Old Orchard Business District Advisory Commission

Old Orchard Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, June 13, 2022 LOCATION: City Hall & Zoom CALLED TO ORDER 8:00 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 8:37 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 11, 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 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 May minutes was made by Angel Venegoni, seconded by Holland Saltsman, and unanimously approved. Traffic Calming/Pedestrian Safety Features – St. Louis County will have a project webpage for all to see project status updates. Rooftop Lighting – Streib needs to reach out to Holland Saltsman to arrange repairs to the rooftop lighting at the Novel Neighbor building. Decorative Holiday Lighting – Members reviewed and discussed options for decorative holiday lighting in Gazebo Park and on the ten new lampposts on Big Bend east of Murdoch which have power (the old lampposts do not have power); decorating those poles would be a nice entrance to the District for those coming from the east. In addition, ground displays could be added to Gazebo Park in lieu of the evergreen that died and had to be removed that was used as the lighted holiday tree. Member comments included such things as seasonal (winter) vs. holiday, olde style traditional vs. modern, inclusiveness, durability, low maintenance, and keeping an eye on the cost. Members can peruse the options more closely at https://holidayoutdoordecor.com/traditional-series/ and then make decisions when all Commission Members can give input. In addition, a couple pieces could potentially be sent out to get a better look at them. Costs will be a 10-15% reduction based on the City’s account with the vendor. Funding would be from the District’s fund balance. District Events • 2023 Gazebo Series – During the concerts East Lockwood adjacent to Gazebo Park will be closed. Towards the end of the season, there will be a need to coordinate access for Nerinx Hall exiting vehicles. If something of an urgent nature develops, the WGPD District Officer could be engaged. • Holiday Event – December 2nd was chosen as the date for a District Holiday Event. Possible activities discussed included: the return of the youth group singers that performed last year (the Show Starters from the Gateway Center for Performing Arts), Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, Toys for Tots, food drive, retailers/restaurant holiday stroll, light up Gazebo Park in some way, co-brand with the Summit Avenue synchronized light show block party. Unfortunately, the evergreen tree used in the annual tree lighting in the past had to be removed, so no tree lighting this year. Page 1 of 2 Business Development Commission (BDC) Update • BDC Business Coffee – The Coffee was held on May 17th at the Rec Center. The event was very well attended. Several Old Orchard businesses were in attendance and inquired about the Old Orchard Merchant & Business Association and the Old Orchard Special Business District Commission. Remarks included concerns about pedestrians safety at Summit and Lockwood Avenues, the need for additional trash cans, and more beautification. City/Council Update • Work on the budget is almost completed; it’s scheduled to be adopted at the next Council meeting. • Once the budget is completed the City Council will turn its attention to continuing their work on the Strategic Plan. • The City has submitted for a $2.5M federal grant for 18 electric vehicle charging stations spread throughout the City. Next Meeting – July 11, 2023; possibly no meeting in August Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 8:37 AM. Page 2 of 2