HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.21.2021 Meeting Minutes
Downtown Oshkosh BID Board Minutes
December 21, 2021
Present: Marlo Ambas, James Evans, Sandra Prunty, Jill Anderson, Derek Mulloy, Aaron
Armstrong, James Stapel, Barb Nelson, Megan Lang, Carrie Olson, Autumn Urban and
Kris Larson.
Excused: Chanda Anderson, David Krumplitsch and Andy Ratchman.
Staff: Jessica Meidl – BID Manager, Kelly Nieforth – Community Development Director, Jason
Pausma, Economic Development Services Manager, Sean Fitzgerald – Economic
Development Specialist, and Sgt. Kari Pettit – Oshkosh Police Department.
Others: Amy Albright – Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dianna Stiefvater, Rob
Ketter, Mike Nelson and Jessica Graf.
I. Call to Order
Chairperson Lang called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. A quorum was declared present.
II. Approve Minutes of the November 16, 2021 Meeting
Prunty moved to approve the minutes of the November 16, 2021 meeting, second by Larson. Motion
passed unanimously.
III. Approve December 2021 Monthly Financial Report
BID Manager Meidl provided the financial report as presented in the packet. Stapel moved to accept
the financial report, second by Larson. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Policing/Traffic/Parking/Enforcement Issues
Sgt. Pettit indicated call volume during the second patrol shift has been cut in half since November.
Members of the board advised Sgt. Pettit there has been a homeless individual sleeping during
overnight hours inside the garbage dumpster enclosures at the Jefferson Street parking lot.
V. Discussion of MemberCo Funds from Fiscal Year 2021
Lang said the BID will retain the approximately $9,800 remaining in the MemberCo checking account
and place the funds into its reserves. The BID will make its previously approved allocation of $3,000 to
MemberCo’s checking account for the coming fiscal year on January 1, 2022.
VI. BID Manager and BID Committee Reports
Events
MemberCO
Beautification
Marketing & Communications
Meidl provided her management and committee report as presented in the packet and offered an
update of her activities during the past month. She also provide a report on the recent holiday parade,
Small Business Saturday and other downtown holiday events.
Meidl said the recent holiday Wine Walk sold out within the first weekend the tickets went on sale,
netting approximately $9,000 in proceeds. A total of 23 businesses participated in the Wine Walk. Meidl
also said the downtown holiday mailbox received more than 100 letters to Santa this past season.
Albright mentioned the visitor bureau’s “Shop Local” campaign has been extremely successful, with
the organization granting nearly 550 pairs of Oshkosh-themed socks to patrons of downtown
businesses who provided receipts in excess of $100.
Meidl asked board members for feedback regarding the continuation of First Friday events into 2022,
noting participation from merchants and patrons has been sagging during the past several months of
2021. Lang felt First Fridays were more vibrant for restaurants downtown than it may have been for
retail shops. Some board members asked whether changing the event to a different night of the week
might prove more effective. The board agreed to tentatively continue First Friday events into 2022.
Meidl introduced the concept of a “designated outdoor refreshment area,” or DORA, in other
downtown areas. She is currently doing research and consulting with the city clerk’s office regarding
the possibility of establishing a DORA in downtown, which would designate outdoor areas for patrons
to carry open alcoholic beverages. She will update the board on her findings at future meetings.
Lang reported on a joint proposal between the BID, convention & visitors bureau and Oshkosh Area
Community Foundation to fund a new landscape position through the city’s parks department. This
position would be responsible for planting and maintaining the various plantings downtown currently
contracted to a private landscaping firm, which is discontinuing its services for the BID. The proposed
share of the cost from the BID would be $25,000 per year for four years, and Lang indicated she has a
pending request to a private donor to fund these costs for the BID.
Under this proposal, the BID would still pay the cost of plant materials and holiday-related greenery,
which totaled nearly $12,000 for the past year. Meidl noted the private landscaping firm was paid
about $36,000 for its services during 2021, and the proposed initiative with the parks department could
provide a cost savings for the BID’s beautification efforts in coming years. Lang indicated more
information will be forthcoming at the January board meeting.
VII. Other Business (Items not listed on the BID Board meeting agenda)
Nieforth introduced Jason Pausma as the city’s new economic development services manager.
Fitzgerald indicated there remains a handful of unsigned encroachment agreements for the city’s
flower planter pilot program with the downtown BID. He reminded business and building owners to
contact him with any questions and to sign and return those documents as soon as possible.
VIII. Identification of Agenda Items for the January 18, 2022 Meeting
Agenda items identified for the January 18, 2022 meeting include:
Review of BID financial assistance programs.
Annual report on 2021 activities in the BID.
Further discussion on the concept of a possible “designated outdoor refreshment
area” (DORA) or “public alcohol consumption area” (PACA).
Report from Day By Day Warming Shelter on its plans for a new shelter facility
near downtown.
IX. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn by Stapel at 8:59 a.m., second by Larson. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sean Fitzgerald
Economic Development Division
Economic Development Specialist