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Home My WebLink About12-19-2017 MinutesDOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES December 19, 2017 PRESENT:Megan Lang,Kris Larson,David Sparr,Jim Stapel,Kay Bahr,Sandy Prunty, Marlo Ambas,James Evans,Benjamin Rennert EXCUSED:David Krumplitsch,Andy Ratchman,Chanda Anderson STAFF:Cassie Daniels –BID Manager,Jeffrey Nau -Associate Planner OTHERS:Mayor Steve Cummings,Doug Villars –Leadership Oshkosh/Remax Reality I -CALL TO ORDER Chair Lang called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m.and a quorum was declared present. II –APPROVE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 21, 2017 MEETING There was no discussion on this item. Sandy Prunty moved to approve the minutes of the November 21, 2017 meeting as presented. Kris Larson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. III –POLICING/TRAFFIC/PARKING ENFORCEMENT ISSUES No one from the Oshkosh Police Department was present. There was no discussion on this item. IV –WEBSITE UPDATES –BLUE DOOR CONSULTING Dave Sparr arrived at 8:05 a.m. Heidi Strand with Blue Door Consulting introduced herself and provided background information on the current state of the Downtown Oshkosh Website. She explained the BID’s website uses MODX open-source web application framework which has become out-of-date and is vulnerable to crashes, malware and security issues. She suggested the BID should consider upgrading their platform in the near future which has a benefit of being more mobile- friendly. Ms. Strand stated the BID’s website is getting a lot of “band-aid” fixes and the BID should budget an upgrade in 2018 or 2019, possibly redesigning the entire site. Mr. Stapel asked how much the upgrades would cost. Ms. Strand estimated $8,000 for a platform upgrade to over $20,000 for a complete redesign, it depends what the BID wants. She added there may be cheaper options. Ms. Lang asked how much has the BID been spending on maintenance. Ms. Daniels responded she spent five hours at $90 per hour over the past 90 days and added maintenance needs have been increasing. DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES December 19, 2017 Mr. Larson asked if the site is still focusing on driving traffic to the site. Ms. Strand responded the trend is changing and websites will not be as relevant in the near future. Ms. Strand added that voice technology is gaining momentum with Google doing a good job spearheading the technology. She also said that artificial intelligence will become a factor sooner than later. Ms. Lang asked this item be added to next month for further Board discussion. V –APPROVE RETENTION FUND GRANT –422 N.MAIN STREET VI –APPROVE RETENTION FUND GRANT –424 N. MAIN STREET BID Manager Daniels provided background information on the two $1,000 grant requests which involves replacement of the second floor windows at 422 and 424 N. Main Street. Ms. Lang stated she will be abstaining on this item as she is one of the owners of the building. She added that this was the first building she purchased and the only one that has not had the windows replaced. She feels it will be an improvement to the front façade. Ms. Daniels commented that if the grants are approved the Board will need to transfer money from the Reserve fund as there is only $600 left in the Recruitment/Retention Fund budget. James Evans motioned for approval for the two $1,000 Retention Fund Grants for 422 and 424 N. Main Street. Kris Larson seconded the motion which passed 8-0-1 (abstain –Lang). VII –MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT BID Manager Daniels reported the Holiday Parade generated $14,200 in profits.Chair Lang commended Ms. Daniels for this big accomplishment on the first year of the BID taking over the parade.There was no further discussion on this item. Jim Stapel motioned to approve the BID monthly financial report as presented.Sandy Prunty seconded the motion which passed unanimously. VIII –SPECIAL EVENTS POLICY/SATURDAYS FARMERS MARKET Mr. Larson reported he heard back from City Manager Rohloff who said the City Attorney sees no legal issues with the BID taking over the Farmers Market to get an exemption from Special Events fees since the BID is an arm of the City.Mr. Rohloff is requesting that the Common Council should discuss and approve a resolution at an upcoming Council meeting. Mayor Cummings stated the Council needs to avoid setting a precedent that would encourage other community events to seek an exemption. He suggested that the BID should draft a letter to the Common Council requesting to be exempt. Ms. Lang responded they were waiting to DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES December 19, 2017 hear back from the City Manager and added the City Attorney concurred that the BID should have been exempt from paying event fees in the past. Ms. Prunty asked for the status of the Market hiring a new manager. Mr. Larson responded they were close but had to start over with the hiring process. James Evans motion to approve for the BID to become the primary sponsor of the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market and become an official BID event. Sandy Prunty seconded the motion which passed unanimously. IX –OSHKOSH HISTORIC TOURISM Mayor Cummings said he did not have anything to report besides Megan Lang has ordered historic plaques for several of her buildings. X –MURAL OR PUBLIC ART PROJECT FOR SELFIE OPPORTUNITIES Ms. Lang said she had no updates to report. Mr. Stapel said he has visited cities where there were “frames” available to take selfies. Ms. Lang said she would like to mimic photos she has seen on social media. XI –UPDATE ON THE ADDITION OF THE FRONTENAC APARTMENTS TO THE BID ASSESSMENT ROLL Ms. Lang said she met with one of the owners of the Frontenac Apartments and had a very positive conversation and understood the value of the BID. Ms. Lang added the only issue she had was she wished she had longer notice. Ms. Daniels said she also talked to the same owner and said she did not want to initially pay the assessment for 2018 and would agree to start paying in 2019. Ms. Daniels added the budget had been set and tax bills sent out so that was not possible. She did go over benefits of being in the BID and programs the owner may be able to take advantage of. XII –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 thank you cards went out to the sponsors Hand delivered plaques to winners of the parade floats DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES December 19, 2017 Sent a thank you letter to Windward Wealth Strategies. Heard from Wendy Hielsberg who seemed happy with what they received for sponsoring the parade Fixing the candle bulbs on the wreaths which keep coming loose Working on 2018 Downtown Directory Beautification Contracts are ready 2018 Holiday Parade’s theme is “Winter Wonderland” Attended the Oshkosh Community Foundation’s Donor Appreciation Award Ceremony. Char Lang gave a very good speech Mayor Cummings mentioned the 2018 Holiday Parade will start closer to 6:00 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. XIII –BIKE SHARING AD-HOC COMMITTEE UPDATE There were no updates to report. XIV –UNITY IN COMMUNITY, MAY 2018 Mayor Cummings provided background information on the one day event and said it will be child and family-orientated multi-cultural event covering every continent. The Event will be held on May 5, 2018 from 10 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Leach amphitheater. Mr. Ambas asked how to get involved; he feels the local Philippine Dance Troop would be a good fit. Mr. Cummings responded he will get him information on upcoming meetings. XV -IDENTIFICATION OF AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE JANUARY 16, 2018 MEETING Downtown Oshkosh Website Update Saturdays Farmers Market Potential Retention Fund Grant Bike Sharing Update Transfer of funds for BID Manager Salary Increase Oshkosh Community Foundation –Downtown Ice Rink Sponsorship Request XVI –MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION & COMPENSATION REGARDING THE BID MANAGER, AN EMPLOYEE OVER WHICH THE BID BOARD HAS JURISDICTION AND EXERCISES RESPONSIBILITY James Evans motioned to go into closed session to discuss the BID Manager’s performance and evaluation. Sandy Prunty seconded the motion which passed unanimously. DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH BID BOARD MINUTES December 19, 2017 The Board went into closed session at 9:05 a.m. The Board exited closed session at 9:37 a.m. XVII –ADJOURNMENT With there being no further business,Jim Stapel moved for the meeting to be adjourned at 9:37 a.m.Kris Larson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Jeffrey Nau Associate Planner