Community Promotion & Tourism

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Community Promotion & Tourism Trustee Mike Fugiel, Chairperson, Trustee Bill Johnston, Alternate Chairperson, Jill Payne, Marguerite Micken, Joe Orsolini, Lori Solyom, Nancy Schukat, Phil Dahm, Bill Mrazek and Brad Hanewall Ex-Officio Members: Yvonne Invergo - Lombard Chamber of Commerce; Beth Marchetti - DuPage Convention & Visitors' Bureau; Yorktown Centre - Todd Hiepler; Neil De Guia - Embassy Suites; Juanita Hernandez - Extended Stay America; Randy Kline - Sure Stay Plus; Max Schultz - Hyatt Place; Karen Borris - Marriott Fairfield Inn; Adriana DeHoyos - Extended Stay America; Frank Balisteri - Comfort Suites; Maureen Fleetwood - Sonesta ES Suites; Nick Hefner - Towne Place Suites; Mike Feigenbaum - The Westin Hotel Tuesday, January 8, 2019 7:00 PM Community Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson, Mike Fugiel at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jill Payne. 2.0 Roll Call Present 7 - Mike Fugiel, Marguerite Micken, Jill Payne, Lori Solyom, Nancy Schukat, William Mrazek, and Brad Hanewall Absent 2 - Joe Orsolini, and Phil Dahm Also Present: Sarah Richardt, Lombard Historical Society, Jenelle Hardtke, Lombard Jr. Women’s Club, Yvonne Invergo, Lombard Chamber of Commerce, Sharon Raskowski, Lombard Garden Club, Cindy Ward, Lombard Garden Club, Nicole Sittig, Lombard Lilac Parade, Ellyn Murphy, Lombard Lilac Parade and Laura Sasinka, Lombard Lilac Parade, Nicole Aranas, Staff Liaison Village of Lombard Page 1 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 3.0 Public Participation None. 4.0 Approval of Minutes The minutes of the October 2, 2018, were approved by Nancy Schukat, seconded by Bill Mrazek. The motion passed by unanimous vote. 5.0 Old Business None. 6.0 New Business 190002 Local Tourism Grant Application - Walking Tour of Historic Lombard Grant Request from the Lombard Historical Society in the amount of $1,800 from Hotel/Motel funds for the printing of 1500 Walking Tour guides. The Walking Tours will begin in March 2019. Sarah Richardt, director of the Lombard Historical Society presented the grant application. Sarah noted that the Lombard Sesquicentennial, the 150th Anniversary, is March 29, 2019. The First Meeting of the Village of Lombard was held April of 1869. The Lombard Historical Society is planning a number of programs related to the sesquicentennial. They are doing an exhibit of the inception of Lombard with different lectures, mapping and how the borders were developed, and on the people who brought Lombard to start, how it came about and what happened. Their plan is to get people moving, walking and learning about history in an active way. They worked with a history professor to put together a historic walking tour. Samples of the walking tour pamphlet were passed around to the committee members. Sarah noted that they already have an Underground Railroad walking tour and continued with the same theme. The original 1874 map is the guide and there are 30 different stops around the downtown with additional historical information. The society covered the writing and design of the map and they are looking for grant funding to assist with the printing. Currently they are printing small amounts of copies and/or printing them in-house. Village of Lombard Page 2 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 The LHS would like money for a grant in order to print a large amount of the maps to give to the local hotels to distribute to their guests so that they can do the tour on their own. Providing the map would get guests to go and walk downtown and hopefully also support the downtown business. The historical society is also doing a pub crawl through the downtown along the route. The Lombard Historical Society is hoping to print 1000 copies. Sarah noted that while this may not generate new hotel visits, it will get the people who are already staying here to visit the downtown. Sarah added that LHS does a lot outside of the committee. They have gone from 10,000 visitors in 2017 to 12,000 in 2018. There has been a 50% increase in visitors at the Peck House being open on Thursday nights with live music and a fire. They have received grants from the Village and also from the Lombard Service League, Kiwanis, Park districts, Ace Hardware, others. One of the largest sources of money received was a $20,000 donation by a documentary film maker to make a documentary film about Sheldon Peck. The filmmaker, Jonathan Frakes, traveled to Vermont and New York at his own cost to make this documentary. Committee Member Lori Solymon commented that she is impressed with the program moving forward. A motion was made by Lori Solyom, seconded by Nancy Schukat, to approve funding the grant to the Lombard Historical Society for $1,800, to print walking tour maps. The motion was approved by unanimous vote. 190003 Local Tourism Grant Application 2019 - Lilac Princess Program Grant request from the Lombard Junior Women’s Club in the amount of $6,029 from Hotel/Motel funds for expenses supporting the Lilac Princess Program. The grant supports the $1,000 scholarships awarded to each of 5 Princess, the program administration for events, flowers and printing. The program begins in March and culminates with the Lilac Ball on May 19, 2019. The Lilac Princess program was represented by Jenelle Hardtke. This is Jenelle’s first year submitting the grant application, Sue Horner did it previously. The Princess Program has been a major part of Lilac Time in Lombard. The princesses are the best ambassadors of the area. They provide community service and are great role models. Total cost of program is $9,000. The Lombard Jr. Women’s Club is seeking $6,029, which only covers 26% of the program cost. The Junior Women’s Club is invested in this program and is planning on doing fundraising for the program as well. They are meeting tonight to put together fundraising plans for the year, so it is difficult for Jenelle to share what the club’s fundraising plans will be at this time. Yvonne Invergo of the Lombard Chamber of Commerce asked for information Village of Lombard Page 3 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 on past fundraisers. Jenelle responded that the club previously we did a floral showcase. The group also used to hold a Mother/Daughter Tea, the fundraisers change from year to year. Committee member Nancy Schukat asked if the program will generate 15 room nights? Jenelle stated that the room nights are an estimated 15 hotel stays from families and others that will be reserved around the Lilac Ball. Lori Solyom asked if this is the same amount year to year? Committee member Marguerite Micken questioned if the program will be implementing print media? Jenelle’s response was that yes, we will. Sue Horner of the Lilac Princess Program noted that they are working with the princesses on dates and wanting to communicate that it is possible to attend graduation and meet the obligation for the parade, which are scheduled on the same day. Nancy Spartz of the Lilac Princess Program stated that they do work with them. Lori Solyom asked if the organization has any plans for other fundraisers or plans for developing future donations and fundraising? Nancy Spartz responded that they actively seek donations and grant opportunities through other community organizations. They are a small organization but growth of membership has been important. One way they have made improvements is to increase club membership. Networking and increasing membership has increased our network. Jenelle Hardtke noted that they have drastically increased membership by 12-13 new members over the past year. They also, are adding young membership and are going through re-branding to freshen the clubs appearance to potential members, on Facebook and the club website, to be more appealing. They would like to get to businesses and get them to sponsorship. Lori Solyom asked if they are opposed to sponsorships? Jenelle Hardtke responded they not at all opposed. The club is hoping to get former Lilac Princesses involved. Jenelle noted that she is a former princess and she now running the grant program. Nancy Schukat stated that she is impressed that Jenelle is a former princess and now has come back. Lori Solyom noted that the club has also made progress by tracking the hotel stays. A motion was made by Nancy Schukat, seconded by Jill Payne, to approve a grant to the Lombard Junior Women’s Club in the amount of $6,029. The motion was approved by all. 190004 Local Tourism Grant Application 2019 - Lilac Time Art & Craft Fair Grant Request from the Lombard Chamber of Commerce in the amount of $4,000 from Hotel/Motel funds for the Lilac Time Art & Craft Fair. The funds are requested to cover Village of Lombard services, barricades and electrical hook-ups for the fair on May 5, 2019. (DISTRICT #1) Village of Lombard Page 4 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 Presentation of the Lombard Chamber of Commerce Art & Craft Fair grant was made by Yvonne Invergo. Yvonne stated that this event has been around for 23 years and that she has done it for 12. The chamber is requesting grant funds of $4000 for police overtime and barricades. Last year there were also other water-filled barriers that were also put up and placed. The number of hotel stays is unknown, but Yvonne does not believe that many crafters stay locally. They come from Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. Lori Solyom asked if people come from outside of Lombard but not necessarily hotel stays? They have well over 100 crafters. The event includes sponsorships for entertainment and kid zone both which are free. Lori Solyom stated that she likes that the only funding requested is just to cover the expenses of the Village. Yvonne stated that the village has been gracious to provide the services, we are just looking not to be billed. Marguerite Micken commented that she knows people come from very far away because many people think that this is one of the best craft fairs in the area. People do come from far and it puts the community on another level. The craft fairs and car shows are the best in the area and she is very proud of it. Yvonne noted that they advertise this event in major publications to try to find crafters. They are currently getting crafters signed up beginning in October where they used to commit in January and February. Lori Solyom made a motion to approve the grant for the full amount of 4,000. The motion was seconded by Jill Payne and passed by unanimous vote. 190009 Local Tourism Grant Application 2019 - Lilac Sale Grant Request from the Lombard Garden Club in the amount of $2,000 from Hotel/Motel funds for the Lilac Sale. The funds are requested to purchase Lilacs for the May 9 through May 11, 2019 sale. Presentation of the grant for the Lilac Sale was made by Sharon Raskowski and Cindy Ward, President of the Lombard Garden Club. This is the third year the club has applied for a grant for the Lilac Sale. The club is over 90 years old and has supported the community through the butterfly garden, the indoor plants at the library and the outside of the Maple Street Chapel and has established a prairie garden and vegetable garden. The clubs only fundraiser is the Lilac Sale which attracts buyers from throughout the State of Illinois as well as visitors from out-of-state. As prices have increased, the club hasn’t raised the prices to the public. They would like to continue the program and expand the scholarship program and meet the demand of the purchasers. Village of Lombard Page 5 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 The application asks for information on what is given back to the community from the organization. The Garden Club collaborates with the park district on the sale and we make a donation to the Lombard Park District for their help. Lori Solyom noted that the total income is $15,500 and expenses are about half. She questioned where the rest of the money is going? Sharon Raskowksi responded that they are used to cover the operating costs and other community venues and operations for the Sheldon Peck Garden or to helping schools with their vegetable garden. Cindy Ward noted that it is the primary source of funding for programming and that they also use it for park district rentals. Chairperson Mike Fugiel commented that he recalls that prior to receiving the grant, there were years the club was almost unable to support the scholarship program. Cindy Ward noted that they used to do a $1000 scholarship program and at one time they lowered the grant to $750. They still do one scholarship at $250. Sharon Raskowski noted that the Lilac Sale occurs in the middle of Lilac Time and it brings people to the park and then they go eat at local restaurants. She also noted that the club usually sells out lilacs by the second day of the sale which is why they keep increasing the cultivars. Cindy Ward added that they take advantage of their relationship with Garden Clubs of Illinois which is also how we get people traveling from far for the sale. Jill Payne made a motion to approve the grant in the amount of $2,000. The motion was seconded by Marguerite Micken and was, approved by all. 190013 Local Tourism Grant Application 2019 - Lombard Lilac Parade Grant Request from the Lombard Lilac Festival Parade Committee in the amount of $18,000 from Hotel/Motel funds for production of the parade. The funds are requested for the honorarium paid to participants, advertising expenses and recognition expenses. The parade will take place on May 19, 2019. Presentation by Lombard Lilac Festival Parade committee members Nicole Sittig, Committee Chair, Ellyn Murphy and Laura Sasinka, Fundraising Chair. Nicole introduced herself as the new chair of the Lombard Lilac Festival Parade Committee which has been producing the parade for 52 years. They will be holding the Spring Wine Walk in May and had the Haunted Wine Walk in October which was a great success. They also hold an Adult Easter Egg Hunt and are also doing the second year of cheesecake sales for the membership to begin selling tomorrow. Last year they were able to raise $900 just by selling the cheesecakes alone. The Easter Egg Hunt is weather dependent, but they usually raise $600-900. The Spring Wine Walk raises Village of Lombard Page 6 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 between $2,000-3,000 and the fall walk was about the same. They are working really hard for the same fundraising. This year is the 150th Anniversary so the committee is asking for the same amount of money they have received in the past. The committee goes to local businesses for support as well which has been increasing. The Lilac Parade brings a lot of people to downtown through our fundraisers and during the event. They have applicants from out of state, stilt walkers from Wisconsin and bands and groups from out of state. They have also found that people are coming from Wisconsin or Indiana for the event and we do promote our local hotels. Lori Solyom encouraged the committee to identify official hotels about where attendees can stay and list them conspicuously on the website. Laura Sasinka responded that they have had a partnership with Clarion Hotel for the past two years and are now with Crowne Plaza. Lori Solyom asked if the committee has tried restaurant fundraising? Laura Sasinka responded that they have done that in the past and it has been hard to bring the membership and volunteers and they only make a little amount of money. When they previously did it, they were bombarding people with the dine-in fundraisers. They were able to hold bigger events annually that bring in more money and have a greater yield. Chairperson Mike Fugiel commented that Lombard does not benefit from stays at Crowne Plaza. Laura noted that they mail close to 200 sponsorship letters. They also do follow-up emails and calls and they haven’t gotten any response from the hotels. The parade committee has doubled their sponsorships from local businesses. Lori Solyom asked if they use DCVB to assist their work. Nicole Sittig noted that they are asking for the same amount as previous years because it is the 150th Anniversary they are trying to include new acts and make t-shirts. Lori Solyom commented that the wine walk expenses and fundraiser looks like the fall wine walk lost money. Last year you lost $1,800. Ellyn Murphy responded they have never lost money on any of our fundraisers and that maybe there is an error in the budget. They are reusing yard signs from prior years so they are not purchasing new signs but using stickers with the new date. Laura Sasinka noted they are finding lower cost vendors as well to cut down on cost. Yvonne Invergo commented that she thought people at your wine walk were having a great time. Laura replied that the event included costumes and had awards. A lot of people dressed up and people had a lot of fun. Lori Solyom commented she felt they need to have restaurants who participate in the parade to donate food. Laura Village of Lombard Page 7 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes January 8, 2019 replied that they did get a few vendors to donate food for the event and will continue to seek donations. A motion was made by Bill Mrazek, seconded by Brad Hanewall, to approve the grant request for $18,000 for the Lombard Lilac Parade. The motion was approved by all. 7.0 Other Business Chairperson Mike Fugiel shared with the committee information related to a meeting that was held on October 24, 2018, between the hotel operators, the DCVB and the Village of Lombard. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the hotel managers of local programs and developments. The meeting went very well. Nicole Aranas noted that the remaining grant applictions will be reviewed next month. The meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2019. 8.0 Information Only None. 9.0 Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Lori Solyom, seconded by Jill Payne, at 7:49 PM. The motion was approved by all. Village of Lombard Page 8