C. Edgerly updated the group that the review team received a few static views of designs that have come in. Cara, Cathleen and Siso reviewed and sent back proposed changes that incorporated everyone's comments. Developers hope to finalize by the end of June, and the next draft should be workable instead of static for the team and Org committee to review. d. Lansing has HEART! Crowdfunding Effort For the T-shirt partnership with ALT Printing, the campaign will close tomorrow at close of business. Please share the info immediately to help drive the message and sales, as proceeds benefit our downtown small business recovery efforts. The crowdfunding efforts didn't meet our full goal, but we are able to support 7 businesses in their efforts, with awardees being announced tomorrow, Friday May 16. Also the MEDC is putting forth their own fundraising plan to match businesses crowdfunding individually. DLI will share this info to help our businesses. VI. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by K. Dorshimer. JV Anderton seconded. Meeting adjourned at 12:23 p.m. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Emergency Meeting Minutes Online Meeting May 28th, 2020 Members Present: TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer, J. Tischler, C. Zarkovich, C. Nader Members Absent: S. Schriner Board Advisors Absent: Brian T. Jackson Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:32 am. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence -None IV. Approvals Agenda for May 28th, 2020: Karl moved to approve Agenda, T.J. Bucholz Seconded. MOTION PASSED unanimously. V. DLI Participation in Work Share Program The City of Lansing has enrolled employees in the federal Work Share Program, with a majority of City employees moving to 4 day work weeks. The DLI board could choose to follow suit and place both full time and part-time DLI employees on the same 4 day work -week schedule. Board discussion took place regarding how this Work Share Program is structured, as well as the importance of having someone working remotely or in the office to make sure DLI has someone present each day of the week. The DLI Board would like to participate in the Work Share Program Cathleen working with staff to stagger days so there is someone available to represent DLI each day of the week. Motion by Jim Tischler. Second by C. Nader MOTION PASSED unanimously. T.J. added that he would like to see the Board discuss a flexible working environment and look into possible benefits for staff to ensure they are taken care of and this is a supportive work environment. VI. Motion to Adjourn. Motion by J. Tischler to adjourn at 12:05 p.m Second by K. Dorschimer. MOTION PASSED. June 25, 2020 — 11:30 a.m. Special Meeting of the DLI Board. Meeting held via Zoom 401 S. Washington Square, Ste. 101 Lansing, MI 48933 Members Present: J.V. Anderton, Cara Nader, Karl Dorshimer, Jim Tischler, TJ Bucholz Meeting Minutes Meeting called to order at 11:49 a.m. Citizen's Comments (items not on the agenda): None III. Correspondence: None DOWNTOWN LANSING INC. IV. Approval of agenda for June 25, 2020: Motion to Approve by K. Dorshimer. Second by T.J. Bucholz. MOTION PASSED unanimously. V. Discussion/Action Items: Amended FY 2019-2020 budget: J. Tischler introduced the updates regarding DLI's FY 2020 budget. Due to new staffing within the city, and in an effort to give sufficient notice after billing, city tax assessments were sent out late, causing a negative impact to our fiscal year-end budget projections as the final assessment income will not hit our tax roll until July, 2020. The amended budget that was presented to City Council included transferring over $178,000 from the City's general fund yet this fiscal year, which includes $93,000 of Transfer funds projected in our approved FY 2021 budget, as well as the use of $22,972 from DLI's fund balance. While this is meant to have a net zero effect over the next FY, meaning FY 2021 adjustments reflect what would come in with the assessments as well as some of what was transferred for this fiscal year, there are still some issues with our fund balance that need to be worked out with the city in order to make us whole. K. Dorshimer asked why the City couldn't front all from their fund balance, however as J. Tishler explained, this solution lessons the overall budget impact for the city. Board discussion took place and while the entire board expressed concerns regarding how this happened in the first p[lace, we are trusting that the City will be true to their word and that DLI will continue to work to be a part of the solution. Motion by J. Tischler to amend the FY 2020 budget as presented. Second by T.J. Bucholz. MOTION PASSED unanimously. Tishler also recommended adoption of the revised FY 2021 budget as presented to the Board, with additional reviews of the budget and necessary budget adjustments being made in subsequent meetings to restore our fund balance and the overall budget. Motion by J. Tischler. Second by K. Dorshimer. MOTION PASSED unanimously. b. Rotary Park Coordinator Position: C. Edgerly had follow-up discussion with the Community Foundation as well as Delta Dental regarding moving forward with hiring the part-time Rotary Park activation coordinator. The job had been posted back in March with interviews conducted in early April. The Foundation and Delta Dental both feel that now, more than ever, our outdoor spaces play a necessary role in safely bringing people together. However they also understand the larger budget impacts going on at a city level and respect the Board's decision if they want to wait until after the first of the year. Staff has concerns regarding having a person join when we are on furloughs and cut the Adopt -a -Spot coordinator position, while also expressing concerns on future waves of COVID and a possible tenant at the City Market Space. Board discussion took place surrounding opportunity costs versus effectiveness costs and overall, feels that if we wait to bring someone on after the first of the year, this would allow the position to be better set-up for success, have time to build relationships and an activation plan that has positive impact and would be a more efficient use of funds in the long run. MOTION to wait until after the first of the calendar year to hire someone for this part-time position and communicate the Board's decision to both the Community Foundation and Delta Dental so the position is set up for success and has the maximum desired effectiveness by K. Dorshimer. Second by C. Nader. MOTION PASSED unanimously. VI. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn at 12:22 p.m. by T.J. Bucholz. Second by K. Dorshimer. MOTION PASSED 1. Lansing City Council Resolution #2020-055 suspended the Council rule requiring physical presence at meetings for the duration of the declared state of emergency. Michigan Executive Order 2020-15 provides temporary authorization of remote participation in public meetings and hearings. DOWNTOWN LANSING INC. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting July 9th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, TJ Bucholz, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer, C. Nader, J. Tischler Members Absent: C. Zarkovich Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 11:32 am by J.V. Anderton. II. Citizen's Comments: None III. Correspondence: None IV. Approvals: a. Agenda for July 9th, 2020: K. Dorshimer moved to approve. C. Nader supported. MOTION Passed unanimously. b. Minutes from June 25th, 2020: TJ Bucholz moved to approve. K Dorshimer supported. MOTION passed unanimously. c. Special Board Meeting Committee Reports: TJ Bucholz moved to approve. C. Nader supported. MOTION passed unanimously. V. Old Town Commercial Association Update: Art Feast has been cancelled and replaced with sidewalk sales for OT businesses. V. Reports a. Director's Report — Cathleen Edgerly: Fresh Taste —Lift Up Local week kickoff starts Monday, buy passports at freshtaste.org and a few more volunteers are still needed. She's also involved in the meetings and conversations surrounding social districts, drinking zones as well as to -go situations that will be brought up to Council. MEDC/LEAP have new funds to help businesses through the Small Business ReStart program and LEAP's website has a link with all of the info, with $5.5 million available for small businesses and non -profits. Promo is ready to cancel Forks and Corks and Trick or Treat on the Square and Breakfast with Santa. Board discussion took place and while board agrees with cancelling all events, they would like to not offer up Promotions idea of passing Brunch with Santa to Silver Bells as it was an event that started within DLI and the Promotions team. As we look at committees and board structure, we should focus more on recruiting members of the community so that we have more diversity and reflect more of Lansing. A subcommittee was suggested by C. Nader to recruit more diversity and more investment in the committees. President's Report- JV Anderton: Not much to add this month outside of other reports and discussion in action items. Monthly Financials- Jim Tischler: Monthly reports are accurate with nothing out of the ordinary. The city transferred the 178K after the packet had been posted and that was the reason for the amended agenda. More in action items. Motion required to place reports on file: J.Tischler moved to put on file, K. Dorshimer supported, motion passed. VII. Discussion/Action Items: a. Board Re -Appointments: JV Anderton's board seat was up in June, but he has heard that the Mayor intends to reappoint him. It appears that C. Nader is in the same boat. There are no updates from the Mayor's office yet, but that's what we expect. b. Budget FY 2021 Discussion & Resolution Requesting Restoration of Fund Balance (J. Tischler): The shifts in the budget are out of our control, and basically our income has been deferred. A revised budget was adopted involving the general fund and there is a resolution: the city advanced and we adopted to transfer in the general fund monies. Our current adopted budget reflects that we would have less than 100% of the fund balance than prior to these transactions occurring. The net situation means that our new fiscal year is short and has changed to aboutl4K. The City intends to make DLI whole, and there is a proposed resolution from us to the city acknowledging this shortfall and asking for assurance that we will be restored to the full fiend balance of the original adapted budget. The resolution was amended to be more clear based on board suggestions. The board wants to discuss with the city before we present the resolution to make sure we're all on the same page. Motion to approve the resolution as amended: J. Tischler moved, TJ Bucholz supported. Motion passed. c. Website Update (C. Nader): No new communication from them, C. Nader is going to call and discuss pushing this forward with Rambletype as project is behind. d. Arts Council District B Grant Application (C. Edgerly): The Arts Council has asked for District B funding. More discussion is needed regarding the future of this District's grant funding within the DLI organization. C. Nader asked to table that until a later date. And ensure that the Board continues to look at options regarding District B funding. C. Nader moved to divide this year's remainder of funding as follows: $500 to the Arts Council and $1500 to the OTCA. J. Tischler seconded. Motion passed. e. A FRESH Taste - Lift Up Local Week Activities (Staff): The event has pivoted to really support downtown businesses in a way that the community would feel comfortable focusing on local curbside, e- commerce, passports, etc. Info and passports are available at: afreshtaste.org. Basically we're working on ways to assist our small businesses. Cathleen spoke with Linda Vail at the health department and significant changes have been made from the proposed plan to ensure that this is as safe as possible while still showing that there is stuff open downtown and there are ways for community members to be safe and smart to interact with their neighborhood. We are still lacking for our parklets and outdoor seating spaces so these will be added as part of the week's activities. We're reaching out to anyone who may have resources. We need about 300 square feet and a barrier for the south side. Drive-in tickets are sold out. VIII. Adjourn: S. Schiner moved to adjourn at 12:34pm. TJ Bucholz seconded. MOTION passed. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting August 13th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer C. Nader, J. Tischler, C. Zarkovich Members Absent: TJ Bucholz Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:32 am. II. Citizen's Comments -None III. Correspondence -None IV. Approvals Agenda for August 13th, 2020: J. Tischler moved to approve, K. Dorshimer supported. Motion passed. Minutes from July 9th, 2020 Board Meeting: C. Zarkovich moved to approve, J Tischler supported. Motion passed. Committee Reports: K Dorshimer moved to approve, C. Zarkovich supported. Motion passed. V. Old Town Commercial Association Update: On the 22nd Art Feast has been replaced with an Experience Old Town sidewalk sale with music, distanced seating and road closure on Turner for OT businesses. VI. Reports Director's Report — Cathleen Edgerly: Fresh Taste/Lift up Local went very well and was a great learning experiment. Safety plans worked well and several businesses saw a 45% increase in sales (in COVID times, not an increase from pre-COVID sales). Art galleries loved it and the majority of Downtown said "please do more of these!" A partner and sponsor contacted us and the Lift Up Local movement will continue August - October. This next 3 month campaign will focus on an ambassador program and folks will talk about why they love Lansing, using their social media savvy as well as connecting with Old Town and REO Town. Info will be sent to B. Kuiper and will kick off next week. Michigan Premier Events is doing a lot with the campaign and there are lots of participants and businesses involved. The September 17th annual awards event will feature a drive-in format. That will also be the date the Diversity and Inclusion program will begin. President's Report- JV Anderton: JV is officially back on the board and would like us to consider as a board what experience we want in future board members, how boards should work, and work on a better onboarding and board education plan. We should have a diversity workshop, and work on becoming more efficient. Monthly Financials- Jim Tischler: July is the first month of the fiscal year, but with regard to our amended budget nothing is out of the ordinary. Motion required to place reports on file: J.Tischler moved to put on file. K. Dorshimer supported. Motion passed. VII. Discussion/Action Items: a. Budget FY 2021 Changes and Work Session: Last Month's document about assessments went to the city, but we have no response yet. Cathleen will follow up. Adjustments to the budget are highlighted where adjustments were made. J. Tischler would like the board to have a work session and talk about how we can tactically and financially proceed focusing on what's critical and thinks we should plan on increased vacancy rates as well as continued 85% decrease in regular daytime traffic through the end of 2021, so we need to plan accordingly. We should also look at having an emergency budget line item should assessments not come in as expected. C. Edgerly suggested laying out board priorities and then laying out the budget accordingly, and the board agreed. A future Board Budget workshop will be scheduled. b. Maintenance RFP: The Board reviewed the maintenance draft RFP to be put out. It's too late for this year, but next year the board intends to look into whether it's more efficient to have more connection with the city for snow removal and salting in the winter. J.V. and Cathleen will follow-up with the city on some clarifications and this Maintenance RFP will go out to bid next week. J Tischler moved to approve that we move forward with the RFP once the changes above are made and have been approved by JV Anderton. K. Dorshimer supported, and the motion passed. c. Insurance Coverage Update: The Board will consider top tier "at fault" levels and look at how the recent change in law should or shouldn't change our coverage. We also need to look into how much we're covered by the City's insurance, whether we can get better rates by insuring at the same place as the city, as well as review DLPI's coverage. C. Edgerly will reach out to the city to check on our coverage. The Board discussed the parking spaces and who covers those, as well as levels of coverage for the contractors. Cathleen will circulate the suggested changes above. The Board will consider all insurance quotes once clarifications of coverage have been determined in coordination with the City. d. New Website Update (C. Nader): The new website is looking great and is almost finished. Content is all up and it may go live next week. e. Diversity and Outreach (C. Nader, S. Schriner): We're seeking out more voices in order to get started properly. We'd also like some diversity training for the Board. Continued efforts, as well as meetings, will include a diversity and outreach group where we focus on building volunteer teams and a Board that reflects the diversity found in Lansing. f. Regular Board Trainings: As stated earlier, later in the year we'd like to have established a better onboarding plan, and a budget workshop for the Board. Board discussion took place surrounding Board trainings that we all would like to see and experience over the next quarter. The City attoorney's office can hold a training on the Open Meetings Act, Board roles & Responsibilities, FOIA requests etc. The Board would also like to see better onboarding trainings, diversity & inclusion offerings, and continued Board budget work sessions. All Main Street trainings will also be made available. g. Annual Meeting & Volunteer Celebration: Evening of Excellence September 17"'. Org committee had to get really creative this year as we can't hold in person awards. The 17th will be tied into Lift Up Local events, and will be themed around superheroes with lots of ways for folks to participate/watch either via a Drive -In Format or on Facebook live. VIII. Adjourn: JV Anderton moved to adjourn. K Dorshimer supported. Meeting Adjourned at 12:53 pm. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting September 17th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, JV Anderton, K. Dorshimer C. Nader, J. Tischler, C. Zarkovich, T.J. Bucholz Members Absent: Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:36 am. II. Citizen's Comments: None III. Correspondence: None IV. Approvals Agenda for September 17th, 2020: K Dorshimer moved to approve. C. Zarkovich supported. Motion passed. Minutes from August 13th, 2020 Board Meeting: TJ Bucholz moved to approve. C. Zarkovich supported. Motion passed. Minutes from September 3rd Budget Workshop: K. Dorshimer moved to approve. C. Nader supported. Motion passed. Committee Reports: S. Schriner moved to approve. C. Zarkovich supported. Motion passed. V. Old Town Commercial Association Update: No updates. VI. Reports Director's Report: C. Edgerly reported that tonight is the Evening of Excellence (the Annual Meeting) which will be a 20 minute drive-in feature starting at 8:30, and after there will be a free screening of Guardians of the Galaxy to celebrate our downtown super heroes. The Car Hop kicks off today and carries on through Saturday, with multiple participants for both lunch and dinner. Lots of perks for participants. It's also Lift Up Local week, so ambassadors are all over town posting on social media about their favorite businesses. A 50K grant application was submitted to the Consumer's Energy Foundation to help businesses during this time. There is also some work happening in the 300 block of S. Washington Sq. which will preserve the integrity of 3 buildings, while also making improvements to roofing and HVAC systems that can lead to further upper level infill. This project will go before Council next month and hopefully will be approved by council soon. C. Nader let the board know the meetings will be on October 12th with the vote on October 26th, Karl will let us know which date public hearing will be. Match on Main grants went out and final reporting is happening now. The Downtown Maintenance proposals will start arriving to be evaluated next week. President's Report: JV Anderton reported that several downtown restaurants have reopened, including Jalapen6s, Grand Traverse Pie and Social Sloth also opened earlier this month. Voting for officers takes place in January. JV encouraged the Board to start planning our officer positions and who would best fit in those positions. Monthly Financials: J. Tischler reviewed financial statements with the Board. The only item of note is that we were previously concerned what our special assessment numbers would look like and so far indications are the we will hopefully not have any deficit in that revenue, as our July payment came in. We will have a better idea where we stand in December. J. Tischler Moved to approve the financials. TJ Bucholz supported. Motion passed. VII. Discussion/Action Items: a. Budget FY 2021 changes and work session recap (Jim, Cathleen, JV) In summary, after our required expenses going out, we are projecting that we will have 50K to support businesses and will decide later how to best spend that. The 50K budgeted amount was based on the assumption that we would have reduced assessment income, but we will continue to evaluate, as the amount may be larger than the 50K. When we assemble in January we will have a better idea of what our actual funding is looking like, and whether we should adjust our goals and plans. b. Evening of Excellence Sept 17th: If you can't attend the drive-in or view it live stream, the movie will be available later. Please reach out to award winners to thank and congratulate them if you can, as we couln't do this work without them. c. Insurance coverage for DLI: (Cathleen) Cathleen is still waiting on the Finance Director and the City Attorney regarding municipal insurance. d. Residential Packets and EV focus: (Christine, Beth) A subcommittee of several people including the owner of Firefly Yoga, downtown residential units, and residents themselves met to address the growing influx of new residents in downtown, as well as making our residents more aware of businesses located within walking distance, how to support, hours of operation, and specials, activities, etc. A lot of ideas were discussed including coupons, trinkets, possible passports for recognition for patronizing local business, swag bag rewards, and a couple of other things. The idea is to create a welcome packet that follows the "ready to recruit" and welcome packets to let residents know that we're excited they're here, and let them know about all of thee amenities that exist for downtown residents. Rough drafts should be ready next week. Coupon cards have also come up and C. Zarkovich is talking to potential sponsors as well as businesses in REO Town and Old Town. The CVB should also be included in these conversations. VIII. Adjourn: K. Dorshimer moved to adjourn. C. Zarkovich supported. Meeting Adjourned at 12:11 pm. Downtown Lansing Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Online Meeting October 8th, 2020 Members Present: S. Schriner, JV Anderton,C. Nader, J. Tischler, C. Zarkovich, T.J. Bucholz Members Absent: C. Dorshimer Board Advisors Present: Board Advisors Absent: Staff Present: C. Edgerly, B. Kuiper, S. Dhladhla I. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 11:35 am. II. Citizen's Comments: None a. Correspondence: The Lansing Art Gallery sent a lovely thank -you letter about their participation in the Lift Up Local weeks and how beneficial their pop-up out- door shop experience was. IV. Approvals -Agenda for Oct 8th, 2020: C. Zarkovich moved to approve, T.J. Bucholz supported. Motion passed. -Minutes from September 17th, 2020 Board Meeting: J. Tischler moved to approve, C. Zarkovich supported. Motion passed. -Committee Reports: J. Tischler moved to approve, TJ Bucholz supported. Motion passed. V. Downtown Policing Update: Officer Reust was called away, no update. VI. Reports: Director's Report: Cathleen Edgerly: DLI is hosting a walking tour in conjunction with placemaking event next week. There is a lot going on including an art tour. The Arts Council is creating a map. Last week Cathleen represented DLI and presented on the ef- fects of COVID, innovative planning at the MML Fall conference. The MEDA confer- ence is coming up as well and she will be representing DLI there. Several new businesses are opening up over the next two weeks. Please stop in/send a message to welcome them downtown. Next week is the last Lift Up Local week of the season. DLI is also working on a haunted Drive-Thru event with the Artist Umbrella. President's Report- JV Anderton: Regarding our insurance per Greg from the City Atty's office: The city self -insures for their first million dollars and anything outside of those limits comes from a pool. We will receive a letter detailing his thoughts, but it's not likely that we can piggyback or be part of their MML package because we can't self -in- sure to that degree. So, we will need to move forward with other insurance options. Monthly Financials- Jim Tischler: The packet is missing the financials so we will defer this discussion and place them on file. VII. Discussion/Action Items: a. DLI Insurance Coverage: see President's Report b. Downtown Maintenance Contract Award: (Cathleen) After a brief board discussion, J. Tischler moved to approve the Lake State proposal. TJ Bucholz supported. Motion passed unanimously. c. Winter Recharge & Activation Program: (Beth) DLI is working hard with all committees to help our small businesses. DLI received a 15K grant from Con- sumers to help activate the downtown for the winter months. Super Web Pros and other design specialists will create QR codes for windows and the Michigan Re- tailer's Assn will provide some signage. There will be more in pop-up shops and the office is working with property owners on signage to overall activate vacant storefronts for the holidays and winter season. The office is also going through the survey responses of downtown businesses and getting more ideas every day. -Current ideas being explored include: closing a side street, providing lighting, and possibly using snowflakes or ornamental lighting to add vibrancy downtown in the winter months where its typically pretty dark. This will help our businesses as well as help keep residents' spirits up. d. Downtown Development Projects: (Cathleen) There is a Committee of the Whole meeting tonight at 5m where they will be discussing the 300 block of South Washington projects including walls, HVAC and other improvements that will provide long term results and make a big difference in this small development. COW will also be discussing the proposal for Lansing Shuffleboard and Social Club which could activate all sorts of other businesses and revolve in and out. Detroit Rising Development has had success with this before. The board is asked to support both projects and advocate for these downtown projects in the future. e. New Business: The E. Allegan/Grand structure demolition is moving forward and Cathleen will keep everyone updated. VIII. Adjourn: J. Tischler moved to adjourn, C. Nader supported. Meeting Adjourned at 12:19 pm. November 25, 2020— 11:00 a.m. DOWNTOWN DLI Board Meeting Minutes LANSING INC. This special meeting of the Board will be held via Zoom Meeting 844 8277 2170 401 S. Washington Square, Ste. 101 Lansing, MI 48933 Attendance: J.V. Anderton, Christine Zarkovich, Jim Tischler, Summer Schriner, Karl Dorshimer, TJ Bucholz Staff: Cathleen Edgerly, Beth Kuiper r=r AGENDA Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 11:00 a.m. II. Citizen's Comments: None III. Correspondence: None IV. Approvals: Motion by J. Tischler, Second by K. Dorshimer to approve Agenda for November 25, 2020. MOTION PASSED. Motion by J. Tischler, Second by J.V. Anderton to approve Executive Board meeting minutes. MOTION PASSED. V. Discussion/Action Items: a. Resignation of Cara Nader. J.V. Anderton apologized to the Board for not handling the Board meeting better earlier this month. Recognizes passions were high, there was a lot of frustration resulting from the previous Council meeting. C. Edgerly shared a summary of her conversation with C. Nader and both City leadership, the actions of Council, DLI Shortfalls, and the challenges of running a business all weighed in on C. Nader's decision to resign. Additional board discussion took place surrounding the need for healthy discussions and that disagreements are expected as well as varying opinions needed on the Board. Board members shared concerns surrounding open board seats, how to best move forward and steps to improve communications with Council were reiterated. Motion by T.J. Bucholz to accept C. Nader's resignation. Second by C. Zarkovich. J. Tischler abstained. MOTION PASSED VI. Adjourn: Motion by TJ Bucholz to Adjourn at 11:35 a.m. Second by C. Zarkovich. 'MOTION PASSED. Meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m. ss.ii.zo DLI Board Meeting Minutes taken by: Christine Zarkovich Present: Karl, TJ, Jim, Christine, JV, Cara, Jimmy Absent: Summer DLI Staff: Cathleen, Siso, Beth Meeting Called to order at 11:35am by J.V. Anderton Motion to approve Agenda by Christine Zarkovich. Second by T.J. Bucholz. MOTION PASSED Motion to Approve Minutes. Motion -J. Tishler. Second by K. Dorschimer Motion to Place Committee Reports on File by K. Dorschimer. Second by C. Zarkovich. MOTION PASSED III. No Police update IV. Downtown Maintenance Update (Lake State) • Flower baskets have been taken down. • Christmas lights, waiting on city hall. • Doing leaf clean-up and biz as usual. V. Reports: Executive Director Report: C. Edgerly shared that Mayor Schor s going to hold a Q&A hour with biz 10/13 at 3pm. Cathleen will send out Zoom information again. Please share concerns, ideas, etc during that time. 2 hour parking will also be complimentary for the holiday season within the downtown district. Enhanced colorful lighting is being planned as part of the Winter Activation efforts with the EV and Design team to add to the comfort, safety and overall feel of downtown. BWL and City, along with All Star Media are involved, and the MEDC and MML will match funds through the Patronicity crowdfunding platform. DLI and the Design & Public Spaces team will also continue to work with the City and BWL to come up with a long-term plan to improve our city's electrical and lighting infrastructure. President's report: Reminder of January Officer elections. Please connect with JV if you're interested in an Executive Team position. With 202 having have been a long, touch year, and the holiday season being extremely busy, J.V. asked to cancel December Board meeting. All board members agreed with this decision. Financial Report: Nothing is out of the ordinary, and there haven't been many expenses outside of day-to-day operations. One $50 return from BWL as part of the Lift Up Local program needs to be moved in the accounting system and C. Edgerly will take care of that. Overall with what is coming so far, we are on track with the original adopted budget in terms of assessment income. Motion by J. Tishler to approve Sept Financials. TJ Supported. MOTION Passed unanimously. Motion by J. Tishler to approve October financials. K. Dorshimer supported. MOTION Passed unanimously. si.zz.ao DLI Board Meeting Minutes taken by: Christine Zarkovich VI: Discussion Items: Insurance: Board reviewed annual Insurance coverage quotes provided by Broker. Even if all items included, some of which DLI has never had, the quotes provided in the proposed move from Philadelphia to Great American Insurance would provide a sizeable cost savings to the organization. J.V. Anderton asked for feedback regarding Shinberg's confidence in the quality of coverage from Great American. C. Edgerly responded that they feel quite confident. Discussion took place regarding social engineering and cyber coverage, and other add-ons. C. Nader believes we should definitely have coverage on cyber coverage. Cara would like more in the policy what these coverages entailed. Karl confirmed if the social engineering is for the whole year and asked how much it would cover in loss? J. Tishler stated that its more important is we get a coverage policy in place to prevent gaps. J. Tishler motions to accept this policy proposal and authorize staff to execute it. Karl Supported. MOTION Passed unanimously. Small Business Support Programming: B. Kuiper shared that all 4 committees are discussing their projects for next year with a priority focus on providing small business support. Through Design & public spaces, we're working on outdoor winter seating to help businesses stay open and bring in revenue. City gave okay to keep the pop-up patios on sidewalks and look at a way to add heating elements and look at a roof or barrier to protect from weather. Via sponsorship from Lake Trust Credit Union, DLI is able to give away grants to help with winter activation for businesses ranging from $500-$1500. The team is working vacant spaces and how to use them in a positive way, as well as the coordinated effort with Promo to activate and fill vacant windows with contact -less window displays. Windows that highlight the need to Lift Up Local and Support Lansing will also be included. Pop-up businesses will also be involved. • S. Dhladhla reported that as a team with Promotions we're Continuing Lift up Local promotional efforts through the winter with new ambassadors. Also working with Redhead Design Studio on a Lansing wide pledge to have people commit to Lift Up Local during the holidays and beyond. AT&T first corporate sponsor. Looking for a creative way to incorporate the corporate partners, especially with state being shut down, and we're leaning on residents too. DT Development projects Update: On Monday evening, there was a public hearing regarding the 300 block Doug Marek's properties, Beth and Cathleen offered public comment. There were concerns surrounding commercial rehabilitation project including residential and commercial as well as other nuances that show how fractured this council can be at times. Was a long and emotional meeting that ended with the Council not approving the 300 block project, which is a loss for downtown. C. Edgerly also shared it was also especially dis-heartening to have a Council member say on the record, that they did not support more investment in the downtown, and that other areas of our city need it. C. Nader wanted to know who stated this, which was Mr. 11.12.2o DLI Board Meeting Minutes taken by: Christine Zarkovich Hussain. Board discussed ongoing education with Council, need for more conversations and determining who was not interested in investing in downtown. Overall Board would like to see more attendance and interest from our Council liaison and the next year will be telling in terms of the direction our city takes. C. Nader share that her business is located in the 300 block project that was turned down. That building will collapse within the next 5 years. Wall needs to be redone. J. Tishler stated overall its an embarrassment in disturbing what happened at Monday night's Council meeting. Mr. Marek went through all the obstacles throughout 6 months had to pay 3K to get "kicked in the teeth." Additional discussion took place regarding serious frustrations and concerns. Time will tell if this is the direction our Council and City continue to take. Staff, property owners and consultants spent a lot of time, and Council's vote sends a message about development downtown. DLI will continue to do our best to take a leadership role and advocate for projects downtown. Board should put a lot of thought into what we can do and lead to help foster a biz environment. There isn't a successful city in the world that doesn't have a thriving downtown. Discussion will be ongoing at a DLI level. • Updated DT plan: C. Edgerly asked board to start work over on a one-year strategic plan, specific goals and measurable. Staff will work on a draft budget and plan. TJ Bucholz offered to help lead a plan and communications plan with Board approval. Board approved this is important and necessary. Cathleen will also follow-up with TJ. VII: Motion to Adjourn: Christine moved to adjourn at 12:38pm. TJ Seconded. Jim - Comment to the board members, please don't take his critical comments to heart, he's just very passionate about what happens downtown. Meeting Adjourned at 12:38pm