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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-18-21 Meeting Minutes Downtown Oshkosh BID Board Minutes May 18, 2021 Present: Marlo Ambas, James Evans, Sandra Prunty, James Stapel, Jill Anderson, Chanda Anderson, David Krumplitsch, Barb Nelson, Megan Lang, Carrie Olson, Autumn Urban Excused: Aaron Armstrong, David Krumplitsch, Kris Larson, Andy Ratchman, Derek Mulloy Staff: Jessica Meidl – BID Manager, Kelly Nieforth – Economic Development Services Manager, Jeff Nau – Associate Planner Others: Amy Albright – Executive Director, Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Michael Cooney – Oshkosh Farmers Market, Rob Kleman – Senior Vice President, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce I. Call to Order Chairperson Lang called the meeting to order at 8:00a.m. A quorum was declared present. II. Approve Minutes of the April 20, 2021 Meeting Ms. Prunty motioned to approve the minutes of the April 20, 2021 meeting as presented. Dr. Anderson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. III. Policing/Traffic/Parking/Enforcement Issues Officer Petit stated that she had nothing specific to report on. Raulf Place has been getting a lot of attention for disturbances. Oblios has re-opened and they have been out there a few times. She had two pedestrian signs put out and she is aware that the one for the 500 Block is now missing. She asked if they noticed the signs making a difference. Ms. Prunty replied affirmatively. Ms. Nelson replied that she does not see much difference in front of Brinkley’s. Officer Petit replied that she placed them where she thought the most traffic would be, but she is open to suggestions. Chairperson Lang asked about pricing for the signs. Ms. Nieforth replied that they can look at the pricing for signs with reflectors to see if the BID would be interested. IV. Approve May 2021 Monthly Financial Report Ms. Prunty motioned to approve the financial report. Dr. Anderson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. V. Meeting Format The BID agreed to hold meetings in person with social distancing and masks moving forward. Chairperson Lang and Ms. Nieforth will work on setting the location(s) for future meetings. VI. Seagull Update as of 5/5/21 Ms. Prunty stated that the 100 Block had ten nests and 28 eggs, the 200 Block had 60 nests and 160 eggs, the 300 Block had six nests and 17 eggs, the 400 Block did not have any nests or eggs, and the 500 Block had one nest and three eggs. VII. BID Assessments Mr. Nau explained the BID assessment methodology. A couple of years ago the Washington Avenue Apartment Building made a deal with the City to purchase a portion of a City public parking lot and cannot combine the parcels due to tax credits and contamination. Every property that is not institutional, single-family, or two-family must be assessed per the BID assessment methodology. Even though the two properties function as one, they receive two separate BID assessments. If the total assessments and street frontages had been combined, they would have saved around $1,200. There are three other properties in the district that would receive similar savings. Chairperson Lang stated that she can follow up and provide the savings amount. She would like to have the information presented again closer to budget time. VIII. Traffic Calming Signage Chairperson Lang stated that they would apply for grants or fundraise to purchase the signs. They would like a couple extra in the event they are stolen or damaged. There are two mid-block crossings in the 400 Block and two in the 500 Block, so they would need around five or six signs. They could place an extra sign in the 100 or 200 Blocks to slow traffic before reaching the 400 Block. Ms. Nieforth stated that she would look into pricing for the next meeting. IX. Years of Contribution Award Ms. Prunty received an award for ten years of service and Mr. Stapel received an award for twenty years of service. Ms. Nieforth thanked both of them for their service. X. BID Manager and BID Committee Reports  Events  MemberCO  Beautification  Marketing & Communications Ms. Prunty stated that the Star Wars event was a success and that the Chalk Walk is scheduled for August 7th. Ms. Nelson stated that they are planning another virtual shopping event for June. Ms. Nieforth stated they met with Parks Department staff regarding Opera House Seating options. Ms. Olson stated that they have bids for two different mural artists and they will be selecting one for the first mural. They are doing some fundraising and there are some grants available. Mr. Evans asked how they will be choosing an artist. Ms. Olson replied that they found known mural artists through Instagram. They’re looking at bold colorful art that is art for art’s sake, but the price is also something to consider. The decision will probably come down to the artist’s availability and the price. Ms. Prunty asked about the location of the mural. Ms. Olson replied that it would be near where the large holiday greeting card was this winter. This location was chosen because the owners are willing to fund a large portion of the project. There was some discussion on the stability of the siding and if it would hold paint. Chairperson Lang stated that they will verify that they are using the right materials and that there aren’t any issues with the structure before the project starts. Right now funding is the issue. They are making some progress on utility boxes. The goal is to have utility boxes and one mural complete by the end of 2021. Ms. Meidl also completed the downtown portion for the CVB brochure. XI. Other Business (Must address items not listed on the BID Board meeting agenda) Mr. Evans stated that Art Space Collective is returning to their openings on the first Saturday of the month starting in June. Mr. Stapel stated that the garbage trucks are slowly destroying the cage that they built ten plus years ago. They do not own the land, but it is starting to look pretty awful. He paid for it, but it is on City property. The whole block shares the area to place their trash. Mr. Nau replied that he would follow up and get back to Mr. Stapel. Ms. Nieforth stated that the City is receiving around $20 million in ARPA funds and they are looking for input from Boards and Commissions. It needs to be somewhat COVID-related. Ms. Nieforth stated that the Day by Day Warming Shelter is looking to find a permanent home. They are looking on CB right next to Court Towers just north of the Leach Amphitheatre. Ms. Albright stated that the CVB received a grant from the state of Wisconsin for rebranding. They are bringing in a consultant to present his findings in June. A Destination Oshkosh group will work on a plan to begin the rebranding process. XII. Identification of Agenda Items for the June 15, 2021 Meeting ARPA funds, Traffic Calming Signage, Seagull Update, and Holiday Parade were identified as agenda items for the June 15, 2021 meeting. XIII. Adjournment With there being no further business, Dr. Anderson moved for the meeting to be adjourned at 9:12am. Ms. Olson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Kelly Nieforth Economic Development Division Economic Development Services Manager IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THIS MEETING, PLEASE CALL THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION AT 236- 5055.