Old Webster Business District Advisory Commission

Old Webster Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 LOCATION: City Hall CALLED TO ORDER: 8:04 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 9:26 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 NAME PRESENT ABSENT Ron Clipp, Chair X Amanda Payne, Vice Chair X Chris Hite X Joe Rath X Keli Richards X Stacie Swederska X Morry Cole X Mark Hinkle X Tim Delanty X Matt Armstrong, Council Liaison X Mara Perry, City Liaison X Also in attendance: Fran Sudekum – Administrative Support APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to approve September minutes was made by Joe Rath, seconded by Chris Hite, unanimously approved. BUDGET DISCUSSION Mara Perry handed out four documents to help facilitate the budget discussion; budget figures, a further breakdown of two categories, and two maps of the District. • The Parks & Recreation Department handles the landscaping and plants for the District, they provided numerous projects for consideration that would affect the budget in order to cover the cost. o Perennial Beds – Perennial beds could be established in several locations instead of using annuals in pots. Perennials over the long term would require less to maintain eliminate the need for annual purchases. There are existing islands where this could be done easily and other areas where concrete could be removed to expand tree wells to accomplish the goal. Commission members were in favor of this concept. o Trees – Several suggestions would affect existing trees.  Some of the trees on Allen are doing poorly and could be replaced with more column-type trees. An attempt to reach out to Novus will be made regarding the trees in question.  On the east side of Gore near the Lockwood intersection in front of Bank of America are two small trees and one large tree which could be removed in order to provide a more aesthetic look and a symmetrical seating area. Commission  members did not however support removing healthy trees; they also felt the removal of the large tree would have a negative impact on the visual.  On the west side of Gore near the Lockwood intersection by CJ Muggs there are three trees that are doing poorly. It was felt the bleach CJ Muggs uses to clean the alley there is toxic to the trees. At the time the trees are removed and replaced, Public Works could potentially use that opportunity to replace the sidewalk with colored concrete.  The City tree fund could be used for some of the tree replacement instead of using the District budget. • Benches – A discussion was held to possibly move some existing benches and/or purchase an additional one; ADA accessibility on the sidewalks needs to be taken into consideration. • Holiday Decoration/Landscaping/Lighting – A discussion was held on the lighting and decorations in the District. o Several Commission members felt it was very important to the success of the businesses to make the District warm and inviting during the holiday shopping season. Holiday decorations and landscaping have a big impact on the feel of the District and they would like to see improvements in this area. o During that time of year, it gets dark early in the evening, so increased lighting would have a positive effect on the shoppers and diners. Putting lights in the trees would be a big improvement. Over the street lighting would also have a major impact; Commission members looked at examples of over-the-street lighting in other cities. Commission members would like to engage Paul V with Public Works to get his input on bring more electric to the streetscape.  Mara shared with the Commission members a program called “Great Streets” which is a funding source for design; perhaps that’s something the District should pursue. It would involve a funding match from the City so City Council would have to be engaged. o Several other Commission members also felt however, that a large portion of the budget is already spent on the Holiday season and they didn’t want to take away from the plants and landscaping for the rest of the year. OLD BUSINESS • Rooftop Lighting Update – Stribe Electric has a deposit to do the work. The weather has impacted their ability to complete the project to some degree. The one building on Gore that does have lights is not turned on; Mara Perry will contact the tenant where the switch is and have them turned on. The cost to run these LED lights is very low, approximately $3.00 per strand. NEW BUSINESS • Joe Rath inquired if the previously approved $4,000 to help fund the Old Webster Holiday Open House had been sent to the Old Webster Trade Association. • Ron Clipp brought up a parking concern. The employee parking lot is full, could the District possibly rent some of the parking on the “Bank of America” lot if it was restriped? • Stacie Swederska asked the Commission if they still wanted to pursue the outdoor directory kiosk. All in attendance agreed it should be pursued. Mara has some wayfinding signs contact information she can share with Stacie • Ron Clipp inquired about filling the vacancies on the Commission. CITY UPDATE • There are many people inquiring about the Gerber Chapel property; nothing is currently happening however. • There is a contract on the YMCA property. • Hearings are being conducted on potential Air B&B’s. • Hearings are also being conducted on potential drinking establishments. • Potential changes to the home business is being looked at. • Work continues on residential zoning changes and updating the comprehensive plan. • A request to use the property at 8925 Watson Road for a church has been received; however, it doesn’t match the use for that site in the comprehensive plan. • The expansion of Olive+Oak’s CUP into the adjacent property (formerly the Webster Groves Book Shop) has been approved; with a target opening date of mid-July. • Half & Half is moving into the First Watch location; however, Mara has not received any paperwork on it yet. • The Quonset Hut in Old Orchard has two tenants. • Lice Busters is a new business in Old Orchard. • Construction continues on the dance studio in Old Orchard near Dale. FEBRUARY AGENDA Budget ADJOURNED Meeting adjourned at 9:26 AM. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2016 at 8:00 AM – City Hall.