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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesDOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES November 21, 2017 PRESENT: Megan Lang, Kris Larson, Kay Bahr, Sandy Prunty, Marlo Ambas, Andy Ratchman, Chanda Anderson, David Krumplitsch, James Evans EXCUSED: David Sparr, Jim Stapel, Benjamin Rennert STAFF: Cassie Daniels – BID Manager, Jeffrey Nau - Associate Planner OTHERS: Mayor Steve Cummings, Lieutenant Matt Kroening – Oshkosh Police Department, Jim Collins – Transportation Director, Doug Villars – Leadership Oshkosh/Remax Reality I - CALL TO ORDER Chair Lang called the meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. and a quorum was declared present. II – APPROVE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 17 AND OCTOBER 31, 2017 MEETINGS There was no discussion on this item. Kris Larson moved to approve the minutes of the October 17 and October 31 meetings as amended. Sandy Prunty seconded the motion which passed unanimously. III – POLICING/TRAFFIC/PARKING ENFORCEMENT ISSUES Lieutenant Matt Kroening reported the Downtown Pub Crawl was fairly calm with four citations issued and two arrests compared to the UWO campus area where 100 citations were issued and four arrests. He commented that the event has really migrated to the campus from the Downtown. Lieutenant Kroening reported that there were numerous minor traffic accidents, mostly hit-and- runs; however two arrests were made for operating under the influence. Lastly, Lieutenant Kroening informed the Board that he is still working on the downtown camera inventory and said it should be completed in December. IV – APPROVAL OF FUNDS FOR GALLERY WALK FROM RESERVE FUND Chair Lang informed the Board that Gallery Walk was in need of funding and asked if there was interest for the BID to contribute funds to keep the event going. Mr. Evans added the owner of Jungle Quest took over management of the event which has gone off-track in that it now focuses on downtown merchants rather than the art community. Ms. Prunty commented that the BID historically supported Gallery Walk and now is time to revisit. DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES November 21, 2017 Mr. Evans referred to the proposal submitted by Art Space Collective which is asking for $1,679, most of it going towards printing of maps. Ms. Lang said at one point the BID was contributing $3,000 for Gallery Walk. Mr. Evans responded that the goal is for Gallery Walk to be self- sufficient in three years and is looking for “seed” money. Mr. Larson suggested they could remove some items from the proposal which would bring it down to $1,374. Ms. Lang responded she supports the full amount and this will help the event get back on track. Ms. Anderson suggested the BID should request reimbursement. Ms. Lang replied the BID does not ask for reimbursements for other events. Mr. Larson added the precedent has been set with other events and sponsors. Ms. Anderson said she was concerned with how the fund will be used and wants to hold the organizer accountable. Ms. Lang replied the BID can hold $500 and require them to report back in 60 or 90 days to see how things are going. Sandy Prunty motioned for approval to provide funding to Art Space Collective for support of Gallery Walk in the amount of $1,679.00 with $500.00 to be held for 90 days until the event organizer reports back to the BID. Kris Larson seconded the motion which passed 8-0-1 (abstain – Evans). V – MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT BID Manager Daniels reported on some updates on the report. There was no further discussion on this item. Kris Larson motioned to approve the BID monthly financial report as presented. Sandy Prunty seconded the motion which passed unanimously. VI – SPECIAL EVENTS POLICY/SATURDAYS FARMERS MARKET Ms. Lang stated she wanted to get input on the possibility of the Saturdays Farmers Market becoming a BID event. Mr. Larson said he and Ms. Lang met with City Manager Rohloff and Council Member Steve Herman to discuss this possibility due to the Special Events fees increasing next year. The advantage would be that if the Market is a BID event, they could be exempt from paying special events fees. Mr. Larson added he was still waiting to hear back from the City to confirm the Market would be exempt. Ms. Lang said the Market would contract with the Market Board to run the event. Ms. Daniels asked for clarification that the Market would be organized by the Market Board. Mr. Larson answered it would and they are in the process of hiring a Market Manager. He added he did not foresee any additional workload for her. Ms. Anderson asked how much the Special Events fees are. Mr. Larson responded a few hundred dollars for barricades and to close the streets. DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES November 21, 2017 Mayor Cummings stated he was concerned that exempting the Market may set a precedent for other community events to seek an exemption. He added that if the City Attorney does find that the Market can be exempt, it must appear clear that it is organized by the BID. Ms. Prunty replied she felt most people think the City runs the Market anyways. Chair Lang asked for this item to be placed on the December agenda for further discussion. Mayor Cummings said the City Attorney should have a decision by then. VII – OSHKOSH HISTORIC TOURISM Mayor Cummings said he met with Amy Albright with the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau to discuss historic tourism and asked to find out what programs other cities have. He added this can potentially bring in a lot of dollars to the community as most people interested in historic places are generally older and tend to spend more money. Mr. Cummings said that the Winnebago County Historical Society is working on a coffee table book that will be on the history of the County. The book is to be published in time for the Society’s 100th anniversary in 2019. Mr. Larson asked the Mayor to see if the Society can use a local business for printing. Mayor Cummings lastly asked the Board to get the word out to historic building owners to get plaques for their buildings. VIII – MURAL OR PUBLIC ART PROJECT FOR SELFIE OPPORTUNITIES Ms. Lang said she has noticed smaller cities are starting to have areas for selfies and thought it would be a good idea for the downtown to have someplace as it works as good promotion. Mr. Larson said City Center was thinking about developing something. Mayor Cummings added the City has created the Public Arts and Beautification Committee which focuses on the downtown and would be a good group to organize with. Ms. Lang suggested Ms. Daniels should attend the committee meetings. IX – BID MANAGER AND BID COMMITTEE REPORTS BID Manager Daniels presented a summary of her activities over the past month as outlined in the BID Manager’s report included in the BID packet. Highlights include:  Holiday Parade went well and the volunteers were great. The Board commended Ms. Daniels for her hard work. Ms. Lang asked how much revenue was generated. Ms. Daniels replied approximately $12,000  Working on thank you cards to the sponsors and those involved DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES November 21, 2017 X – BIKE SHARING AD-HOC COMMITTEE UPDATE BID Manager Daniels reported that she met with Zagster and the Oshkosh Community Foundation about starting a bike share program. OCF Director Bill Wyman was confident they could raise the $55,000 to start the program. Zagster asked the BID and Foundation to identify 20 locations for possible bike stations. XI – REMINDER – OSHKOSH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARD PRESENTATION TO THE BID ON DECEMBER 7TH AT THE DOWNTOWN YMCA Ms. Lang reminded the Board of the upcoming ceremony. XII - IDENTIFICATION OF AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE DECEMBER 19, 2017 MEETING  Special Events Policy/Farmers Market  Creating a selfie location in the Downtown  Unity in Community – May, 2018  Historic Tourism  Bike Sharing XIV – ADJOURNMENT With there being no further business, James Evans moved for the meeting to be adjourned at 9:16 a.m. Kris Larson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Jeffrey Nau Associate Planner