Woodburn Commission

Woodburn Redevelopment Commission Meeting Minutes April 23rd, 2015 7:00 PM Meeting was called to order by Chris Haddox at 7:27 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, and City Manager Mikorski. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Minutes were approved as submitted by affirmation. CORRESPONDENCE/ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: None. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Property Upkeep Update- Boys and Girls Club has started gardening. City Manager Mikorski said the wooden guardrail installation is scheduled, and he will have a sign installed for the Woodburn Activity Center. He is also in the process of getting another elevator quote and looking into getting a smaller HVAC unit for heating to curb problems with the large and aging boiler system. The City has $15,000 in Community Block Grant monies that will be used for accessibility and serious repairs. Making the front/parking area more accessible is already in the works. Update of Leasing/Marketing/Website- Pop Shop owner Chris Russell is working out the details of renting Woodburn. He is looking into becoming a non-profit, which may help his pricing through the City. He is currently interested in the second floor of the main building, as is a Karate Club. The Fast Track funding received from WVRC will help with financing, branding, and marketing. A meeting June 10th at the Flatwoods Days Inn will be held for a smaller group to attend for more information on the program and how to move forward. Mary Angel, Bonnie, Marti, and Chris are planning to attend the meeting. Nikki stated there is a parcel of land with two multi-family units for sale on the corner of Richwood and Fortney. It may be beneficial to obtain this property to help with the accessible parking problems the playground currently faces. Chair Haddox stated that Brent Bailey may be able to help with finding financing options for purchase of the property and it may be something to look into. Playground Update- Nikki received approval from BOPARC and Council for the playground project. She is currently working with the City Manager to secure grant and other funds for the various phases of the project. Kerry stated he had visited Hurricane Splash Park and had photos to share with the group for ideas on Phase III of the playground project. A work day with the WV Land Trust is scheduled for May 9th to fix the drainage problem by the pavilion. April First Fridays Event- Jamie Lester, with help of Debbie Lester and others, laid out the design for the mural, and the community helped painted. A thank you note will be sent to Jamie. A time lapse video of the mural was captured. The commissioners agreed that the mural looks great and is much appreciated. We will look into lighting next. Storage of the stage and of the mural was discussed in the event it is needed when renting out the Woodburn Activity Center through BOPARC’s rental system. NEW BUSINESS and DISCUSSION: Woodburn 2nd Annual Spring Festival- June 6th is the date for the B&G Club Festival. The WSRC will help with distributing advertising for the event. First Fridays May/June/July/August- ApplePappy will play at this upcoming May First Friday. A potluck will be held. Eating will take place first so that the band has a chance to eat and socialize. A concert will then take place after dinner. Rob Shipley has been approached to play for June’s First Friday event. Nikki will confirm. Potluck as usual. Chair Haddox said the summer was very busy and asked if everyone thought we should abstain from holding it in July and August. There was some discussion. Bonnie stated she thought we needed to stick with it so that it didn’t fall by the wayside. The group agreed. July was suggested as having an outdoor cookout for 4th of July weekend. Mark Furfari will help with the food. BOPARC had scheduled a movie night in the park for the August 7th date that will feature “Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”. ADJOURNMENT: Bonnie Witmyer made the motion to adjourn. Mary Angel Blount seconded. The meeting adjourned at 8:34 PM.