Walker Downtown Development Authority

City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Agenda City Commission Chambers 4243 Remembrance Road NW Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 7:30 AM 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 2. Approval of Minutes a) January 17, 2023 3. Streetlighting Project Update 4. Discuss DDA Staff Position a) Draft DDA Position Description 5. Planning Updates 6. Other Business/Updates a) Parkside No Parking Restrictions 7. Next Meeting Date and Time - April 18, 2023 at 7:30 AM 8. Adjournment If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 1 of 8  City of Walker Walker Downtown Development Authority Tuesday, January 17, 2023 7:30 AM - City Commission Chambers 4243 Remembrance Road NW 1. Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance The meeting was called to order by Chair D. Brinza at 7:30 am. Members present: D. Brinza, G. Carey, J. DeGroot, P. Goodale, L. McNees, D. Schmalzel, R. Smith, and S. Zokoe. Members absent: C. Ludwick and T. Hiller. Also present: Scott Conners, Nicole DiDonato, Gary Postema, Paula Priebe and Frank Wash. 2. Approval of Minutes Following review by members, the DDA meeting minutes from November 15, 2022 were approved on a motion by G. Carey, with support by D. Schmalzel. Motion carried. 3. Planning Updates Planning Director, Paula Priebe introduced herself to the DDA members. She reported at the December 28th ZBA meeting a variance was granted of a 30' front yard setback resulting in a front yard building setback of 45' feet, located at 3970 Lake Michigan Drive NW. Asst. City Manager, F. Wash stated that an oil change company wants to build in front of Blain's on the out-lot. The company will be working with the Community Development Department staff to start the planning development process. He believes the company will be Pennzoil. 4. Streetlighting subcommittee update and recommendation D. Brinza stated that the sub-committee met in December to review the proposals submitted by engineering firms for the Standale DDA RFP. The subcommittee met again on January 10th to interview Century A&E. At the January 10th meeting the subcommittee agreed to recommend the Century A&E / Moore Bruggink team to the DDA for final approval to move for recommendation to the City Commission. S. Conners stated that Moore Bruggink is the city's current consultant and has a lot of experience with Standale as they designed most of it. The company's proposal was originally quoted at around $219,000 for the design and construction administration. However, after some restructuring and additional needed work, the company stated it would be an additional $12,000 making the cost around $232,000.00. There was discussion held. A motion by J. DeGroot, with support by G. Carey to send recommendation to the City Commission to award the Standale DDA street lighting design services to the team of Century A&E / Moore Bruggink. Motion carried. 5. Other Business/Updates Page 2 of 8  • D. Schmalzel gave an update stating the Streetscape special assessment district has been finalized and bills have been sent out. • D. Brinza stated the next two priorities is to put together the DDA development plan, but also to start the process of hiring a DDA director. He stated that the DDA has joined the Michigan Downtown Development Association to get resources in regard to what that position would look like. • G. Carey presented a ten-year anniversary gift for serving on the DDA to Jim DeGroot. • DPW Director, G. Postema stated that the holiday banners have been taken down and the spring banners will be going up shortly. • Communications Director, N. DiDonato stated that the Brenna band has been booked to play at the Summer Concert Series for the June 8th date. D. Brinza stated that the band was ranked "Best band in Grand Rapids" in the Grand Rapids Magazine. N. DiDonato state that event sponsorship letters went out. The event sponsorship's help to fund the city's Easter egg hunt, Memorial Day parade, the Summer concerts, the Walker pumpkin bash and the Walker winterfest. • R. Smith inquired about the parking on Parkside, north of Lake Michigan at the Rapid Park N Ride lot. He stated he has received a few complaints regarding parking on the street. pedestrians have been crossing Parkside to the west, north of the crosswalk to get to Shots. He stated that with vehicles being parked on both sides of the road, pedestrians are surprising drivers as they enter the street from behind parked vehicles. S. Conners recommended to meet down at the location and consider sending this issue to the Traffic Committee to review for solutions. 6. Next Meeting Date and Time - The next Walker Downtown Development Authority meeting is scheduled for February 21, 2023 at 7:30 AM. 7. Adjournment - A motion was made by G. Carey, with support by R. Smith to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 AM. Motion carried. If you have any questions or are unable to attend a meeting, please contact Jessica Marion at 616.791.6878 Page 3 of 8  DDA Business Relations Manager Department: Manager’s Office Classification: Part-Time / Non-Exempt Reports To: Assistant City Manager Date: March 2023 Position Description Objective This position serves the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) as a liaison between the Standale business community, the DDA board members, and the City of Walker. The Business Relations Manager provides support for the DDA through project management, business attraction/retention, marketing and promotions, public relations, and fund management. Essential Job Functions An employee in this position is required to perform the following essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. 1. Develop and implement marketing and promotional strategies, including, but not limited to special events, business recruitment and retention activities, public relations, and community promotion. 2. Update DDA webpages and social media to keep information current and timely. Coordinate website maintenance with communications department. Utilize various social media accounts and platforms. Recommend changes, updates, etc. to ensure that the DDA is current in its efforts to improve communication with businesses. 3. Assist the Manager’s Office with various business and financial management activities including development of the annual budget and utilization of DDA funds. 4. Research, recommend, and write grant proposals on behalf of the DDA. 5. Coordinate and lead fundraising and sponsorship activities for various projects and events. 6. Coordinate and manage various events sponsored by the DDA (i.e., Standale Summer Concert Series) in conjunction with the communications department. Work with various staff members to coordinate general activities relating to special projects and events including marketing, organizing, coordinating, budgeting, and scheduling of such events and activities. 7. Build and maintain effective working relationships with public officials, business owners, landlords, various professionals, community groups, and the general public. 8. Work with the City Manager, who serves as a DDA board member, and the DDA board chairperson to create monthly board meeting agenda materials. Submit agenda materials to the Clerk’s Office for publication and distribution. Attend board meetings and present items from the agenda related to various responsibilities. 9. Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications and Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 1. Must possess a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Public or Business Administration or closely related field and a minimum of 2 years professional experience in a related field or any Page 1 of 2 Page 4 of 8 Position Description DDA Business Relations Manager combination of equivalent education and/or experience. Additional experience in the following areas highly desirable: finance, marketing, economic development, grant writing, public relations, journalism, urban planning. 2. Requires a valid State of Michigan driver’s license, satisfactory driving record and the ability to maintain one throughout employment. 3. Strong knowledge of Windows and Microsoft Office Suite Products: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Publisher required. 4. Must be familiar with and able to use various web-based platforms, including social media sites and website management software. 5. Must be proficient with various graphics or photo imagining, video creation and editing, publishing, and presentation software. 6. Must be energetic, motivated, organized, imaginative, detail oriented and possess excellent time management skills. 7. Excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to perform a wide variety of tasks during busy, sometimes stressful times. 8. Ability to exercise good judgment, initiative and resourcefulness in dealing with the public, members, elected officials, community leaders and co-workers. 9. Ability to exercise a high degree of diplomacy in contentious or confrontational situations. 10. Must demonstrate appropriate customer service competences and behaviors in accordance with department policies and procedures. 11. Ability to concentrate and pay attention to details; also ability to organize, prioritize and work independently and in a busy environment where priorities change as well as schedules. 12. Manual dexterity to work effectively for extended periods. Lifts and carries supplies equipment etc. weighing up to 30 pounds to waist-high-level. Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job. An employee in this position spends the majority of their time in-person in an office setting with a controlled climate where they sit and work on a computer for extended periods of time; communicate by telephone, e-mail or in person, and move around the office or travel to other locations to attend meetings and site visits. This position may be eligible for remote work on a limited or situational basis as approved by the Assistant City Manager. Approvals The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for other performance of the job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. This job description has been approved by all levels of management. ________________________________ __________________ City Manager Date Employee signature below constitutes employee’s understanding of the requirements, essential functions and duties of the position. ________________________________ __________________ Employee Date Page 2 of 2 Page 5 of 8  TCO 272 Changed part of TCO 228 from No Parking from 6:00 pm until 3:00 am to No Parking at Any Time TCO 228 No Parking at Any Time (still in effect after TCO 272 passage) Page 6 of 8 Page 7 of 8 Page 8 of 8