Old Orchard Business District Advisory Commission

Old Orchard Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 LOCATION: City Hall & Zoom CALLED TO ORDER 8:02 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 8:25 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 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 September minutes was made by, Bob Weber, seconded by Steve Zielinski, and was unanimously approved. Rooftop Lighting – Some of the current rooftop lighting installations need to be redone. It’s estimated the lighting strands are lasting 3 to 5 years. Installations were paid 100% by the District thru its Rooftop Lighting Program. Commission Members find the decorative rooftop lighting is of value to the District and determined to continue the program. Commission Member John Barr received a requested quote from McLaughlin Electrical Services to install new rooftop lighting for the southside of Big Bend from the Frisco Barroom west to Meyou Thai Eatery (See Appendix A). Streib Electric did not respond to Mr. Barr’s quote request and has not responded to multiple maintenance requests from the City. The amount involved in this section of lighting is of a level that does not require a three-bid process. It was determined to engage McLaughlin to perform the work. Big Bend Vehicle & Pedestrian Flow – Copies of St. Louis County’s traffic studies for the Big Bend-Murdoch intersection have been requested. In addition, Lisa Clancy, St. Louis County Councilwoman, has been invited to the next meeting to talk about the County’s potential plans for changes to traffic flow on Big Bend thru the District. Trick-or-Treating Event – The event will take place Saturday, October 29th. Commission Member Holland Saltsman’s son will update the graphics from last year. There are some new businesses participating this year and some businesses have Page 1 of 2 chosen not to participate. Once the graphics have been updated, participation posters and maps will be printed and distributed. Holiday Tree Lighting Event – Stephanie Fox’s youth group from the Gateway Center for Performing Arts is scheduled to sing at the tree lighting event. The event will take place on December 5th with the performance at 4:00 PM followed by the lighting of the tree at 5:00PM. Business Development Commission (BDC) Update • Job Board – The “Work in Webster Groves” job board is up and running; https://www.webstergrovesmo.gov/673/Work-in-Webster-Groves. The job board is free to use by both those looking for work and for those licensed Webster Groves businesses and non-profits looking to hire staff; full-time, part-time, interns, volunteers. Businesses will receive a postcard in the mail announcing the job board. In addition there will be digital advertising to businesses and residents and outreach outside of the City. • Business Bingo – The event was held on October 1st. Thirty bingo cards were turned in at the end of the day. Comments were made by participants at the wrap up party that they discovered businesses they didn’t know about, for example, Field Theory in Old Orchard. Discovering businesses in Webster Groves was the overall goal of the event. City/Council Update • There were no new business licenses to report this month. • City Council is working on strategic planning. • City Charter Review Commission members have all been appointed. One of the members is the owner of May Pop, Tammy Behm. • “Forever Webster Groves,” the plan put together by the Sustainability Commission is before City Council. Meeting Schedule • Next Meeting – November 8th, no meeting in December. • 2023 Meeting Schedule – Commission Members chose to continue meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at 8:00 AM; January 10, February 14, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8, September 12, October 10, and November 14, no meeting in December. During the summer, if a meeting needs to be rescheduled or cancelled, it will be decided the month prior. Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 8:25 AM. Page 2 of 2