Old Orchard Business District Advisory Commission

Old Orchard Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 LOCATION: Zoom CALLED TO ORDER 8:02 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 8:49 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, March 8, 2022 NAME PRESENT ABSENT Bob Weber, Chair X Holland Saltsman, Vice Chair X Angel Venegoni X John Barr X Steve Zielinski X Abby Culleton X Rick Gerger X Vacancy Vacancy Emerson Smith, Council Liaison X Eric Peterson, City Liaison X Also in attendance: Officer Ahmar Rasool – Webster Groves Police Department Fran Sudekum – Administrative Support Approval of Minutes – A motion to approve the January minutes was made by Holland Saltsman, seconded by Rick Gerger, and was unanimously approved. Budget Discussion – Discussion continued with additional potential expense items. Some of the items discussed included: • Streetscape landscaping needs and quotes from the Parks Department were identified separately with the total amount reflected in Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, Category #730 Operational Equipment (See Appendix A): o Upgrade remaining baskets to water-saver baskets o With the completion of the recent streetscape there are ten additional lampposts in the District that will need baskets, brackets, plants, and soil o Upgrading the landscaping beds around the Log Cabin parking lot with perennials o The ornaments used on the lamppost for holiday decorations need to be replaced o NOTE: The evergreen in Gazebo Park that is used for the Holiday Tree Lighting is showing signs of degradation and needs deep-root fertilizing. The cost of which comes out of the Parks Department budget. It is listed on the Old Orchard document as information only and a heads up as the tree will eventually have to be replaced. o Funds for the Parks Department’s work In the District is transferred out of District budget to the Parks Department; the $35K figure on the Revenue line, “Other financing sources (uses)” is being finalized. • Rooftop Lighting Project – A concern was raised whether Stribe is being held accountable for completing the work as fixing the grounding issue and completing new installations is taking too long. Another contractor can be pursued if needed. • District events were discussed and the need to fund/expand them. o For example, if the Fall Festival that was hosted by Civil Alchemy for a couple of years was expanded into a District-Wide Fall Festival and funds were set aside in the budget to support it; funds could be included in the FY 23 budget or could be done later by amending Page 1 of 3  the budget o Another event discussed is the Holiday Tree Lighting event in Gazebo Park; i.e. adding more holiday lights to the tree as well as expanding the activities associated with the event such as carolers. o In addition to funding support for District events, Members were asked to think about expanding the Gazebo Series Organizing Committee to a full-fledged Old Orchard Events Organizing Committee; what that would look like and how it would/could impact the District and its budget. Members supported the figures identified in the Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Budget column of the budget document under discussion (See Appendix A). Eric Peterson noted if needed throughout the year, funds could be moved between categories if available or the budget could be amended. Curbside Pick-Up & Handicap Parking Spaces – Discussion continued on possible options to address parking needs of businesses on the section of East Lockwood that runs next to Gazebo Park which currently all spaces carry a two-hour parking time limit. There is a need for curbside pick-up spots for the restaurants, more accessible ADA ramp locations along with availability of the handicap space and COVID testing access. Many of the patrons of the Back and Neck Center and Webster Pharmacy have mobility issues. Some of the options discussed included adding an additional handicap spot and 15-minute time limit spot/s. Member Rick Gerger suggested identifying a spot in the nearby Webster University-owned parking lot for COVID testing use. Commission Member Steve Zielinski will get feedback from his business neighbors to further identify their specific needs and get their feedback on the discussed options report back at the next meeting. BDC Update – The anonymous business survey will be sent out shortly to all Webster Groves businesses and contractors licensed with the City. The survey has approximately 60 questions, some of which may not apply to each business, so questions can be skipped. City Update • Balancing Act Software with American Rescue Plan (ARP) Projects – Balancing Act software with ARP funding is available on the City website to look at possible items the funds could be used for and give input on how to allocate them. There are several focused-on businesses. • Prop U for an online use tax, will be on the April ballot. There will be an educational campaign; educational materials will be available to businesses. • The Planning Department continues to work on updating the tree ordinance. • City Chats on Facebook Live continue. Next Meeting – March 8, 2022 Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 8:22 AM. Page 2 of 3 APPENDIX A Page 3 of 3