Main Street Advisory Board

1 MAIN STREET ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES – March 15, 2019 Present: Cheryl Spencer Chair, Heike Ness, Sandra Gray, Laura Bruns, John Matthews, Absent: Doris Collins, Helen Belcher, Gaye Clements, Caroline Crimm, Staff: Tammy Gann, & Tracy Chappell Guests: none Chair Spencer called the meeting to order at 12:35pm. Consideration and possible action on approval of February 15, 2019 minutes. MOTION WAS MADE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JANUARY 18, 2019. BRUNS/HEIKE/UNANIMOUS Main Street Coordinator Report – Chappell and Gann gave an update on downtown parking which included information on the restriping of the downtown square and the addition of the new spaces on 13th St. They continued to discuss the concerns that were brought up during the first reading at council concerning the amendment of the ordinance that exempts jurors from receiving parking citations. The majority of the concerns were regarding juror safety. The parking map that was created for council was also presented to the board to better tell the story of what the parking cituation actually looks like. Main Street Committee Report: Bruns discussed information that was presented at the last promotions committee meeting including monthly events to take place downtown during the summer. These ideas included a scavenger hunt, ice-cream and & popsicles days, a tailgate on the square, and an event centered on “Arts, Antiques & Automobiles”. She continued to update the group on Wine Down Shop Small. Bruns also brought up the old hotel binders that each room used to have that included ads for downtown businesses. Discussion – Discussion was intended to be centered on the Work Plan and goals for 2019, but the board decided it would be better to look over the current work plan and bring their thoughts and ideas to the next board meeting. Public Restrooms: This is an item that has been brought up as a part of strategic planning. Options discussed included trailer restrooms, train container restrooms, and any buildings with current vacancy. The “wall lot” is the only area that is city property that could be used, but this would remove parking. Budget: Staff requested a “wish list” of items that the board would like to include in the upcoming budget. Items discussed included repainting lamppost, evaluating banner poles, lighting, and hanging baskets with flowers. Adverting & Tourism: The board discussed the desire to work closely with the tourism department on advertising efforts and maybe include Kimm on a MSAB meeting. MSAB Minutes March 15, 2019  2 Items of Interest – Gann gave an update on the status of the bat colony that is living in the abandoned TDCJ warehouse. TDCJ closed off sections of the warehouse which was then altering the path that the bats were accustom to taking to get home. The city was hoping that TDCJ and Texas Parks and Wildlife would be able to figure out the best solution to the problem, but with the bat migration season quickly approaching there were to be many bats that would be displaced and finding homes elsewhere within the city. Aron Kulhavy would be making council aware of the current situation. There being no further business the meeting adjourned. BRUNS/HEIKE/UNANIMOUS MSAB Minutes March 15, 2019