Main Street Advisory Board Meeting

CITY OF BASTROP MAIN STREET ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of the Jan. 10, 2017 Meeting Main Street Advisory Board chair Dick Smith called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Attending were members Michelle Adams, Steve Bridges, Sandra Grawunder, Shanda Hernandez, Jennifer Long, Terry Moore, and Naseem Nainani. Member Jeanette Condray was absent. Others attending were BMSP Director Sarah O’Brien, Economic Vitality Co-Chair Bonnie Coffey, City Council Liaison Bill Ennis and Visit Bastrop President/CEO Dale Lockett. December 14 minutes: On a motion by Michelle, seconded by Jennifer, the Board approved the minutes of the Dec. 14 Board meeting, corrected to reflect Sandra’s membership on the Design Committee rather than the Economic Vitality Committee. MSAB Director’s report: Sarah updated the Board on several business changes in the Main Street Program area: • “Southern Edge Boutique”, a new women’s clothing store at 705 Pine Street, has opened; a ribbon cutting and grand opening are planned for Feb. 8. • “Neighbors Kitchen and Yard”, in The Crossing, has a new owner (Tom Dickey). • “Copper Shot Brewery” is preparing to move into its new location in The Crossing. • “601 Cyclery”, a bicycle rental and repair shop operated by Matthew Brooks, is poised to open in The Crossing within the next few weeks. • “The Hub”, a shared workspace and coffee shop, is opening in the Prokop Building, at 913 Main Street. It will host a ribbon cutting on Feb. 12. • “The R.A. Greene Mercantile”, at 1022 Main Street, has multiple spaces available for small retail businesses. • “Bastrop Beer Company”, a craft beer shop relocating from Cedar Park where it operated as Hamrick’s Craft Beer Market, is preparing to open at 1008 Main Street. • “Main Street Café”, at 1006 Main Street, has been permitted for beer and wine service, is developing a new menu and plans to provide dinner service in the near future. Sarah further updated on the Board on activities supporting Bastrop’s candidacy for a Small Business Revolution grant. Bastrop is among the “Top 10” nominated cities and the only Texas nominee to make that cut. “SBR – Main Street” program reps visited Bastrop Jan. 7-8 for a whirlwind tour of Main Street, video interviews with selected businesses and an “everybody on the bridge” send-off as they left for other candidates. The reps will narrow the list to a “Top 5” on February 13 and open the competition to a week of national voting. The city garnering the greatest number of votes will qualify for $500,000 in direct business support. Sarah noted that the visit went very well, perhaps boosting Bastrop chances for making “Top 5”. A collaboration among BMSP and its partners will be spearheading a “#mybastrop spread-the-word campaign to build social media buzz and, if Bastrop reaches the “Top 5”, a get-out-the- vote campaign throughout Texas and beyond. Visitor Bastrop President/CEO Dale Lockett added that his organization was assisting the #MyBastrop marketing push, including the addition of an information/ resource page at www.visitbastrop.com/about/mybastrop-movement. (Other current DMO activities, reported by Dale, include continued redevelopment of www.visitbastrop.com and the development of an extranet “back door” to the website to allow local businesses and organizations to submit updates to their content and events to a master calendar.) In other matters:  • Victoria Psenick has joined the Hospitality & Downtown Department and will take over the City’s event application/approval process from Marty DuVall who recently retired as Parks & Recreation Department administrative assistant. Victoria will serve and Community Recreation and Special Event Coordinator; he office will be in the Emergency Shelter now under construction on Linden Street in north Bastrop. • Consultant Vicki Soderberg has delivered her report and recommendations regarding the Bastrop Culture District and the Culinary Arts District, both of which have failed to achieve an operational foundation. Her recommendations center on initiatives that might be undertaken in the interim before the Cultural Arts strategic plan, called for by the City’s Comprehensive Plan, can be developed. • Representatives of the La Grange Main Street and Tourism Programs will make a site visit to Bastrop on Jan. 27 and will meet with BMSP representatives to share information regarding structure, programs and aspirations. Promotions Committee report: Co-chair Terry Moore reported a successful, well-attended Lost Pines Christmas and that the Committee’s focus has now shifted to the second annual Table On Main, has been scheduled for April 29. The event will continue to showcase Bastrop’s restaurants, local farmers and Texas wine and beer. Sandra volunteered to help coordinate event logistics. With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.