Downtown Development Commission

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building Date: June 18, 2015 Time: 7:15pm MEETING MINUTES 1) CALL TO ORDER a) This meeting was called to order at 7:19pm by Chairman Russell Stern 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: R. Stern C. Erezuma E. Range R. Conley J. Hollenbach S. Whitehorn J. Burnet J. Hoover M. Zimmerman B. Cramer M. Kopas C. Brady L. Lajewski MEMBERS ABSENT: A. Baillie, M. Fabyanski, M. Byrne, P. Flemming, G. Herzog, L. Jasen, B. Short, D. Starker, Lisa Ellis, DDC Program Director 4) OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT: In compliance with the open public meetings act, adequate notice of this meeting of the Downtown Development Commission was provided by distributing the Annual Meeting schedule to the Madison Eagle and Morris County Daily Record, posting a copy on the bulletin board at the main entrance to the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building, posting a copy on the Borough website, and filing a copy with the Borough Clerk, all on or about the first week of January 2015. Copies of said notice were made available to members of the general public. 5) APPROVAL OF APRIL 2015 MINUTES Motion to approve May 2015 Minutes as amended to include notation regarding Sidewalk Sounds flags Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: J. Hoover Voice Vote: Unanimous 6) CHAIRMAN/EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT: Chairman Stern gave a brief report. He asked the commissioners to bring a camera with them on vacation and take photos of fresh ideas that could work in Madison. He asked that they send them to Mark Fabyanski or Lisa Ellis. A photo of Park(ing) Day was shown and Mark Fabyanski is looking into the event. There was a discussion regarding the possibility of ideas to get the business owners to improve their spaces. The possibility of a competition was mentioned. It was noted that this is supposed to be one of the criterion for Merchant of the Month selection. 7) TREASURER’S REPORT: Brad Cramer presented the monthly Treasurer’s report. It was noted that the income for May Day was up this year and expenses fairly stable. It was also noted that overall expenses were down and the balance was at an all time high. 8) MAYOR’S REPORT: There was no report. 9) COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: There was no report. 1 Page 10) PLANNING BOARD REPORT: It was noted that the GVR KRE project review was approved though there was some question about the parking space allotment. Mayor Conley gave an overview of the now discarded Walnut Street project and on next steps for affordable housing. 11) FOUNDATION REPORT: The Foundation met immediately prior to the DDC meeting. It was reported that the meeting went well and that the IRS filing continues. They agreed to explore the possibility of the Foundation directly financing the proposed Theater Marquee project. There are concerns about how to navigate the process without jeopardizing the 501(c)3 status. Discussions regarding the project continue with stakeholders. 12) ASSISTANT BOROUGH ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT: There was no report. 13) PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION: There were no formal presentations scheduled. 14) COMMITTEE REPORTS: a) PIC (Public Improvement): Mark Fabyanski was not in attendance. Mayor Conley mentioned that he was working with the Borough IT Director on the WiFi project. b) University Relations: A meeting was tentatively scheduled for mid-July. There has been no response from the other two Universities. The Drew Town Tour is Monday, August 24th from 11-2 (usually ends earlier depending on lunch location) and volunteers are still needed. We ask the tour guides to arrive at Drew by 10:30am to get a briefing on the tour. Please let me know if you are interested in doing the tour. Eric Range reported that Drew would be purchasing a sign to be hung at the Madison Train Station denoting Madison as the home of Drew University. Craig Erezuma shared a photo of Antonio’s Pizza at UMass Amherst with parking spaces and benches in front. Drew is still seeking funding for the Bottle Hill Day Fireworks. Sponsorship from Rotary is pending and will be targeted for giveaways such as glow sticks and/or glow necklaces for children. 3,000 pieces would be ordered with co-branding. A request for $1,000 from the University Relations budget was made. c) Sign & Façade: Craig Erezuma reported that the Sign & Façade Committee has improved the process for comment and exchange of ideas but there are still issues with convincing the merchants to to follow through. Chairman Stern suggested that perhaps the there needs to be more defined standards/guidelines for signage. More work will be done to refine the process. d) Marketing/Branding: There was no report. 15) AD HOC COMMITTEE AND PROJECT UPDATES a) Scavenger Hunt (Saturday, March 21, 2015) b) Taste of Madison (Monday, March 30, 2015) c) May Day (Saturday, May 2, 2015) d) DDC/MACA Sidewalk Art Gallery & Gala (Gala date: Saturday, October 24, 2015). The banners are all up downtown. The canvases will be distributed to the artists earlier for 2016. e) Farmers’ Market: The Market is officially moving to Central Avenue. Season will run from Thursday, June 4th to October 15th. The hours will be 2:00 - 7:00pm. f) Drew University Town Tour (Monday, August 24th) g) Bottle Hill Day (Saturday, October 3, 2015):The event will expand onto Kings Road this year. h) Sidewalk Sounds: Sidewalk Sounds will take place every Thursday evening in the Farmers’ Market between June 4th and October 15th. The Saturday dates are June 20th, July 18th, August 1st, August 15th, 2 August 28th, September 12th and will culminate with a final performance on September 26th. Page  i) Historic Town Tour: There was no report. j) Friday Night Concert Series w/METC: The dates for this summer are June 26th, July 10th, July 24th, August 7th, August 21st and September 4th. k) Wayfinding: There was no official report. 16) OLD BUSINESS: None 17) NEW BUSINESS: None 18) INVITATION FOR DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC: There was no discussion. 19) ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn at 9:06pm Moved by: M. Kopas and Seconded by: J. Hoover Voice Vote: Unanimous 3 Page