BRONZEVILLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

200 E. Wells Street City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 Meeting Minutes BRONZEVILLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE LASHAWNDRA VERNON, CHAIR Deshea Agee, Vice-Chair Theresa Garrison, Anthony Smith, Baboonie Tatum, and Rayhainio Boynes Staff Assistant, Chris Lee, 286-2232, Fax: 286-3456, clee@milwaukee.gov Legislative Liaison, Tea Norfolk, 286-8012, tea.norfolk@milwaukee.gov Monday, May 17, 2021 9:00 AM Virtual This will be a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this meeting from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/359735517. You can also dial in using your phone United States: +1 (786) 535-3211 and Access Code: 359-735-517. 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 9:04 a.m. 2. Roll call. Present 5 - Agee, Garrison, Vernon, Boynes and Tatum Excused 1 - Smith Also present: Vanessa Claypool, DCD Commercial Corridor Amy Turim, DCD Real Estate 3. Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes from March 15, 2021. Meeting minutes from March 15, 2021 were approved with a technical correction. There was no objection. 4. Review of committee membership. Mr. Lee gave some context. The committee still has a vacancy. The vacancy is an appointment made by the Mayor's Office. The Mayor's Office was waiting to take recommendations from Ald. Milele Coggs' office or the committee. Vanessa Claypool was previously mentioned as a candidate. City of Milwaukee Page 1 BRONZEVILLE ADVISORY Meeting Minutes May 17, 2021 COMMITTEE Members discussed that Ms. Claypool would be a great asset, has worked with the community and members in the past, and would continue the important City liaison role of that of the previous member Terence Acquah. Ms. Claypool said that she was previously the Chief Operations Officer at the Milwaukee Urban League, had extensive involvement working with the Historic King Drive BID, DCD, and other agencies/businesses doing community events, is working with supporting business and entrepreneurship in her new DCD role, and had no objections to being appointed to the committee. Member Agee moved approval to recommend to the Mayor's Office to appoint Vanessa Claypool as a member to the committee contingent upon support from Ald. Milele Coggs. There was no objection. Later in the meeting, Ald. Coggs said that she was in support of Ms. Claypool's appointment. 5. Review of Bronzeville RFPs, listings, projects, programs, initiatives, events, grants, activities, or updates. a. DCD Commercial Corridor grants Ms. Claypool gave an update. There was a signage grant application for Fein Bros. at 2023 N. MLK Jr. Dr. The sign would be similar to the old one but larger. DCD was working on grants at 501 W. North Ave. for the coffee shop and upper apartments. There was work to reimburse the JCP project at 1817 N. MLK Jr. Dr. Rise 'N Grind and Mi Casa Su cafes were asking for extensions for their grants. b. DCD Real Estate Ms. Turim gave an update. On the 1937 N. MLK Jr. Dr. RFP, submittals are due Wednesday at noon. Some responses were received. There were no other RFPs, but some would be forthcoming in the near future. Ald. Coggs added later in the meeting that possible RFPs would include a scattered housing site project by Maures Development, the MLK Library redevelopment project by General Capitol, and submittals from the 1937 N. MLK Jr. Dr. RFP. c. Bronzeville Week Chair Vernon gave an update. The event was in its early planning phase on artists, sponsors, budget, and other aspects. It would be a hybrid event both physical and virtual. Work was still being done on logistics, especially on determining in-person and virtual participants (artists and performers). The event would be the 10th year anniversary. The event would be held the first Saturday in August to the following Saturday for one week. The event has enhanced and supported the black economy and community. Vice-chair Agee added comments. Due to the pandemic, the event was being planned carefully. The dates are August 7 to 14. There were some unknowns. Like last year's virtual event, the virtual component would allow a broader reach. Interested persons should contact Chair Vernon, himself, or Ald. Coggs' office for further inquiry with the event. City of Milwaukee Page 2 BRONZEVILLE ADVISORY Meeting Minutes May 17, 2021 COMMITTEE d. Other Ms. Claypool said that their office is working with Ald. Coggs on a marketing plan for Bronzeville Week. Chair Vernon said that the City's existing Bronzeville District website is a great tool, that the website should be used to promote Bronzeville Week, and that the website should be updated (especially regarding information on the Bronzeville Advisory Committee). 6. Review of CCFN 201213, Resolution amending Common Council File Number 100626 relating to the duties of the Bronzeville Advisory Committee. Mr. Lee said that the legislation to expand the boundaries of the Bronzeville district and the duties of the committee was passed by the Common Council, that discussion today was for the members to take a deeper dive into its duties, and that the committee should discuss what duties they would like to consider as agenda items in meetings going forward. Vice-chair Agee read the new committee duties into the record as follows: 1. Review and provide input on the Request for Proposals (RFP) process, issuance, submittals, and applications; 2. Review all RFPs; 3. Review all City-owned land sales within the Bronzeville Boundaries in broad general terms. The level and manner of review shall be on a case-by-case basis and subject to the discretion of the Committee. Individual residential property sales are exempt from this review; 4. Conduct community meetings offsite in Bronzeville for purposes of gathering input from the community; 5. Review and provide input on the Bronzeville Redevelopment Plan. The Plan, including all exhibits and elements that make up the Plan shall be reviewed for implementation and impacts every five years, starting in 2020. The Committee shall submit its suggestions and recommendations to the Common Council member representing Bronzeville and to the Redevelopment Authority; 6. Work with the Department of City Development, Department of Neighborhood Services, and any other relevant stakeholders or City departments to review and provide input on signage and murals in Bronzeville; and 7. Work with local groups and artists to board up vacant properties in an artistic manner. Vice-chair Agee said that the committee should review and renew the Bronzeville Redevelopment Plan. The plan should reflect and continue the many great things that have occurred in the district, such as ACRE development projects and affordable housing projects. The plan should address displacement, gentrification, and the preservation of legacy homeowners. Fatima Laster appeared from the public and questioned legacy homeowners. Vice-chair Agee replied that legacy homeowner was a term used by him personally to refer to those homeowners who have lived in the community for many years and that the term was not defined in the Bronzeville Redevelopment Plan. Ald. Milele Coggs, 6th Ald. Dist., appeared and said that the Bronzeville Redevelopment Plan started prior to and continued into completion after her election into office. 7. Next steps. City of Milwaukee Page 3 BRONZEVILLE ADVISORY Meeting Minutes May 17, 2021 COMMITTEE a. Agenda items Chair Vernon said that "Public Comments" would be added as an ongoing agenda item to allow individuals from the public good opportunity to speak at meetings. There was no objections. Ald. Coggs said that the committee should think about bringing in guests to speak on projects and developments happening inside and around the district. Chair Vernon said that an initial list of guests was created, there would be prioritization done on that list, and there were some guests in mind to invite. b. Next meeting July 19, 2021 at 9 a.m. 8. Announcements. Vice-chair Agee announced a new $50,000 loan program from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation for existing businesses that had been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Black and brown community businesses would be prioritied, such as those in the Harambee, Halyard Park, and Brewers Hill neighborhoods. Some loan information would include a 2 percent interest rate, no prepayment penalty, and no payments required for the first 12 months. Application opened May 7th, and the application deadline is June 25th. Funds would be dispersed in August. Further information can be made to William Martin at 414-350-4207 and the Historic King Drive BID at 414-265-5809. Ald. Coggs announced a virtual public town hall meeting, in collaboration with MKE Collaborative, on the north side tonight at 6 pm. The purpose of the meeting was to obtain public input on the allocation and distribution of anticipated federal ARPA funds. The meeting was sponsored by herself and other north side alders (Hamilton, Johnson, Rainey, Lewis, and Stamper). Chair Vernon announced that Artists Working in Education was working with the Milwaukee Health Department to launch a Healing Art Spaces in Clinics program. An app would be developed as a healing arts tool where practitioners can voluntarily offer their services to artists. Further information can be made to her at lashawndra@awe-inc.org. 9. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 10:09 a.m. Chris Lee, Staff Assistant Council Records Section City Clerk's Office City of Milwaukee Page 4