Downtown Improvement Committee

Downtown Improvement Committee Meeting Minutes April 11, 2014 1. Call to Order and Welcome A regular meeting of the Nashua Downtown Improvement Committee was called to order at 7:32 a.m. on April 11, 2014 in Room 208, Nashua City Hall by Chairman Marylou Blaisdell. Present: Marylou Blaisdell, Rich Lannan, Tom Galligani, Sy Mahfuz, Ron LaFleur, Ben Clemens, Tia Phillips, John Koutsos, Mayor Donnalee Lozeau Absent: Alderman Brian McCarthy Others Attending: George Durante, Barbara Pressley 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes from March 13, 2014 MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 13, 2014 MEETING MADE BY S MAHFUZ. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY T PHILLIPS AND APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. Downtown Food Truck Pilot Program G Durante gave a presentation on the Office of the Mayor | Economic Development’s pilot program to regulate gourmet food trucks in downtown Nashua. This included establishing designated areas throughout the downtown where gourmet food trucks could operate in a manner that was an asset to downtown and not a detriment to the existing restaurants. G Durante requested input from the Committee regarding their thoughts on the concept and ideas to improve the program. S Mahfuz and J Koutsas let it be known that they believed it would harm downtown businesses rather than benefit the area. 4. Downtown Improvement Budget M Blaisdell opened the discussion up the “cultivating Vitality” report, which was completed in 2010, as a guideline for downtown improvements. She noted that maintenance and beautification were next on the list in action items outlined in the report. She then suggested that the money could be used to purchase banners, flowers, etc. and opened the floor up for discussion. M Blaisdell asked a question about how the Committee knows that their budget request is actually coming back to Downtown? Mayor Lozeau explained that not every proposal that is submitted will be brought back without being modified by her or the Board of Aldermen. She continued, explaining that above $728,000 the Downtown Improvement Committee makes a recommendation, which is then approved by the Mayor and submitted in the budget for the approval of the Board of Aldermen. Mayor Lozeau expressed that she was most interested in seeing the money used for maintenance and beautification, but acknowledged that there is a fine line between what the City is expected to do and what the Committee may want to do with the funds. Therefore a clear approach to maintenance will have to be determined first. Mayor Lozeau expressed her agreement that banners may be a good use of funds, but hanging flowers may present other issues, but added that there may be opportunities to enhance the planting beds to make them more seasonal. She also stated that it would be helpful for the Committee to produce a maintenance plan for downtown. R Lannan posed a hypothetical scenario where 1  $30,000 to $40,000 was dedicated to maintenance and was placed in the Parks and Recreation budget. He then asked whether or not the Committee would be assured that the money was used downtown. Mayor Lozeau replied that a contract would be created that T Galligani would oversee and if it was done correctly, the money would be used at it was intended. T Galligani added that the City has the ability in its financial software to add a detailed line item, even if the actual City budget does not drill down to the same level of detail. B Clemens asked if an estimate for what it would cost to perform all the work that was discussed. T Galligani replied with an overview of the in progress work on a general budget that had been completed thus far and provided an overview of the current cost estimates. S Mahfuz asked if there were best practices available from other downtowns. T Galligani responded that this research was already completed in the “Cultivating Vitality” report and that every downtown was different. S Mahfuz raised the challenges of dealing with the four seasons, especially winter. Mayor Lozeau offered the suggestion of hiring summer interns to act as ambassadors in downtown and provide patrons with information as they approached construction zones. B Clemens asked for S Mahfuz’s recommendation when it came to dealing with the winter and S Mahfuz replied that snow removal was the biggest challenge. Mayor Lozeau responded that the City is working on a safe sidewalk campaign for shoveling and maybe the downtown can be integrated into the program. M Blaisdell asked how best to keep the sidewalks clear for downtown businesses while letting patrons know that they are open. B Clemens asked if someone could be hired to keep the downtown sidewalks clear. Mayor Lozeau offered to check with the Legal Department in order to see what the limitations might be in pursuing that action. M Blaisdell asked if the Committee was in agreement for getting estimates for power washing, greenspace, hanging flowers, banners, and snow removal. B Clemens added that he would like to see a marketing piece involved as well. R Lannan agreed that marketing was important but pointed out that other groups are engaging in it, such as his with billboards. B Clemens agreed, but thought that an online campaign would be effective and inexpensive. R LaFleur expressed his agreement. Mayor Lozeau stated that she believes a combination of these initiatives could be accomplished, but she would like to see a prioritized budget by the end of the month. Again, M Blaisdell asked if the Committee was in favor of spending the money on power washing, green space, hanging flowers, and banners to create a foundation. MOTION MADE BY B CLEMENS TO RECOMMEND THAT THE 2013 PARKING REVENUE BE CONCENTRATED ON POWER WASHING, GREEN SPACE, HANGING FLOWERS, AND BANNERS. MOTION SECONDED BY J KOUTSAS AND APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. 5. Next Meeting Date/ Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:14 a.m. The next general meeting will be at 7:30 a.m. May 9th, 2014 in City Hall Room 208. Minutes submitted by: G Durante 2