Downtown Advisory Board

CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD Downtown Program Office | 125 Fifth Avenue West, Suite 200 | Hendersonville NC 28792 Tuesday, December 12, 2023 – 4:00 PM MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER – In attendance – Chris Cormier, Nancy Neikirk, Phil Wilmot, Caroline Gunther, Matthew Hickman, John Ryan, Aaron Adams, Sam Simmons, Joe Dinan Absent – Michele Woodhouse, Carol Sitzer, Heang Uy, Mark Pavao, Jerry Fitzgerald (online) Nonvoting members absent - Councilwoman Debbie Roundtree, Anthony McMinn Staff present: Lew Holloway, Jamie Carpenter, Terrye Jacobs 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA – John Ryan made a motion to add Downtown Dollars to the agenda. Aaron made the motion. Nancy seconded. All were in favor 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - November 2023 Downtown Advisory Board Minutes – Phil Wilmot made a motion to approve. Matthew Hickman seconded. 4. OLD BUSINESS Downtown Event Update 2023 Review + 2024 Planning – Jamie Carpenter shared a list of events that are expected for 2024. Pointed out that Fiesta Hendersonville will be moving from October traditionally to May 5 (Cinco De Mayo). Staff have asked that Rhythm & Brews is moved to a June – October schedule. This request is multifold – after taking over the management of Garden Jubilee, we are heavy on the front end of events in May which is substantially more difficult than the October month where the season is slowing down. Also, when R&B began, we did not have as many events taking place downtown in May. Matthew Hickman made a motion to change the schedule for R&B to run June – October 2024, Joe Dinan seconded. All were in favor. It was noted that the general consensus would be to have R&B from May – October. There was further discussion on future events to consider for long term planning and staffing. Including but not limited to larger and smaller events on Main Street and the 7th Avenue District. Note for future meeting - Brainstorming on events for 2025-2026 – possibly at February meeting. 7th Avenue Streetscape Update – Lew Holloway gave a brief history of when we first started talking about the Streetscape in 2017. In 2020, council was presented the design. $3.5 million is total project budget. The guaranteed maximum price which Council will review for the project to move forward at $3.540 million. This number does not include Locust. It also does not include additional alternates – cable/internet providers going underground. DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD – December 12, 2023 Page | 1 Recommended GMP includes – gateway sign at the Grove intersection. Project from MLK to Railroad tracks, landscaping, design features, stormwater. Locust was another $320,000 and the internet underground was another $130-150k. An additional budget will have to be a policy decision and would have to come from the fund balance. Duke will be installing taller poles for power lines, more height on poles. The big item will be leaving Locust out – does not effect the project in the future. Chris Cormier suggested keeping Locust in the project – finding the funds Phil suggested AT&T / fiber would benefit the businesses by going underground, but the general consensus was that the board understood that placing some items underground will not prevent other lines from being added at a later date. The GMP is slated to be reviewed by City Council at a special meeting on December 13. 5. NEW BUSINESS - Downtown Dollar Suggestion – this item was moved to Economic Vitality Team meeting for discussion. 6. OTHER BUSINESS 1. Downtown Team & Workplan Updates – Jamie Carpenter gave an update. Our new Downtown Property Crew Leader has started. His name is Erik Miller, has worked in similar positions in Melbourne, Florida. Will be interviewing for Worker position in next few weeks. This position will be working with Bruce Lowe to transition landscaping. We also discussed the removal/ reduction of some of the raised planters which has been discussed by the board for several years now. 7. ADJOURNMENT The City of Hendersonville is committed to providing accessible facilities, programs and services for all people in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Should you need assistance or an accommodation for this meeting please contact the City Clerk no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting at 697-3005. DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD – December 12, 2023 Page | 2