Brownfield Redevelopment Authority

BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY March 19, 2008 MINUTES 1. Call to Order. The regular Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) meeting of March 19, 2008, held in City of Manistee Council Chambers, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, MI, was called to order by Vice Chair McKinven-Copus at 9:37 a.m. Members Present: Dave Carlson, Mark Lindgren, Clinton McKinven-Copus, Jeffrey Stege, and Lee Trucks. Members Absent: Frank Beaver, Steve Brower, Marlene McBride and Jeff Seng Others Present: T. Eftaxiadis (Brownfield Consultant) and Sarah Wojciechowski (Recording Secretary) 2. Approval of Agenda. The consensus of the BRA Board was to approve the agenda as presented. 3. Public Hearing. None 4. Approval of Minutes of January 8, 2008. There was a motion by Trucks, seconded by Lindgren, to approve the January 8, 2008, minutes as presented. All voted aye, motion carried. 5. Financial Reports. a. Invoices for Payment After discussion, there was a motion by Lindgren, seconded by Stege, to approve payment of invoices submitted, totaling $6,322.67 (copy of summary attached hereto and made a part of these minutes), for the reporting period of December 2007 through February 2008, as listed below. All voted aye, motion carried. Vendor Name Invoice Invoice Invoice Service Description Date Number Amount T. Eftaxiadis 01/08/08 0710015 $2,338.28 December ’07 (33.25 hrs + travel); Rieth Riley Redevelopment Project: prep resolution and presentation for RR BRA Plan City Council hearing; coordination w/ City and Rieth Riley reps; Act 381 Work Plan Reviews/comments/coordination; Development & Reimbursement Agreement reviews and revisions; prep presentation and meet w/MEDC/City/RR in Lansing Invoice Summary Continued on Page Two Eftaxiadis 03/16/08 CMBRA- $3,711.39 January ’08 (51.75 hrs + travel Consulting Inc. 0801 expenses); Rieth Riley Act 381 Work Plan, Development & Reimbursement Agreement, MEDC/MSF meetings; BRA meetings preparation; EPA grant tracking and tracking setup Eftaxiadis 03/16/08 CMBRA- $ 273.00 February ’08 (4 hrs); Rieth Riley Work Consulting Inc. 0801 Plan issues; BRA meetings material; Gen Chem FOIA issues Total $6,322.67 6. New Business Status of new EPA Brownfield Grants Cooperative Agreement – T. Eftaxiadis. A US EPA Brownfield Assessment Grants Schedule dated March 18, 2008, listing 5 tasks, was submitted to the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Board (attached hereto and made a part of these minutes.) Eftaxiadis said there was no activity in the last quarter of 2007 (first quarter of the grant.) This quarter (first quarter of 2008), there will be some minimal charges, associated with selecting sites from the site inventory. List of Brownfield sites for new EPA Brownfield grants – T. Eftaxiadis. The new schedule will be based on receiving authorization in March, and the first task will be prioritizing sites for Phase I and II ESAs. Staff will select and prioritize the sites from the existing Site Inventory (prepared through the last EPA grant), in three areas, as follows: (1) the north lakefront industrial/commercial corridor, (2) Peninsula Redevelopment area, and (3) south lakefront industrial corridor (based on funding availability.) The listing of sites will be presented to the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Board at the April 16th meeting for discussion. Eftaxiadis noted that updating of the Brownfield Handbook does not have funding specifically assigned to this effort either from the old or the new EPA grant. However, the updating should be completed and made available to prospective developers in April or May. There should then be an informational session in April or May for City personnel, residents, and businesses from the three environmental assessment areas so they will become aware of the opportunities available under the grant. Environmental Consultant Procurement (committee assignments) – T. Eftaxiadis. Eftaxiadis said, in April, the procurement of environmental consultants for Phase I and II should proceed. A Request for Proposal (RFP) should be developed and advertised in late April. RFP’s should be evaluated in May or June, and consultants should be retained in July. Phase 1 ESAs (five sites) should be done between August and October. A second informational session for the public should take place in November following completion of the first batch of Phase I ESAs. Eftaxiadis suggested completing approximately half of the Phase I and II ESAs, as well as Baseline Environmental Assessments, and also reserving funds that may be needed in the next two to three years as redevelopment opportunities and needs are identified. The work under the Remediation and Redevelopment grant task would be on an as needed basis. 2  There should be three Community outreach sessions in accordance with the grant outline. The first session would be in April, the second in November after completion of the Phase I ESAs and the third after completion of the Phase II ESAs. Eftaxiadis noted there will be three National and regional Brownfield conferences that may be attended, and paid for through the grant, for the BRA Administrator. The National Conference will be will be held in Detroit on May 5-7. More detail will be provided at the April BRA meeting. A presentation, via PowerPoint, was done, showing maps of inventoried sites through the previous EPA Brownfield grant. There are currently 45 Brownfield or potential Brownfield properties in the City that could be addressed through the new EPA grants but only 16 may be selected for Phase I ESAs. A discussion followed regarding forming a sub-committee or asking staff to recommend brownfield sites. It was decided that staff should recommend brownfield sites, and present those sites to the BRA Board at the April meeting. Eftaxiadis noted there are two grant types – Hazardous Substances Contaminated Sites and Petroleum Contaminated Sites. Pending receipt of proposals and evaluation of their qualifications, we may consider choosing two consultants one each for Phase I and Phase II ESAs. Eftaxiadis asked for volunteers to work with himself and Jon Rose, to develop a RFP. After discussion, it was decided that Eftaxiadis would email all BRA Board members, detailing what is needed, and asking for volunteers. 7. Unfinished Business. Recommendation for subcommittee regarding payment of invoices. A sub-committee (Beaver, Bradford, Brower and Rose) met and recommended asking Jon Rose to review and approve invoices on behalf of the BRA Board. Rose would submit a monthly summary listing invoices, with a note indicating whether they have or have not been paid. 8. Other Communications. Eftaxiadis said the City Council invited the BRA to make a presentation on the BRA’s function, projects, accomplishments and plans at the City Council’s meeting on May 20. At the April BRA meeting, the BRA Board will be asked to consider reporting to the City Council, preparation of the report, and selecting an individual to present the report. A discussion took place about the City Council’s desire to appoint a non-voting student (high school) representative to the Brownfield Board. Several other commissions and boards have had such assignments. T. Eftaxiadis agreed to discuss this matter with Cyndy Fuller and Mitch Deisch. Eftaxiadis called attention to a letter dated March 5, 2008, from the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (copy attached hereto and made a part of these minutes) regarding the Act 381 Work Plan Review for the American Materials (Rieth Riley) project. Everything for the project has been completed, and the DEQ approved the work plan. An application to the MDEQ for Brownfield redevelopment grant and loan for eligible activities at the Rieth Riley site, will be prepared by T. Eftaxiadis on behalf of the BRA Board, and brought to the BRA Board for approval and signature at the April meeting. It was noted that the Manistee Downtown Development Authority contracted for a marketing study, which has been completed and is now available. The study contains a number of recommendations, from organization to marketing. Eftaxiadis suggested that the BRA Board 3  members should familiarize themselves with this study and its potential implications on the BRA’s redevelopment programs, and recommended discussing this study at a future BRA meeting. 9. Staff Reports. Eftaxiadis made a PowerPoint presentation on (a) new amendments to ACT 381 (Brownfield Law) taking effect 01-01-08 and (b) Proposed changes to MBT Credit and Historic Tax Credit legislation. c) Tour Dates for Grand Traverse Commons Brownfield Project – T. Eftaxiadis – The tour had been scheduled for March 22, 2008, however, this has been postponed to April. Eftaxiadis will propose several dates, and will advise the Board when a new date has been set. 10. Citizen Questions, Concerns and Consideration. None. 11. Work/Study Session. None. 12. Adjournment. There was a motion by Trucks, seconded by Lindgren, to adjourn at 10:46 a.m. All voted aye, motion carried. It was noted that the next BRA meeting will be held on April 16th, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. in the City of Manistee Council Chambers, 70 Maple Street. Minutes of March 19, 2008, respectfully submitted Sarah Wojciechowski Recording Secretary Approved at BRA meeting 4/16/08 4