Economic Development Advisory Board Meeting

Economic Development Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 5:00 p.m. Members Present: Otto Mills, Heather Mahaley, Matt Reece, Jason Wood, John West, Patrick DiBiasse, Kris Boger of Discover Doylestown (via Zoom), Marjan Shirzad of Fonthill Castle, Doreen McVaugh for the Doylestown Historical Society, Recreation Director, and Special Events Coordinator Caitlin Hernandez. The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm. Approval of Minutes – Approved as submitted. Comprehensive Plan Update – Provided by Heather Mahaley. The Planning Commission had a meeting to reset their goals for the Comprehensive Plan. Heather reported it was a productive meeting, with many of the original implementable ideas, narrowed down into several topics with actionable tasks. The Planning Commission will meet again at the end of March to continue narrowing down the Comprehensive Plan before meeting with the County’s Planning Commission in April. Heather shared the six core ideas, which include preserving the mixed-use community, transportation aspects of the town, family-oriented development, environmental aspects of living, recreation, culture, and arts, and the historic character of Doylestown. Discover Doylestown Project – Kris Boger gave an update on the upcoming initiatives. Flower basket planting will occur in early April at the greenhouse at DelVal. Hang dates for flower baskets will be announced in May once the flowers have had a chance to grow in their baskets. The community clean-up volunteer slots are filling up. The Arts Fest applications are about a week from closing. The Easter Egg scavenger hunt is taking place in town until March 30. Many spring activities will be taking place throughout the month. Doylestown Cultural District Report – Marjan Shirzad updated the Board on the Cultural District activities. Heather asked if maps are available for people from out of town to help direct them to the business district and different food and shopping options. Looking ahead to 2024, the current focus is the Doan Gang Outlaws of the American Revolution. It is an interactive dive into American history. This exhibit will offer multiple perspectives of locals during the time of the Revolution. The 4th of July activities are in the works. From May through October, we will have the movies at the Mercer. The Michener will be open until 8:00 pm on the first Thursday of the month. Admission will be free on the second Sunday of the month, and free family programs will be offered. Doylestown Historical Society Report - Doreen McVaugh updated the Board on upcoming activities occurring at the DHS. A film presentation will occur at the Senior Center featuring Rosie the Riveter. One of the original Rosies will be at the screening to discuss her role in the war effort. There will be two additional speaker events coming up. Thursday, April 18, at 6:30, a local artist will be coming to discuss his artwork and the history of art in Doylestown. April 19th, there will be a screening of a film featuring Judge Clyde Waite, the only African American elected to be a judge in the Bucks County Courts, with a Q&A to follow. We expect this to be a sellout crowd. The DHS will be open on Saturdays from 10:00-3:00. There is more information on activities and other events on the DHS website. Walking tours will start again soon, and the DHS is bringing back the popular Halloween tours.  Economic Development Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 5:00 p.m. Social Media Report – Caitlin Hernandez updated the Board on all the social media channels and the posts that have had the best interactions across the board. Economic Development Report – Caitlin also gave the vacancy report to the Board and reported the sales of businesses and the new businesses and restaurants slated to have openings soon. DART Report - None Mayor’s Report – None Old/New Business – Jason Wood would like each board member to develop a few measurable metrics to bring to the next meeting to help decide the direction the Board should move. This could be in conjunction with the Comprehensive Plan. He suggested concepts that can be used to help bring more business to town. Marjan noted one of the reasons she gives attendance numbers is to show how the museums compare to the past few years. These metrics indicate the overall health and well-being of the economy of the Borough. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm. Respectfully Submitted by: Erika Fellman Economic Development Advisory Board Minutes Secretary