Woodburn Commission

Woodburn Redevelopment Commission Meeting Minutes December 18th, 2014 7:00 PM Meeting was called to order by Chris Haddox at 7:03 PM. PRESENT: City Council Representative/Deputy Mayor Marti Shamberger, Chair Chris Haddox, Vice Chair Kerry Lilly, Secretary Nikki Byrne-Hoffman, Commission Members Mary Angel Blount, Mark Furfari, Tim Mashburn, and Bonnie Witmyer. City Manager Mikorski was not able to attend. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Minutes were approved as submitted. Marti made the motion to approve, Mary Angel seconded the motion. CORRESPONDENCE/ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: Tim Mashburn drafted a letter to Linda Little and Jeff Mikorski regarding use of First Fridays funds for future events. The current Memo with the City Finance Dept. that was given since the last meeting states this is an acceptable use of funds. Thank you cards should be sent to vendors who have donated food to the First Fridays events. Chair Haddox will get the contact info to Secretary Byrne-Hoffman. Deputy Mayor Shamberger clarified with Linda Little, City Clerk, that reappointment should not be necessary until an initial 3-year term is completed. She has corrected her records and apologized. Her office has been short-staffed. There was a letter from community member Susan Eason regarding viewing the playground as a separate piece and looking at redevelopment of the green space as an easier, shorter term project. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Property Upkeep Update- No word from Jeff yet on elevators or guard rail. Chair Haddox will touch base with City Manager Mikorski. The area is starting to become a mudhole. BOPARC has been working on cleaning up vines. Chair Haddox may try to get quotes from other elevator companies to compare to Jeff’s. An official request for an MOU for BOPARC and re- grading/gravel for the parking lot can be made at the Committee of the Whole meeting. Update of Leasing/Marketing/Website- Chair Haddox had hoped to hear an update from Jeff regarding lessors and the MOU with BOPARC. Will get an update next time. This issue with conflicts of multipurpose building rentaluse with potential lessors was discussed. First Fridays is an event the group would like to continue to host in this building and hopes that a clause could be inserted into the lease that would allow for First Fridays and events if given a 2 week notice. Mark discussed that Marion of Mario’s Fishbowl may be someone who would be interested in leasing the 2nd floor as a restaurant, but is not currently seriously interested. Discussions have also taken place with Richwood Grill owners. However, there is a lot of renovation and technicalities that would have to be worked out. Accessibility is obviously an issue, and Bonnie stated an end goal must be in mind when seeking funding for an elevator or other projects. In Richmond, there is program that trains restaurant workers without skills. A model similar to PACE may be employed. Contacting the library about a possible satellite facility was discussed, as well as benefits to B&G Club and other community members if a library facility was in place. Deputy Mayor Shamberger said the library is funded by both the City and the County. Esthetics of B&G Gardening project was discussed. There are some concerns that the area may become overgrown or unkempt and is one of the few flat green spaces available on the lot near the building. Their plans should be finalized by March for approval. Pat Kirby is still working on the feasibility study with Brownfields. A discussion with B&G Club regarding their long-term plans needs to be formalized as future plans may be contingent on their tenancy. Update on Endangered Buildings- The grant application for funds from the WVRC was not funded, although the letter states they see merit in the project. December First Fridays Event- Was a huge success. Secretary Byrne-Hoffman deposited $234.00 with the City Finance Department from the event. Special thanks to Matt Jordan for playing and Mario’s Fishbowl, Qdoba, and Papa John’s for donating food. NEW BUSINESS and DISCUSSION: Music Festival (First Fridays at Woodburn) for January- The next event will be January 2nd at 6:00 PM. It will be open mic night and a pot luck for food. WVU Bluegrass Band will play in February. A steel drum band is scheduled for March. We will discuss food Feb/March events at the next meeting. Divide and Conquer Plan- Groups were arranged to look at various aspects of the property. Vice Chair Kerry Lilly and Secretary Byrne-Hoffman will work on the playground/green space issue. Chair Haddox will work on the multitenant non-profit center idea. Mary Angel and Deputy Mayor Shamberger will focus on the arts and music center. Mark and Bonnie will work on marketing, although Bonnie will have difficulty dedicating much time in the next few months, as she is trying to work out issues with a long commute. Mark said he will focus on leasing the modular. Marti said it would be great as a shorter term incubator space for small businesses, and that is a need in Morgantown. Mark also checked in on alcohol regulations. There is an annual beer and wine license that is $1500/year and a special event license that is $250/event. Tasting Clubs could be held as long as they are closed to the public and there is no sale, but that’s not really an option. This was a follow up to Mary Angel’s question regarding art shows or “Sip and Paint”-type events. With green space, there was a discussion of a dog park idea that had been brought forward. The group as a whole agreed that because that area faces the street, there are curb appeal and sanitation issues that would be difficult to work out. Discussion of bringing up lower parts of the lower lot to grade was discussed. Mark said from experience that Mario’s Fishbowl spent about $85,000 to bring up their parking lot to grade. Discussion of timelines for recommendations to council were discussed. July will be a “new” council and January is the budget planning meeting. It was decided that WSRC would ask if they could be placed on the Committee of the Whole meeting for January to provide an update to Council, as it has been exactly one year in January since we first met. Tim’s six month report will be used to compile a 1 year report. The report can also include improvements that would need to be made, committees that have been formed, the video that was commissioned, and events we’ve hosted. Topography, age of boiler, and structural challenges can be discussed. Leasing of green space and kitchen areas may also need to be discussed with current and future tenants. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 PM. Bonnie made the motion and Mark seconded the motion.