Downtown Development Commission

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building Date: March 17, 2016 Time: 7:15pm MEETING MINUTES 1) CALL TO ORDER: This meeting was called to order at 7:17pm by Chair Mike Kopas 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: R. Conley J. Hoover R. Stern A. Baillie M. Kopas S. Whitehorn M. Byrne L. Lajewski B. Cramer E. Range C. Brady B. Short L. Jasen D. Starker MEMBERS ABSENT: M. Fabyanski, J. Burnet, P. Flemming, G. Herzog, J. Hollenbach, L. Jasen, M. Zimmerman ALSO PRESENT: Lisa Ellis, DDC Program Director MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: Robert Rocco, Michael Pellessier, Melissa Griffie, Bill Frederick 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. 3) APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 2016 MINUTES Motion to approve February 2016 Meeting Minutes as presented Moved by: E. Range and Seconded by: R. Stern Voice Vote: Unanimous Abstention: J. Hoover 4) TREASURER’S REPORT: Brad Cramer gave the Treasurer’s report. He reported that there had been very little activity as is typical in the first few months of the year. 5) MAYOR’S REPORT: Mayor Conley gave an update on the RFP process for the Downtown Study. 6) COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: Council Member Astri Baillie reported that the Borough Council was in the midst of developing the municipal budget which will be voted on at their meeting on Monday, April 11th. 7) PLANNING BOARD REPORT: It was reported that the subcommittee had completed their work on the Draft Master Plan update and that it would be going before the full board soon. 8) FOUNDATION REPORT: There was no report. 9) ASSISTANT BOROUGH ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT: There was no report. 10) PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION: a) Update on status of RFP for Downtown Study: Chair Mike Kopas reported that the RFP Committee had met a few times and the meeting involved good and wide ranging discussion. The group is getting close to agreement on the final product. b) Update on reconstruction of planters on Waverly Place: The Borough is looking to allocate funds for the reconstruction of the Waverly Island. Residents have highlighted the deterioration of the brick work in recent months. 11) COMMITTEE REPORTS: a) Sign & Façade: John Hoover, Chair (Karen Giambra, Leslie Lajewski, Eric Range) John Hoover noted that a meeting to discuss process and goals would be set. i) Committee Plans: • Sent email 3/10/16 asking for availability of members to meet week of 3/21/16 • Discuss potential improvements to the form, the process, and guidelines ii) Applications since last DDC meeting: • Studio Allegro, 300 Main Street - Approved 2/26/16 • Jules Duffy Designs, 20 Waverly - Approved 3/15/16 b) PIC (Public Improvement): Jim Hollenbach, Chair (Maureen Byrne, Brad Cramer Mark Fabyanski, John Hoover, Russell Stern, Suzy Whitehorn) i) The Committee met on Thursday, February 25th at 8:30 am at the Nautilus. Jim Hollenbach was chosen as the Chair. The fourth Thursday of the each month at 8:30 am was chosen as the regular meeting time. Discussion items included: • Planning for follow-up on projects in the pipeline, including current Water Fountain Project. A new estimate for the purchase of the fountains was shared and it was decided that PIC would narrow down the locations for the fountains at its next meeting. • The need to plan a walk-around of the downtown was also discussed. c) University Relations: Carla Brady, Chair (Mark Fabyanski, Mike Kopas, Larry Jasen, Eric Range, Deb Starker, Marsha Ann Zimmerman) i) The Committee met on Tuesday, March 15th at 1:00 pm at Drew. Carla Brady was chosen as the Chair. The Wednesday directly preceding the DDC Eboard meeting was chosen as the preferred monthly meeting date. The meetings will be held at 1:00 pm at Drew. Discussion items included: • How best to re-engage with FDU and CSE • Possible creation of intern positions for FDU and CSE students that mirror our current relationship with Drew. • Creating a new survey for distribution to the students’ at all three universities to assess their current level of engagement in the Downtown and ask for feedback on potential changes, etc. • Potentially create a program that invites the community, to be piloted at Drew, which would showcase all the great things happening on campus. d) Marketing and Economic Development Eric Range Chair (Barb Short, Leslie Lajewski, Russell Stern, Michael Pellessier) i) The Committee met via conference call on Tuesday, March 8th at 12:00pm. Eric Range was chosen to be the Chair. The first Friday of the month at 8:00 am either via conference call or meeting would be the regularly scheduled session. It was suggested that a representative from the Chamber of Commerce be asked to join this Committee. Discussion items included: 2|Page  • Organize a process with which to vet companies who would be tasked with creating a new branding campaign for the Downtown and Madison as a whole. • Lisa Eilis will share the materials on various professionals that she has collected over the course of the last year. • Develop new ways to highlight new business openings. 13) AD HOC COMMITTEE AND PROJECT UPDATES a) Taste of Madison (Monday, March 7, 2016): Mayor Conley and Maureen Byrne reported that the financial totals were not yet available. The proceeds from Sponsorships was the same as last year but ticket sales, the basket raffle and silent auction were up. The food got rave reviews but there was some question about the wine which will be addressed. b) May Day (Saturday, May 7, 2016): The May Day Committee will be meeting tomorrow, March 18th at 9:00 am to go over details of the event. c) DDC/MACA Sidewalk Art Gallery & Gala: The art banners are in the process of being distributed to the artists. There was some discussion about possible venues for the Gala in the fall but no decision was made. d) Farmers’ Market (Thursdays, June 2 – October 13): The application has been updated and distributed. As many as five new vendors will be added for this season. e) Drew University Town Tour (Saturday, August 27, 2016): There was no report. f) Bottle Hill Day (Saturday, October 1, 2016): There was no report. g) Sidewalk Sounds: Performances are planned for every week of the Farmers’ Market. h) Historic Town Tour: The future of this item will be determined by the PIC Committee. It will no longer appear as its own agenda item. i) Friday Night Concert Series w/METC: Deb Starker reported that the METC is in the process of scheduling the six concerts for the 2016 season. j) Wayfinding: There was no report. 14) OLD BUSINESS a) Madison Storytellers Festival (Saturday, June 11th): Barb Short shared the vision for this event and state that the planning was underway and more details would be presented at the next DDC meeting. b) Prison Ball Tournament (Saturday, March 19th): Carla Brady reported that this event will be a community-wide partnership and will benefit a scholarship fund being created for the children of the late MPD Capt. Joseph Cirella. 15) NEW BUSINESS 16) INVITATION FOR DISCUSSION FROM THE PUBLIC: There were some questions regarding the future of the Downtown Manager position and some other general discussion. Madison resident, Bill Frederick introduced himself. He is on the board of the Morris County Economic Development Commission. 17) ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn at 8:09pm Moved by: J. Hoover and Seconded by: B. Cramer Voice Vote: Unanimous NEXT MEETING: Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 7:15pm, Committee Room - Hartley Dodge Memorial Building. Executive Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 10, 2015 at 8:15 pm. 3|Page