Old Orchard Business District Advisory Commission

Old Orchard Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, August 11, 2020 LOCATION: City Hall CALLED TO ORDER: 8:03 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 8:24 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 NAME PRESENT ABSENT Joe Fichter, Chair X Angel Venegoni X Holland Saltsman X Robert Weber X John Barr X Steve Zielinski X Vacancy Vacancy Vacancy Emerson Smith, Council Liaison X Mara Perry, City Liaison X Also in attendance: Fran Sudekum – Administrative Support APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to approve the February minutes as was made by Angel Venegoni, seconded by John Barr was unanimously approved. STREETSCAPE UPDATE Missouri American Water moved up the schedule of their lead-lined pipe replacement project on Big Bend so the work could be completed before construction on Old Orchard’s Streetscape Project. They will be starting near Murdoch and Big Bend and move east in 500’ sections to Laclede Station Road. COVID-19 UPDATE All businesses in Old Orchard have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Curbside pick- up/drop-off is now the norm. • The sidewalks in front of several restaurants along Big Bend are not wide enough to support outside dining and inside dining capacity is restricted. One has set up in back of their business in an adjacent area, but it’s not ideal. There is concern that several restaurants will likely not survive if it continues much longer. • A big piece of The Novel Neighbor’s busines pre-COVID was from in-person activities such as author events, which aren’t able to be held in the current environment. • The Frisco Barroom had plans to add a coffee and bakery business in the adjacent vacant space but pivoted to adding food/meal items online first. The name of the new venture is The Annex. They now plan to open the in-person space in mid-September. • Union Studio was to have opened in the spring but are now hoping to open in October. • The Webster Groves Animal Hospital is having difficulty maintaining full staffing as quarantining takes three personnel out every week. As a result, they are working short-staffed all the time which puts a lot of stress on employees. They’ve had to hire additional vets in their effort to maintain staffing. • The summer Gazebo Series was canceled. One artist, Kim Massey, agreed to put her deposit toward the 2021 season. • Organizing District activities was not seen as a priority. ADJOURNED Meeting adjourned at 8:24 AM. Page 1of 1