Old Orchard Business District Advisory Commission

Old Orchard Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, August 9, 2022 LOCATION: Zoom CALLED TO ORDER 8:08 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 8:32 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, September 13, 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 Sarah Richardson, 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 June minutes was made by, John Barr, seconded by Angel Venegoni, and was unanimously approved. Rooftop Lighting – Commission Members continued discussing the future of the rooftop lighting program; taking into consideration the ongoing maintenance issues of the current lights as over time, water shorts out strands of lights and the ongoing repairs have become an issue. For example, the entire southside of Big Bend from the Frisco Barroom west to Meyou Thai Eatery have basically been out since November and are beyond their life cycle and need to be replaced in their entirety. The discussion included such things as whether to continue the program at all or switch from 100% of the program funded by the District to a 50/50 program sharing the cost with the property owner, the life cycle of the lights, switching to a different style or type of lights with a longer life cycle and/or better maintenance profile, looking at locating the lights somewhere other than on the rooftops, adding additional properties, and the resources required for the ongoing administration of the program. All businesses in the District are eligible for the program, property owner approval to participate is required. It was decided to get a quote to replace the Frisco to Meyou lights and with that additional information, make some decisions at the next meeting. Page 1 of 2 Gazebo Series Update – The Series is in high gear; posters have been delivered to all sponsors as well as many Old Orchard businesses with store fronts. The social media push has also begun. There are many new sponsors this year, included several from Old Webster. Sponsorship funds are down a bit this year from last year as many returning sponsors are participating at a lower amount this year. The Series runs on Friday evenings starting on August 19th and running through September 23rd. Holiday Tree Lighting – The “Show Starters” of the Gateway Center for Performing Arts is a youth group of 15 to 20 students. They are planning to do three songs just prior to the lighting of the tree. Next month we should have more information on what songs they're planning to perform. The tree lighting is scheduled for December 5th; a decision on the time will be determined at the next meeting. Webster Arts; Gazebo Artists Market – The Market will take place on August 20th, September 17th, October 15th, November 19th, & December 17th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in Gazebo Park and will feature 15 to 20 artists selling their work. Webster-Kirkwood Times Holiday Ad Package – Commission Members agreed to take advantage of the W-K Times Holiday Ad Package of five ads. Three of the ads will appear in the November 11th, December 2nd, and December 9th issues. The District's commitment for these three ads is $325 per issue with each business that chooses to participate contributing $95 per ad. The fourth ad will be in the November 18th Times Gift Guide for $700 with each participating business contributing $110. The fifth ad will be in the November 19 issue for Small Business Saturday. The funds have been previously allocated in the budget. Business Development Commission (BDC) Update – Using information from the Business Survey and Business Roundtable, the BDC identified business staffing as a high priority need and made their first recommendation to City Council for use of part of the Business Development Fund to establish a Webster Groves Job Board; “Work in Webster.” A job board that would be free to use by both those looking for work and for those licensed Webster Groves employers looking to hire staff. The job board is up and running on the City’s website; https://www.webstergrovesmo.gov/673/Work-in-Webster- Groves. BDC’s next step is to develop a marketing strategy to get the word out. The BDC is also working on a “Business Bingo” Scavenger Hunt slated for October 1st with the intention of moving players around the business districts and exposing them to what is available in the business community. District Budget Update; Fiscal Year ’22 – Property taxes are $14,000 over budget. There are no delinquent property tax payments. Business licenses were $9,403 over budget. Advertising utilized 61% of funds allocated. City Update – The June Business License report is available on the City website. Next Meeting – September 13, 2022 Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 8:17 AM. Page 2 of 2