IF Downtown Development Corporation (IFDDC)

Idaho Falls Downtown Development Board Meeting held April 5, 2022, at 9:00am in the Arts Council conference room. Those in attendance: Jake Durtschi, Kevin Cutler, Brandi Newton, Jill Hansen, Cindy Napier, Tasha Taylor, Greg Crockett, Kasi Nelson, Chip Langerak, Shanon Taylor, Emily Fitzpatrick, Lisa Farris. Staff –Mala Lyon and Juan Hernandez Minutes of the March 1, 2022, meeting reviewed; Greg Crockett motioned to accept, Kevin Cutler seconded; board approved. Financial report – Brandi – we are running in the red due to 2 fundraiser events being canceled; parking is in the black; we are over budget for snow removal; we are still figuring out how parking fees are going to come in. Jake said we have $27,000 in outstanding fines that have not been paid, but notification letters are going out, collection process is in the works and the ability to tow vehicles is coming together. Greg Crockett motioned to accept; Tasha Taylor seconded; board approved. Request from Chesbro’s for the “Spring onto Broadway” event for $750. We have supported this event in the past and $500 was budgeted. Other merchants on Broadway participate and pay a fee to help with advertising and expenses. Brandi proposed that the extra $250 be approved with the request that we receive a detailed after event report and with details on how the money was spent. Cindy seconded; board approved. Lisa – we have $19,000 in funds and the letter was received for the request of $50,000 for the next round. They will listen to applicants in July and August and approve the amount we can use. The new business Bumble & Bleat is working on their grant; John Page with Page Insurance needs to follow up; Ford’s Bar expressed interest then has not completed the paperwork. Park Avenue waterline – Chip – it is going well – Chip was the only one who came to the Wednesday meeting, but they are doing a great job keeping people informed. They told the Villa that they needed to turn the water off for 30 minutes and it was back on in 35 minutes. The did punch a hole in the ceiling of the basement in Tasha’s building which went into a utility room. The basement extends to under the sidewalk, and they didn’t realize that. There were some ADA concerns, but the city quickly addressed the problem by bringing in some plywood. The service lines to the buildings, water meters and the water main are all being installed or replaced. We have been collecting signature for the support of placing parking meters on-street. Even if people don’t want to sign there has been good communication and a better understanding of the downtown economic health concerning parking. Kevin said that I.F. Power is looking at installing EV charger meters – the cost is $500 for one that does not require payment and the one the requires payment is $10,000. They are wondering if we could place a pay meter next to it as a pay to park and charge meter. Ballots were passed out to the board of directors and the following were unanimously voted in: Kevin Cutler President Chip Langerak Vice President Jill Hansen Secretary Brandi Newton Treasurer Jacob Durtschi Past President Liza McGeachin - Owner & Manager of The Celt Pub – asked when IFDDC would get back to holding events. Before covid there was talk of working with the city plan to make outdoor dining more available, but that seems to have stalled. Jake said there has been a shift away from using the Civitan Plaza for events to the Broadway Plaza off Memorial. Krisi, our event planner, has retired and we have had some issues with some restaurants who want the events and others who do not. Chip and Liza both agreed that staffing has been a problem and doing one more thing with a smaller than normal staff was impossible. The application with the city to use the streets for an event has become very complicated with the Fire Department saying access is paramount to safety. There was a problem at Alive After 5 where a lady suffered heat stroke and the ambulance could not get to her easily, so they are not wanting to allow streets to be blocked for events. Chip said it is ok to shut down a street for 3 months to repair a water main and work around it, but not ok to shut down for 6 hours for an event? Greg said we need to look to Boise as an example of using the streets. Kasi said Jim Francis is on our side and we need to use his influence to help us work through this problem. Jake said Anas is also a resource for urban infrastructure that we need to use. Our downtown needs to focus on being pedestrian friendly that is our uniqueness the walkability. It is important we protect our downtown events like ‘Taste of Downtown’ and keep them downtown. Cindy asked if we will be hiring a new event planner? Yes as soon as possible. Kasi said you must get creative in filling out the city application – they like pictures and charts, but once you fill it out once it is not so bad. Alive After 5 went to PJ at Parks & Rec and the fire chief to discuss what they wanted before they filled out the application. The city is short staffed too so things like an agreement to clean up after events is helpful. Farmer’s Market requires a weekly fee and payment for electricity used that is paid to the city. Meeting was adjourned at 9:46am The next board meeting will be held May 3, 2022 Respectfully submitted Jill Hansen, secretary and Mala Lyon