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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.19.2022 Business Improvement District Minutes Downtown Oshkosh BID Board Minutes July 19, 2022 Present: James Evans, Sandra Prunty, Chanda Anderson, Megan Lang, Marlo Ambas, Jill Anderson, Carrie Olson, Derek Mulloy, Andy Ratchman, Barb Nelson, James Stapel, Aaron Armstrong, Autumn Urban Excused: Kris Larson Staff: Jessica Meidl – BID Manager, Jeff Nau – Associate Planner, Anna Maier – Administrative Assistant, Sgt. Kari Pettit – Oshkosh Police Department Others: Amy Albright – Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mike Cooney – Oshkosh Farmers Market I. Call to Order Chairperson Lang called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. A quorum was declared present. II. Approve Minutes of the June 21, 2022 Meeting The minutes of the June 21, 2022 were approved as written. (Olson, Evans) III. Approve July 2022 Monthly Financial Report The July 2022 financial report was approved as presented. (Stapel, Olson) IV. Policing/Traffic/Parking/Enforcement Issues Sgt. Petiti reported there were 154 calls for service last month. Regarding DORA, she talked with the officers working and there weren’t any issues. She thinks things will improve once people have time to understand the rules. A couple people had asked why the library was included in the boundary. Lang replied the library is not part of the BID. The back street is included the boundary, adding that the street behind the east 400 blocks were also included even though they’re a residential area. She asked if there were problems at the library. Sgt. Petiti replied that there weren’t any problems. The only concern is that there might be people taking advantage of DORA around the library. Meidl replied that they’re not allowed to be in the parking lot, so they would need to be on the front steps of the library. The house of the person complaining on social media isn’t in the residential area that was included on the map. Lang replied Council approved the version of the map that went north of the BID district, which also included the library. She thinks that was a typo. She suggested they move forward with the map as is since there haven’t been any issues. Prunty stated that someone is living by the 200 block again. Lang asked if they monitor the number of complaints they receive and the number of interactions they have with homeless individuals. A lot of monitoring is being required for DORA, so she would expect the same level of monitoring for other issues. Sgt. Petiti replied their crime analyst could have put something together, but she hasn’t heard anything. The most common area is the north end of Michigan. Lang asked if Sgt. Petiti could provide that data for the next meeting. Stapel asked if they still want people to call about panhandlers. Sgt. Petiti replied they should call only if they’re creating an issue. V. Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) Discussion Meidl stated DORA was approved by Council on 6/28. They had two options and they approved the option that included the 600 and 700 blocks. They voted to not include the Farmer’s Market, which was shocking because it changed the whole proposal. They didn’t have an opportunity to comment or respond to the amendment removing the Famer’s Market. Meidl added they decided to do the stickers as a marketing tool as opposed to the cups. The stickers are not required, but they have a QR code so you can see the map, hours, and participating business. It’s more cost effective than the cups. They also created flyers and decals for licensed establishments that say no carry-ins are allowed. She ordered 10,000 stickers for opening weekend for around $400 from the advertising budget. Businesses said they should be good with that amount for a while longer. Evans asked where the QR code takes them. Meidl replied it directs them to their website with the rules and participating business. She’s kind of been making rules because there’s the ordinance and then there’s their program. DORA beverages should be purchased at participating establishments even though someone could bring their own beer. Evans replied that’s because they copied the rules for parks which was quite different from what they proposed, but there’s nothing they could do about it at the council meeting. Lang stated people were using and understanding the QR code on Thursday night, so it does seem to be working. Meidl replied they’re going to continue to push purchasing drinks from participating establishments. The first weekend went well and some businesses said they did really well on Thursday and Saturday. Olson asked if there are any numbers from the businesses. Meidl replied she was going to see how long it took the busier bars to get through 1,000 stickers. Stapel replied if they find a lot of people doing carry-ins, an argument could be made to change that due to overserving. Lang stated Meidl will keep a list of things they’d like tweaked for the next approval. Evans stated everyone who spoke for it at the Council meeting did well. Council is able to amend things. In his communications with Council Member Ford, he explained why they wanted it longer on Saturdays and Ford said that maybe someone should have told him that. Ford could have done more research beforehand, but the BID will need to emphasize this the next time around. He also noted that a stronger response was needed from the Famer’s Market. Cooney replied he e-mailed their points to Council in advance and followed up with a second e-mail to clarify their position. They’re indifferent as a community event, but they would more than welcome the extension of the Saturday hours. Lang replied she had heard from people who were disappointed that the Farmer’s Market wasn’t included, especially because they can drink at the indoor winter market. Their thought that downtown is already activated during that time is correct, but it could be activated further for the afternoon “wedding bump.” It’s a missed opportunity. Meidl replied when you visit a new city, you want to see what’s going on downtown and DORA is a pretty unique and cool thing from a visitor’s perspective. Lang replied she talked with someone having a wedding next month who was actually promoting DORA to their guests and the BID isn’t capitalizing on that. It’s unfortunate it was changed at the 11th hour, but they didn’t have an opportunity to respond. Nau replied it’s a pilot program so it will be revisited. Lang thanked everyone who participated at the meeting. They should be proud of the fact that they got it approved. Meidl will make a list of issues for the next approval. She would like to push participating businesses for numbers because Council had concerns about this potentially increasing police visits. She hopes someone is keeping track of that and emphasized that there were no issues were reported for week one. Meidl stated they will post reminders on social media after the posters are distributed. Lang replied they need every participating business to promote it on social media even if they’re not serving if they want to get the word out. Meidl replied it’s a hard ask because there’s been some negative responses on social media. The negative responses are primarily from people who didn’t read the article or don’t understand the rules. The First Friday on August 1st will be a great opportunity to see how DORA can add to an event. She encouraged more discussion with business owners who might need clarification on the rules. She reiterated that you can’t just bring drinks into any business. That’s included with the QR code information. VI. VI – X. Approve Beautification Grant to New Moon, 401 North Main Street ($1,000.00), Approve Beautification Grant to Jeff Verner, 584 North Main Street ($511.88), Approve Beautification Grant to Jeff Verner, 586 North Main Street ($393.75), Approve Beautification Grant to Carrot & Kale, 110 Algoma Boulevard ($1,000.00), Approve Beautification Grant to Reptile Palace, 411 High Avenue ($410.55) Meidl introduced the grant requests as presented in the packet. The grants were approved as requested. (Olson, Armstrong) XI. BID Manager and BID Committee Reports  Events  MemberCO  Beautification Meidl provided her management and committee report as presented in the packet and offered an update of her activities during the past month and on upcoming events. Meidl provided a beautification update, noting the COTS team started last week. As they recruit more people, they’ll be able to apply for a grant which will allow them to be paid for their work. She was able to connect them with Winnebago County staff and thinks it will be great thing for downtown. The CVB contributed funds for the blade sign program and for flowerpots. For the blade sign program, 75% can be reimbursement with a maximum of $1,000. All of the information for that and their other grant programs is available on their website. Mural installation will begin in early August. She also received positive feedback from the On Broadway team in Green Bay about their beautification efforts. Prunty asked if there was any way to address the blade sign requirements the City has on the books. Nau replied the Artful Gift exceeded the requirements because they already have such large signage. The current signs are 8 square feet. A blade sign would obstruct their current signs. When the ordinance was rewritten in 2017, the feedback they received was that they were overly generous with signs. Other cities have the same calculations for blade signs. Meidl replied the requirements were listed in the BID guidelines. She asked if Nau was working on creating a separate rule for blade signs or if there was a way to do variances for certain businesses. Nau replied a separate rule for blade signs would require amending the ordinance. Variance requests are granted based on need, not want. Prunty stated there’s some frustration because the BID is promoting the program and someone applied and was denied. There was some major disappointment. Nau replied there should have been better communication between the BID and the City. XII. Other Business (Items not listed on the BID Board meeting agenda) Prunty asked if Council could consider handling the seagulls throughout Oshkosh instead of just downtown. It’s working, but the seagulls are just moving to other areas and they’re going to return as soon as they stop. Two Rivers did their whole city, but they’re smaller. They targeted specific places, not every rooftop. Albright stated she agrees with Prunty and asked what the cost would be. Prunty replied he only charges for his mileage and his time. Amy replied that she would follow up with Mark Rohloff to see how they could get it to Council. Nau suggested that they provide numbers with their request. Prunty replied she would provide numbers to Albright. XIII. Identification of Agenda Items for the August 16, 2022 Meeting Evans would like to see if there is a plan regarding the East parking lot behind his store. He would like that added to the agenda. DORA and city-wide seagull removal were identified as additional items for the August 16th agenda. XIV. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:00am. (Prunty, Olson) Respectfully Submitted, Jeff Nau Associate Planner Planning Services Division