Committee of the Whole Meeting

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Hall – Council Chambers March 2, 2020 The Committee of the Whole met in the Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m. on March 2, 2020, with the following Committee persons in attendance: Mayor Robert M. Green, Frank Darrah, Susan deBuhr, Simon Harding, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller, and Dave Sires. Staff members attended from all City Departments. Andrew Wind with the Waterloo Courier, Danny Laudick with Red Cedar, Sue Beach, Amy Lang, as well as members of the community were in attendance. Mayor Green called the meeting to order and introduced the first item on the agenda, Board of Adjustment Interview Sue Beach. Ms. Beach is a reappointment and has been on the board since 2010. A brief discussion was held. Mayor Green introduced the second item Board of Adjustment Interview Amy Lang. Ms. Lang is another reappointment and has been on the board since 2013. A brief discussion was held. Mayor Green continued with the third item Hearst Visioning Committee. Heather Skeens Cultural Programs Supervisor started her review with the history of the Hearst Center for the Arts and the discussions for expansion over the years. She stated they held monthly meetings to review what the expansion might look like. She reviewed five different recommendations:  Minor Expansion of current location  Major Expansion including the 224 Seerley Blvd. land  New Building on current site  New Location in Downtown area  Current location plus a Satellite location Ms. Skeens explained the current limitations in the current facility. She stated they held two listening sessions and assessed user information. She stated they had various site visits to similar institutes in Iowa. Ms. Skeens stated they looked at 14 project drivers in reviewing the five recommendations; through this process they eliminated the minor expansion at the current location and the option for a satellite location and current location. She stated the visioning committee’s primary recommendation is a new building at an off-site location within or adjacent to the cultural and entertainment district and their secondary recommendation is a major expansion on-site. She reviewed the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) funding both available and potential sources. She explained the next steps including drafting an RFP to find a new location. She offered for Council to visit the Hearst Center for a tour of the current facility. A brief discussion was held. Mayor Green introduced the fourth item on the agenda Red Cedar Update. Danny Laudick reviewed the mission statement of Red Cedar. He reviewed the key partnerships. He explained where new startup companies are falling short and how they are receiving help through key findings and opportunities. Mr. Laudick reported they have just over 100 people working at Mill Race Co-working representing 30 different companies. He stated they secured two additional seed fund investors in 2019. Mr. Laudick reviewed the Founder Programs the startup companies can participate in. There being no discussion, Mayor Green moved to the final item on the agenda, bills and payroll. Daryl Kruse moved to approve the bills and payroll as presented, and Simon Harding seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. There being no further discussion, Daryl Kruse motioned to adjourn, and Mark Miller seconded the motion. Mayor Green adjourned the meeting at 6:23 p.m. Minutes by Lisa Roeding, Controller/City Treasurer