Old Webster Business District Advisory Commission

Old Webster Special Business District Advisory Commission MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Tuesday, April 26, 2022 LOCATION: City Hall & Zoom CALLED TO ORDER: 8:13 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 9:00 AM NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 NAME PRESENT ABSENT Ron Clipp, Chair X Joe Rath X Tim Delanty X Micki Hansel X Margaret Stevens X Bill Newhouse X Stacie Swederska X Vacancy Vacancy David Franklin, Council Liaison X Eric Peterson, City Liaison X Also, in attendance: Sgt. Jason Flanery – Traffic Unit, Webster Groves Police Department Fran Sudekum – Administrative Support Approval of Minutes Joe Rath made a motion to approve the March minutes as presented. The motion was seconded by Bill Newhouse Delanty and unanimously approved. Old Business • Rooftop Lighting Update – Olive + Oak is now scheduled to be completed; work should start next week. There are funds available in the budget to do another building; Morry Cole’s building at 34 North Gore is the next building scheduled. Lights on the buildings on the south side of West Lockwood from South Gore to the dentist office is not working; repairs are not working so the strand/s should be replaced. • Lighting in Trees – Installation of the lights in the trees in front of 52 West Lockwood and 23 North Gore have been completed. • Access to Electricity – Commission Members requested quotes to add electric access to the lampposts in the District; City staff will acquire quotes. • Bench Repair Triage – A review of all the benches in the District has taken place; six could be rebuilt salvaging parts from all; that leaves six new benches to be ordered. Memorial plates will be saved and re-used. Quotes for new benches will be available at next month’s meeting. • Digital Kiosk – Quotes from three vendors for digital kiosks have not yet been received; hopefully, they will be available next month. Commission Members discussed the value of a kiosk to the District. Some members questioned the value of having a kiosk while other felt it can help define the District and marks it as a destination. Quality and improved signage is important and of value to the District. While people may use their cell phones to search for restaurants online, they 1 of 2  do not search for boutiques and shops on online. Members will acquire additional input from other and discuss further at another meeting. The Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Rep, etc. brings in large numbers of patrons into Webster Groves during their performances. How are those patrons finding out about all the businesses that here; a Kiosk is one way. New idea was also discussed – post a QR sign in storefronts that is linked to the Explore Webster Groves webpage. • On-Street Parking – City staff has prepared and will send out the parking email. A meeting will need to take place with businesses to identify where the curb-side pick-up spots will be. Commission Members also discussed the pros and cons of changing the time restriction for on- street parking. Members also discussed if the time limits for on-street parking on Lockwood could/should be changed to something shorter than two hours. • Commission Vacancies – The Commission has three vacancies. Members were asked to reach out to other Old Webster business owners or property owners and encourage them to apply to be on the Commission. Business Development Commission Update • The BDC has submitted a proposal to City Council recommending adding a Business Liaison position to the City staff; a copy has been emailed to Commission Members. • The business community survey closes this week. It can be found on the Business Roundtable landing page within the City website. It’s not required to answer all the questions in order to submit responses. City/Council Update • The monthly business license reports are available on the City’s website. • There are several businesses that haven’t paid their business license fees for some time; City staff step up pursuing those outstanding fees. Businesses are allowed to estimate gross receipts. • Balancing Act Software with the City budget closes Thursday. NEXT MEETING • Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 8:00 AM 2 of 2