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Home My WebLink About10.26.09 EDA Packet AGENDA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY October 26, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, City Hall Julie May 1. Call Meeting to Order (7:00 p.m.) 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve Agenda 4. Citizens Comments/Presentations 5. Consent Agenda (see attached) a. Meeting Minutes: September 28, 2009 b. Bills: September 27 - October 16, 2009 c. Budget Details: September 2009 d. Industrial Park Budget Expenditures 6. Public Hearings (None) 7. Continued Business a. Proposal for Purchase of 308 Elm Street I. AK Performance Graphics b. Industrial Park Expansion Project c. McVicker Lot Update d. Riste Lot Update 8. New Business a. CEEF Loan Agreement b. CAPX 2020 Electric Transmission Lines c. 2010 Budget 9. City Staff Reports, see attached Authority Members Chair, Christy Jo Fogarty Vice-Chair, Steve Wilson Terry Donnelly Mayor Todd Larson City Stoff Representatives Executive Director, Peter Herlofsky City Administrator Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist Cindy Muller Executive Assistant 430 Third Street Farmington, MN 55024 a. Economic Update, volume 27 (Supplemental) b. Press Release: I. Three MN Cities are First To Receive Shovel-Ready Certification Ii'. Dakota Future Achieves Top 21 Smart Community Milestone c. Downtown Promotion Reporter d. The 3/50 Project (verbal) e. October Economic Development Activity Report (Supplemental) Phone: 651.280.6800 http://www.ci.farminqton.mn.us 1 a.Adjourn The Farmington EDA 's mission is to improve the economic vitality of the city of Farmington and to enhance the overall quality of life by creating partnerships, fostering employment opportunities, promoting workforce housing and by expanding the tax base through development and redevelopment. SCL MINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Regular Meeting Septem her 28, 2009 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Fogarty at 7:45 p.m. Members Present: Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, May, Wilson Members Absent: None Also Present: Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator; Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist; Lee Smick, City Planner 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. APPROVE AGENDA Member May added updates on the Parks Garage and the Rambling River Center building under Continued Business. MOTION by Larson, second by Wilson to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 4. CITIZEN COMMENTS/PRESENTATIONS 5. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Larson, second by Donnelly to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved Meeting Minutes August 24, 2009 b) Approved Bills August 23,2009 - September c) Received Budget Details August 2009 APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS 7. CONTINUED BUSINESS a) Parks Garage Councilmember May asked about the status of the proposals received from Pellicci Hardware and AK Performance Graphics. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier replied that staff has not finished the evaluation of the information from AK Performance Graphics to determine if the proposal can be accepted. Staff should know more by the end of the week and could either call a special meeting or place it on the agenda for the next meeting. Councilmember May asked if staff has had a conversation with Pellicci' s and if it has been determined their proposal is not a viable option. City Administrator Herlofsky stated staff met with them the next day and the conversation has been the same as previous meetings. Member Larson asked ifthere were further negotiations with EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28,2009 Page 2 them. City Administrator Herlofsky stated the financial information was provided showing everything the City could do. Based on the action from the last EDA meeting, staff was to negotiate with the graphics company. It would have been unethical to negotiate two agreements at the same time for the same item. Therefore, Pellicci's were told their agreement would not be considered unless the other one fell through. It does not mean we cannot look at other options. Members Larson and May understood they were going to give Pellicci's another chance. City Administrator Herlofsky stated it would be difficult to discuss the same item with two different parties. The $400,000 was beyond the City's ability. Chair Fogarty noted it says in the minutes that staff would reach out to the hardware store and discuss if they were willing to drop the $425,000 City contribution and then we would be willing to consider their proposal. Chair Fogarty stated what she was hearing was the Pellicci's said their offer is their offer. Member Larson was hearing that they did not have the option and that they were told no, we are going with the graphics company. City Administrator Herlofsky stated unless the EDA has some change with the $100,000, we do not have any other options. Mr. Pellicci asked if staff could waive the building permits, which we could not. As far as the Pellicci' s position, there are two that want to stay downtown, and two who want to do something else, so there is also a division there. There was nothing else to negotiate at that meeting. Member May asked if it was presented in a way saying we are not waiving any fees. If you want to present us with a viable offer, do so. That would leave it open to them to present an offer without the business subsidy. Unless we said no, we cannot accept your offer as presented and we have another offer so it is done. If they know there is no give from the City's perspective they are walking away. City Administrator Herlofsky stated the amount of money through the abatement process was $100,000. It was quite different from the proposal they had. If they expected us to offer $125,000, we were not in a position to do that. They needed to negotiate down to our number, as we are not in a position to negotiate up to their number. Chair Fogarty did not get the impression from the last meeting that was the direction given. She felt the direction was to make them aware the EDA is unwilling to subsidize beyond what was given and we would still be willing to look at a presentation that would entertain that. We did not expect that to happen, but wanted to give them an opportunity to at least match it, so we could consider both proposals. One party did come in late, but we accepted the proposal. Because of that we were willing to go back to Pellicci's and tell them if they are willing to do it without the subsidy, we are willing to hear your proposal. City Administrator Herlofsky stated he may not have been as open as the EDA expected. If we cannot go up in the dollar amount and the other proposal is viable, where can we go with this? No one has heard from the Pellicci's since then. City Administrator Herlofsky stated they were given a copy of the market study and told they are important to the City and that we want to work with them. There are options in the report and they were asked to review them and staff would meet with them to work something out. As far as this piece of property, the graphics company is the better deal. Chair Fogarty stated staff is currently working with the graphics company to see if the proposal will work. Economic EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 3 Development Specialist Hansmeier replied yes, so we can offer a business subsidy with the financial information. The City's financial advisor needs to review the proposal. Chair Fogarty asked if the EDA would like staff to approach the Pellicci's again with the wording discussed or continue with the graphics company. Member Donnelly asked what they would present. Chair Fogarty stated if the Pellicci's are willing to limit themselves to the subsidies being given to the other entity as far as dollars. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated the Pellicci's would be an abatement and the AK Performance Graphics would be a business subsidy. Chair Fogarty stated the EDA is interested in letting the Pellicci's know if they were to come to the EDA with a proposal that involved a business subsidy in the same dollar amount we would be willing to consider that proposal. The subsidy with the graphics company was $137,000. Member Wilson felt some of these discussions are borderline unethical because he thought last time we received two proposals. One definitely did not meet the requirements and one looked like it did. We are having discussions on how we can create and modify a business agreement with the City which will create favor towards business A over business B. He did not feel comfortable with this. We provided a deadline with requirements. Pellicci's did not meet that and it looks like the other business did. For us to start crafting ideas and comparing notes about how to put a business in a different light, does not say much about Farmington and wanting to attract different and unique businesses to the community. It seems we are trying to protect our own and we do not want to allow anyone else in. We want to protect our own, but at the same time we want to be welcoming others in. Member Larson was of the understanding because Pellicci's did meet the deadline and the other company did not, we were giving Pellicci's the opportunity to negotiate. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier noted staff did ask if the EDA wanted to accept the second one also. Member Larson thought because Pellicci's did meet the deadline, we would go back to them one more time. Member May agreed with Mayor Larson that we would review the graphics company with the subsidy and discuss with Pellicci's because they did meet the deadline and that we were unable to meet the abatement for them. We wanted to make that known to them. Member Donnelly noted this is getting fuzzy. What if we could start over and say 30 days from now, give us a proposal, these are the rules, no exceptions. They can put the same ones in and if they do not meet the date, we do not consider it. Chair Fogarty agreed with Member Wilson in that the EDA did accept their proposal. We should be moving forward with AK Performance Graphics. The Pellicci's have had ample opportunity to contact members of the board. She did not think the EDA's direction was followed as well as they would have liked, but the contact was made and the majority of the board would like staff to pursue the EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 4 current avenue with AK Performance Graphics. Member Donnelly noted staff did have a meeting with Pellicci' s. They cannot put words in their mouth. Member May noted staff went to them and told them we have another offer we are looking at. That would make them think it was over. City Administrator Herlofsky noted the financial information was brought to them and told this is the financial basis. The range between the offers is substantial. The better option is the other company. He felt there was some expectation of negotiations and it was very difficult to negotiate at that time. IfPellicci's wanted to make a counter offer, that has always been open. He was not told that it looked very favorable based on the numbers we have. Chair Fogarty wanted Pellicci's to stay in Farmington. They have had opportunity to reach out to the board and to attend the meeting. The majority of the board would like to move forward with AK Performance Graphics. b) Old Rambling River Center Building Member May asked if there has been any discussion as to the use of this building. We are close to completing the new senior center. Staff noted it is a City owned building, so it would be discussed by the City Council. City Administrator Herlofsky asked for suggestions. Chair Fogarty suggested it be put on the agenda this month. Member May did not want us to be in a position as before where those discussions should have been happening while this building was being built. She would like us to be proactive rather than having the building sit there. c) Inquiry Update Member May asked if the Inquiry Update is usually in each packet. Staff needs to update it with the latest inquiries and can e-mail it to the EDA. It will be placed in the delivery with the Council packets. 8. NEW BUSINESS a) Design Standards i. Downtown Commercial District ii. Industrial Park The three primary areas of focus identified in the comprehensive plan are: - Downtown Development and Redevelopment - Industrial Development - Commercial Development outside of the downtown area The downtown district includes the river to the north, 4th Street to the east, Walnut Street to the south and 15t Street to the west. There are some residential properties within this area. The downtown design standard does not pertain to residential properties. They will be effective only if those properties are redeveloped into commercial areas. The bulk requirements are the height, signs, streetscape, landscaping, etc. The downtown design standards pertain to new commercial on any lots zoned commercial or redeveloped from residential to commercial, or any existing commercial upon upgrade of the building or structure which is anytime someone pulls a building permit for the exterior. Design standards also pertain to EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 5 redevelopment projects for commercial use. City Planner Smick showed examples of the building elements and building materials. Anytime a commercial design standard needs to be reviewed it will go through a plan review process with the Planning Commission. Staff has met with a number of people and the Downtown Business Association. They are very excited about getting design standards because they are concerned about how a new business will come in versus their property. The materials asked for will match the materials on the buildings from the Exchange Bank building up to the State Bank building. Staff reviewed what will not be allowed. The maximum height of buildings is 45 feet with taller buildings on the comers. Member Wilson asked about inquiries relating to redevelopment or purchase of either comer properties on Elm and Third Street. Staff has had no inquiries. Member Wilson noted these design standards are not in place yet. So an idea to consider might be a new category for business development grants such as some type of revitalization of existing business fayade provided they put in 2/3 of the money and the EDA contributes 1/3 up to a certain dollar amount if they meet certain requirements. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier noted the current loan program covers fayade improvements which is a two to one match. Chair Fogarty asked for clarification on some language. Staff explained the area should be walkable and staff is encouraging mixed use buildings. Chair Fogarty asked about discouraging imitation of historical styles. Staff explained the historical consultant had said to not imitate historic styles and will review this with him. Chair Fogarty was concerned with the language regarding big box buildings and staff will edit the language. Next City Planner Smick discussed Industrial Park design standards. Currently Farmington is allowing 6% exterior metal, outdoor storage needs to be screened, etc. The design standards will be administered through the site plan review process at the Planning Commission. All new construction, renovations or additions of existing industrial structures within the Industrial Park will be required to meet the standards. Projects exempt from these standards include interior remodeling, buildings being entirely used as residential, normal maintenance and any type of construction that does not require a building permit. For alternate materials, staff is proposing alternate exterior surface materials of pre-engineered metal may be substituted in an amount not to exceed 50% of the exterior wall surface area of each building and the pre-engineered metal shall only be installed on the upper portion of the building. The Planning Commission did not want metal all the way to the ground. By allowing other construction materials, it could save the owner 20% in construction costs. This would make it easier for businesses to build in the industrial park. Member Wilson stated once design standards are in place, he was uncomfortable with leaving the area sit there. We will have to put some money out there for infrastructure development. City Planner Smick stated the design standards will EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28,2009 Page 6 change things in the existing industrial park. In a few weeks, the City Council will see the area to the west of Pilot Knob as a zoning amendment from all agricultural to industrial park. So the design standards for the existing industrial park will be updated and will carryover to the west side of Pilot Knob after the zoning is changed. The EDA members agreed on the design standards for the industrial park. Chair Fogarty noted one advantage Lakeville has is the curb and gutter costs are not charged to the builder. If we can reduce the building costs by 20%, but then they have to pay the curb and gutter, we have lost the competitive edge. She asked if in the next phase we have considered if we want to install curb and gutter. Staff noted the Planning Commission is open to low impact development and would like to see the swale of a curb along the roadways. Outdoor storage areas shall not be viewed from CSAH 50 or CR31. In the interior lots, there is no screening required. Property will be easier to sell because industrial businesses want outside storage and they do not want to have to screen it. Boulevard trees or lot frontage trees will be required along the front of the building. There are also landscaping requirements for the front. Chair Fogarty recalled what had people upset with the storage was the height. Mayor Larson asked if the Planning Commission could look at the screening on a case by case basis. Staff agreed. Members agreed with the screening requirements. The outdoor surface area shall be grass or surface to control dust. This is a change from the asphalt requirement. Storage areas would be behind the building, not in the front. b) Draft Strategic Plan Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier presented the beginning elements of a draft strategic plan compiled from the activities the EDA has been involved in since January 2006. The priorities identified in the comprehensive plan are: I. Downtown Development and Redevelopment 2. Industrial Development 3. Commercial Development Outside of the Downtown Area As the EDA has changed over the last three years, staff asked for comments. Member May believed industrial development has to be the top priority. As far as a second priority she was concerned with City-owned properties. She did not like the City being a landlord such as leasing the old liquor store building. We are competing with the downtown businesses. It is not our business to be a landlord. That is why she brought up the Rambling River Center building; to get the word out there will be a vacant building. Member Donnelly suggested placing industrial development ahead of downtown development and redevelopment. He did not care where the businesses are EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 7 located, as long as they come to Farmington. He felt always placing an emphasis on the downtown hurts us. Mayor Larson has always been a proponent of downtown, but with industrial growth and development outside of the downtown, it will enhance.the downtown by default. He suggested industrial development, commercial development outside the downtown and downtown development. Member Wilson asked about the activities in 2006 and 2007 and what is staffs plan to embed those with the EDA's comments. We hired CraigRapp, took a bus tour, etc. He felt industrial development is the top priority. We do not need to .. call special attention to downtown. There are many areas with opportunities fOr . commercial development. He did not want to spend $2-3 million to build an industrial park and then have it sit there. Chair Fogarty felt the priorities are in order. There have been consultants to discuss the City's strengths for development and have always heard the downtown is the strength. Other cities are trying to create what we naturally have. What has happened, is we have become too focused on that term. If we work on commercial development in general, it will help the downtown. The consultants have stressed to preserve the downtown. It is the core of the City and the hometown feeling. She was comfortable with putting the downtown in a maintenance status. Industrial has moved to number one. Commercial development would be second, and redevelopment as third. Members agreed with these priorities. Member May stated the comments from Cerron are very helpful. EDA members rely on staff to give them the feedback on what they are hearing. She would like to hear more on what businesses are moving and shaking. Staff maybe has to initiate those conversations. It is more of what information staff can give the EDA, than what the EDA can give staff. Staff has to give the EDA the pulse of what is going on. c) The 3/50 Project This project is designed to save independent businesses. Three businesses are selected and you make a point to spend $50/month at each of the businesses. Staff would like to look at this as a major objective for 2010. Staff would like to meet with the Business Association to see what staff can do to help them promote through 20 lOa 3/50 program. The reason is for retention of existing businesses and also to develop strength in the current businesses. The best proponent for getting other businesses is the current businesses who can brag about how well things are going in Farmington. Staff was asking to start this around December. Four out of five members agreed to the project. Member May did not because if staff gave out flyers, most people would say there is no place to shop in Farmington. To make it work, you need to give them a list of businesses, but then we are promoting businesses. Unless we have the two organizations (the EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 8 Economic Growth Committee and the Farmington Downtown Business Association) in the City working together, it is ridiculous. City Administrator Herlofsky stated we want to make people recognize what businesses are here. We do not have all the options. We can provide through our website a list of businesses to make people aware of them and encourage them to buy, it will also make others aware of what we do have. Member May stated the EDA is here to promote that message, so we need to get the other groups behind us to make that work. Member Wilson noted one of the reasons for the formation ofthe EDA was to facilitate a better relationship between the City and the business community. Staff was directed to explore the project and Members agreed all groups should be working in the same direction. 9. CITY STAFF REPORTS a) Economic Update Staff noted Sports Cuts is a new business across from Econo Foods. A ribbon cutting will be done in the future. Welcome Friends has closed and the store is vacant. Chair Fogarty asked if NixIe was up and running. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated she has signed up for it, but has not received any alerts. Mayor Larson stated yesterday there was a severe wind advisory and advisories were sent out through NixIe every 10 minutes for 36 hours. This was because he selected weather alerts in the settings. City Administrator Herlofsky thanked Mayor Larson for attending the Twin Ponds event. It has enhanced our relationship with the CDA. The CDA is purchasing the property at 601 Elm Street and eventually the house will be demolished. Regarding the CDA senior housing in Lakeville, there was a rumor the units are not selling. The units are not sold, they are leased. They are 100% filled and ready to go. City Administrator Herlofsky received a request about the cost of the 195tl1 Street bridge. The bridge cost $12 million with contributions from the developer and the county. There was no general fund taxpayer money used. City Administrator Herlofsky noted City Engineer Schorzman has been working very hard on development completions for Vermillion River Crossing and Mystic Meadows. . . City Administrator Herlofsky stated the transmission line is scheduled to go along 240tl1 Street. One alternative was to run the line along CSAH 50 and down Denmark Avenue. It would create a big problem along CSAH 50 because it cannot be on the same side as the existing line; they need 150 ft. of easement. It would be more expensive to have it come through the City and it will be very disruptive. He has been working with Lakeville and they are trying to have the line run along 240tl1 Street. It will create an issue with Castle Rock and Eureka, EDA Minutes (Regular) September 28, 2009 Page 9 who would like the line to be further north. It is Farmington's advantage for it to go south. City Administrator Herlofsky was interviewed for a broadband video. Staff will provide EDA with the link to view it. City Administrator Herlofsky met with Superintendent Meeks and currently the traffic from the high school has been directed to go north on Flagstaff. At the . . football games traffic goes wherever they want and it empties out easily. Staff will be reviewing the necessity of the traffic going north. Chair Fogarty stated at the next EDA meeting she wants to discuss the infrastructure in the industrial park they had reviewed previously. There was an .. indication from the EDA that they were not interested in going forward. She wants to revisit that and needs to know what the next step is. After Member May's comments, Chair Fogarty asked to have a discussion regarding the Rambling River Center at the next Council meeting. Member May and Chair Fogarty would like an update at the next EDA meeting on the Parks garage. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated the CDBG Subrecipient Agreement in the last Council packet had information on what fiscal year's 2009 allocation will be. The CDA has decided to lump Farmington's entire allocation into the housing rehabilitation program. Therefore, the grant program cannot continue unless given the go ahead. The amount of the allocation was $45,000 and nothing went to the grant. Chair Fogarty clarified for 2010 the CDA is not allocating any money to our program. Staff stated the $45,000 is an account for housing rehabilitation. Chair Fogarty asked at what point the City is able to . provide input. City Administrator Herlofsky suggested she call Mark Ulfers at the CDA. Staffwill forward his information to her. 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Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us /a- TO: EDA Members FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Proposals for Purchase of 308 Elm Street (Parks Garage) - AK Performance Graphics, Inc. DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION The EDA requested proposals for purchase of the building and property located at 308 Elm Street. The objective in issuing the RFP was to provide a competitive means in which to select a single purchaser to purchase the property. Proposals were evaluated based on the proposed purchase price, use of property and overall benefit and enhanced value to the City. DISCUSSION Two proposals were received. Although both proposals were reviewed by the City, and Ehlers, the first review determined that the City could not provide the amount of assistance ($425,000) that the first proposal requested, therefore: that proposal could not be accepted by the EDA. The appraised value and sale price of the property is $185,000. The second proposal received from AK Performance Graphics, Inc. proposes to purchase the property for $20,000 and to make interior and exterior improvements to the building at an estimated expense of $169,900. The intended use of the property is for a fully functioning sign and graphics shop with a retail clothing aspect. The proposal is attached as Exhibit A. Due to the difference between the appraised value ($185,000) of the property and the offering price ($20,000), a business subsidy is requested. City staff have reviewed the proposal and determined the total amount of business subsidy to be offered for this project is $165,000. The EDA can accept this proposal and provide assistance to the project through a business subsidy. The subsidy to the developer would be to convey the property for a sale price less than the appraised value of the property. Business Subsidy The proposal submitted by AK Performance Graphics qualifies for a business subsidy because it meets the requirements of the City's Business Subsidy Policy. The developer has provided city staff with specific information substantiating the need for the subsidy, that "but for" the assistance from the EDA the project could not be done. The information provided to staff includes the developer's Profit and Loss Statement for the 2009 tax year, Balance Sheet as of 9/23/09, Personal Financial Statement as of 9/15/09, and a letter from Mark Toombs, Vice President of Operations with the First State Bank of Rosemount. The letter indicates that the developer would not be able to purchase the building at its asking price and make listed improvements without the assistance from the City of Farmington EDA. One additional piece of information is needed regarding the Developer's ability to obtain and repay the loan needed to do the project. City staff has been assured we will receive this information when the developer's banker returns from vacation. Contrad for Private Development A contract will need to be entered into enabling the EDA to identify the conditions on the sale of this properly including the terms of granting a business subsidy. The following articles are typical in a development contract of this type: · Representations and Warranties · Conveyance of Properly · Construction of Minimum Improvements · Business Subsidy · Events of Default ACTION REQUESTED Authorize staff to formulate the Contract for Private Development enabling the EDA to grant a business subsidy to the developer and to authorize the sale of the properly to AK Performance Graphics, Inc. Respectfully submitted, ~~~ Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist '.\ ,"; " '.... ....\. '. '. " .~ .\ , / , . ,- .:: . \,~ "."'. n' :,\. :/ :.J ',..' I\: ';,\", ',',; ":':" ''';1 . ;;':",} - . ,': .:~ " ',." 'r, .,," 'j" .!.,;. ~ City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us /6 TO: EDA Members FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Proposed Industrial Park Expansion Update DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION/ DISCUSSION If the desire of the EDA is to continue to explore the possibility of developing the future industrial park, here are some next steps that can assist the EDA in that process. Wetland Delineation In order to know how much land included in the proposed future industrial park expansion area is developable, it is recommended that a wetland delineation report be completed. Bonestroo has provided city staff with the scope of services to include FSA Slide Review, Field work, GPS Wetland Boundary, Boundary Review Meeting and final Report for a cost of $5,850. Please see Exhibit A. Potential Budget Impact: $5,850 Soil Borings/Geotechnical Services (Streets and Utilities) To assist in knowing how costly it will be to construct future industrial park roads and ultimately buildings, staff has obtained a quote from American Engineering Testing, Inc. to perform soil borings along the future 208'h Street west alignment. The quote includes a cost to drill two 41-foot deep borings at $4,214. It also includes a fee for drilling two 41-foot and six 21-foot deep borings at $ 7 ,616. The full scope of services for geotechnical services is attached as Exhibit B. Soil boring reports are generally valid as long as the land described in the report has not been modified by cutting away the soil or by adding fill soil. Potential Budget Impact: $7616 Property Appraisals There are different levels of appraisals that can be obtained for this type of project. Below is a summary of the costs associated with obtaining a Summary Appraisal and/or a Full Appraisal. The cost associated with obtaining a summary appraisal for the project area is $12,000. The summary appraisal can be updated to a full appraisal (within one year) for an additional $7,500. To begin with a full appraisal and skip the summary appraisal step it would cost $18,000. The cost to update the full appraisal within one year of completion would cost $10,800. Both types of appraisals involve the same amount of work and analysis to come up with the same end value however, the amount of data and thought process that is included in the report is different. The summary appraisal is abbreviated. CBRE has provided a quote for appraisal services and is attached as Exhibit C. Potential Budget Impact: $12,000 - Summary Appraisal $19,500 - Summary with upgrade to Full $18,000 - Full Appraisal ACTION REQUESTED Authorize staff to obtain the wetland delineation, soil borings, and property appraisal reports. "- Re~pe~t"Y, submitted, '-" f/V . Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist 6>t ~r b,' t35 Hi~aY 36W St. Paul, MN 55113 Tel 651-636-4600 Fax 651-636-1311 www,bonestroo,corl, .3'\\'1 ' dTI"? BO nlle~liJ't[M) July 27,2009 Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Coordinator City of Farmington 430 3rd Street Farmington, MN 55024 Re: Industrial Park Area Wetland Delineation Scope and Cost Estimate City of Farmington Bonestroo File No.: 141-08304 Dear Ms. Hansmeier, Please find the following scope and cost forpeifont.1ing a wetland delineation as pattof the plannii1g process for tile new industrial park area in Farmington. Prefect Umllerstandhll€J Perform wetland delineation- on the area proposed for the new Farmington Industrial Park area as identified in the draft concept plan. The site is approximately 300 acreS and is bourided by Pilot Kn{)1J ROi:ld on the east, Highway 50 on the south and will include the south edge of wetlands associated with Miqdie Creek to the n9rth. Scope Task 1: FSA Slide Review Prior to performing the field wqrk, Parm Service. Agency (FSA) color slides will be reviewed at the DakbtaSWCD office. These aerial 'photos are talcen during the growing sea~on and assist in determining iNetland hydrology signatlires iit farmed areas. Sites that show probable wetland signatures in normal precipitation years will be noted for verification i~ the field. Task 2: Field Work , Field work will, involve documentation at representative locations along the wetland/upland transition to determine the Wetland edge. Field methods and documenta.tion will follow the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual and regional supplements. Soils, vegetation and hydrology indicator~ will be c10cumented and recorded on the required data sheets. Task 3: GPS Wetland Boundary Once the \ioJetlarid edge has been determined based on the preselJce or absence of the three indicators, the boundary will be marked in the field with piol< "wetland boundary" flags. A sub- meter GPS unit will record the wetland edge points at the time of the delineation to create a wetland delinegtion boundary map for inclusion in the report. . St Paul St. Cloud Rochester Milwaukee Chicago I L__,_._~_ ._.__ ~:'~J1;(;:!I'l> ,~\rilrJ!j~ frlIDJiJj;Jff@i I City of Farmington Industrial Park Area Study Page 2 7/27/1)9 Task 4: BoundaJy Review Meeting One on-site meeting will be conducted with the regulato!)' agencies to review the wetland boundary. Reviewing agencies include the Dakota SWCD, Army Corps of Engineers, DNR and BWSR. This ensures that the bounda!)' represented in the report is accurate and approved. Tas(, 5: Report A wetland delineation report is required to document the wetland bounda!)' location and includes a description of each wetland and data sheets. Location, national wetland invento!)' (NWI), soil survey and wetland boundary figures are also included. !Cost Task Estimated Cost 1. Slide Review $450 2. Field Worl< $22.00 3.GPS $900 4. Meeting $500 5. Report $1800 TOTAL $5,850 Sincerely, BONESTROO .~~~. Benjamin L. Meyer; MS, WDC Bioio"gist . 651-604A767 cc: file Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer Le~ M,ann Dave Sanocki !;\(hib,'+ B AMERICAN ENGINEERING TESTING, INC. CONSULTANTS . ENVIRONMENTAL · GEOTECHNICAL . MATERIALS . FORENSICS August 18, 2009 City ofFpnnington 430 Third Street Farmington, MN 55024 Attn: Cynthia Muller RE: Proposal for Geotechnical Services Streets and Utilities, Farmington Industrial Area, Farmington, Minilesota Deal' Ms. Muller: Per your August 18 request, we are submitting this Letter Proposal to conduct the following scope: Scope: Fieldwork " Drill two standard perletration test (SPT) borings along future 20Sth Street West to depths of 41 feet e~ch. . . . " Option: Drill six SPT borings in otller street areas within: the development to depths of 21 feet each. . " Clear underground public utilities through the Gopher State One Call system. Laboratory " Conduct wafer coiltenttests oil, cohesive samples (hourly during lab logging). RepQrt .. Logs oftest borings, with location data. " Description of drilling/sampling methods and classIfication procedt,1res. " Review of soil and groundwater conditions. . " Recommendations for utility 5UppOli, b~dding, andbackfil11ng; street sub grade preparation; and estimated subgrade R-value. . The scope of work defined in this proposal is il1tended fi)r geotecbnical purposes only, alld not to explore for the presence or extent of environmental contamination at the site. However, we will note obvious c.ontamination encountered. 550 Cleveland Avenue North I St. Paul, MN 55114 Phone 651-659-90011 Toll Free 800-972-63641 Fa)( 651.659.1379/ www.amengtest.comIAAlEEO I;Jf} This document shall not be reproduced, excepl in full, without ,,'..ril1cn approval from American Engineering Testing, Ino, ~ & City of Farmington August 18,2009 Page 2 of2 Fee: The fee will be $2000 plus $27 per foot drilled. Therefore, the fee for the two 41-foot deep boring program would be $4214. The fee for the full program would be $7616. Sieve analysis testing could be added to the program for $88 per test. This would only be performed if authorized by you. Scb,edule: We anticipate the fieldwork can begin within about one to two weeks after recelVlng authorization to proceed. The boring logs for verbal discussion should then follow shortly after the fieldwork is completed, The final report should be available within about two weeks after fieldwork completion. Terms/Conditions: Our services will be performed per the Contract Agreement Between the City of Farmington and American Engineering Testing, Inc. For Professional S~tvices, dated June 27, 2000. . Acceptanc~: . Please indicate your accept!lnce of this proposal by endorsing the enclosed copy and returning it to us. The original proposal is intended for your records_ Shwerely, da~_ k. ~___ ~~~:y-~~ Voyen, PE Vice President, Geotechnical J)ivision Phone #651-659-1305 Fax #651-659-1347 jvoyen@amengtest.com PROPOSAL ACCEPTANCE BY: SignatUre: Printed Naine: ,pate: 6xh:b:+ C CBRE CB RICHARD ELLIS Michael J. Moynagh Managing Director 81 South 9th Street. Suite 410 Minneapolis. MN 55402 CB Richard Ellis, Inc, Valuation and Advisory Services T 612,336,4239 F 612,336.4245 Michael, Moynagh@cbre,com www.cbre.com October 22, 2009 Mr. Bruce Maus Senior Vice President Grubb & EllislNorthco Real Estate Services Corporate Service Group 5353 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 650 Minneapolis, MN 55416-1340 Re: Farmington Industrial Park Appraisal Proposal Dear Mr. Maus: Thank you for the opportunity to bid on performing an appraisal on the four parcels of land in Farmington, Minnesota. Our cost structure per your request is as follows: 1) Summary Appraisal a) Cost of Summary Appraisal for planning purposes - $2,000 each x 6 = $12,000 b) Time to complete after notice to proceed - 4 weeks e) Cost to update to a full appraisal within one year - $1,250 each x 6 = $7,500 2) Full Appraisal a) Cost of full appraisal now and pass the summary appraisal step - $3,000 each x 6 = $18,000 b) Time to complete after notice to proceed - 4 weeks c) Cost to update full appraisal within one year of completion - $1,800 each x 6 = $10,800 If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call me at 612-336-4239. Sincerely, ~J~ Michael J. Moynagh, MAl Managing Director 7e, City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: McVicker Lot Update DATE: October 26,2009 INTRODUCTION / DISCUSSION Staff originally understood that since the McVicker lot was acquired through tax forfeiture, the City would be able to sell it at the market value listed by Dakota County. According to Dakota County, we have to have the County Assessor view the property and determine a price at which it can be sold. Staff is in the process of contacting Dakota County to clarify this information. Staff will keep EDA members apprised of the situation. ACTION REQUESTED For information only. Respectfully submitted, \~Cf/lLgfrurg~ Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist 7d City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington,. Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Riste Lot Update DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION / DISCUSSION A combination of CDSG funds were used to acquire the Riste lot. The CDSG rules indicate that property cannot be sold below its fair market value unless the end project meets a national objective, such as low-moderate housing. This was also the understanding of the CDA. Recently, CDA staff has informed the City that the information in the CDSG rules is incorrect. Currently, the property can be sold below fair market value regardless of the project. However, if the national objective is not met, the City would be required to repay a portion of CDBG funds. This repayment would go back into the City's pool of funds to be used for another CDSG project. ACTION REQUESTED For information only. Re~,pectfully submitted, ___ ~C{~lrf:1rnG(~ Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist S'Q. City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800. Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Peter J. Herlofsky, Jr. City Administrator SUBJECT: CEEF Agreement DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION I DISCUSSION The attached Agreement for Services Associated with Dew Days Event was discussed with the CEEF Board on October 15,2009 and approved by the City Council on October 19,2009. The attached agreement contains the results of that discussion. ACTION REQUESTED Approve the attached Agreement for Services Associated with Dew Days Event. Cmuller/Herlofsky/EDNCEEF Agreement AGREEMENT FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH DEW DAYS EVENT THIS AGREEMENT, entered into on the date last executed below, is by and between the CITY OF FARMINGTON, a Minnesota municipal corporation ("City"), with offices at 430 3rd St., Farmington, MN, and Castle Rock, Empire, Eureka, and Farmington Enhancement Group, ("CEEF") a Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation, P.O. Box 124, Farmington, Minnesota 55024. WHEREAS, CEEF was formed and functions as a community involvement organization with the active participation and assistance of the City ofFarmington,.Castle Rock, Empire and Eureka Townships, and Independent School District #192, and; . . . WHEREAS, CEEF annually undertakes projects in cooperation with the City of Farmington and the other governmental units detailed above, for the benefit of the broader Farmington area community, and; WHEREAS, one such project or activity has historically been the community event and activities generally referred to as Dew Days, and; WHEREAS, the City of Farmington has participated with CEEF in Dew Days and other recreational programs pursuant to state law authorization, including but not limited to M.S. SS 471.16, 469.187-.189, 471.93 and 471.941, and; WHEREAS, State law (M.S. S 469.l91) further authorizes cities "to appropriate not more than $50,000 annually to any incorporated development society or organization of the state for promoting, advertising, improving, or developing the economic and agricultural resources of the City." NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises, and for good and valuable consideration, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows: 1. PAYMENT FOR SERVICES. The City hereby appropriates to CEEF the amount of$23,271 for expenses incurred by CEEF for the 2009 Dew Days. 2. USE OF CITY FUNDS. CEEF shall use the funds only for the prompt payment of the debts incurred for the 2009 Dew Days listed on the attached exhibit. Payment or satisfaction of the 2009 Dew Days debts shall be made no later than 30 days after payment by the City to CEEF of the appropriation. 3. ACCOUNTING. CEEF shall provide to the City proof of payment or alternative satisfaction of the listed debt (for instance, by a debtor agreeing to reduce or waive payment by CEEF) within 10 days of final payment of the debt. 4. USE OF REMAINDER. Any amounts of the appropriation remaining after payment of the debts for the 2009 Dew Days may be retained by CEEF and dedicated to expenses to be incurred in organizing and holding the 2010 Dew Days. 5. REPAYMENT. CEEF shall repay to the City the full amount of funds appropriated herein on or before July 31, 2015. Partial payments are acceptable. Payments shall include interest at the rate of 3% per annum on the unpaid balance to the date of payment. 6. ENTIRE AGREEMENTIMODIFICATION. This Agreement contains the full understanding of the parties and may not be amended, modified, extended or canceled (prior to normal expiration), except in writing signed by both parties. 7. REMEDIES. In addition to any and all other rights a party may have available according to law, if a party defaults by failing to substantially perform any provision, term or condition of this Contract (including without limitation the failure to make a monetary payment when due), the other party may terminate the Contract by providing written notice to the defaulting party. This notice shall describe with sufficient detail the nature of the default. The party receiving such notice shall have thirty days from the effective date of such notice to cure the default(s). Unless waived by a party providing notice, the failure to cure the default(s) within such time period shall result in the automatic termination of this Contract. 8. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Contract will be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions will continue to be valid and enforceable. If a court finds that any provision of this Contract is invalid or unenforceable, but that by limiting such provision it would become valid and enforceable, then such provision will be deemed to be written, construed, and enforced as so limited. 9. GOVERNING LAW. This Contract shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota. 10. NOTICE. Any notice or communication required or permitted under this Contract shall be sufficiently given if delivered in person or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the officers specified below or their successors at the addresses set forth in the opening paragraph or to such other address as one party may have furnished to the other in writing. 11. ASSIGNMENT. Neither party may assign or transfer this Contract without the prior written consent of the non-assigning party, which approval shall not .. be unreasonably withheld. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the dates shown. Approved and Adopted this _ day of , 2009. Approved and Adopted .. .... . this _ day of . ,.2009. . ".. CASTLE ROCK, EMPIRE, EUREKA FARMINGTON ENHANCEMENT GROUP CITY OF FARMINGTON President of CEEF Board Mayor Treasurer of CEEF Board City Administrator CEEF Register: Accounts Payable From 01/0112009 ilirongh 09/16/2009 Sorted by: DE;:te~ Type, }.ItEnberlRe! lJ:r~te l':c.m: t~e:' V":;;;J.~{j:i:" ;~C::"G:':'. ~~ 09/03/2009 09/03/2009 Rellt fu'1d Save DEW DAYS 09 (3-odfi."ey CustOITL Signs ry.!.her Types offucon""te... 09/03/2009 Aci:!.m's Prom.otiom:l... 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'toLAr-sh r -' J;8go.qq 'bJ'.!J./Cf Page 1 i<i:2;~D Toilets ButtCIlS 80llild system To Be paid inJ... Queen sashes Check Held $Sll:4V To be paid thru... Russ Newberg Fire Dept Trap... 9/16/2009 8:48 AM :~/he( ... i?f~:p B~1~an\ce 1,637.55 1,637.55 85,20 1,722.75 2:t454.09 4,176,S4 615,85 4,792,69 2,280.32 7,073.01 960.00 8,033.01 4,000.00 12,033.01 800.00 12,833.01 3,858.19 16,691.20 1,161.50 17,852.70 2,700.00 20,552.70 190.00 20,742.70 210.00 20,952.70 500.00 21,452.70 21,452.70 300.00 21,752.70 575.00 22,327.70 90.00 22,417.70 400.00 22,817.70 45.32 22,863,02 50.50 22,913.52 72.86 22,986.38 285.00 23,271.38 *\\-\-\"5:> (2.€f~ -AN II~STr'\1~\' P/M.t ~L€- ~ /J' .-, S iJi) 3b~ A; LOAN 'TO Ckl?Fj ON-E. ~NvA-\.. r~~ fbL 'I~ ~ ,"- Loan Calculator \ N\\::.~\, Annual Interest Rate Loan Period in Years Number of Payments Per Year I Start Date of Loan l___~tion~!_~><!rl! Paj'ments 3.00 % 5 1 11/1/2009 ------.---.----. ______J 1___________ Loan Sum man I Scheduled Payment $ 5,081,33 Scheduled Number of Payments 5 1_ Actual Number of Payments 5 Total Early Payments $ - Total Interest $ 2,135,65 Enter Values r------------------------ ------ i Loan Amount $ 23,271,00 Lender Name: r===----------l Pmt Payment Beginning Scheduled Extra Total Ending No. Date Balance Payment Payment Payment Principal Interest Balance 1 11/1/2010 $ 23,271,00 $ 5,081.33 $ $ 5,081,33 $ 4,383,20 $ 698,13 $ 18,887,80 2 11/1/2011 18,887,80 5,081.33 5,081,33 4,514.70 566,63 14,373,11 3 11/1/2012 14,373,11 5,081.33 5,081.33 4,650,14 431,19 9,722,97 4 11/1/2013 9,722,97 5,081.33 5,081,33 4,789,64 291,69 4,933,33 11/1/2014 4,933,33 5,081.33 4,933_33 4,785,33 148,00 0,00 '- Sb City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280,6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Peter J. Herlofsky, Jr. City Administrator SUBJECT: Electric Transmission Lines DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION I DISCUSSION Attached is a proposal from WSB and Associates for work to be done for the cities of Farmington and Lakeville regarding a review and comment on a CAPX 2020 EIS for Lakeville and Farmington. At the EOA meeting we will provide you with a map showing the proposed route of the transmission lines through the cities of Farmington and Lakeville. As part of the information, there will be a different path that will be going through the cities of Farmington and Lakeville. The preferred path is to the south and proceeds through the townships of Eureka and Castle Rock. We consider that to be the most desired proposal and we would like to make sure the positions of Farmington and Lakeville are identified for consideration at the appropriate hearings. BUDGET IMPACT The total cost of the work is $6,500 which can be split between Farmington and Lakeville. ACTION REQUESTED Enter into an agreement with WSB and Associates along with the City of Lakeville to initiate the work for the review and comment of the CAPX 2020 EIS electric transmission lines. submitted, l. 14M Peter J. He~kY, Jr. 7 City Admi~;;ator ,/ Cmuller/Herlofsky/EDAlElectric Trans Lines . WSB & A:twdules, blt.:', Infrastructure .. Engineering .. Planning .. Construction 701 Xenia Avenue South Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Tel: 763-541-4800 Fax: 763-541-1700 October 20, 2009 Mr, Keith Nelson, P.E, City of Lakeville 20195 Holyoke Avenue Lakeville, MN 55044 Re: Scope of Work for Review and Comment on CapX 2020 EIS for Lakeville and Farmington Dear Mr. Nelson: As requested, we have developed a scope of work to review and provide comments on the forthcoming CapX 2020 Environmental Impact Statement (ElS). This scope of work includes providing services to the Cities of Lakeville and Farmington, The Draft EIS is expected to be available in October 2009, The focus of the comments would be to document potential environmental impacts associated with possible transmission alignments along in Lakeville and Farmington which include P-DAK-002, P-DAK-006, and P-DAK-009. Task 1: Collect Background Information Available background information will be collected from both cities, including the DEIS, existing and proposed land use information, airports information, and habitat/wetland information. A meeting with City Staff will be held to obtain both cities' perspectives. Task 2: Analyze Draft EIS Report The DE1S will be reviewed and analyzed for assumptions and results, It is anticipated that the focus on our review will be the impacts associated with the transmission lines on the nearby Airlake Airport, surrounding land uses including schools and homes, and on natural resources such as the trout stream and wetlands. Task 3: Develop Comment Letter The results of our review will be compiled into a draft comment letters. This information will be reviewed with City Staff. The final comment letter will be provided to both Lakeville and Farmington to present to the Office of Energy Security within the timeframe of the DEIS comment period. The cost for this work is estimated at $6,500. 1fthe City wishes to have additional review or support during the EIS process such as attendance during meetings or additional comment and response to the ElS, this can be added to this scope, 1fyou wish to authorize this work, please feel free to call me at (763)287-7196, Sincerely, WSB & Associates .k/.A "11/j offctd- Andrea Moffatt Senior Environmental Scientist c, Sret Weiss, WSB Minneapolis .. St Cloud Equal Opportunity Employer S'c... City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: EDA Members FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: 2010 Budget Discussion DATE: October 26, 2009 INTRODUCTION/ DISCUSSION The attached information illustrates the expenditure items proposed for the 2010 budget pertaining to the EDA Operations and Industrial Park Expansion Project funds. ACTION REQUESTED Discuss the items included in the proposed budget. . Respectfully submitted, ~~ Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist CITY OF FARMINGTON, MN FUNCTION: CODE . NO.:. S ecial Revenue PERSONAL SERVICES 6110 Salaries-full time 6112 Overtime-full time 6120 Salaries-part time 6152 FICNMedicare 6154 PERA 6158 Employee benefits Total Personal Services SUPPLIES 6210 Office supplies 6250 Other supplies Total Supplies OTHER SERVICES & CHARGES 6401 Professional services 6403 Legal services 6421 Municipal services 6422 Electric 6423 Natural gas 6426 Insurance 6450 Outside printing 6460 Dues & Subscriptions 6470 Training & subsistance 6485 Mileage reimbursement 6505 Building repair 6570 Programming 7420 Miscellaneous Total Other Services and Charges CAPITAL OUTLAY 6910 Land Total FUND: ANNUAL BUDGET DEPT. & DIV: BUSINESS Community Development UNIT EDA 0 erations 2000 EDA 0 erations SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES . ... :~q;t~., PROPOSED $ : > ~()O! ::'. 209~>: ::::" 2~99i ACTUAL...'..ACTUAL> :)ADOPTED $ $ 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 105,201 34,345 34,345 34,470 13,136 15,000 15,000 15,000 378 500 500 500 345 500 500 500 606 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,200 1,000 1,000 1,000 200 200 13,700 1,245 2,390 2,390 1,790 2,218 4,580 4,580 730 124 5,000 5,000 5,000 16,200 35,617 10,000 10,000 13,000 160,070 74,515 74,515 102,890 160,070 79,515 79,515 107,890 117 CITY OF FARMINGTON, MN FUNCTION: qODE 'NO~ 6401 6403 6412 6421 6422 6423 6426 6450 6460 6470 6485 6505 7420 S ecial Revenue PERSONAL SERVICES 6110 Salaries-full time 6112 Overtime-full time 6120 Salaries-part time 6152 FICA/Medicare 6154 PERA 6158 Employee benefits Total Personal Services SUPPLIES 6210 Office supplies 6250 Other supplies Total Supplies OTHER SERVICES & CHARGES Professional services Legal services Cellular Phone Svc Municipal services Electric Natural gas Insurance Outside printing Dues & Subscriptions Training & subsistance Mileage reimbursement Building repair Miscellaneous Total Other Services and Charges CAPITAL OUTLAY 6910 Land Total FUND: EDA 0 erations DEPT. & DIV: SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES A2~~AL' >A2~~~L> $ $ 118 136,690 12,000 136,690 12,000 200 250 10,000 10,000 159,140 159,140 159,140 159,140 ANNUAL BUDGET BUSINESS UNIT 2002 . 'ij;i,ii:;i:i"~,R1,Qi,:ji'i:i ". PROPOSED;, $ 389,200 30,000 200 200 250 250 15,000 434,650 434,650 Three Minnesota Cities Are First To Receive Shovel-Ready Certification For New Projects ~nnes~ ~y Department ~I EmllloYffilOnt ~"~ Econom"c lleveJo\lntent nnesota News Release Communications Office . 651/259-7161 or 1-800-657-3858 TTY 1-800-657-3973 . Fax 651/215-3841 www.PositivelvMinnesota.com Date: October 1, 2009 For Immediate Release Contact: Kirsten Morell, 651-259-7161 Kirsten.Morell@state.mn.us Three Minnesota Cities Are First To Receive Shovel-Ready Certification For New Projects ST. P AUL -The cities of Brainerd, Dayton and Rosemount are the fIrst communities in Minnesota to achieve Shovel ReadyCertification from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) for new business and industry development sites. "Shovel-ready" refers to commercial and industrial sites that have completed all of the planning, zoning, surveys, title work, environmental studies, soils analysis and public infrastructure engineering prior to offering the site for sale. The sites must also be under the legal control of a community or in partnership with a third party. "Companies do not have the luxury of spending several months on a site search because global economic forces are motivating them to make market decisions fast," said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. "These cities have invested in this lean, yet rigorous process that significantly reduces time and money for companies that wish to grow in Minnesota." "Sites that are certifIed 'shovel-ready' are more attractive to companies and site-selection consultants looking for locations for business expansions or relocations," said John Rhodes, a leading national site location consultant with Moran, Stahl and Boyer. "The importance of this program to prospective businesses is that it reduces the time and increases the predictability of getting the land developed, the building constructed, and their operation up and running. Delivery time is very critical to a company and having certified sites gives a community a distinct competitive advantage." "The program is a great opportunity for local communities to enhance the readiness of their sites and to gain significant exposure for sites that earn the Shovel ReadyCertifIcation. This is especially important for Greater Minnesota locations so they can differentiate themselves in the marketplace," said Gene Goddard, DEED senior business development specialist. The newly certifIed sites are: · Brainerd: The 34-acre Brainerd Industrial Park is a premiere Greater Minnesota location for business and industry with state of the art infrastructure, low costs, and rapid permitting turnaround. An integrated walkinglbiking trail, pad ready sites and comprehensive Storm Water Retention System are also part ofthis site. Local contact: Joshua Northey, Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corporation, 218-828- 0096, staff@bladc.org · Dayton: Stone's Throw, located at 1-94 and Brockton Lane, part ofthe fastest-growing http://www.deed.state.mn.us/news/release/2009IbusOIOct09shovelready3cities.htm Page 1 of2 9b/ I 0/22/2009 Three Minnesota Cities Are First To Receive Shovel-Ready Certification For New Projects corridor in the Minnesota and the third fastest in the country, is a 628-acre, mixed-use development project with 140 acres of retail, commercial and manufacturing space. Local contact: Samantha Orduno, City of Dayton, 763-427-4589, sorduno@ci.davton.mn.us · Rosemount: The City of Rosemount has partnered with Ryan Companies to assist in marketing the 52-acre site which provides build-to-suit opportunities for light industrial, office showroom, warehousing and assembly. Local contact: Kim Lindquist, City of Rose mount, 651-322-2020, kim.lindquist@ci.rosemount.mn.us The Minnesota Shovel Ready Certified Development Sites Initiative was created by the Positively Minnesota Marketing Partnership together with DEED. Minnesota's Shovel Ready Site Certification partners include: Positively Minnesota Marketing Partnership; Briggs & Morgan P A; City of Chaska; City of Maple Grove; City of St. Cloud; Pope Associates - Architects; HDR Engineering - Environmental; First American Title Insurance Company; Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. - civil; Progressive Railroad; Union Pacific Railroad; Xcel Energy; and Pinnacle Engineering. For more information on Minnesota's Shovel Ready Site Certification Program, contact Gene Goddard, senior business development specialist, DEED, 651-259-7436, toll free 1-800-657- 3858, e-mail gene.goddard@state.mn.us or John Rhodes, senior principal, Moran, Stahl and Boyer, 941-755-0074, e-mail iohn.rhodes@msbconsulting.com. The Minnesota Shovel Ready Certification Web site is located at: www.PositivelyMinnesota.com . These new Shovel-Ready Certifications were announced today at the I 4th annual Minnesota Development Conference being held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Upon request, the information in this news release is available in an alternative format such as Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer disk. http://www.deed.state.mn.us/news/release/2009/bus010ct09shovelready3cities.htm Page 2 of2 10/22/2009 The City Council meeting can be seen live on government access cable TV channels and on the City web site. Rosemount among first with "Shovel Ready" site for development Rosemount is one of the first three cities to receive "shovel- ready certification" for new business and industry development sites in Minnesota. The state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the designation at a conference for developers yesterday (October 1). The City and Ryan Coso earned the certification for a 52-acre site in the Rosemount Business Park. The site qualified as shovel-ready because it has completed preparations ranging from planning and zoning to environmental studies and infrastructure ~ROSEMOUNT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ~ /- ~ \ , 0 '\":" --- r ,~~J~~Y-\\i~!~~ Q...;\\~~~~~~.-;.-~~,.) ~~~~ engineering. 'We are excited to be one of the first communities to qualify for this new DEED program," said Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste. "It certainly will help draw attention to the future development potential of the property and the ~ community." The Mayor noted that the site has easy access from Highway 3, County Road, 42 and freeway access from Highway 52. In an announcement of the designation, DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy said, "Companies do not have the luxury of spending several months on a site search because global economic forces are motivating them to make market decisions fast. These cities have invested in this lean, yet rigorous process that significantly reduces time and money for companies that wish to grow in Minnesota." Sites in Dayton and Brainerd also received the shovel-ready certification. (Click here to read the announcement on the DEED website.) Walk to School Day is Thursday ;'lib' Two elementary schools in Rosemount will be joining schools '6!7 ,walk ' International iJIIthB- from around the world to celebrate International Walk to Walk to School USP\ School Day on Thursday (October 8). Students from Rosemount and Shannon Park Elementary schools are encouraged to walk or bike directly to school from their homes ~ROSEMOUNT SPIRIT OF PRIDE AND PROGRESS WEEKL Y UPDA TE October 2, 2009 2 FW: Dakota Future Intelligent Community Good News Tina Hansmeier Page 1 of2 /~' , Ll From: Bill Coleman [info@dakotafuture,com) Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:25 PM To: Bill Coleman DF Subject: FW: Dakota Future Intelligent Community Good News Hello, We were very surprised to receive news that Dakota County has received recognition by the Intelligent Community Forum as a Smart 21 Community. This means that we are semifinalists for the Intelligent Community of the Year! The Top Seven for 2010 will be announced in January with the Intelligent Community of the Year announced in May. We were uncertain as to whether our benchmarking submission would qualify us for this year's competition. Apparently it did! Our next step will be to update our benchmarking submission to include additional information and to address this year's theme - The Education "Last Mile-Closing the Gap Between School and Work". Please put November 6 on your calendar - 8:00 - 10:00 at DCTC for the next team meetings; Broadband is going to meet on November 20 at Eagan City Hall. This is very exciting news. Our goal is in reach! ! Thanks for your involvement in our initiative!! Bill Coleman 651-491-2551 Press Release Contact: Bill Coleman Executive Director bill@dakotafuture.com 651-491-2551 October 19,2009 For Immediate Release Dakota Future Achieves Top 21 Smart Community Milestone Through the efforts of Dakota Future and its members, Dakota County has been named a 2010 Top 21 global Smart Community. Dakota Future, a countywide economic development organization, uses the Intelligent Community model to focus on five strategy elements - broadband, knowledge workers, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing/advocacy - to drive it economic development activities. The goal is to make Dakota County more globally 10/20/2009 FW: Dakota Future Intelligent Community Good News competitive in attracting investment and talented people. Page 2 of2 "This is a testament to the good work that our Dakota Future partners have been doing", said Dakota Future's chairperson LaDonna Boyd. As a coalition of business, education and government officials, Dakota Future only recently began pursuing the Intelligent Community designation. "We set a goal is to achieve Top Seven status by 2012; we may have to move that up to 2011." In fact, Dakota Future may achieve that goal yet this year, as the Top Seven Intelligent Communities will be announced in January. Dakota Future officially launched its Intelligent Community Initiative only earlier this month in a series of events designed to education and organize a broad base of Dakota County business, education and government officials. The background work, however, had been going on for months as Dakota Future completed a benchmarking exercise and planned the event launch. At the launch event, over 75 participants listened to Robert Bell of the Intelligent Community Forum review the best practices of communities from around the world and how Dakota County matches up. The result is the creation of six teams dedicated to pushing forward on the Intelligent Community elements. Sharon LaComb, like many other Dakota Future board members, wears several hats in Dakota County. She is vice-president of Dakota County Technical College, an Apple Valley city council member and a member of the Dakota-Scott Workforce Investment Board. "We heard, based on the Intelligent Community criteria, that we are doing fairly well," said Sharon LaComb, "but there are areas where we can definitely improve, especially by working together and coordinating our efforts." Dakota Future's Intelligent Community Initiative is attracting new members. Recent membership additions include BEVComm, CenturyLink, Convergent Solutions Group and the Cities of Apple Valley and Rosemount. Boyd, Dakota Electric Association's economic development manager said "It is exciting to welcome these new members to Dakota Future to join our membership that includes Goodrich Sensors and Integrated Systems, Xcel Energy, Frontier Communications and Great River Energy." About Dakota Future Dakota Future is a private-public economic development partnership in Dakota County. Its board of directors includes representatives from area companies, colleges, school districts, and local units of government. Learn more at www.dakotafuture.com <http://www.dakotafuture.com>. ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message 10/20/2009 Communications/Media Downtown Ilcreates" a spokesperson and builds a marketing campaign around him The Cheyenne (WY, pop. 56,920) Downtown Development Authority (DDA) created an urban legend - an urban cowboy legend, more precise- ly - as the downtown's resident songsmith, troubadour, and mystery mascot. A DDA press release last December introduced us to the multi-media "marketing campaign championed by spokesperson Boots Walker" and two songs credited to him, with the headline, "Recording Artist Boots Walker is coming 'Back to Cheyenne.''' "We have created this spokesperson of sorts for our downtown, and he has written a song. It's an actual person, a recording artist that has taken on this persona, copyrighted his song about downtown Cheyenne in Boots Walker's name, and we use his voice, which is very iconic, in all of our radio ads," says Christian Cherek, executive director, Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority. (continued on page 2) Economic Impact Guide gives direction to new businesses One of the most useful business recruitment tools we've seen is not geared to selling entrepreneurs on downtown, but rather preparing them with the information they need to succeed. Business Development in Downtown Lexington: A Guide for New and Expanding Businesses is a 10-page booklet developed by the Lexington Downtown Development Authority (LDDA), which guides business owners through the complex process of opening a business in downtown Lexington, KY (est. pop. 282,100). The guide concisely presents checklist-like steps to aid entrepreneurs in researching, planning, and understanding key restrictions like zoning requirements prior to purchasing or leasing any land or building. Contact information is also provided for each department or organization on the long to-do list for start-ups. "We found out from talking with different people who have come in and (continued on page 8) @ 2009 Alexander Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Vol. 34, No.1 0 October 2009 In this issue Kick-Back Coupons tie-in mer- chants. Boots Walker persona is used creatively to spice up business promotions. . . Page 2 Meet the merchants campaign shores up difficult spring. Pre- senting downtown businesspeo- ple on a personal level mitigates spring bridge closure, and leads to a winning summer. . . . . .. . . . . . Page 4 Looking Ahead to April. A time of religious and secular celebra- tions, there's something for every- one in April. . . . . . . . . Page 6 Weekly meetings to talk shop. Every Tuesday, government players meet with new business- es in the morning, and expand- ing businesses in the afternoon, to discuss plans. . . . . . Page 8 Seven steps to a business start- up. Following the necessary steps in the right order helps businesses succeed.. . . Page 9 ladies night out events use cre- ative approaches to win gals. A monthly charitable fund-raiser with in-store fun and raffles, and a twice-yearly event where ladies dress up, keep down- towns lively at night. . Page 10 Downtown II creates" a spokesperson and builds a marketing campaign around him (Continued from page 1) The song, "Back to Cheyenne," is a full-length composition (clocking in at 3:52 minutes) commis- sioned by the DDA that speaks of Boots Walker's longing to come back to Cheyenne. It was produced in recording studios in Denver and Nashville, using the talents of recording artists like Nashville studio guitarist Chris Leuzinger, best known for playing electric guitar on all of Garth Brook's CDs, fiddle player Hank: Singer, and Denver singer/songwriter Marcy Baruch. Most importantly, it's a great country song, full of pastoral imagery of the simple West, strong melody and musicianship, and sung with heart. When Boots Walker sings about "downtown streets and country lanes, feelings too hard to explain," it doesn't sound like a commercial. It sounds like a hit. The second piece, "Kick Back in Downtown Cheyenne," is a one-minute (:58) musical short that borrows some of the melody and lyrics of the full song for a jingle specifically for downtown Internet and radio promotions. In the shorter number, Boots Walker sings about staying in downtown, and looking forward to the "show tonight, warm sunset and city lights," with "people strolling down the streets of downtown, downtown." In the next verse, he's at "breakfast in a small cafe," where "folks at the next table" remark on the fine parade they saw. At the ditty's end, Boots makes a voice-over cameo appearance: "This is Boots Walker - kickin' it up in downtown Cheyenne!" Of course, music videos for both songs are on YouTube, where the full song has earned four and a half stars and nearly 800 views. One user comment- ed, "I heard this on the radio... nice beat!? Who is this Boots Walker anyway?" Kick-Back Coupons tie-in merchants, while radio play, social media adds to the buzz The DDA created a Boots Walker website, www.findbootswalker.com. as well as pages for him on Facebook - where he currently has 143 "friends" who claim to know him - and MySpace, where he hasn't caught on. His photo on Facebook shows his cowboy boot resting on a fire hydrant, with a downtown theater marquee in the background. 2 "We only show him from the neck down always, because this is crossing the line between fantasy and reality," Cherek says. But the campaign, its hero, and his songs have real promotional value. "We use the song to promote the downtown in various ways, and it's actually getting play on a first- tier country station," Cherek says. "And then we've used the Boots Walker persona for business promotions to help the merchants." One is a register-to-win promotion called the Big Boots Bounty. People can print the entry form from the Boots Walker website, and turn it in with their name, phone, and email address to any participating "Friend of Boots" location. Monthly giveaways range from $500 to $1,000 worth of gift certificates and prizes from downtown merchants, "designed to send people allover down- town," she says. Another merchant tie-in are the "Kick-Back Coupons," also known as "Boots Bucks." Through September 1, people could visit any participating downtown Friend of Boots location and receive a $5 off Boots Bucks coupon for their next dinner or pur- chase valued at greater than $25. The DDA holds monthly meetings with mer- chants, and encourages them to embellish the urban legend of Boots Walker with customers as they wish. That word-of-mouth element in particular makes this campaign a modem-day take on a big tradition of the Old West, the tall tale. It hearkens to the frontier days, when roughnecks gathered to socialize and their conversations inevitably became bragging contests. "We've had a lot of fun with it," Cherek says. "It's one of those things that is building steam every month. We're getting calls about it even nationally, because people are starting to hear the song on the radio and being driven to the website." Cheyenne updates its image The idea behind the Boots Walker campaign, suggested by Creative Dimensions, the DDA's Den- ver-based marketing agency, was to reconcile the image that many people have of downtown Cheyenne, as the main street shootout setting of countless Spaghetti Westerns, with the more sophisti- cated modem-day reality of an evolving downtown. Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com October 2009 "About five years ago, we had developed a strong new visual identity for downtown. We did a lot of market research in order to develop it, because we always had this problem. The name of Cheyenne summons a Western feeling, but our downtown is much more sophisticated than that. And so we really had to work to develop a campaign that visually rep- resented both the perception and the reality. We launched a very strong visual identity, and for a long time, we talked about our need to show what downtown Cheyenne sounds like. "We had worked with this gentleman on a festival we were having, and we started talking about using his voice. He has a very dis- tinct, low, iconic cowboy voice. We had talked with him quite a bit about using his voice for our radio ads. And because he's an artist, he kept having ideas for verses that were coming to him about. downtown <:heyenne. "So we said, 'let's go with tl1at.Maybe that's what we'll do instead of, orin addition to, the radio ads. Before we knew it, he had written a song that's just really good. I don't think: you have to be a coun- try fan to appreciate it." "He's also a novelist, and so we're looking at doing serial chapters released online, written in the voice of Boots Walker, and about his life," she says. "That may be the next phase we'll continue with. ... It's taken off even more than we anticipated." The DDA has received requests for BOQt13.Walker t() perform at special events like Cheyenne Frontierbays, which is held over 10 days each July and is the oldest con- tinuously running and largest outdoor rodeo and western cel- ebration in the world. The top-name musical entertainment at the event this year included George Strait, Kenny Chesney, and Taylor Swift. "Obviously, it would have to be done in a very creative way in order not to reveal his identity," Cherek says. "All kinds of things are still in the works, and we plan to contin- ue the promotion at least through next summer." The Boots Walker website helps promote his downtown business friends. Where campaign goes next is a mystery, too As a multi-media venture in fictional persona-dri- ven marketing, the Boots Walker campaign might have long legs, no pun intended. "We don't have any intention right now of reveal- ing who he is. And this particular recording artist already has thoughts of other songs that he'd like to release by Boots Walker. There may be a full CD. Who knows?" Cherek says. Merchandising is certainly an opportunity. A batch of Boots Beer brand root beer was the first signature product endorsed by the DDA, and sold out quickly. Web Extras To see and hear the music video for "Back to Cheyenne," visit www.DowntownDevelop- ment.com and click on Web Extras. October 2009 Moral of the story.of Boots Walker: Include.. merchants in the creative marketing process For the DDA, the most satisfying part about this whole campaign has been the level of merchant involvement in it. "What we didn't anticipate was how strong the merchant participation would be. I think: every downtown has difficulty getting their merchants engaged, and we really made them part of this process," Cherek says. "We listened to their ideas about this character, and gave them some creative license themselves, so that they really had some buy-in. I think that has made all the difference in making the merchants' part of this successful. That's been something that we've struggled with for a long time, and that's probably the main lesson I learned, to get them engaged. Get them invested in it themselves." To be a Friend of Boots, for example, merchants did have to contribute something to the Big Boots Bounty package, and they also had to agree to redeem the Kick-Back Coupons. Contact: Christian Cherek, Cheyenne Downtown Devel- opmentAuthority, (307) 433-9731, cbcherek@down- towncheyenne.com, www.boots-walker.com.1!Iim Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 3 Supporting Merchants Meet the merchants campaign shores up diHicult spring This year, downtown businesses in Port Townsend, WA (est. pop. 9,130), felt not only the deep recession but. the. added pain of seve:re winter weather, followed by the five-week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge during the beginning of peak: tourism season, from May 1 through June 3, and reduced ferry service and capacity from Whidbey Island. The Hood Canal Bridge is critical, as it is a main artery to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, and Port Townsend's main access to Seattle, Taco- ma, and other commu- nities. An estimated 9,000 cars use the bridge to reach Port Townsend each day during peak periods. "We had notice of [the bridge closure] for years before this; We did a survey of our merchants, got mobi- lized, and asked what would be of the great- est help. They said more marketing would really help," says Marl Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program. It was time, downtowners realized, to get the word out that while the bridge might be closed, downtown remained open, and was as ever filled with interesting, owner-operated businesses with great stories to tell. It was also the perfect time for local residents to reac- quaint themselves with their home-town storefronts, lodgings and restaurants. Downtown got to work applying for grants and matching funds, and went on to design and implement a successful marketing campaign on a $30,000 budget. faceted promotion which would include print/online ads, rotating. special feature. days in participating stores, a cainpaign~specific website (MeetMeInPort- Townsend.com), video clips, web site links, e-post- cards and public events in May and June. The Port Townsend Main Street Promotion Com- mittee applied for and received a $15,000 matching grant, awarded by the Washington State Depart- ment of Community, Trade and Economic Develop- ment and Washington State Tourism to implement the marketing campaign. Addi- tional funding to cover the match requirement was provided by Puget Sound Energy, the Port Townsend Main Street Program, the ' City of Port Townsend, the Port Townsend-Jefferson County Leader, which con- tributed through advertis:.. ing space, and participating businesses. The cost to participate was $150 with a promotion- al video or $75 without one for Main Street members, and for nonmembers, $175 or $100. With its $30,000 budget, downtown hired a talent- ed team of local web site designers, photographers and videographers, and got to work. Video segments for many of the businesses participating in the campaign tell the stories behind the storefronts. The "Meet Me in Port Townsend" campaign high- lights Port Townsend's breathtaking waterfront, often picturing the ferry in the background and longtime merchants who bring a personal flair to their destina- tion in the foreground. The idea was to appeal to local residents, Peninsu- la neighbors, and regional visitors, "to get to know the merchants, and encourage people to shop here first," Mullen says. Likewise, the campaign encouraged mer- chants "to reach out to their customers from Port Townsend and throughout the Peninsula." For long- distance visitors from Olympia to the south and Cana- da to the north, it would also present alternative ways MeetMelnPortTovvnsend .com \1oit ~_.-I.oom.... w.......... In'" iIpaIi;p,- dic!f...tI.eit....... oft'ot! & ...................~.....,~....... +PUGffSOUNDENERGY" ...-='t:""':==="'-'::-~ This merchant group picture was the half-page campaign kick-off ad in the Leader newspaper. Presenting downtown on a personal level But before it got backing, downtown needed a good idea and buy-in. To tell the colorful stories of downtown business owners and attract new customers, the Main Street program recruited 33 businesses to sign on for "Meet Me in Port Townsend," a multi- 4 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com October 2009 of getting to Port Townsend during the bridge closure. There were various foot-traffic events scheduled throughout that five-week period. A Seattle NPR radio campaign invited 1-5 corri- dor customers back to visit after the Hood Canal Bridge reopened. "We had a big bridge opening party, which was very well attended. It was a packed, packed downtown," Mullen says. Encouraging businesses to use the Internet A web site with photos and video profiles of downtown merchants is the campaign's key vehicle. The goal of the website is to give the public a sense of the business mix in town, as well as opportunities to learn more about the businesses by exploring the mer- chant websites, and the people behind the businesses by watching the videos. "It really was to encourage people to build a con- nection with the merchants," Mullen says. "If you know the stories behind the stores, it makes you poten- tially have a stronger connection to those people." Weekly campaign ads run in the Port Townsend- Jefferson County Leader that invite customers to visit the featured business and take advantage of the spe- cial offer that week. Each ad contains a "little-known fact" about the proprietors to spark interest. The merchant offers have featured discounts, a beach party theme, cooking up iridividual s'mores, and other creative refreshments. Port Townsend even bought Seattle radio advertising to extend the promo- tion's marketing reach. There will be a different busi- ness in the spotlight each week through November 19. "One of the goals of the Port Townsend campaign is to make businesses more competitive in the market- place. The participating businesses were encouraged to have a website in place or develop one," Mullen says. Businesses were also encouraged to collect their cus- tomers' email addresses in store, email their customers a postcard to promote in-store events, and be more mtemet savvy period. The Port Townsend Main Street Program worked with local partners to offer a series of seminars preparing businesses for the bridge closure, including a session on e-commerce and website design. "We knew that the people using the 1-5 corridor would have a harder time getting here, but if you had an e-commerce website, they could still shop with you," she says. The www.meetmeinporttownsend.com website has generated over 9,100 visits to date. Even more impressive, some downtown businesses like hotels October 2009 A sample of the print ads running each week for a different fea- tured business in the local Port Townsend Leader newspaper. and grocery stores kept pace or beat last year's num- bers during the month the bridge was closed. "It's been a busy summer downtown. We made up for earlier sluggishness with a very good summer," Mullen says. The Wooden Boat Festival, first held in 1978, attracted a record crowd of over 25,000 guests the weekend of September 11-13. The first day's attendance was up 10 percent over any previous year's first day. Mullen was recently honored with the "Business Leader of the Quarter" award from the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce for work on the "Meet Me in Port Townsend" campaign and related bridge mitiga- tion efforts. "The idea of telling the stories behind your mer- chants is a concept that could be used in any down- town," she says. And video certainly adds dimension and depth to downtown and merchant websites. Contact: Mari Mullen, Port Townsend Main Street Pro- gram, (360) 385-7911, director@ptmainstreet.org. l!'Ilm Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 5 Looking Ahead ... to April A time of religious and secular celebrations, there's something for everyone in April In addition to Easter and Passover, April is the month to celebrate the community library, downtown's volunteers, green spaces, and more. Recognizing the importance of librari~s National Library Week will be observed April 11-17. This annual event is sponsored by the American Library Associa- tion (ALA) and libraries across the country. It is a time when libraries are recognized for their contributions to life-long learning and their community support. There are several good rea- sons for, downtowns to support this annual event, not least of which is the built-in partner, the downtown library, and support from the ALA. The public infor- mation office of the ALA pro- motes the week by placing articles in national media. Librarians, friends and trustees of libraries join in sponsoring local promotions. And posters and other promotional materials are available through the ALA Graphics Catalog. Some of the many popular events from around the country come from downtown libraries: · In Delphos, OR, fines are dropped for overdue items when they are returned along with a donation for a local food pantry. · In Redwood City, CA, the public library uses the week to highlight the importance of hav- 6 · And in Duluth, MN, volun- teers wore purple ribbons with the words, "I Volunteer." Participating merchants provided discounts and special offers for volunteers including free admission to the Duluth Art Institute, 10% off at Fitger's Wine Cellars, and 20% off at Grizzly's Grill & Saloon. ing a library card. Kindergartners and their families are invited to the library to get that all important first card. · And at a university library, activities are designed to bring out bookworms. Unwanted books are collected for resale. And a compe- tition asks contestants to identify books and authors based on the first line of the book. Honoring volunteers Another important week for downtown organizations is Nation- al Volunteer Week (the fourth week of the month), a time to rec- ognize and honor your volunteers. · The Down- town St. Charles Partnership (St. Charles, IL), sent out a press release commending the contribution of volunteers who gave a total of 6,200 volunteer hours to down- town activities and events in 2008. Celebrating trees The exact date of National Arbor Day is a bit difficult to pin down. It is officially celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states recognize different dates based on their best tree- planting times. .... To find out when Arbor Day is in your area, visit the Arbor Day Foundation web- site at www. arborday.orgl arborday/arbor- DayDates.cfm. In addition to sponsoring the day, the Arbor Day Foundation recommends a number of ways to celebrate, many of which fit well with the goals of downtown organizations. These include: · Conduct a tree search. Ask people to find large, unusual or historic trees in your community. Once the results are in, create a self-guided walking tour or con- duct guided tours. Wh should downlO . 'tre~s? '. . . .,t ee-year stud . vorl2 and Trees N , " , for7profit groups dedicated t ", plailti~gand pr 9trEl~sin.:' . urban ,environment.s, found that; " . ,areas with tre~s and'grl:l~n)lJ~ct,.. 'scaping are favored byshopp~rs: " The studY, done between 1.996 ',. " " , ond 1999, found that customers ' , prefer tree-lined shopping districts, are more likely to choose to shop " in an area with trees, and are even willing to travel farther to reach a tree-lined district than to shop in a closer shopping area without trees. · In Benicia, CA, the mayor read a proclamation honoring police, fire and library volunteers at a city council meeting during National Volunteer Week. The volunteers presented the mayor with a symbolic check that reflects over $405,000 of donated services to the community. Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDeve/opment.com October 2009 · Dedicate a park, median, or other green space, and make it an occasion to talk about stewardship and greening downtown · Encourage neighborhood groups and others to, adopt and care for street trees in front of homes and businesses. Easing tax day blues The deadline for filing person- al tax returns in the United States is April 15. A date that is etched in the minds of many. Why not take advantage of this dreaded day to have a little fun downtown. If you're lucky enough to have a downtown post office, which stays open late for last minute filers, you've already got a head start on some great publicity. · For several years a non-com- mercial radio sta- tion in Seattle, WA, has hosted a fund-raising party on April 15 . The first 500 guests receive a souvenir green eye shade and pen- cils. The organizers collect tax returns and deliver them by escorted armored car to the post office by 11 :30 p.m. One year the price of tickets was $10.40. · Since 1986 the West Orange Library, in South San Francisco, CA, has remained open until 11 p.m. on April 15th. After 7 p.m., members of the Friends of the Library provide coffee, sympathy, and standard forms. Through a special arrangement with the post office all mail dropped off at the October 2009 library by 10:45 p.m. receives an April 15th postmark. Fooling around downtown Celebrating April Fools' Day downtown may sound like a stretch but not to these intrepid fools, · FestiFools in Ann Arbor, MI, brings University of Michigan stu- dents and community volunteers together to create huge paper mache puppets, which are carried by one or more people along the downtown parade route on the first Sunday in April. At the FestiFools web site people are invited to, "Get involved. Join the fun! Become a full-fledged, card-carrying Foo1." This can be done by helping to make the puppets, making a donation, becorrring a sponsor, volun- teering at the event, or simply going to the event. Both individuals and groups are invit- ed to create puppets at the event's studio space or to work on their own, following parade guidelines, of course. The spon- sorship levels range from Fool ($50- $199) all the way up to the Biggest Fool of Them All ($10,000+). · For the past four years a pub- lisher in Eau Claire, WI, has hosted an April Fool's Day pillow fight downtown. Apparently, people of all ages just can't resist the opportunity to whack each other with a pillow. At the 2009 event, over 100 people participated in the brief free for al1. Aram Khachaturian's frenzied Sabre Dance plays over the public address system and when the piece is over, the fight is over, too. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .' . . Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DownlownDeve/opment.com you though you knew ',national event, along " alHighFive Day, . ' , cet", n April 1'5. The holi- , 'dayol'iginateCl at Jh~University , of Virginia in 2002, and has " , .sincErspread to'anUnlber of col- , . lege arid UniversitY campuses. Do' ' 'wns mo' ',', t. So , 'whll ab . g neigh- bo . ."giving pe you poss : onth~street a hearty high-five, w r ou kno " , . or not. So p:/ f' " . ,', ionc1fhighfive-. d' ./," , , ,oy. / April is. . . ~;u:J~;p~ .. <, ..'-~./ March 30 -April 5 Passover April 1 April Fool's Day April 4 Easter April 6 Student Athlete Day April 15 Income Tax Day National High Five Day April 22 Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day April 30 Arbor Day 7 Guide gives direction to new businesses (Continued from page 1) started businesses that the biggest problem was know- ing who to talk to, where to go, and what the process was," says Diane Bonfert, prograni and services direc- tor, LDDA. "We also found, from talking with the internal [government] agencies; that alotof times, people were doing things in the wrong order," she adds. "They went ahead and leased or bought a building with a specific business or plan in mind - and then found out when they went to zoning that it wasn't zoned appropriately for that business!" For example, one newcomer intended to open a catering businesg,but founp out too late that she could not do catering in the location she chose without also operating a restaurant. She closed it and moved on to another location. Another impetus to produce the guide came through forming an entertainment task force charged with making downtown more vibrant. The task force invited the Responsible Hospitality fustitute (RR!) to town, to provide an overview and evaluation of how businesses ran things, and make recommendations for improvement. One of the things RHI recommended. was doing this kind of informational guide for businesses. Wee.kly....meetings...to....tal.k...shop I n producing. a g u ide to' educote entreprenevrs about the steps they must go. thrQughto startabusi- nessdQwntQwn,thelexington-Fayette Urbon. County GQyernment learned a lot as well. "KnQwing .the processissoarduQus - .andcan be daunting to SQmeone that's just starting - oneQf the neatest things the city gevernment has done is, every Tuesday, they have meetings in the morning for new businesses, and in the afternoen for those that are doing expansiens, and they bring in all the players from the government," says Diane Bonfert, prQgram and services director, Lexington Downtown Development Autherity. "They bring in fire, building inspection, code enfercement. So. that one perSQn can bring their plans orthoughts in, sit dewn with every agency that they're going to have to. go threugh to get approval, and they can meet with all ef them at once. Which really is quite a time saver. Plus, each of these different divisions can ask questions of each other. It's just a huge time saver," 8 A reference for newcomers to downtown. Assembling content for the guide and editing it took between six and seven months. "It was a long process, due to the fact that there are so many differ- ent ~Iltities that someone has to m~et with," .13onfert says, to ensure that all bases are covered when start- ing a business downtown. "We met with every single person [new business owners] will be meeting with, got their information, and found out what would be the best thing to impart to someone starting a business. Then we put it all together and sent a couple of drafts out to make sure that what we had was correct." The Responsible Hospitality fustitute provided Bonfert with contact information for several cities that produced similar business start-up guides. "It's pretty universal, the types of things you have to do to start a business," she says. Online distribution. The LDDA makes the guide available at its website, and refers entrepreneurs to it whenever they call to express interest in starting a business in downtown Lexington. "Sometimes we get referrals from the Division of Building Inspection or other agencies where people have gQne to. first," Bo.nfert says. While expanding businesses may find the guide a helpful checklist to review, it's primarily meant to. improve the chances of success for first-time down- town business owners. "You learn quite a bit when you go through the process of opening a business," she says. "It's proba- bly of most benefit to folks that are new to the down- town area, who have not gone through that process here, and don't know who the key players are." Guide has made desired impact. From both businesspeople and government agencies, feedback to the LDDA about the guide has been positive. "A lot of [business]people have indicated that they've used it and made those contacts that were suggested and offered in the guide. "And then internally, we've also had some good comments that a lot of what they were seeing before, they're not seeing now, because people are getting the ~ 1..- :=:--::::: Web Extras ==--== To. read A Guide for New and Expanding - ~ ::::1- Businesses, visit www.Do.wnto.wnDevelo.p- ment.co.m and click cn Web Extras. Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com October 2009 information up front, and are doing things in the proper sequence," Bonfert says. The guide welcomes entrepreneurs with the fol- lowing introduction: "We appreciate your interest in downtown Lexington. You are not alone; the last few years have seen a renewed interest in our downtown that has resulted in numerous mixed use, residential and entertainment projects. The new residential units have brought in over 1000 people who now call downtown home and on any given night, our down- Seven steps toa business start-up "One of the first steps in starting or expanding a business is adequate research and planning," begins A Guide for New and Expanding B.usinesses in dowr;1town Lexington, KY. Here's an excerpt of how the guide presents the seven steps to starting up:.. 1. Get basic information. .- ,-'''''- -'--" ,',',," '- -' -' --,",,-;-"-- - .,,'" ',"" . · The U.S. Small Business Ad~rnistration has a Business Resource Center which provides free access to a variety of informotion, education and training designed to assist entrepreneurs start, op nd grow their businesses. www.sba.gov. . · Kentucky Small Business Development CElnter is a wonderful local resource that provides management and technical assistance and training/education91 opportunities 0 future and.existingbusiness owners and entr rs. ... 2. P a det Developing 0 soun . , ess plan is a critical ponent. Like a road map, your business plan will w you where you are in. relotion to. where you want to be. It will allow you to look ()bjectively ond see where the strengths and weaknesses are in your business prior to your opening. Furthermore, this docu- ment will be a key part of ony financiol package that you will submit to a bank for loan consideration. Your business plan will cover such details as business description, market onalysis, financial management, marketing and day-to-day operations. Contact the Lexington office of the Kentucky Small Business Devel- opment Center ... 3. Choose a legal business structure. · Typically the first decision to make when start- ing a business is choosing the most appropriate busi- ness structure. There are basically four primory options for you to choose: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and limited liobility corporation. It is good business judgment to seek both business and legal advice from an accountant and an attorney before finalizing these decisions and beginning your October 2009 town core is bustling with patrons of the many restau- rant and entertainment opportunities to be found." It then explains the purpose of the guide and the mission of the LDDA that created it, reminding entre- preneurs: "Our staff is committed to the successful development of our downtown and is available to pro- vide assistance." Contact: Diane Bonfert, Lexington Downtown Development Authority, (859) 425-2296, diane@ lexingtondda.com. ~ business. The particular structure you choose may save you money. Additional information can be found ... 4.. D ine and file your business name. · You moy request a preliminary name ovail bili- ty check by contacting the Secretary of State .. · To register your company name or to incorpo- rate a business, contact the County Clerk's office ... 5. Select a site and determine zoning and site permit requirements. . . . · Determine zoning requirements prior to p ing or leosing any land/building.. . . · A permit from the Division ,of Building. required before a structure maybe built,a~d. altered, moved or whEm a change of~se is pr You ~ust 'als~ check with' the Lexingt~n-F Urbon County Government to insure the type ness you plan to operate is legal in the desir tion. The Division of Building Inspecti . if the use is appropriate. ... · Some types of applications may requiret . review and approval of the Planning Commission Board of Adjustment. For such coses, the Division of Building Inspection will refer you to the Division of Plonning which has 0 staff member assigned as a facilitator to give hands-on assistance to downtown projects. Contact: Division of Planning ... 6. Obtain required license(s). · To complete the process for obtaining a busi- ness license and to register for local occupancy taxes contact: Division of Revenue... . If you are planning to sell alcohol at your place of business or to install a dance floor contact: Lexing- ton Division of Police, Office of Alcohol Beverage Control ... 7. Employer responsibilities. A whole new set of responsibilities arise when a business hires employees. ... Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 9 Targeting Groups Ladies night out events use creative approaches to win gals Ladies night out events are gaining in popularity across North America. While each event is different, one thing is Clear: To keep women engaged, fresh new themes and in-store activities are a must. Downtown Ukiah, CA (est. pop. 14,960), mer- chants held their first Girls' Night Out in July, and it's become a new monthly tradition. Girls' Night Out is held on the third Thursday of each month from 5 to 8 p.m. The evenings offer extended shopping hours, discounts and specials at downtown Ukiah's par- ticipating boutiques and restaurants, which put up pink balloons outside their storefronts to proudly show their involvement. About 20 shops typically stay open late to participat~. "Some things shouldn't be done 'alone," begins a Ukiab Main Street Program press release for last month's Girls Night Out. That list: "Tandem bicy- Cling, Tea for two-ing, Double date-ing, and most importantly ... shopping." Downtown Ukiah positions Girls Night Out as "a time for you take a step back, forget about the dry Cleaning or that meeting at work, and just have fun with the girls." Girly in-store activities have inCluded a chocolate fountain, a game night, wine tastings, ice cream tast- ings, and lotion samplings. Girls' Night Out is also a fund-raiser for not-for- profit organizations in town, such as Project Sanctu- ary, which helps fight domestic violence and sexual abuse, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mendocino Coun- ty, and the Ukiah Senior Center. The first 100 participants to purchase raffle tick- ets at the Main Street Booth receive coupon bags. A basket of goodies donated by the downtown mer- chants is raffled off at 7:45 p.m., as the evenings draw to a Close. In introducing the event series, the Ukiah Main Street Program invited not-for-profit groups in need to call its offices. The reaction was very positive. "We're starting to grow tremendously. With the first one, we raised only $285. With this last one, we raised $687, and we're benefitting a: different not-for- profit organization each time," says Andrea Ivey, associate director of the Ukiah Main Street Program. Similarly, turnouts have grown from about 50 to perhaps 200 women, often in large groups of friends. "We're encouraging all participating merchants to offer a little something extra for the women," she adds. For example, last month, a hair salon offered a dermatological event. "Promote something unique. Something that's different, that big box stores might riot beoffer"'- ing," Ivey advises. "Go above andbeyondsoinething to appeal to either men or women, that's fun." The Prior Lake (MN, pop. 23,840) Chamber of Commerce is also targeting women with its twice- yearly ladies' Thursday night event. September marked its eighth event. "We do it in the spring and fall. Each one is a dif- ferent theme. We max out at 450 ladies, because we have about 50 vendors," says Sandi Fleck, executive director of the Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce. "We try to make it unique every single time. Some- thing's always different." This September's event was a Pajama & Spa Party. "The ladies will come in their pajamas. Some of them will dress for the part and some of them won't," Fleck says. Other themes to dress for inCluded Patriot Day, last September, cowgirls, Halloween, and the 1950s. "We had 'Elvis' show up that time. 'Elvis' was in the building!" Contact: Sandi Fleck, Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce, (952) 440-1000, sandi@priorlakechamber.com; Andrea lvey, Ukiah Main Street Program, (707) 462-6789, mainst@pacific.net, www.downtownukiah.com.1m Gals revel In their camaraderie in downtown Ukiah, CA. 10 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com October 2009 IleT LB X ~ ................................................................................ a Make it happen downtown Many non-traditional events can be brought downtown to spur further activity. For example, the local Kidney Foundation, which hosts a program in suburban Sil- ver Spring, MD, added a simulta- neous event downtown, which includes a Kidney Walk, Kids Comer, wellness area, and other programs. Jingle Bell Run The 2008 downtown Knox- ville Jingle Bell Run is part of the the Arthritis Foundation's nation- wide holiday fund-raiser. The event consists of a 5K timed run, a 5K fun walk, and a one mile fun run/walk. Participants tie Jingle Bells to their shoe laces and dress in holiday costumes. In 2008. Knoxville raised over $65,000. To learn more about bringing a Jingle Bell Run to your downtown con- tact your local Arthritis Founda- tion location. Growing farmer's market looks up The Troy (NY) Waterfront Farmer's Market is expanding as a Saturday morning shopper's and visitor's attraction. The mar- ket, which functions in what's called the Uncle Sam Atrium, added space on the second floor above the existing ground floor stalls and displays. At present, about 50 vendors are in business each market day. New maps and floor plans introduce shoppers to the added second-floor offerings October 2009 of fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and more. This way to downtown The Northfield (MN) Down- town Development Corporation supported erection of a second sign directing drivers off the highway and into Northfield. The signage program is run by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Economic Development Authority arid the Convention and Visitors Bureau. This is one way that the Down- town Development Corporation meets its goal of "Working together to sustain a vibrant downtown N orthfield." Segway patrols make downtown friendlier The Omaha (NE) Police Department recently deployed officers on two Segway vehicles to patrol downtown, assist people, answer questions, spot graffiti and panhandling, and generally improve downtown for shoppers, business people, tourists, and oth- ers. The single-person, battery- electric powered Segways cover 24 miles per charge and travel at up to 13 miles per hour. The pair of vehicles were bought by the Downtown Improvement District Association for $14,500. Douglas County and the First National Bank also operate Segway patrols of streets, parking facilities and the like. The high-visibility patrols not only spot and deal with problems but also convey a feeling of safety and security downtown. ISSN 0363-2830 Downtown Promotion Reporter A publication of the Downtown Research & Development Center 712 Main Street - Suite l87B Boonton, NJ 07 Phone: (973) 265-2300 . Email: info@Downtow Website: www.Downto Editor Paul Felt, ext. 119 pfelt@DowntownDevelopment.com . Customer Service .. . Mary Pagliaroli, ext. 101 . . .. mpagliaroli@DowntownDevelopment.com Reprints Mary Dal mdalessandro@Do Pu Margaret DeWitt, ext. 106 msdewitt@DowntownDevelopment.com Downtown Promotion ReponeliJ is published lIlonthly . by the Downtown Research & Development The Center provides news, informati successful downtown revitalization ters, books, reports, and website, . 'l~~ Group. Inc, All rights /ication may be reprodu system, or transmitted in electronic. mechanica~ without the prior wr' COmmuJlications G Please start/renew my one- year subscription to Downtown Promotion Reporter for $197.* NAME TITLE FIRM/ORGANIZATION ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP PHONE FAX EMAIL N15 ~ MAIL: 712 Main Street - Suite 187B Boonton, NJ 07005-1450 lJs FAX: (973) 402-6056 If PHONE: (973) 265-2300 @ EMAIL: info@DowntownDevelopmentcom . North America. $197, Elsewhere. $227 Oncludes airmail delivery). Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 11 &tIC ~ ............................................................................................................................... A Add hours for late shopping Stores now stay open later, unti17p.m., on the first and third Fridays each month in Medford, OR. On the first Friday, down- town focuses on Fashion, Furni- ture and Food. Then, on the third Friday, the shopping theme is "All about Art." This concentrates on promoting visits to art galleries, artists' studios, and shops and ties in with downtown's Friday Art Walks. Art Fridays are scheduled from April through December. Of course, all retailers, restaurants, and others can join in. Walk of fame honors famous citizens The city's Walk of Fame Awards recognize notable people and their connection to Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada. Honorees have their names engraved into granite maple leaves that are then embedded in downtown sidewalks near the Essar Centre. Nominees must have made a significant contribution locally or globally in athletics, art, enter- tainment, academics, humanitari- anism, medicine, science and technology, business and indus- try, or in another area. Further- more, they must be Sault Sainte Marie born or have lived in the city or in the area during their lifetime. A special selection com- mittee picks the winners. Nomi- nation forms are available at the Downtown Association office and on its web site. 12 Community yard. sale . For one day in June, City Park in d.owntown Paso Robles, CA(Jstranh formed into the North Country's largest community yord sale,. for 1tb~~:mnu" al Trading Day event. A simple one page applicotion and $40 fee ,WI.!I,. secure a 15' x 15' space for the day-long event. Over 100 p~ople,from residents to local crafispeople set up shop offering a wideranae of items for sole. The only things not . offered are large applionces, upholstered furniture and used. clothing. While 011 food and. drink sales are limited to Main Street members. A popular recent addition is a Kid's Flea Morket where children in third through eighth. grade can. rent a spoce for iust $5. Kids hove their own separate applica- tion, which lays out all of the details and re. s 0 par- ent's signatur . . . - , Lighthearted artwork sets the mood for the Kid's Flea Market. . Working with youthful volunteers To help assemble its 100-foot Christmas tree and replace the old light bulbs with high efficiency LEDs, the Downtown Marketing Cooperative in Delray Beach, FL, turned to over 500 student volun- teers. In a partnership with the Office Depot Foundation and Florida Power and Light, 500 sev- enth and eighth grade students were recruited to participate in the project. The students worked with contractors, City employees and other volunteers to assemble the Collectibles Treasuns frpm the past! food 0 Refreshments fftEE ADMISSION! . . ..........OlI ~~lli~ro> i'ulIl lh,dlngUay: $40. (oiuI.) . Kl"-!'IeaHarl<et: $5 .ll~.. ltIi ,.) A~~ at_~alri .Street~. tree and other exterior landscap- ing. They also removed, replaced and tested 15,500 lightbulbs with the energy efficient LEDs. Suggestion box At its web site, the Downtown Billings (MT) Association asks people to send in their ideas, problems, suggestions and even praise, so these can become inputs into creating a better downtown. People click on www.mydown- townidea.com to start the process. This is an easy-to-use technique for maintaining real contact with constituents. l!'Iilll Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com October 2009 City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Economic Development Authority FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Supplemental Agenda DATE: October 26, 2009 It is requested the October 26,2009 agenda be amended as follows: NEW BUSINESS 8b) CAPX 2020 Electric Transmission Lines Attached is additional information received today regarding this project. CITY STAFF REPORTS 9a) Economic Update, Volume 27 ge) October Economic Development Activity Report CapX gb Delivering electricity you can rely on Dear Administrator: Enclosed you will find a letter that was sent to the approximately 4,000 landowners whose property may be impacted by the proposed CapX2020 345-kV electric transmission lines. As the letter notes, public meetings and hearings have been scheduled for November and December. The meetings will give members of the public and local government the opportunity to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (November 12- 19) and make comments on the proposals at public hearings presided over by Administrative Law Judge Richard Luis (November 30-December 11). Please forward the letter to your commissioners, board members and other staff who should be informed of the coming meetings. Meetings will also be publicized in local newspapers. If you, your staff or board has additional questions or comments, the CapX2020 team can be reached via a toll-free number at 1-888-473-2279, via email at brookinqsinfo@CapX2020.com or via the contact form on the www.CapX2020.com web site. Regards, CapX2020 Central Milmcsota lv11micipal Power Agency. Dairy/and Power Cooperatil'c . Great River Energy Minnesota Power. lvfinnkota Power Cooperatiue . Missouri River Energy Services. Otter Tail Power Company. Rochester Public Utilities Southern Minnesot/l Munidpal Power Agency. \VPPI Energy. Xeel E.nergy CapX Delivering electricity you can rely on October 22, 2009 Dear landowner: This letter is to notify you about two sets of state-sponsored public meetings that will occur in November and December 2009 as part of the CapX2020 Brookings County-Hampton 345-kV electric transmission line project. Meetings to discuss the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be issued October 20, are scheduled for November 12-19. Public hearings, where members of the public can ask questions or provide comments on the proposed routes, are scheduled for November 30 through December 18. Official notices of these meetings and hearings will be issued by the Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security (OES) and published in local newspapers prior to the events. The project is being considered under the full permitting process in Minnesota Statute 216E.03 and Minnesota Rules parts 7850.1700 to 7850.2700. It has been referred to Administrative Law Judge Richard Luis, who will manage the public hearings, evidentiary hearings and preside over submission of testimony and exhibits, and other procedural issues. The process began in December 2008 when the CapX2020 utilities filed a Route Permit application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) for the project. Draft EIS Public Meetings The OES is developing the draft EIS, which will examine the land use and environmental issues associated with the routes proposed by the utilities as well as other route alternatives that were submitted in early 2009 during the EIS scoping phase. The OES will hold the following public meetings for anyone who wishes to comment on the draft EIS: D ft EIS P br M f S h d I h t d b th Off fE S "t ra u IC ee mg c e u e, os e ~y e Ice 0 nergy ecurl y Date Location Address/City Time November 12 Lonsdale American Legion 115 2nd Avenue NE 1-4 p.m.; Lonsdale 5-8 p.m. November 13 Holiday Inn 20800 Kenrick Avenue 1-4 p.m.; Lakeville 5-8 p.m. November 16 Prairie's Edge Casino 5616 Prairie's Edge Lane 1-4 p.m. Granite Falls November 17 Best Western 1500 E College Drive 1-4 p.m.; Marshall 5-8 p.m. November 18 Jackpot Junction Casino 39375 County Highway. 24 1-4 p.m.; Morton 5-8 p,m, November 19 Brass Top Hall/ 514 Main Street 5-8 p.m. Hog Wild Saloon Henderson The EIS Scoping Decision is published on the PUC web site at http://enerovfacilities.puc,state.mn.us/documents/19860108- 147 4%20FINAL %20EIS%20SCDPE%20063009.pdf Written comments on the draft EIS can be submitted to Scott Ek of the DES at: Office of Energy Security Attn: Scott Ek 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 St. Paul, MN 55101 scott.ekla>.state. mn, us Comments can also be filed online at: http://eneravfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/publicComments.htm I Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted until November 30, 2009. The DES responds to all comments on the draft EIS in a revised document and publishes a final EIS, which is expected by January 8, 2010, Public Hearings on the Route Permit Application Public hearings provide opportunities for landowners, stakeholders and intervening parties to ask questions of the utilities regarding the proposed routes and submit comments into the record about the specific routes under review. An administrative law judge presides over these hearings. Afternoon and evening public hearings will be conducted throughout the project area in November and December as follows: Public Hearing Schedule, presided over by Administrative Law Judge Richard Luis Date Location Add ress/C itv Time November 30 Prairie's Edge Casino 5616 Prairie's Edge Lane 2-5 p.m.; Granite Falls 7-10 p.m. December 1 Best Western 1500 E College Drive 1-5 p,m.; Marshall 7-10 p.m. December 2 Redwood Area 901 Cook Street 1-5 p.m.; Community Center Redwood Falls 7-10 p.m. December 3 Winthrop Veterans 206 N Main Street 1-5 p.m.; Club Winthrop 7-10 p.m. December 7 Brass Top Halll 514 Main Street 1-5 p.m.; Hoa Wild Saloon Henderson 7-10 p.m. December8 Lonsdale American 115 2nd Avenue NW 1-5 p.m.; Leaion Lonsdale 7-10 p,m. December 9 Park Ballrooml 300 Lexington Avenue 1-5 p.m.; American Leaion New Prague 7:10 p.m. December 10 Holiday Inn 20800 Kenrick Avenue 1-5 p.m,; Lakeville 7-10 p.m. December 11 Holiday Inn 20800 Kenrick Avenue 9:30 a.m,- Lakeville 12:30 p.m. Dec. 15-18* Commission offices St. Paul TBD *Evidentiary hearings may be held December 15-18 at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission offices in Sf. Paul. Written comments can be submitted to Judge Luis through January 15, 2010 (tentative deadline) at: Office of Administrative Hearings Attn: Judge Richard Luis PO Box 64620 St. Paul, MN 55164-0620 Or via email atcapx.oah@state.mn.us Public Participation and Intervention in the Public Hearings There are two ways in which persons may participate in the public hearings: as an interested person, or as a party. Interested person: A person will be allowed to participate without the necessity of intervening as a party. Participation includes: a) offering direct testimony with or without benefit of oath or affirmation and without the necessity of prefiling testimony; b) offering direct testimony or other material in written form at or following the hearing; and c) questioning witnesses. Any person who wishes to question a witness but does not want to ask the questions may submit questions in writing to the ALJ, who will then ask the questions of the witness. Questions may be submitted during the hearing or may be mailed to the ALJ in advance of the hearing. Intervention: Any person may seek to intervene as a full party to this proceeding. If a person desires to intervene, the person must file a document called a Petition for Intervention with the ALJ by October 26,2009 (see Minn. Rules Part 1405.0900). Intervention ensures that the person will have all the rights of a party, including the right to make motions, to attend any prehearing conferences, to be served with documents, and to present witnesses, and also the obligations of a party such as responding to discovery requests and serving other parties. Anyone may speak at the public hearing, present documentary evidence, ask questions of the Applicants and OES staff, and submit comments. All documents filed in the proceedings can be found by clicking on 'Search eDockets" at www.puc.state.mn.us. Use the docket number 08-1474 (08 stands for 2008, the year the Route Permit application was filed). At the end of the process, the Commission will consider all material and conduct public hearings. Following deliberations, the Commission will decide whether to grant a Route Permit, and, if it is granted, which route the transmission line will take and any mitigation required of the utilities, Additional information on all CapX2020 projects can be found at www.CapX2020.com; contact the utilities through the website or the toll-free number 1-888-473-2279. This newsletter is an integral part of the City/s Business Outreach Program/ an opportunity to highlight local business acfivi~ and a medium to provide information to the Farmington business community. For questions about the items in this newsletter or other business matters, please contact Tina Hansmeier 651- 280-6821, or ~ The Economic Development Authority (EDA) is comprised of City Council members: Christy Jo Fogarty (EDA Chair) Steve Wilson (EDA Vice-Chair) Terry Donnelly Mayor Todd Larson Julie May ~ November 23, 2009 Farmington Economic Update Economic Development Staff Report October 26, 2009 Volume 27 The MARKET ON OAK and SHIDOR Open Downtown! (651)247-5132 Address 302 Oak St. Page 2 Farmington Economic Update Why Use Electricity When No One Is Around? Local City and School District representatives, City staff, and Chamber members meet on the 4th Thursday of every month to discuss business matters and network at the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce's monthly Farmington Breakfast. This month's event featured Michael Hoy with Dakota Electric who presented a number of ways businesses can decrease electricity usage and save money. Contact your electric utility provider today for more information on how you can help control and reduce your business' electric usage. .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................~ , , i Save money and energy with VendingMiser™ i : One example to reduce energy use is the VendingMiser™. VendingMiser™is a censoring : i system that reduces vending machine run time while maintaining product : : temperature. VendingMiser™ will power down a machine when no one is in the area, i and when someone approaches or the machine needs power for cooling purposes, i VendingMiser™ will automatically repower the machine. ! VendingMiser™ Benefits : · Save nearly 50% of the $170 to $250 spent annually for the electricity used i to operate vending machines i · Reduce maintenance costs : · Increase the life of front panel florescent lamps i . Accepted for use by Pepsi Cola@ and Coca-Cola@ · Easy to install · Some utilities offer rebates to help cover the cost of the VendingMiser™. I Regardless of your electric utility, you can contact Dakota Electric at 651-463-6243 to learn more l..~,~.~~,~..~.~.~..,~~.~,~.~.i.~~..~~..~~.~,~.~,~,~~..i.~.~~~~..,~,.....................,..,................,............................,...,..................,..............................,..........,..............,....,............................,..............,..,......i The New Rambling River Center Opens! __-- The Rambling River Center celebrated opening their new home on October 19 with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony. To date volunteers have provided 2,243.75 hours of physical labor towards completing the project; had the City hired contractors for this work the cost would have exceeded $40,000. Thank you volunteers! 325 Oak Street - 651-280-6970 Banquet and conference room rental opportunities are available after hours including evenings and weekends. October 26, 2009 Page 3 '" . - L-;;tSt;;owners I Gaby and Pablo Gonzalez along with Gaby's mother Gabriella Quintero, Below: Food products and I other items such as Pinatas are available at Fiesta · Market. I Burritos, enchiladas and tortillas are the kind of Mexican food one might be familiar with but there is a world of difference between Mexican take out and home made Mexican fare, according to Gaby and Pablo Gonzalez, who are the new owners of Fiesta Market (formerly known as Mena's Servicios Latinos). The couple decided to keep many of the store offerings the same, however, they did decide to change the name and offer some new products. Gaby enjoys helping customers find the right ingredients for Mexican recipes. She shares her Mexican Breakfast Casserole recipe, below (all ingredients are available at Fiesta Market). ~Mexican Breakfast Casserole 11/2 pounds chorizo (spicy sausage) 10 large eggs 5 tortillas, cut into quarters 1 cup onion, chopped 4 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp salt 11/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped 11/2 Mexican quesadilla cheese IGarnish with Sour Cream and Picante Recipe directions: Cook chorizo, onions and garlic until browned in a large skillet, stirring to break it up. Whisk eggs in a large bowl with salt, black pepper, and hot sauce. Combine quesadilla cheese and cilantro in other bowl. Spoon one third of chorizo mixture over the tortillas and one cheese mixture. Repeat, making sure to end with a cheese layer, and pour the eggs over all ingredients. Preheat oven to three hundred and fifty degrees, bake casserole until golden and bubbly. Casserole is done when knife inserted comes out clean. Remove and allow to rest ten minutes before serving. Garnish with Mexi- can sour cream and picante. Fiesta Market is located at 320 Third Street. Phone: (651) 460-1380 - -- 1 I ___ _ J Page 4 Farmington Economic Update IN THE NEWS DEED Offering Grants for Section 125 Plans The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is offering one-time $350 grants to help small businesses (two to 50 employees) make it easier for employees to purchase health insurance cover- age. These funds are available until expended, The grants can be used to help employers who do not offer health insurance benefits to set up Section 125 plans. Under this plan, participating workers can save money by paying for their own insurance with pre-tax earn- ings instead of after-tax dollars, Employers, in turn, will save money on Medicare and Social Security contributions. While setting up each plan will be relatively inexpensive, DEED is offering the grants to eligible employers to help offset initial administrative costs. To apply for the grant, employers should complete an application and mail it to DEED. DEED is oHering one-time $350 grants to help small businesses make it easier for employees to purchase health insurance coverage. An application for a Section 125 grant and other details about the program are available at www.deed.state.mn.us/bizdev/Hea IthlnsSection125Plans,htm. Questions may be referred to Samantha DiMaggio at 651-259-7426 or samantha, dimaqq io@state.mn.us. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is the state's principal economic development agency, with programs promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention; workforce development; international trade; and community development. The agency's mission is to support the economic success of individuals, businesses, and com- munities by improving opportunities for growth. For more information visit www.deed.state.mn.us. ..........,......................................,................................................... BUSINESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY If you're looking to expand your current business, open a new business, or secure new financing, you're go- ing to need a business plan. Your public library is one of the best values around for busi- ness information. The Dakota County Farmington Library has many print and electronic resources to help plan for your business needs. . New books like Business Plan in a Day help you layout the plan in a professional format. . Search the library's catalog for business planning materials of all kinds. Materials not currently avail- able at the Farmington Library may be requested from other locations. . Recently added materials are highlighted in the Business & Finance subject guide on the Dakota County Library website. . Check NetLibrary for even more in-depth materials that you can read online. You'll need to set up a free account through your Dakota County Library to access these materials, . Find the information you need by visiting the Farmington Library or logging on to the Dakota County Library website at www.dakotacountv.us/librarv.Alibrary card and PIN are required to access most of the tools. Public Internet workstations and wireless Internet access at the library keep business people connected. For more information and research assistance, call 651-438-0250. The library is located at 508 Third Street. Hours are 12:00 pm-8:30 pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10:00 am-5:30 pm Thursday through Saturday. ~~ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Activity Report September 28 - October 23, 2009 OCTOBER PROJECTS Sale of Parks Garage (Includes review of financial information and drafting of Contract for Private Development) Industrial Park Project (Contact with Consultant Team and MAl Appraisers) October Economic Update ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES and/or PROJECTS Preparation of a map illustrating industrial park project site, property owners, and PID #'s for property appraisers to prepare quotes. Contact with, Michelle Overbey, owner of new business opening November 2, Shidor. Additional research on the 3/50 project. Bankers Summit workshop information was provided to local banks via email. The October 21 workshop included SBA representatives as well as a local bank to provide info on how banks can utilize SBA and other programs to assist their customers. Provided direction to the City's GIS consultant to make changes to the Downtown Commercial District Map as well as to revise the Parks and Trails map for the 2010 Calendar. Contact with Mary Kennedy, Manager of County Assessing Department, regarding the sale price for the McVicker Lot. Response provided to a downtown business owner that had questions pertaining to the sale of the Parks Garage. Responded to the City of Faribault's Community Development Directors additional EDA survey questions. Preparation and delivery of Press Release to area newspapers for Twin Ponds open house. Update to documents identifying Industrial Park project expenditures. Updated the city's list of available commercial/industrial space. Updated information has been linked on the City's website. Contact with Eagle's Club regarding the Carbone's rumor. INQUIRY HIGHLIGHTS Commercial: Industrial: 5 o The Vice President of Development for Papa Murphy's (fifth largest pizza chain in the Country) inquired about Vermillion River Crossings Development. Zoning and permit information provided to an existing business owner exploring the possibility of purchasing a downtown building. MEETINGS/Events October 1 Peter and Tina met with the President of the Downtown Business Association - Clyde Rath, to discuss the 3/50 project, Dew Days, and additional business matters. October 1 Tina met with This Week News Reporter - Kara Hildreth to discuss the Vermillion River Crossings development and other economic development happenings. October 5 Tina and Peter participated in a conference call with Cinda Baxter, the founder of the 3/50 project. October 6 Tina attended the Downtown Business Association regular meeting. October 7 Tina attended the meeting with representatives of the US Census along with Lee, Tony, and Peter. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the upcoming census. Tony will be the main contact for the 2010 census. October 9 Tina attended Dakota Future's Intelligent Community launch. October 15 Tina and Lisa attended the annual CDBG training. October 16 Tina and Tony met with local realtor, Mike Finstad, to discuss possible locations suitable for his client's future plans to build a church. October 22 Tina attended the October Chamber Breakfast. October 22 Tina attended The Market on Oak's "sneak peek" event. October 22 Tina spoke at length with Jeff Trapp, a small business owner regarding the City's plans for future development, specifically along the Flagstaff corridor and in Vermillion River Crossings. BUSINESS VISITS September 30 October 1 October 5 October 9 October 23 Expressive Embroidery Fiesta Market Pizza Man Lillian's The Market on Oak