Downtown Development Commission

Downtown Development Commission March 21, 2013 Called to order at 7:07 pm Open public Meeting Act was read Roll Call: Lisa Ellis, Ben Cahill, Bob Landrigan, Carla Brady, Mark Fabyanski, Mike Kopas, Russ Stern, Eric Range, Bob Conley, Jim Burnet, Brad Cramer, Carmen Vacchiano, Maureen Byrne, Craig Erezuma, Marsha Ann Zimmerman February minutes Lisa Ellis moved to approve, Ben Cahill seconded. Brad Cramer gave the Treasurer’s Report. Mayors Report: Bob Conley said he would give his comments as the subjects came up. Bob Landrigan spoke about meeting with Russ Stern and anyone else concerning the Peddlers Ordinance. Committee Reports: Sign and Façade: On Prospect, St. Huberts is being taken over by an upscale dog kennel. Craig and Lisa will meet for Sign and Façade review. Craig is willing to work with town to create good design. Has worked with other municipalities to provide services to the towns. Administratively, Jim Burnet has asked Land Use not to release sign application to Sign and Façade until it is through the process. Suggested that mock up (to scale, per Craig Erezuma), lighting design and color specs be included in application. Planning Board: The next Planning Board meeting is April 2 with a couple of applications set for discussion. There are more applications for the meeting after that. Giralda Farms has come up for discussion, specifically the property and whether it is serving the needs of today’s market. Looking to get input on what businesses are looking for in relocation terms. University Relations: Carla spoke on how Drew wants to partner with the town, specifically Bottle Hill Day. Looking to move forward on this after graduation. Drew has two speakers coming up this month: Cory Booker, on April 16th at 6:30-7:30, and Condeleeza Rice on the 18th at 8 pm, as part of the Drew Forum Series. There are tickets available for both events. Carla announced that Drew Town Tour will be August 31st (Labor Day – Saturday). The scheduling is different this year because of when Labor Day falls; Carla hopes that DDC Commissioners will be available once again to lead tours. Since the Condoleeza Rice speech is on the 18th, there was discussion about switching the April meeting, Bob Landrigan moved we reschedule the April meeting to the 11th; seconded by Mike Kopas. The E-Board meeting will be moved to the 2nd. Public Improvement: Craig spoke about the Art Pole Project, and showed what the banner will look like. He showed the pole design, including how it will be installed and how it will be dismantled in the winter. The artists are getting their banners today. MACA have seven artists confirmed, with one more possible. We are putting up seven or eight to start, but Craig has additional ready to go. MACA has been doing a great job organizing the event. Cook Plaza Alley way will be renovated once the warm weather arrives. Historic Town Tour: Craig, John Byrne and his collaborator walked the proposed tour. John Byrne will be submitting a proposal soon. Craig anticipates bringing the Historical Society into the conversation to provide historical background and photos. Jim Burnet mentioned that we have a possible intern for the summer who is graduating from Syracuse with a combined Arts and Marketing degree. There are a number of projects (Farmers Market, Arts Program, Pop Up Gallery) that she could work on. Salvadore Minardi is the March Merchant of the Month, and will be having an open house to celebrate. DDC Commissioners will be invited, and are encouraged to attend. Taste of Madison: Sponsorship is now approaching $20,000. The next few weeks will see an increased emphasis on ticket sales. The event needs volunteer pourers; anyone available is encouraged to contact John Morris at Stewart Morris who is coordinating the volunteers. May Day 2013 The winner of the T-Shirt contest is Ella Grant. Leading the Way Awards will be given out at the April 1st council meeting. This year’s awards are going to: Madison DPW Madioson Electric Marsha Ann Zimmerman Amrish Vakil The after party will probably be similar to last year’s, with the possibility of Doodle Bugs dong children’s activities. It will be at the Ambulance Corps. It was suggested that some sign directing people to the ambulance corps parking lot be put up to direct people to the party. Lisa said that all Volunteers get an email invitation, as well as a reminder that day. Farmer’s Market: Barbara reported that things are percolating along. Letters have gone out to vendors and farmers. Borough Administrators Report: Mayor and Borough have been meeting with some organizations to understand their roles in the community. Again, rosenet emails are available for commission members. The Borough Attorney asked Jim Burnet to explain the relationship between the Foundation and the Commission. Jim said that during Mayor Holden’s tenure, Joe Mezzacca gave an opinion that the structure was appropriate. The borough attorney though that most of the relationship made sense, but had concerns about how the grant application is stuctured. He suggested that the Foundation make the check out to the Borough of Madison, and have the Borough disburse the funds. This would allow contract employees of DDC better protection as borough employees. Grant funds would be paid out on a monthly or quarterly basis. Eric Range spoke to the question, pointing out that the funds would be disbursed to the borough on a restricted basis, similar to the “bullet proof vest” grants that can only be used for purchasing said vests. It will create a minor administrative hurdle, but will not substantially impact what projects can be funded. There was some concern that there would be a hold up on processing requests. Brad Cramer asked how the money would be transferred to the borough. Jim Burnet suggested that the Borough would front the money, and the Foundation would reimburse them on a monthly basis. Bob Landrigan mentioned that right now, the relationship between the DDC and the Foundation is very close. The DDC is a borough entity. The concern seems to be the time between submitting the purchasing order to the borough, and when the funds are available. At the latest, under the proposed system it would be at most two weeks, (with an exception in August, when the council only meets once). Mayor Conley, Bob Landrigan, and Jim Burnet will meet with the Finance Director. The Foundation could operate similarly to the Friends of the Library and Hartley Dodge Trustees by “buying” and donating to the Borough. The matter requires further study and review, but it seems evident that some changes to the structure of the agreement need to be made. Any donation to the committee raising funds to purchase the Geraldine Dodge Firetruck need to be discussed at the Foundation level. Central Lunch is celebrating it’s 85th year of business. We could all go (in shifts) to help them celebrate. Craig introduced a fund raising idea off a “Kick Starter” opportunity. We need more information before we can make the decision. The proposed Discussion topic for April – working with the Madison businesses and Chamber members to brainstorm ideas for increasing traffic downtown. Bottle Hill Pharmacy space has been rented. Resto space is still available, but under the control of the landlord. Discussion: Zoning Two major zoning issues have come up. How do we come go about attracting businesses to town, while maintaining a healthy mix of retailers. The turn around time between signing a lease and opening the business is up to six months. (going thru zoning and planning). Biggest problem is change of use, and what triggers zoning approval. How do we deintensify the process? It was suggested that we form a committee to study the process, and make recommendations. Meeting adjourned at 9:24 pm.