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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.23.09 EDA Packet AGENDA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY November 23, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, City Hall Authority Members 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve Agenda 4. Citizens Comments/Presentations Chair, Christy Jo Fogarty Vice-Chair, Steve Wilson Terry Donnelly Julie May 5. Consent Agenda (see attached) a. Meeting Minutes: October 26 b. Bills: 10/19-11/19 c. Budget Details: October 2009 d. Industrial Park Project Budget e. McVicker Lot Reservation Form, FDBA f. Farmers' Market 2009/2010 Mayor Todd Larson City Staff Representatives Executive Di rector, Peter Herlofsky City Administrator 6. Public Hearings (None) 7. Continued Business a. Industrial Park Project Strategy b. AK Performance Graphics Update Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist Cindy Muller Executive Assistant 8. New Business a. 2010 CDBG Application and Reprogramming of Unspent Funds b. Strategic Planning 430 Third Street Farmington, MN 55024 9. City Staff Reports/Open Forum/Discussion a. Economic Updatel Volume 28 b. Downtown Promotion Reporterl Nov. 2009 c. 2009 New Businesses d. Request to Dakota Electric for Partners in Progress Grant e. Preview of www.metromsp.org, www.gofishcommercial.com, and www.mnpro.com (verbal) f. December Meeting Date (verbal) Phone: 651.280.6800 http://www.ci.farmington.mn.us 10. 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. 50-. MINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Regular Meeting October 26, 2009 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Fogarty at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Fogarty, Larson, Donnelly, May, Wilson Members Absent: None Also Present: Robin Roland, Finance Director; Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. APPROVE AGENDA Councilmember May added 7e) Discussion of old Rambling River Center Building. MOTION by Wilson, second by Larson to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 4. CITIZEN COMMENTS/PRESENTATIONS 5. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Larson, second by May to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Meeting Minutes: September 28,2009 b) Bills: September 27 - October 16, 2009 c) Budget Details: September 2009 d) Industrial Park Budget Expenditures APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS 7. CONTINUED BUSINESS a) Proposal for Purchase of 308 Elm Street i. AK Performance Graphics After reviewing the first proposal received for the parks garage, staff determined the City could not provide the assistance the proposal requested. Therefore, the EDA could not accept the proposal. The second proposal was received from AK Performance Graphics for $20,000 with improvements of $170,000. The proposal is requesting a business subsidy because of the difference between the sale price and the purchase offer. Because the proposal meets the business subsidy policy and the terms of the RFP, the EDA can accept this proposal and enter into a Contract for Private Development. The contract will contain what is required to meet the business subsidy and the improvements to the building. EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 2 Member Donnelly asked for a review of the business subsidy. Staff stated the subsidy would be because the building is being sold at a price less than its appraised value. He meets the terms of the subsidy because he will be bringing jobs to town, improve a blighted building, and add the property to the tax roles. In order for the City to offer a business subsidy, the purchaser has to prove that they need the assistance by showing that but for the City's participation, he would not be able to buy the building, renovate it, and bring jobs to town. The subsidy would be in the form of the reduced sale price of the property acknowledging he has to bring the building up to the standard that is set in order for him to meet the terms of the subsidy. Once the process is done, the subsidy policy is met, the building is back on the tax roles, and the jobs would be tracked over a period of time in order to report on the subsidy to the state. Member Larson stated the first proposal received did not meet these requirements. Staff stated it was because the abatement requested could not be justified by the increase in the tax value of the parcel. When you give a business a subsidy, they have to be able to say that but for the gift from the City he could not afford to do business under what was being requested. The problem with the first proposal was the amount of the subsidy being requested would have had to have been justified by the developer allowing us to see their books, and profit and loss statements, to see that they truly needed half a million dollars in assistance in order to build the building they wanted. Those numbers were not offered to the City. If the amount of rent currently being paid is more than ample to equal a loan of the size requested, then it is difficult to prove need. Member Wilson stated the individuals from the first proposal had initially submitted a purchase proposal at a separate date prior to the RFP for purchase at a higher price. He asked how that was reviewed at that time. Staff stated a number of proposals were received prior to the RFP. None of them could be accepted because they were so far below the value of the property. Member Wilson was aware there was some concern that the City declined to take a higher price for the property and is now taking a lower price when the situations were not equal. It has been perceived we could have gotten more for the property. Staff stated at that time we could not accept those proposals unless the EDA was willing to offer a business subsidy. Each proposal was very general and would not add jobs. Chair Fogarty added we went with the RFP because offers from trying to sell the property were not working. Staff stated the offers were far less than the property value. If they were offers to purchase the building and use it as is, that would not meet the business subsidy policy. Member Wilson would like to see a cleaner process in the future. We asked for bids without having a defined process and it caused confusion in the business community. Chair Fogarty agreed it was a learning curve for the EDA. Member May stated regarding the process, the minutes stated the Pellicci's were told their offer would not be considered unless the other one fell through. She was EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 3 concerned that was not the direction staff was given. Their offer was made on time so that left a window of opportunity to go back to Pellicci's. She felt that specific direction was not followed. She had no problems with the graphics company, it is more the process. Member May stated we are still missing a piece of information from the bank on whether they have the ability to obtain and r~pay the loan. Staff spoke directly with the bank and was assured the Joan would be . approved. The bank was told the EDA would need a letter from the banksayihg.. they would make the loan to the individual because hehas the means to meetthe loan. If the letter is not received, the terms of the subsidy will not be met andthe EDA would have to start over. Chair Fogarty asked Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier toelaborateon what conversations transpired after the previous meeting. The direction was to help them understand this would not work as a subsidy. She asked if that was addressed. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated she and City Administrator Herlofsky met with the Pellicci' s the next day to let them know the EDA could not accept the offer as is. Chair Fogarty asked about their response. Staff stated they asked how the board felt about the proposal. Member Larson asked what they were told. Staff stated the board wanted to see what we could do to have the project work, but with the amount of subsidy we could not accept the proposal. They did not clearly understand why and it was explained to them what it meant with the review ofthe financial advisers, etc. and they still seemed unsure as to where they wanted to go. Chair Fogarty stated it seems the Pellicci's were not in agreement as to what they wanted to do, so it made it difficult for staff to give them information on how to get there. She felt staff followed up in the best way they could. She was frustrated with Pellicci' s as they were not in attendance at the meeting when the offers were received so the EDA could ask them questions. One business was able to grasp what we were looking for in the RFP and another was not. She asked staff to keep working with the Pellicci's and was aware staff could not give them direction if they did not know where they wanted to go. She did not want to see them leave and wanted staff to do what they could to help them within the laws. Member Larson asked if AK Performance Graphics was advised to come to the EDA meeting when the proposals were discussed. Staff stated he was not advised, he was told about the meeting the same as the Pellicci' s. Member Larson had suggested to City Administrator Herlofsky that the Pellicci' s had not gone through this process before and did not know the procedure and to help them along the way. It seems they did not get help along the way. He felt they did not understand the RFP the way they should have. He felt that falls on the City. Do we want to sit back and let businesses figure it out for themselves, or do we want to be a board that actually welcomes people to the City and offer our hand as what can we do for you. Everyone needs to get better at it if we want to see growth in the business community. We have to extend our hand and welcome people especially with the way the economy is. Chair Fogarty did not disagree, but at some point you are starting to subsidize their process as well. There is hand EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 4 holding and there is doing the process for them. Member Larson stated he was asking ifthey need help, to help them; not do the process for them. Chair Fogarty stated staff has not been given a clear picture from them and she has not seen a clear picture. Member Larson stated they wrote a proposal for a two story building downtown. Chair Fogarty stated they said it was an initial offer. Member Larson stated they did not understand the full RFP process. Finance Director Roland stated one thing we do with RFP's is we have a meeting to answer questions the RFP raises before the RFP is submitted. A letter is sent with the RFP's which says we will meet on a specific day to entertain questions about the RFP and the process. She suggested the EDA incorporate this into their RFP process and have a workshop for people to ask questions. Chair Fogarty agreed with that idea. Member Larson felt we are missing a golden opportunity. Mr. David Pritzlaff stated he heard the tax value is $187,000. He asked if that was taking the price of the building and the renovations. He has read the criteria forabusiness subsidy and five or six of those were easily met by other offers. The price from AK Performance was $20,000. The August 24, 2000, minutes state the proposed renovations to the parks garage would be $169,000 from AK Performance. This comes to $189,000 and he asked if this was meeting the threshold to sell the building to them. Chair Fogarty stated that is a big part of it and it is also bringing new jobs to town. Mr. Pritzlaff stated an initial offer of $47,000 would also have improvements to the building whether it was used for storage, etc. There was also one job creation. He asked why that was not considered. There were earlier offers for $47,000 and $60,000. Chair Fogarty stated it was not presented that way. There has been a process and when the RFP deadline came two were submitted. Mr. Pritzlaff asked about the difference between the RFP and the proposal for $47,000. They would do renovations and also create a job. Chair Fogarty stated she did not have the proposal in front of her and could not speak to it. Member May stated those initial proposals did not meet the offering made. That is why the RFP was sent out. Those same people could have submitted under the RFP. Mr. Pritzlaffstated with the $47,000 and the $60,000 offers, not only would they be doing renovations, but we would also have gotten more money for the building and it would have been put back on the tax roles. He asked if that tax money would have helped offset the sale price versus the value. Member May stated we were not contemplating a business subsidy at that time. They could have come back with the subsidy proposal. It would have been nice to have an offer for more than $20,000 with a subsidy. Mr. Pritzlaff stated the building is for sale and someone offers $47,000 and $60,000. It is a commercial property. If it was sold for that amount, even if they did not do improvements in the short term, it at least puts it back on the tax roles as commercial property. Chair Fogarty stated the EDA cannot sell it for less than $187,000 without it being considered a business subsidy. The difference between the value ofthe property and the offer is a business subsidy. If someone offered $187,000 and used it as storage, we could have done that. Anything else is a business subsidy and has to follow the criteria. That is why we went to an RFP process, because we could not sell it for market value. This is according to EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 5 statute. Member Wilson stated it is more of a paper write-off between what we would have received in the absence of a market value proposal. He clarified staff did reach out to everyone that submitted a proposal for an offer and said the EDA has made the decision to go out for RFP. Staff agreed they have documentation for this. Mr. Pritzlaff stated the other offer was for $95,000. In looking atthe August 24, 2009, minutes they state the proposed amount is $1.325 million which includes consideration from the City for $425,000 in tax abatement. He asked if that $95,000 was tied to this offer. He was trying to determine how we go from $1.3 million to an offer of $95,000. He recalled the offer was $95,000 and there would be $90,000 in improvements. Perhaps this is another case where they did not come back with the RFP and did not understand the process. Member May recalled that was a combination of the building and the McVicker lot. That is why she felt staff needed to go back to them and ask if they are interested injust the building. She felt we had an opportunity to go back to Pellicci's because AK Performance submitted their proposal late. Pellicci' s had included an abatement, another lot, etc. Mr. Pritzlaff stated since the AK RFP came in late, he asked if it was in the City's best interest to delay the proposal tonight and go back to Pellicci's and asked them about the $95,000 and determine exactly what they were offering and what they wanted to do. It is not giving them precedence because they are here. It might be giving them precedence because they met the deadline. Chair Fogarty stated it was very difficult to ask questions ofPellicci's because they were absent from the meeting. Mr. Pritzlaff was not saying to throw out the AK proposal, but delay it from the standpoint it was late and get a more concrete answer from Pellicci' s as to what they want. Finance Director Roland stated we have to discuss the exposure the EDA has legally if they go back to an RFP that they have said they will no longer consider. Ifthe EDA does as Mr. Pritzlaff is suggesting, you open the EDA up to potential legal issues because you have already directed staff to consider another proposal. The EDA could throw out all the proposals and start over again. Chair Fogarty felt they could not do that because they agreed to accept the AK Performance Graphics proposal even though it was late with the condition staff would go back to the Pellicci's and see if they could meet the same thing. Then both would be considered at the next meeting. The proposal did not come back. Member Wilson stated staff was directed at the August meeting to go back to Pellicci' s because of the deadline differential. The information the EOA received was the proposal contained a combination of different subsidies we could not meet. Mr. Pritzlaff asked how long AK has to complete the renovations. Chair Fogarty stated that has not been determined yet, but it will be specified in the contract. Mr. Pritzlaff asked ifthere is a length of time they have to stay in business and keep it on the tax roles. Chair Fogarty stated they have to fulfill the business subsidy which will be determined in the contract. Mr. Pritzlaff stated when he spoke with Pellicci' s after staff met with them, Mr. Pellicci said when their proposal was not considered and the offer from the Lakeville business for $20,000 was being reviewed, that staff suggested a location in Vermillion River Crossings, or Empire, or Lakeville was suggested to them for locations. Chair Fogarty was not aware of those conversations. Member Wilson stated these questions were making him uncomfortable and felt EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 6 the Pellicci's may have directed him to ask these questions. The EDA has been open about the process. We have a great amount of appreciation for the Pellicci' s. As far as this proposal, we did a high level of due diligence to the hardware store. He suggested there could be other opportunities for them such as Met Council grants. Member Wilson would expect these questions to come to the EDA directly from the business. Part of the concern is that the EDA has not heard directly from the Pellicci' s. Mr. Pritzlaff stated the Pellicci' s did not tell him to come to the meeting. He is a concerned resident who uses the store and would not like to see them go away. MOTION by Wilson, second by Donnelly to formulate a Contract for Private Development with AK Graphic Design contingent on all documentation being received necessary to execute the contract. Voting for: Fogarty, Larson, Donnelly, Wilson. Voting against: May. MOTION CARRIED. b) Industrial Park Expansion Project Staff presented some steps to move forward with the industrial park expansion project. Items that could assist the EDA with moving forward include property appraisals, soil borings and wetland delineation. Regarding the property appraisals, the summary would cost $10,000 and the summary with upgrade to full appraisal would cost $16,000, and the full appraisal would cost $14,000. Staff would obtain four appraisals. Soil borings would cost $7,616 and wetland delineation would cost $5,850. Member May stated we have to determine whether to spend this money upfront without any guarantees or support from the landowners. Member Larson noted the soil borings would go along the future 20Sth Street alignment. He asked if the board has decided that is where they want to start, knowing those are the least willing landowners and if they should start along Fairgreen Avenue. Member Larson clarified the landowners along Fairgreen were ready to go at any time and the owners along 208th Street were not as eager. Chair Fogarty felt it was something the board needed to consider as no one will look at industrial property without some infrastructure in place. Wetland delineation is for the entire area and does not have a timetable. If the board agrees to wetland delineation it will tell the board how much developable acres there are, where they are and will be good for a long time. Member Larson felt they should be discussing phasing of the project first. At one point they discussed going up to lot 2. He felt the cost would be much different with delineating 15 acres versus SO acres. Member Larson suggested funding the project to get it started up to lot 2 and put in the loop road and stop. Then it would be up to the landowners to determine the number of acres as the project goes on. He did not think the EDA needed to determine the number of developable acres just to get the project started. Member Wilson commented at the last meeting that the City should take more involvement. He asked if the board should meet with the land owners and let them know what the plan might be. Is this going to be the Farmington Industrial EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 7 Park phase 2 where we own a small portion, sell it off and have a developer that assumes the whole project? Chair Fogarty stated the previous parcels have been owned and sold by the EDA. Member Donnelly stated as far as the wetland, he noted there are wetlands shown on the map and asked if those would change. Staff explained those maps are done by aerial imagery and information from GIS mapping. The wetland delineation would be very specific. Member Donnelly stated before we can get someone interested you have to have the whole picture. If someone comes up with the money, they can start wherever they want within reason. If you leave it to the landowners, they need some persuasion. They will not do the wetland delineation. Chair Fogarty stated if we did the entire area, we are doing future developers a favor. Finance Director Roland stated the proposal talks about 300 acres being developed and asked why we chose that large an area. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier explained in 2007 they hired a firm to do a market study for commercial and industrial. Staff was told within the next 20-30 years we could absorb a greater amount of industrial development and they identified 300 acres. Mayor Larson was aware of that. If we want to get started why not just do a small portion. Chair Fogarty felt that was short sighted. Developers will want to know what size businesses could be coming. Mayor Larson stated developers do have their own engineers that do that. Member Wilson felt we need to be somewhat involved, but also needed some wisdom from other communities that have done this. If we are going to do wetland delineation, let's do the whole area. It gives some additional information, but felt he needed more. Chair Fogarty stated her opinion is to do the wetland delineation. She needed to know if20gth Street was the best place to begin, or is Fairgreen Avenue the best place to begin. Part of the answers will come from where is the infrastructure currently located, what cost are we looking at, and a better gage on which landowners are very interested and are there some that are unwilling. Mayor Larson noted at one of the meetings it was said there are some landowners that are willing to talk and some are ready to go now. Chair Fogarty asked if the landowners are ready to go if we bring the infrastructure to them, and would that make the interest level the same from all landowners. If that interest is the same, and the cost is less to the taxpayers upfront, she is more interested in that. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated the two property owners in the middle of the area are the most eager to go. She was not sure it was the goal of the EDA to purchase the land tomorrow, but rather to facilitate industrial development. Chair Fogarty wanted a more accurate assessment of the interest by the landowners ifthere was help from the EDA to get the infrastructure started. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier stated the consultant team of Bruce Maus and Lee Mann have previously met with the property owners which does incur a cost. Mayor Larson noted that was part of the report we paid them for. Chair Fogarty stated that does not answer the question ifthere were beginning stages of infrastructure what is the interest level. Mayor Larson suggested talking EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 8 to Cerron or Appro Development. Chair Fogarty suggested they could share the information with staff and staff could bring it to the EDA. Member Wilson noted we have paid $10,458 for conversations with the property owners. Based on this discussion it does not seem we received as much information as we could have for that money. Member Donnelly noted the report said they met with everyone. The data is valid, it is our interpretation of the data. Some are more eager than others. He knew the people and felt going to them again would not change their mind. Chair Fogarty asked if the question was which land is more attractive and which is least expensive to start. Member May felt it should be in phases. Member Donnelly stated they needed the whole delineation to know where to start. If one owner is ready to go, that is where we start. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier recalled Bruce Maus saying control is the important piece, not ownership. The City is not looking to purchase no matter where we start. Mr. Maus and Mr. Lee have said it makes sense to start from the 208th Street extension with stubbing the road and putting in the infrastructure. The reports need to be done upfront and we need to determine the type of soils so people know what they can build on. This will make it quicker and cheaper for the developer to develop a site. Chair Fogarty recalled that is what Mr. Maus told us to do. He said to phase in the first part, put in the road to open the five lots and two commercial lots, to not do the loop, and leave it open in case someone wanted to purchase it as one entire lot. Chair Fogarty agreed that we have the information and just need to look at it. Member May noted that is the least willing landowner. Chair Fogarty asked ifhe was unwilling to put any money into starting phase one or he is not interested in selling his property to developers who want to buy industrial property. Member Donnelly stated everything is for sale, but they are not interested in making an investment. It is a tax problem. Member Wilson stated the landowner wanted the property put back in ag preserve for that reason and Council declined three years ago. Member Donnelly stated it is a need to avoid any income tax on a sale. He does not need the money and there is no desire. Staff noted it is not in ag preserve now. Member Donnelly stated Mr. Maus may have the right plan, but it takes everyone working according to that plan for it to happen. He would not want to tie the EDA's hands to that. That will be the most resistant path. Chair Fogarty stated they need to decide if they should help the infrastructure, and if so, where and when. If this is not the spot, then we need to know what it will cost to do Fairgreen before we can make a decision. Regarding the soil borings, Chair Fogarty noted the cost includes drilling two 41- foot deep borings for $4200 and also includes a fee for two 41-foot and six 21- foot borings. Staff explained they asked for two quotes. There would be two 41- foot borings in the first stretch of the 208th Street extension. Chair Fogarty agreed with doing the two 41-foot borings. Chair Fogarty would like to know what it would cost to do the infrastructure to phase one along Fairgreen A venue. Member Donnelly noted the good soil in that EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 9 area was removed for CSAH 50. Member May suggested Fairgreen up to 208th Street. When that landowner see lots, maybe we can take 208th Street to Pilot Knob. Mayor Larson stated we need to determine where the utilities are. Staff noted the utilities are identified on the concept plan from the consultant team. Staff also has estimated costs broken down by area for 208th Street, 1800 ft. in, and the commercial loop road. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier clarified the EDA would like to have a further discussion with Mr. Maus in addition to obtaining more information on the site. Staff can bring this to the next meeting. Chair Fogarty stated if the costs are in the same ballpark, perhaps Fairgreen might be quicker to develop if we place the infrastructure. We need to confirm if that is a true statement. Member May stated it is difficult to spend the money when we don't know where we want to start. Chair Fogarty felt they should wait on the wetland delineation until they know where they want to begin; and also with the soil borings. She asked if the EDA wanted Mr. Maus to come back to a meeting and comment and have staff solicit comments from other industrial builders as to the viability of Fairgreen to 208th Street and if that would be a good place to start versus coming in on 208th Street from Pilot Knob. She asked if the board wanted that determination or make that decision on their own. Member Wilson felt the board could decide on their own. It is a major road leading into another road, it is very visible and a willing landowner. He felt it is a matter of the least cost for the infrastructure. They need to determine how willing the landowners are and give them an update of what the EDA is thinking and ask if they are interested in partnering with the EDA. Chair Fogarty stated the board wants to see a cost comparison between if Fairgreen were to be phase one versus 208th Street. They want to see the costs and have someone in-house approach the property owners on Fairgreen and say if we consider this to be phase one instead of208th Street, is there any interest in partnering to start infrastructure next year. Member Wilson suggested Chair Fogarty or Mayor Larson also join that discussion. They agreed. Economic Development Specialist Hansmeier clarified the cost estimate on Fairgreen would just go up to the T intersection. Chair Fogarty stated up to 208th Street. Staff had those comparisons. In looking at 1800 ft on 208th Street, the probable cost from Bonestroo takes into consideration the water main, storm sewer, engineering, legal, etc. would be $1.5 million. If looking at Fairgreen from CSAH 50 to connect to 208th Street it would be $1.4 million. Member May asked how many landowners are involved from Fairgreen to 208th Street. Fairgreen would involve four landowners and 208th Street would involve two landowners. Chair Fogarty stated as the landowners on Fairgreen are more willing, that would be a logical place to start phase one. Member Donnelly stated in order to get to the willing landowners you have to go through the other two that are not as willing. There is no incentive. Finance Director Roland noted they are talking about building the road and asked how they were going to pay for it. They could use 429 bonds, but they will have to assess the cost of the road back against the properties, which the property EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 10 owners will not want. It can be a deferred assessment, but we still need to make the bond payments. In doing so, they would need to levy for that dollar amount. Chair Fogarty stated the majority of the EDA feels we need to do something and they understood the financial issue. The board reached a consensus that they were more interested in exploring Fairgreen Avenue. Chair Fogarty would like to see a wetland delineation done for the entire area and asked what the board wanted to do about the soil borings. Member Wilson agreed with doing the wetland delineation and stop there. Member Donnelly stated as far as the soil borings, both areas are the same and until the board decides they are willing to spend the money, the borings would not move the project ahead. Chair Fogarty felt they reached a consensus to go ahead with the wetland delineation and staff should reach out to the four property owners, express what the EDA is thinking and solicit their feedback, determine ifthere is any interest to participate and gauge their level of interest. Member May suggested getting their response in writing, even an e-mail. MOTION by Donnelly, second by Wilson to order the wetland delineation for 300 acres for the estimated amount of $5,850. Member May asked if staff goes out for bids for this work. Staff explained you do not have to go out to bid for this amount. We can contact any service. Bonestroo was contacted for the estimate. Finance Director Roland explained Bonestroo was contacted because they have all of the City's information for the last 25 years on where the wetlands are and where the infrastructure is located. It is a professional service and we do not need to go out for proposal. The EDA can do so if they want. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. c) McVicker Lot Update Originally staff understood the McVicker lot could be sold at the market value. Recently, staff has been told the County Assessor needs to view the property and set a price. Staff is waiting for further clarification from the county on the process. d) Riste Lot Update A combination of CDBG funds were used to purchase the Riste lot. Recently there were some changes that allow the City to sell the property below market value regardless of the end project. Chair Fogarty clarified the City would have to return the CDBG funds, we could sell it under market value, but then we are back to a business subsidy. e) Old Rambling River Center Building Member May wanted to make sure things were moving forward as to what should be done with the building. Finance Director Roland stated at the last Council meeting, staff was directed to look for a real estate firm. Staff noted City Administrator Herlofsky has been out of the office, but staff has been contacted by a local realtor. Staff will be soliciting RFP's. EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 11 Member May asked regarding the McVicker and Riste lots and if the goal was to figure out the sale price. Chair Fogarty thought we had an appraised value on them. Staff noted they do not as the EDA did not move forward with the appraisal. Staff cannot sell the McVicker lot at the county's listed value. The assessor has to set a price. Staff is working on that. For the Riste lot, the county's value can be used. Member May asked if the goal was to put them on the market. Staff stated they are listed on some websites. Member May asked if cities have realtors list lots. Finance Director Roland stated we have and that is how the lots in the industrial park phase one were sold. Member May suggested having the same realtor as the Rambling River Center since they are all downtown. The board agreed. Perhaps they would cut a deal if they have all three properties. Chair Fogarty suggested staff pursue this with City Administrator Herlofsky. 8. NEW BUSINESS a) CEEF Loan Agreement Member Wilson asked if there was a default provision. Staff noted there is a remedies section. MOTION by Larson, second by Wilson to approve the Agreement for Services Associated with Dew Days Event. Voting for: Fogarty, Larson, Donnelly, Wilson. Voting against: May. MOTION CARRIED. b) CAPX 2020 Electric Transmission Lines There is an alternative route proposed by Eureka residents rather than having the line run through their land. The alternate route would run along the south side of CSAH 50. The lines are larger and taller than those on the north side of CSAH 50. Staff is proposing to work with the City of Lakeville who is working with a consultant to assist the Cities in their opposition to the alternative route. Staff received a letter regarding dates of public hearings. The cost to Farmington for working with the consultant would be $3,250. The board noted on November 13, 2009, a hearing will be held at the Holiday Inn in Lakeville. This should be mentioned at the next Council meeting for residents who are interested. MOTION by Larson, second by Wilson to 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. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. c) 2010 Budget The EDA had requested to see their budget and wanted to discuss what was in the budget and swapping a general ledger levy for an EDA levy amounting to $100,000. The board received the expenditures out of the 2010 proposed budget. Expenditures were for the EDA itself and the industrial park project. Significant funds were identified as part of the 2010 budget for the industrial park expansion project. The items include professional services for consultants, costs for soil borings and wetland evaluations, and the cost of entering into agreements with landowners but not purchasing the land, but for take down agreements. This EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 12 amounts to $434,000 identified as part of the EDA budget. If the board wants to move forward with the industrial park expansion, they need to identify a funding source as it would wipe out any balance the EDA currently has. This is currently included in the City budget and the fund balance would be the source of the majority of the additional expenditures, however it is not enough to cover all of the expenditures. Chair Fogarty stated they have been discussing capturing $100,000 and put it into the EDA fund as a beginning and starting in 20 II they could impose $100,000/year as an EDA levy. Over the years this money could be raised as it will not all be spent in 2010. Member May noted there was $13,700 for advertising and asked if that was for the additional Economic Updates. She also asked about $16,200. That is for the Farmer's Market. The ad that has been run on a weekly basis is approximately $180 - $200/week. The expenses for the Farmer's Market total $9,000 through August. As an offset, there is a vendor's fee, registration and a portion of the Dakota Electric grant went towards this activity. This makes about $3,000 - $4,000 over in expenses for 2009. In 2010 staff was planning to use the Dakota Electric grant for something else. 9. CITY STAFF REPORTS a) Economic Update, Volume 27 Staff presented a draft version. Shidor will have a ribbon cutting on November 2, 2009. b) Press Release i. Three MN Cities are First to Receive Shovel-Ready Certification Rosemount has received this for their 52-acre site. Chair Fogarty asked if the industrial park was eligible for the program. Staff noted it is a lengthy process and there is a fee to apply for the certification. The infrastructure and pad needs to be in for certification. It does not pay to put the infrastructure in and is more of a marketing vehicle. ii. Dakota Future Achieves Top 21 Smart Community Milestone Dakota Future's initiative is to become one of the top seven intelligent communities. c) Downtown Promotion Reporter This brochure gives great ideas of what other cities are doing. d) The 3/50 Project This is a campaign to support local businesses by selecting three businesses and spending $50/month. Staff suggested listing a page on the website showing advantages of shopping local and providing information to local businesses. e) October Economic Development Activity Report Staff presented a list of commercial/industrial inquiries. Staff also presented a list of other activities in economic development. Staff and the board also discussed activity with Vermillion River Crossings. EDA Minutes (Regular) October 26, 2009 Page 13 Chair Fogarty noted if there was a lighter agenda next month, she suggested a short tutorial of MnPro and sites staff works with. 10. ADJOURN MOTION by Larson, second by Donnelly to adjourn at 9:21 p.m.. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 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Fax 651.280.6899 www.ciJarmington.mn.us TO: EDA Members FROM: Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Request to Use McVicker Property DATE: November 23, 2009 INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION The Farmington Downtown Business Association (FDBA) has requested to use the McVicker property for their Community Tree Lighting event on Saturday, December 5th. The request is made to use the property as the location to display a large tree which will be lit for the community in conjunction with additional events planned throughout the day. Portable bon fire pits, a cocoa tent, and decorating of the tree will take place on this date as well. The tree will be erected on November 21 st, and remain on the lot until sometime after the Holiday season. The tree lighting and community gathering has taken place for the last few years on the McVicker lot. The EDA Property Reservation Form and Downtown Dazzle Day event flyer are attached. ACTION REQUESTED Authorize use of the McVicker property by the Farmington Downtown Business Association for their Downtown Dazzle Day activities and tree lighting on December 5, 2009. Respectfully submitted, -4'LIY!ff~~ Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist 2Q09 EDA Property Reservation Form .':: I This reservation form gives you priority for the use ofthe EDA-owned property only. It does not guarantee the cleanliness ofthe property, as it is a public space. We strongly suggest checking the condition of the property the day of your reservation. Farmington Community , I) ! 2- J I D'-j .ty.v. tf fJ Develo~mentDepartment 1. Date Completing Form: fill ct ) () 1 Date of Event: 12-! e'7 / 0 1 c1:.if)1 n 1lA. /'7ttiJ C/,./fA')-r 2. Event Name (i.e. wedding, graduation, fundraiser, family reunion,~ U).lW Wy1 f)Cl Zlf{Ek?fJ~ed No. Attending Event: 50 Description of Event: W-f (h ;'0 flier / (l h /vll/f!; (-itV'I o--t-a ~ld/ ~t.Yt'1!11('!J11[f/l -il/trd- I J-/~- II~rl17i'1t1 fY ~ iUj buw '::it I € ~ i C J;( d II t e j!\ t, l2J'Y\ ~ vf - 3. Event Fee: N/A Garbage Fee (see #6 below): 4. Property Location (please check one): [!] Public Space/McVicker Lot (317/323 3rd Street) D Riste Lot (209 Oak Street) 5. Name ofIndividual or Group Reserving EDA Owned Property: k~ Y1'11 1V\~tiTyj /)t>-tt/y,\nJuJ't't !r;,U$, ftr;$YJ Address: . City: 0'zjh'\ State: M rJ Zip: Phone:(w) /;C;1-~~7- '51}2- ~}{ni(h) &15IAJ~~)/ 1~t{ 4 (c) Site Rental Requirements: A. Reservations should be made at least two weeks in advance of the event date. B. To secure a reservation, the reservation form and all necessary documents (Le. insurance certificate, catering license, site layout, etc) must be received in City Hall, located at 430 Third Street. C. Glass containers such as bottles, drinking glasses, jars, etc. are not permitted on reserved EDA Owned Property. D. Event organizers are responsible for cleaning and disposing of garbage into the garbage containers during and at conclusion of the event. E. If event is larger than 150 people; additional garbage containers are required at a rate of 1 gallon for each person over 150 people. Garbage service must be arranged through the City's Solid Waste Service at 651-280-6900. F. Bring this form with you on the day of your reservation as proof that you have reserved EDA property for your event. G. Portable restroom facilities are to be provided by applicant as necessary to accommodate anticipated attendance. I, the undersigned, hereby agree to release and discharge the City of Farmington, its agents, officers, employees, volunteers and insurers from all claims, demands, actions, judgments and executions. This release includes all claims that I, or the group reserving and using the property may have against the City of Farmington for all personal injuries, death or property damage that may arise out of the reservation and use of the City of Farmington's Economic Development Authority owned property. ~' /)!l . u/fl{fMv1111 / ..Signature' I J I / 1 / 0:) Dat~ FOR CITY USE ONLY Date Form Received: \ q ~ ~ _ f'L~ Initials of Staff Receivin all neces ary documentio~ Insurance Certificate Submitted for Event (please circle one): yes no lJ / ~ owntown eF l Saturday December 5th 4:00 - 5:00 PM @ SHIDOR ~ee Xcl$hti~ 5:30 PM @ STEAKHOUSE/GOSSIPS .oo.usic&. ~ents ~nntn Claus Yrh!e ))rnwi~s ALL DAY SHOPPING SPECIALS TOO! CAROLERS & COCOA @ THE BoNFIRE l).ee )fnmi%~n }1l1ent! BRING YOUR CAMERA! PUT YOUR NAME ON A BOW TO BE PLACED ON THE TREE! BowS MAY BE PURCHASED AT PARTICIPATING DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES FOR $2. WWW.FARMINGTONDBA.cOM SPONSORED BV TIlE FARMINGTON DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION. SWrTZERS NURSERY. AND HOEFT SIGNS. PROCEEOS TO eENEFITTHE FARMINGTON DBA. SUPPORT FARMINGTON. SHOP LOCAL. SF City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.463.7111 . Fax 651.463.2591 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: EDA Members FROM: Lisa Dargis, Administrative Assistant SUBJECT: Farmers' Market 2009/2010 DATE: November 23, 2009 INTRODUCTION Staff is providing a recap of the 2009 Downtown Farmington Farmers' Market season and information regarding the proposed 2010 season. DISCUSSION The market season proposed for 2010 would run from June 24th until September 16th. The market would again be held from 3:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The 2009 season was extended until October 15th at the request of the market vendors. As attendance levels dropped significantly once the school year resumed, I am not recommending an extended season for 2010. A dot survey of market customers was performed during the last few weeks of the market. A summary of some of the information obtained is as follows: · Customers would like to have prepared food items on site (e.g. concessions). · Patrons would like seating on site (staff will look into providing picnic tables). · The most effective forms of advertising appeared to be newspaper ads, word of mouth, and the roadside signs. · Even at the end of the season, some of the customers were visiting for the first time. · Many of the patrons had been to the market on multiple occasions, some as many as every week. · Customers are interested in seeing more craft items available at the market. The 2009 farmers' market season was quite successful for a first year market. The attendance levels, particularly for July and August, were significantly higher than expected. Several customers indicated that they were very happy with the market and felt it was an asset to the community. I have received phone calls and emails from both patrons and vendors stating that they were pleased with the market and are looking forward to next year's season. Vendors are already contacting me to obtain application materials for next year. If the 2010 market is approved, I would anticipate having those materials available near the end of December. Priority registration will be given to 2009 vendors. BUDGET IMPACT A budget spreadsheet indicating the 2009-Estimated, 2009-Actual, and 201 O-Proposed budget amounts is attached (Exhibit A). The budget impact as proposed for 2010 that is not covered by grant funds or revenues is $3,215. ACTION REQUESTED Approve the 2010 farmers' market budget amount and direct staff to begin planning activities for the 2010 Downtown Farmington Farmers' Market if appropriate. ,submitted, - UJ ~ 0) 0) ~ UJ('t) E~ Q)o "0 -N .. .. Q)<O C): -CO) ~.Q m! ..c. Q)~ .:JJ: I L..~ (UN :E~ :s . .., UJ c L.. :s Q) L.. 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CI) CI) CI) Ul ~ ~ ~w c: ~ ~ .- m OOCl)'O~ ..,,;::C:o asC:as~.:t:. ~CI)~~as .!!l>01:c ~ as CI) ~ ~ C!) 01.Olt) lOCO..... ,....O)N llia5ro *** I 01.01.0 OCOCO It)O)o:t llio;~ *** I 0('1)('1) lOCO..... ,.........~ roo;lli *~~ I ~ ~ Ul Ul CI) CI) ~ Ul C C CI) CI) > Co CI) X ~w ~~ ~~ 7~ 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: Industrial Park Project Strategy DATE: November 23, 2009 INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION The current industrial market dictates that there is a need to re-evaluate the objective of opening up the expansion area for development in the near future. Since the last EDA meeting, staff and the consultants met to discuss the best approach in moving forward with this assignment. Additionally, more information has been received as far as accomplishing some of the tasks talked about previously. Staff would like to have a discussion regarding the overall strategic approach for this at Monday's meeting. Consultants, Bruce Maus and Lee Mann will be in attendance. Respectfully submitted, J l~~\{9-~'fnuvc.; L ~ansmeier Economic Development Specialist )b 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: AK Performance Graphics Status Update DATE: November23,2009 INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION Mr. Kurth's contractor is diligently working to finalize the costs associated with the interior remodel which was identified in his proposal to purchase the property. Once the final construction cost information is provided to Mr. Kurth's Banker, Mark Toombs, it will be presented to the Bank Board and a final decision will be made regarding the financing of this project. Staff has requested a letter from Mr. Toombs regarding Mr. Kurth's ability to obtain and repay the loan needed to do the project. The following documents have been drafted, in anticipation of receiving the necessary documentation from the developer's banker: . Contract for Private Development . Promissory Note . Mortgage ACTION REQUESTED For Jnformation only. C" . .~..r '1~ Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist <?a.... City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.280.6800 . Fax 651.280.6899 www.ciJarmington.mn.us TO: EDA Members FROM: Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: 2010 CDBG Application AND Reprogramming of Unspent Funds DATE: November 23, 2009 INTRODUCTION The City has the opportunity to apply for approximately $47,213 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars for Fiscal Year 2010 [July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011]. A completed application must be submitted to the Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA) accompanied by an approved City Council Resolution by December 15, 2009. DISCUSSION Staff recommends allocating 50% of this year's CDBG funding to Residential Rehabilitation, 50% to Park Improvement, reprogramming $15,000 of unspent funds for the Historic Preservation Rebate Program, and modifying the existing CDBG funded Business Reinvestment Loan Program requiring a 1: 1 match instead of a 2: 1 match. Residential Rehabilitation/Home Improvement Loan Proaram The Home Improvement Loan Program administered by the CDA, assists low to moderate-income homeowners making repairs and improvements to their homes. Funds are commonly used for roof replacement, furnace replacement, electrical and plumbing repairs, insulation and special needs improvements. . Activity funds benefit Farmington homeowners exclusively . Funds allocated are typically depleted each year, forcing need to tap into county- wide CDBG account . CDA staff desire Cities allocate 50% of their funds to this activity. Historic Preservation A fa~ade improvement grant program could be developed to assist commercial property owners make eligible improvements to the front of their building. This activity would qualify as meeting the slum/blight national objective. Park Improvements Improvements can be made to city parks that draw from low to moderate-income census blocks. Please see attached map (Exhibit A) illustrating low to moderate-income census blocks in relation to city parks. Please see attached memorandum (Exhibit B) from Mr. Randy Distad for more information regarding this activity. Please note: At least 50 % of the proposed funding MUST qualify as a low/mod benefit and NO MORE THAN 40% of the proposed funding can be for PUBLIC SERVICE. Attached (Exhibit C) is the proposed Resolution that has been prepared in the format required by the Dakota County CDA. If the staff recommendations are approved by the EDA the attached Resolution will need to be adopted by the City Council. An application that is consistent with the terms of the Resolution will be completed, attached to the Resolution and submitted to the Dakota County CDA. The application must identify the project(s) for which the CDBG funds will be used, and the specific project activities to which the funds will be applied. CDBG funds can only be used for "eligible" projects or activities that meet certain "National Objectives." Typically, such objectives include redeveloping slums or blighted areas, creating or improving housing that benefits individuals who fall within "low to moderate income" guidelines, or creating jobs that pay wages that fall within certain ranges. ACTION REQUESTED Motion to approve the following: 1) Recommendation of allocating 50% of this year's CDBG funding to Residential Rehabilitation, 50% to Park Improvement, reprogramming $15,000 of unspent funds, and modifying the existing CDBG funded Business Reinvestment Loan Program requiring a 1: 1 match instead of a 2: 1 match and, 2) Forward recommendation and attached resolution to the City Council for approval at their next meeting. Respectfully sub~itted, ~ Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist Farmington Low to Moderate Income Qualifiers with City Parks by City or Census Block Group (2000 Census) 609021 Prepared by the Dakota County Office of GIS ~ I 0.~75 I 015 I I 115 Miles City of Farmington 430 Third Street Farmington, Minnesota 651.463.7111 . Fax 651.463.2591 www.ci.farmington.mn.us TO: Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist FROM: Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director SUBJECT: Fairhills Park Improvement Funding Through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program DATE: November 16,2009 INTRODUCTION A master plan for Fairhills Park was approved by the City Council in 2009. The master plan identifies several significant improvements to be completed. DISCUSSION Fairhills Park is a neighborhood park that draws significantly from an area that qualified during the 2000 Census as a low to moderate income area within the City. Due to a lack of adequate funding, the Fairhills Park improvements were deferred until 2013 and 2014. However since Fairhills Park draws significantly from a low to moderate income level area of Fannington, it is being recommended that the playground improvements be moved up to 2010 in order to receive funding through the CDBG program to purchase and install the new playground. The existing playground equipment was purchased in 1990 and so it will be 20 years old in 2010. Should the CDBG funding cover some or most of the cost to purchase and install the new playground equipment, then the Park Improvement Fund money that was identified to be spent in other parks in 2010, would be reallocated to cover the remaining funds needed. As I understand it, this requires the City ofFannington's Economic Development Authority to review this request and then forward a recommendation to either approve or not approve this CDBG funding request to the City Council. The City Council then would either deny or approve the request. If the request were approved by the City Council, then it would be forwarded to Dakota County's Community Development Agency for final approval. BUDGET IMPACT The playground equipment proposed to be purchased and installed in Fairhills Park was estimated to cost $70,000. If the level of funding through the CDBG program is not sufficient to cover most of the cost, then the playground equipment would have to be phased in over time in order to complete the purchase and installation of all the playground equipment identified in the master plan. ACTION REOUESTED A request is being made to have the EDA discuss and then recommend to either approve or not approve the use of CDBG funds to cover the cost of new playground equipment at Fairhills Park. Yf"1ctfully Su~m~ttef!1 ~ 4i~ lJ~ Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director R -09 A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE APPLICATION OF THE CITY OF FARMINGTON FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 DAKOTA COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) FUNDING Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Farmington, Minnesota, was held in the Council Chambers of said City on the 7th day of December 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Members Absent: Member introduced and Member seconded the following: WHEREAS, the City of Farmington is a participating jurisdiction with the Dakota County CDBG Entitlement Program for Fiscal Year 2010 (ending June 30, 2011); and, WHEREAS, the Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA) is a Subgrantee of Dakota County for the administration of the CDBG Program; and WHEREAS, the Dakota County CDA has requested fiscal year 2010 CDBG applications to be submitted by December 15,2009, based on an allocation of funds approved in the Community Development Implementation Plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Farmington hereby approves the following: 1. The Fiscal Year 2010 CDBG application is approved for submission to the Dakota County CDA. 2. The City Administrator for the City is authorized to execute the application and all agreements and documents related to receiving and using the awarded CDBG funds. 3. The Dakota County CDA is designated as the administrative entity to carry out the CDBG program on behalf of the City, subject to future Subrecipient Agreements that may be required for specific CDBG-funded activities. Adopted by the City Council of Farmington this ~day of December, 2009. City of Farmington By: Todd Larson, Mayor ATTEST: By: Peter J. Herlofsky, Jr., City Administrator SEAL ~6 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 1. Herlofsky, Jr. City Administrator SUBJECT: Strategic Planning DATE: November 23, 2009 INTRODUCTION / DISCUSSION Numerous discussions have occurred with the EDA regarding the appropriate work program for Economic Development staff. In order to assist in accomplishing this goal, we would like to suggest that a strategic planning meeting take place to help the EDA determine their priorities and what performance measurements would be used in noting success. For your information, I have attached a copy of the Comprehensive Plan and its priorities and activities that were part of that document. The Council and the EDA should look at these items, and if they are not current, we need to take steps to change them. ACTION REQUESTED Authorize staff to find a consultant who can assist the EDA in formulating a strategic plan for 2010 and 2011. Respectfully submitted, J~ \""-....,., Peter 1. Herlo , Jr. City Admini rator Cmuller/Herlofsky/EDAJStrategic Planning 11-23-09 Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update FARMINGTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT Introduction For the past decade, the City of Farmington has been experiencing a period of substantial residential growth. Growth in the residential sector has created a need for increased activity in the commercial and industrial aspects of development in order to achieve a more balanced community. Recognizing the value of developing strategies to create this balance, the City's Economic Development Authority (EDA) has undergone a strategic planning and visioning process. Over the course of several months, the EDA, City staff and community members met to discuss future economic growth and to identify the areas of emphasis that would most benefit the City as a whole. The economic development priorities identified will become the basis for creation of strategies and action plans to pro actively work toward the overall goal of more balanced commercial and industrial growth. Three primary areas of focus were identified and prioritized; they are as follows: 1. Downtown Development and Redevelopment 2. Industrial Development 3. Commercial Development Outside of the Downtown Area Several other areas were identified that will be pursued but not emphasized as priorities: 1. Redevelopment of blighted properties and a continued focus on improving the esthetics of aging properties. 2. Focus on the Vermillion River. The Vermillion River is recognized as an underutilized asset of the community. New restrictions on building near the river have created challenges that require the City to scale back expectations and resources for economic development efforts. There are however, areas of continued interest in economic development applications: . Expand Third Street plan to Vermillion River . Tie river theme into downtown streetscape plan . Pedestrian and bike trails linked to picnic areas . Encourage events that tie downtown to the river 3. Provide Linkage between the Third Street entrance into Dakota Village and Downtown's Third Street Business District. 4. Tourism development. 1 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update GOALS AND POLICIES Policies The following goals and strategies will be the top priorities with regard to concentration of time, energy and resources. With priorities established, activities can be structured to support the overall economic development vision of more balanced commercial and industrial growth. Policv 1: Downtown DeveloDment and RedeveloDment The boundary of the downtown area has been discussed many times and remains a point of confusion. A clear delineation of downtown is an essential first step in defining and planning the next steps of development including promotion of infill development and the expansion of the commercial core. It is the desire of the City to have standards in place to coincide with the development and redevelopment of downtown. Strategies to achieve the policy: a) Establish a Clear Downtown Boundary Action Steps: 1. Perform a SWOT analysis of existing and potential communication links within the community. Implementation a. Staff will identify potential stakeholders and resources that may be helpful in disseminating information and recruiting involvement in the process of delineating a clear boundary for the downtown. 2. Design and Implement a Public Information Campaign Implementation a. Staff will develop promotional materials to be distributed to members of the City Council and Commissions, the School District, the Chambers of Commerce and residents. b. A survey will be distributed to residents to obtain feedback. c. Joint meetings will be held with the City Council and the Planning Commission, Economic Development Authority and Historic Preservation Commission. d. Public meetings for residents will be organized to facilitate discussion regarding the delineation of downtown. e. The data obtained from the aforementioned meetings will be reviewed and a boundary for downtown will be created. 2 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update f. A map showing the resulting boundary will be created and upon EDA approval, will be disseminated to the community. b) Design Standards Action steps: 1. Identification of the primary group to lead the creation of design standards will need to take place. Implementation a. Staff will meet with the members of the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission to determine which group will lead the process of creating design standards for the downtown. b. Develop preliminary design standards. The following elements will be addressed: . Types of materials . Bulk requirements . Height . Signs . Streetscape . Landscaping . Green Space . Lighting . Image . Complimentary architectural elements . Walk-able and pedestrian oriented c. Review preliminary design standards with the public and receive input. d. Develop final draft and adopt supporting ordinance. e. Make design standards public and promote. c) Promote Infill Development Action Steps 1. Downtown Outreach Program Implementation The program would include business visits by City staff members or small committee which might include: City Staff, a City Council Member, an EDA Member and/or Administration. An important aspect of the program will be follow-up on concerns or questions raised at business visits and creation of a database to compile visit information and results. 2. Promotion of infill in the downtown area that includes business activities that are complimentary to the unique atmosphere of the historic downtown. 3 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Implementation Through information compiled from the Market Study and the Downtown Outreach Program, the types of businesses to be targeted will be identified and may include the following: . Professional offices . Entertainment and arts . Craft and antique . Boutiques . Specialty shops 3. Parks and Public Spaces Implementation Staff will work in conjunction with the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission to identify opportunities for park and green space in the downtown area. 4. Identify Incentives Implementation Possible incentive programs and options will be investigated and developed based on input from the City Council and EDA. Staff will research available grant and loan funding. 5. Land Assembly Strategy There will be ongoing attention to the possibility of land assembly. Potential reasons to assemble land include but are not limited to: . Prices that are unusually favorable . The ability to capture opportunities that arise . To accommodate the desired development patterns as outlined by the Comprehensive Plan. 6. Develop and implement a communications plan. Policy 2: Industrial DeveloDment The goal of promoting industrial development is to encourage the expansion of the tax base and job creation to enhance the well being of the community. The following steps will be undertaken to promote development. Strategies to achieve the policy: a) Build, execute, and maintain a business retention program. Action steps 4 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update 1. Visit each business on an ongoing basis dependent on their individual needs. Partnerships with the City Council, EDA, Administration, DEED, the Chambers of Commerce and Legislators may be utilized to benefit the program. The following steps will be included in the program. a. Identification of the questions and discussion topics for the visits b. Identify list of businesses c. Data review d. Follow-up e. Ongoing visits b) Promote the availability, use, and sale of industrial property Action steps 1. Develop inventory and contact list 2. Identify desired businesses 3. Determine if land assembly is appropriate 4. Rezone property to comply with Comprehensive Plan 5. Develop promotional materials for desired business types 6. Create marketing packet for inquiries c) Advocating with stakeholders d) Enforcing building standards e) Establishment of incubator buildings and/or inventory of vacant buildings for start-ups f) Extend Light-Industrial Areas of the City Policy 3: Commercial DeveloDment Outside of Downtown Area Support and promotion of commercial development throughout the City of Farmington will continue to be a priority. The commercial development outside of the downtown area includes neighborhood commercial nodes, and those along major thoroughfares. Those areas will be supported by the following strategies. Strategies to achieve the policy: a) Promote the availability, use, and sale of commercial property and buildings. Action steps 1. Zone commercial property to influence development patterns 2. Determine if incentives will be used to promote this type of development 3. Market to desired business types and brokers 4. Develop design standards (PUD) 5. Land assembly/Identify priority locations 6. Infrastructure 5 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update b) Build, execute, and maintain a business retention program. Action steps 1. Visit each business on an ongoing basis dependent upon their individual needs. Partnerships with the City Council, EDA, Administration, DEED, the Chambers of Commerce and Legislators may be utilized to benefit the program. The following steps will be included in the program. a. Identification of the questions and discussion topics for the visits b. Identify list of businesses c. Data review d. Follow-up e. Ongoing visits 6 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update MARKET STUDY To better determine the future demand for commercial and industrial space, the Economic Development Authority and the Farmington City Council hired two consulting firms to conduct a commercial and industrial market study in mid 2007. The two firms, Maus Group and McComb Group, Ltd. worked together to conduct research and analysis of past trends and future growth projections for development in the Farmington trade area. The results of the study were used in the City of Farmington's Comprehensive Plan Update as well as to provide additional guidance in the creation of work plans for the City's Economic Development Staff as identified in the Economic Development Chapter of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The Summary of Findings and Development Strategy that follow provide insights into development potential, space absorption and strategies that serve as a guide for future development activities. 7 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (Prepared by Maus Group / MeComb Group Ltd.) Farmington is updating its comprehensive plan to accommodate additional residential, retail and business development. New development will capitalize on previous Farmington investments including development and successful marketing of the Farmington Industrial Park and creation of the Spruce Street Commercial Area. The decision to relocate City Hall in Downtown retains an important destination in downtown. Development Potential Future development potential for retail, services and business park establishments through 2030 are summarized in Table i. Acres of land needed for this development is also shown for each type of development. TIM A TE:12~~~C~~~~E:12};~E'I:~~I!-~~ SE:~~CE Al:J.12 BUS~.E:.s~.sX~~~.s~A.<'='E:~~~~ AND LAND; 2010 TO 2030 Land ,mmm~~m '(Acres) 35 15 10 144 175 50 19 62 306 450 Farmington currently has about 640,000 square feet of retail stores, services and medical offices. Retail stores total about 223,000 square feet and services total about 240,000 square feet. Medical offices currently occupy about 64,000 square feet. There's an additional 133,500 square feet of space that could not be identified as clearly retail stores or services and is identified as other. Additional retail space demand by 2030 is estimated at 840,000 square feet. A contingency of 600,000 square feet is provided to accommodate unforeseen retail development. This contingency has been allocated to each retail category. The contingency is provided to ensure that Farmington will have retail space in the period beyond 2030. Most of this contingency, 500,000 square feet, has been allocated to retail since this is the category which accounts for the big box stores (i.e. SuperTarget, Wal-Mart Superstore, Home Depot, Menards, etc.). Land area estimated to accommodate this retail development is estimated at 144 acres excluding water retention and streets. Existing business park type buildings total over 1.1 million square feet. 8 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Office warehouse/industrial is the largest category with 809,500 square feet and bulk warehouse totals 195,600 square feet. The Farmington Industrial Park is responsible for much of the industrial development in Farmington. Business park space demand is estimated at over 2.8 million square feet with office warehouse/industrial accounting for about 60 percent of the estimated demand. Commercial office is estimated at 400,000 square feet and bulk warehouse accounts for 590,000 square feet. Office showroom is a relatively small category estimated at 180,000 square feet. A contingency of 25 percent (715,000 square feet) has been provided for two reasons: 1) Farmington's growth will not end in 2030; and 2) the contingency space will provide for the possibility that demand for business park space exceeds the baseline estimates. Land necessary to support business park demand is estimated at 306 acres excluding water retention and streets. Space Absorption Estimated demand for retail and business park space increases steadily over the 23-year analysis period with the largest increase in the 2025 to 2030 period, as shown in Table ii. This is due to the growing metropolitan economy, Farmington's growth, and reduced supply of competitive sites in other communities. Table ii ESTIMA TED INCREA SERVICE AND BUSINESS PARK SPACE 2010 TO 2030 Category 9 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Estimated demand for retail, service and medical offices accelerates to an additional 840,000 square feet by 2030. The largest increase in space occurs in the later years of the analysis period. The estimated increase between 2010 and 2015 is 140,000 square feet, which increases to 210,000 square feet in 2020. The estimated increase in demand is 193,000 square feet in 2025 with a further increase of 256,000 square feet by 2030. For purposes of preparing absorption estimates, the contingency was allocated to each five-year period beginning with 31,000 square feet in 2010. Land needed to support the above retail demand is contained at the bottom of Table ii. One acre of land will support about 10,000 square feet of gross leasable area, excluding land for water retention. This indicates demand for about 84 acres. Adding 60 acres for the 600,000 square foot contingency brings total additional land area to 144 acres by 2030. Estimated business park demand by five-year period is contained in the lower portion of Table ii by building type. These are baseline forecasts and do not take into consideration the current economic environment that may restrain development of business park properties. The total additional business park space by 2010 is estimated at 240,000 square feet. For 2015, the estimated demand increases to 708,000 square feet, an increase of 468,000 square feet for the five-year period from 2010 to 2015. Baseline demand in 2020 is estimated at 1,370,000 square feet, an increase of 662,000 square feet from 2015. This table demonstrates that space demand increases with the largest space demand is estimated for the period 2020 to 2025 (931,000 square feet) and 2025 to 2030 (1,255,000 square feet). Retail Development Strategy Growing population and households in Farmington's trade area will provide support for a growing number of retailers over the next 23 years. Retail potential is focused primarily in convenience goods, food service, services and medical, or those business establishments that are generally patronized by customers that live near the business establishment. Demand for shopping goods, which include apparel and accessories, electronics, home furnishings, and other specialty stores, have more limited potential because the Farmington trade area does not have enough households to support most of these types of businesses. Significant retail development occurs around anchor stores that attract customer traffic. Examples of anchor stores include supermarkets, drug stores, discount stores, superstores, department stores, and home centers. Retailers and services attracted by anchor stores differ by type of store. Supermarkets and drug stores attract convenience retailers, liquor, florists, fast food and personal services. Discount stores and superstores attract many of the same convenience stores and services and a limited number of shopping goods stores. Department stores attract shopping goods retailers, fast food, and restaurants. Home centers and other destination stores, such as furniture, appeal to a smaller group of retail stores as a draw. New anchor stores, because of their size (55,000 to 200,000 square feet), will be most likely to locate in the Spruce Street Commercial Area. How and when this occurs will affect downtown business establishments. 10 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Supportable square footage analysis indicates that Farmington will be able to support an additional supermarket. The timing of this new supermarket is important to Downtown Farmington. Farmington's trade area should be able to support two supermarkets sometime around 2015. This supermarket is likely to locate in the Spruce Street Commercial Area. If a new supermarket is constructed before the trade area can support two stores, it's possible that Econofoods could be forced out of business in a scenario similar to that which occurred in Rosemount when Knowlan's opened causing the downtown supermarket to close. Subsequently, Cub opened a store and Knowlan's closed. Customer traffic to other stores in Downtown Farmington would suffer if Econofoods were to close. Analysis in this report demonstrates support for a discount superstore in about 2015 to 2020. A superstore would reduce market share and sales for any supermarkets operating in Farmington. Due to its smaller size, Econofoods could be most vulnerable. Notwithstanding the timing for supermarket or superstore development contained in this report, major anchor stores are concerned about market share and the development activities of their competitors. This can cause a retailer to build a store before a market can fully support the store to prevent a competitor from locating in the market. As a result, an anchor store could choose to locate in Farmington to prevent a competitor from opening a store in the area. The timing of these types of development decisions is unpredictable, but do have ramifications for Farmington. Farmington's comprehensive plan emphasizes maintaining Downtown as a major retail area and also provides for retail expansion into the Spruce Street Commercial Area. Current drafts of the 2030 comprehensive plan identify new retail areas north ofTH-3 at 195th Street, and on Flagstaff south of 195th Street. These should be convenience shopping areas. A convenience shopping area could also be planned at CSAH 50 and Flagstaff. These convenience shopping areas should be five to ten acres in size and designed to accommodate the types of uses found at Marketplace and Charleswood. Downtown Farmington is the area's dominate retail location due to its historic base of retail stores and services. It is important to improve Downtown's attractiveness to retailer stores and servIces. Retail potential in Downtown Farmington can be strengthened by locating new businesses that serve as major customer draws in the downtown area. This is similar to the city's decision to build its new City Hall in Downtown. To encourage retail development in Downtown Farmington, the city could consider establishing a retail incubator to attract new retail stores to Farmington at affordable occupancy costs. The key to maintaining the vitality of Downtown Farmington is to have a growing number and diverse mix of attractive retail stores, restaurants and services that can meet the needs of trade area residents and visitors. Building owners and retailers in Farmington's older retail areas (Downtown and Highway 3) should be encouraged to update and modernize their space to present a more contemporary appearance. This includes updating storefronts and interior finishes and fixtures. Downtown 11 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update retailers should seek to be comparable to their competitors on Pilot Knob and in Apple Valley, Lakeville and Rosemount. Most national and regional retail chains have refurbishment schedules of seven to ten years. Over the next 25 years, some of Farmington's existing retail buildings are likely to be redeveloped to accommodate expansion of existing retailers or new retailers choosing to locate in these areas. The City of Farmington should encourage these redevelopment activities and should establish programs to enable redevelopment to be economically feasible. Business Park Development Strategy Since 1990, about 450,000 square feet of business park space has been developed in Farmington. Industrial Park tenants indicated they located in Farmington due to the availability of affordable land and friendly business climate. Farmington should capitalize on this "good will" in its business development activities. This will help to mitigate development industry misconceptions of Farmington identified in broker interviews. A strategy that will help Farmington achieve a balanced growth would include the following: . Land use policy that promotes a balanced growth that includes a mix of office and industrial users to help support Farmington's tax base and minimize the real estate tax on homeowners. . Target industries that are not heavily dependent on transportation. Because Farmington is not on a primary transportation corridor like 1-35, industries that depend on a road network to receive and ship large quantities of raw materials and finished goods will find Farmington less accessible than other locations. . Building values tend to reflect the wages and talent of the people working inside. It is important to create jobs that enable employees to live within the community. These employees are likely to have higher disposable income to support local businesses. This will reduce traffic congestion created by commuters that leave the community to find employment. . Development covenants for the industrial park will be important to ensuring that higher value real estate is developed. However, some communities create covenants that are overly restrictive and complex, which will often discourage industry from locating in their area. Covenants that are extensive and detailed are not necessary and can suggest an unfriendly local business climate. . Focus on the creation of wealth rather than the number of jobs created. High value investment will create jobs for higWy paid skilled workers to operate the facility. High value investment tends to create a sense of permanence. Light assembly and warehouse tenants and owners are fairly mobile. The spaces they occupy are flexible and commodity real estate that is easily adaptable for new users. High value investment often includes expensive equipment that is very difficult and costly to move and often requires customized buildings. 12 Economic Development Element Farmington 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update . The area to the west of the Industrial Park should be guided business park and sized to accommodate projected demand in this report. . It is very important to control the cost of land to promote business park development. In order to minimize up front acquisition and infrastructure cost, the EDA should investigate several scenarios to control land and cost. These include: · This could be as simple as acquiring a renewable option on the proposed business park property. Option money is not subjected to ordinary income tax until the option is exercised. Therefore, a land owner could continue to farm the land and collect option money not immediately subject to income tax. · The EDA could enter into a purchase agreement with a land owner that includes a "take down" provision that would allow the EDA to exercise a purchase at a predetermined price when a buyer is found or to take down land on a scheduled basis over an extended number of years. · The EDA could enter into an option agreement for a nearby farm at a lower price and facilitate a 1031 tax free exchange with another land owner near to the business park allowing the owner to avoid paying a capital gain tax. . It is important to develop a business park layout that is flexible. Utilities should not be extended beyond the entrance. To do so would commit the city to a final design and preclude flexible lot configuration and size for potential users. A preliminary plat can be developed and finalized as each lot is sold. . The EDA should consider developing a business incubator building. This could be a multi-tenant building with added improvements that would allow emerging companies with new technologies to become established and hopefully later grow into the business park. It may be necessary to provide TIF, deferred assessments or other incentives to encourage a private developer to create a building with these added amenities. . The EDA should create a targeted marketing program focusing on specific industries and businesses south of the river. This would include direct mail and personal contact by EDA staff. Farmington's development strategy should focus on local and regional businesses that are likely to have more flexible location criteria than national firms. Farmington's favorable business climate is a significant advantage. Farmington has the ability to build on the success of the existing Industrial Park. 13 Economic Development Element Communications & Media Curb panhandling while delivering much needed help Panhandling, unfortunately, is a fairly univers;ll pf0blem for downtown districts, even the very best ones. And, it creates a negative atmosphere that can drive people away and keep them away. To mitigate the problem, downtowns must encourage the general public to stop rewarding this behavior, and to provide help in more meaningful ways. With these two objectives in mind, last month, the Downtown Alliance of Salt Lake City, UT (pop. 181,700), unveiled an educational campaign designed to discourage donations to panhandlers and encourage donations to local social service organizations. The campaign was developed through a partnership of the Downtown Alliance, the Mayor, downtown-based advertising and PR firm, The Sum- mit Group, which donated all its creative work to the program, and the Salt Lake Chamber. (continued on page 2) Targeting Groups Scavenger hunts show off downtown As they are easy to roam on foot or by bike, yet chock full of interest- ing, hidden places and details to discover, downtowns are ideal places for scavenger hunts. A handful of organizers are operating these competitions nationally, and say the events are growing in popularity. In the hunts, contestants working in teams answer trivia questions, often delivered by text message, to point them to various locations around town, where they have to solve puzzles and face physical challenges. What drives contestants to do all this? Bragging rights, a bit of loot, and a ticket to the championships for a chance to win even bigger bragging rights and loot. These races often require participants to use transit, and to visit certain businesses and attractions to obtain answers to clues. Downtowns and their convention and visitor bureaus can work with organizers to explore bringing such events to their downtowns, and then assist in making the race more fun, interesting, and word-of-mouth-worthy for participants. (continued on page 8) @ 2009 Alexander Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Vol. 34, No. 11 November 2009 In this issue Redirecting charitable intent to more constructive places. Panhandling does not equal homeless, campaign stresses. ................. Page 2 Using parking meters to spread the word and help the needy. As parking meters become obsolete, they can be repainted and repurposed to collect chari- table donations. . . . . . Page 3 How downtown prepared for citywide event presents lessons. While hosting a high-profile event downtown hurt small busi- nesses more than it helped them, downtown took right steps to make good impression on a wide audience. . . Page 4 Looking Ahead. Springtime means events and activities for moms and everyone else, from history buffs to cyclists to volunteers. . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Races in smaller downtowns can make a bigger splash. They also make for more challenging foot races. . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Partner with other event pro- ducers, and get youth involved. Key advice for doing more with less. ......... Page 10 Curb panhandling while delivering needed help and signage on two regional commuter rail lines serving downtown. Additional elements will be added in coming months. As the campaign evolves, the Downtown Alliance will incorporate ideas from the community on how to support shelters, not panhandlers. (Continued from page 1) "The campaign is multi-year and multi-faceted," says Jason Mathis, executive director of the Down- town Alliance. "Commercial'solicitors have a nega- tive impact on businesses and aggressive panhandlers intimidate patrons, employees and visitors. They detract from a dynamic environment in the Central Business District, and complicate development efforts." The campaign includes an informative website, Endpanhandling.com, public service announcements, Two-pronged approach: Enforcement and education About a year and half ago, the Downtown Devel- opment Committee of the Downtown Alliance formed a Safety and Security subcommittee to address blight issues, such as boarded build- ings, that hurt perceptions of safety in the downtown. "Panhandling, of course, was one of those issues. So we took a two-pronged approach. Salt Lake City has never had an ordinance on the books that specifically deals with panhan- dling. We've had our loitering . and camping ordinances, but nothing that specifically dealt with panhandling," says Carla' Wiese, economic development director for the Alliance. So the Downtown Alliance teamed with the mayor's admin- istration, which drafted a pan- handling ordinance that was submitted to public comment, and is expected to be sent to city council for consideration by January. "The second half of that, something that the Downtown Alliance felt we could take under our wings as our project, was the public education cam- paign. Because regardless of what ordinances may be out there, if people are continuing to give to panhandlers, panhan- dlers are going to be present," she says. People who visit the Sharing information not small change When downtown Washington, DC's business improvement district, Down- town DC, was formed in the late 1990s, one of the first priorities for its mem- bers was to help t and get them off downtown streets. , But how could they tackle such an immense problem? By speaking with members of the community - particularly with advocates of homeless services to Fi exactly what the homeless needed. One of the things they Found . tion less services was badly needed. wntown DC's Homeless Services coord i- an information card. ' , the 0 re listed on the card: day-care centers, health-care services d locations for meals and clothing. A map is also fea- el the home essget t~ere.' ' , ' ng the card wasCl relatively simple undertaking For the BID and . , rimarily irihouse.' Fifteen thousand cards were printed for distribu- fio~}? d9Yf1lt?t'lJ}>~s;,ne~s ?nd ,bypotbermia workers wba deal with tbe homeless, on the street.' , In addition, a brochure with tips for business owners on what they can do for the homeless and how to handle an emergency was also created. Five thou- sand copies of the brochure were produced and mailed to downtown business owners, property owners and tenants. At, the Homeless Services section of its website, the Down- town DC BID now includes a page titled Facts About Panhan- dling which describes when, where and how it is illegal and legal to solicit on downtown streets, This is accompanied by the current Street InFor- mation Card, which is reproduced here. ~r~~ ~~~- ~~=- ......_""":~-~ "","'.........""- n....:...."'" .....-..._ ..,-,.,.,..".,.., li:,,;....~'t ~~ -~....... .n.._....,{;I:lIt>>_ J....""'... :.*-'>....,.. ",,__,t_ lIOl"'I"~!NII.<<cI(Q._ t_....._..~_ i=~---Jt.,,.. ---- . :,=...:'w.::,~..._ ~t':"~~l.ll'lI3l oc_ ~-",...~...",."" :-:::::: ~~~!r... ,..- ME:~~~~~'''' ."~..:;~:"-Wi.:"",~ ......f........olo<< :=~?;.~~- ............... ~~~.."'=::;-~~- =:~;:~~ ...-......._...,"'~._......... --,..~--_.~--- --.......-.-......--..- ...-......-.,....-'^........- ~_.~..._v_..___ ...'~--"'--~........- _~,_,"'~,_....v~_, ,.~~.....J_;..~__w> '-1;~"':.7,<;;:__ ~ ~'=:;>>li__ !~ ~;::!..~~"::r_ ~""""'~ ~.E::;:.-:...... _.~-,.......... ii~:-- 2 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDeve/opment.com November 2009 Using parking meters to spread the word, and help the needy In looking at what other cities have done to com- bat panhandling, one of the most interesting ideas that Salt lake City's Downtown Alliance came upon was the donation meter which is a parking meter decorat- ed and modified t roniote and accept small charita-' ble donations. Donation meter programs have been implemented in Denver, San Francisco, Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Billings, MT. ~ ' · In Billings, the city ~~, donated 12 outdated park- ing meters to the Spare Change for Real Change program. The Downtown BID is currently installing the donation meters around downtown where they will serve as dona- tion meters to supplement change boxes already col- lecting change on the coun- ters of local businesses. "These meters serve to further encourage the public to reconsider their method of giving, reminding them that there is a better way to give/, the BID says. · In the Mile High City, the Downtown Denver Partnership partnered with Public Works, Denver's Road Home, lea hip Denver, Mile High United Way, rabble+rous ,and OZ Architecture to make ~~-- (ii~) ,~, ~,..... < " .-. ..... '...~.I ~.~L, · ~ campaign's website are greeted by three key mes- sages of the campaign: 1. Fifty percent of people in Utah said they usu- ally give money to panhandlers. Did you know that the majority of panhandlers are not homeless? 2. Panhandling does not equal homeless. To con- fuse the two hurts those that need help the most. 3. Support shelters, not panhandlers. To the right of those messages are links to web pages for four homeless service providers located in downtown. The headline reads: Money well spent. "We wanted to make sure that people understood the difference between those they. were giving money to, and truly helping those who are in need," Wiese says. "We met with our social service providers in the downtown, and talked with them about who they November 2009 the donation meter program a reality. This group coordinated the meter design, decal messaging, printing, installation, and the $1,000 sponsorships for individual meters, which raised $36,000" . the meters were unveiled. In March '2007, 36 were installed at strategic downtown locations had significant fooHraffic and panhan- dling issues. Within the first month, coins donated at these meters totaled about $2,000. Another 50 refurbished parking meters were installed later that year. With 86. meters, the project generates in excess of $100,000 per year through sponsorships and donations, Salt lake, which talked extensively with Den- ver about its program, may implement donation meters in the next six months to year,as another tool in its campaign to end panhandli . ut because Salt lake also has new on-street parking pay- ment stations on tap, it must figure aut how to make it clear to people using these donation meters that they are donating to charity, and not paying for on-street parking! UI)==--=:=' .PI-'-'~- S 28. =..;s::.:::-:-=- --. -'-"'-'-'--"""'''''--'''-'-. """"'''.'--'-. ~. CUlPA. TO EID HOIElESSIESI &-- were servicing, and if they were seeing a lot of over- lap between those who were doing the panhandling and those who were using the homeless services. And there wasn't. So we wanted to get the point across to our community, which is an incredibly giv- ing community, that when you give to a panhandler on the street, you don't have any idea where that money's going." Research conducted by the Utah program for Certified Public Management, part of the State Department of Human Resource Management, also informed and influenced the campaign's core mes- . sage: Instead of giving spare change to panhandlers, donate money or time to local organizations that are dedicated to solving problems in our community. "Would you rather give two dollars to this person who may buy a can of beer, or two dollars to the Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 3 homeless shelter, which will use that money to feed a few people? Target that giving nature to a more constructive venue," Wiese says. Working with partners to get the message out" anclmeasure its eHectiveness 1'0 eclu9ate the commuter population, the DowIl- town Alliance worked closely with the Utah Transit Authority in spreading this message far and wide via billboards and posters at commuter rail stations and aboard trains. Two public service announcements created by The Summit Group are also being aired over radio and television stations, particularly during morning and afternoon rush hours. A downtown business that owns billboard space has also donated some of that inventory to the cause. And finally, a press conference introducing the campaign was also effective in generating free media coverage, with the story carried for several days by every major news station in the state. Of course, no one expects this attention to be a Web Extras To view the draft Panhandling Ordinance from Salt lake City, visit www.DowntownDe- velopment.com and click on Web Extras. quick fix to such a deeply rooted problem., ''We, know that this will need to be an ongoing"campaign. We're meeting soon to talk about our next steps, and what we can do to continue to help educate people and to keep working on this issue," Wiese says. A statewide group that the Downtown Alliance partnered with came to downtown to conduct pro bono surveys with focus groups of businesses, resi- dents, and visitors, to determine a baseline for how much panhandling is perceived as a problem by each. Those surveys will be conducted again after the campaign has been out for either six months or a year, to look at how perceptions of panhandling have been impacted by this campaign. Contact: Carla Wiese, Downtown Alliance, carla@down- townslc.org, www.downtownslc.org.1!Iim Image Enhancement Putting good, bad, and ugly of citywide events into perspective Even if the disruption of hosting a high-profile, citywide event hurts small businesses in the short term, the long-term benefits should not be over- looked. Be it a convention, sporting event, or even a classic car show on the main street, downtown should embrace and capitalize on these rare opportu- nities by making the best impression it can on new visitors and the news media covering the event. By forcing downtown to put its best foot forward - sometimes in a hurry - high-profile events can also provide a shot in the arm to critical activities like business recruitment. For example, in the four months it had to get ready for the G-20 Summit of world leaders in Sep- tember, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP), Pittsburgh, PA (est. pop. 310,000), did a number of key things to ensure the event's success and a positive image of downtown. That included doing much of what would be expected - adding people to its clean team staff, increasing cleaning efforts in the area of the conven- tion, such as removing graffiti, replacing street trees, and advocating for alleys to be repaved. But the most striking improvement the PDP made was to decorate 28 vacant storefront windows - and mitigate signs of blight - with high-energy images of Pittsburgh. This was done with the financial support of nine foundations and in conjunction with the City and property owners. The giant store window displays were designed to go up for the G-20, but then to remain as part of downtown's retail strategy. Shutting out traHic made for slow commerce When hosting a high-profile event, downtowners must roll with some tough punches. In the case of the G-20, because the President and so many heads of state were staying downtown, the Secret Service, which controlled security, announced 10 days ahead of the summit that it decided to close downtown 4 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com November 2009 Ahead of hosting the G-20, Pittsburgh dressed up its vacant storefronts with window clings that communicate various positive messages about downtown. entirely to private vehicular traffic. Even worse, the clamp-down didn't end with law enforcement. Fearing the worst from protesters, a number of retailers were not on board with keeping downtown looking spiffy and lively. Instead, they boarded up their storefronts with plywood, despite pleas from the PDP notto do that. Office space users also didn't react well to the news that they wouldn't be able to drive to work. "Many large businesses were already moving their people to other loca- tions, to work from home or encouraging them to carpool. But when the Secret Ser- vice and local police decided to shut down the Golden Triangle [CBD], 140,000 peo- ple that work downtown every day had to make other plans, and many of them decided not to come," says Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the PDP. "So we probably had 20,000 to 30,000 people downtown working Thursday and Friday, instead of 140,000, which was a significant negative effect on our businesses. ... A lot of the economic activity was displaced to other parts of the region, so downtown did suffer. The retailers suffered, and many of the restaurants suffered. But, no broken windows down- town," he says. On the plus side, says Edwards, "It was a great week to ride your bike downtown!" Lesson learned in rebranding: Keep all downtowners in sync and on message Despite the disparities between optimistic graph- ics on vacant storefronts, and the "Let's brace for a hurricane" mentality of business owners who didn't feel comfortable leaving their store windows exposed, downtowners in Pittsburgh did stay on mes- sage pretty well at least for the four months leading up to the event. ''We had a message, and the message was that Pittsburgh has transformed itself," Edwards says. "If you can get everybody in your community basically saying the same message over and over again, for four months leading up to [a high-profile event], that is going to resonate far and wide. "If you want to change perceptions, ort6 impact your brand, it sure helps when everybody's saying exactly the. same thing. We think we were prettY. suc- cessful at domgthat; and that people got the message, that this is a different Pittsburgh." A number of other downtowns have called the PDP to arrange site visits to learn about best practices in Pitts- burgh, including Mobile, AL (est. pop. 191,000), Lex- ington, KY (est. pop. 282,1 00), and Louisville, KY (pop. 256,200). High-profile events can present a "great opportu- nity" for downtowns, Edwards says. And if downtown is in a position to prepare for a high-profile event: "Early on, you want to understand what you're getting into, so reach out to others that have gone through it, and at least figure out what you don't know. That can lead to much better planning. "If you have the context of where you're going to wind up, it's a heck of a lot easier to make plans. [At first], we didn't know what was going on, and there was a lot of anxiety. So we brought in people from other cities that have gone through this, and they said, 'Here's what you can expect.' That gave us a context for decision-making as a community, and that proved invaluable," Edwards says. Contact: Michael Edwards, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, medwards@downtownpittsburgh.com. I!Ilm Web Extras To read the wrap-up letter that Michael Edwards, CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, sent to members after the G-20 Summit, visit www.DowntownDevelopment.com and click on Web Extras, November 2009 DowntoWn Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 5 Looking Ahead ... to May Springtime means events and activities for everyone from. history buHs to cyclists to volunteers The warm weather in many parts of North America beckons people downtown to celebrate Bike Month, Preservation Month, Be Kind to Animals Week, and more. Bring cyclists downtown May is National Bike Month. The League of Ameri- can Bicyclists promotes this month-long celebration as well a Bike-to-Work Week, which is the third week of the month (May 17-May 21), and Bike-to- Work Day on Friday, May 21. The goal of the week is to raise awareness of alternative ways to get to work and to promote bicycle safety. Most downtowns focus on Bike-to-Work Day or Week. · Bike Rodeo. Raleigh, NC, kicks off the week on the prior Friday with a free Cycling, Commuter & Environmental Expo from 3:30 to 7:30. The event includes free bike mainte- nance and door prizes provided by local cycling companies, food and drink, and a Kid's Bike Rodeo to teach children bike safety techniques. There is also an adult ride for both the expert and the novice cyclist. · Blessing of the Bikes. During Bike-to-Work Week, the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles holds an Annual Blessing of the Bicycles. Reli- gious leaders from a range of faiths participate in this event, which features a lap around the 6 hospital in honor of those. who have been injured or killed in bicycle accidents. · Free. Showers. Downtown Tampa, FL, celebrates Bike-to- Work Day with group rides into downtown along seven different routes. Upon arrival downtown participants are invited to gather at a coffee house for a free cup of coffee, while the downtown YMCA provides free showers. Celebrate downtown's history National Preservation Month is also in May. Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preser- vation, the goal is to raise aware- ness of the importance of historic preservation and to protect places of historical significance. The event web site includes a number of ways to celebrate, which are very appropriate for the downtown area. These include: · Conduct walking tours through the historic district. · Host an educational historic scavenger hunt. Many downtowns are celebrat- ing National Preservation Month. For example: · Field Trips. Redwood City, CA, hosts a downtown walking tour, a tour of the 1859 Historic Union Cemetery, and a series of field trips for seventh graders to three downtown buildings listed on the National Register of His- toric Places. · Scavenger Hunt. Something is scheduled for almost every day of the month in Martin County, FL, including: weekly lectures at the pub1ic.1ibrary, walking tours, building.tours,and more. Each Thursday and Sun- day during the month, The Stuart News carries clues to identifying his- toric locations as part of a scavenger hunt. The clues are also available online. Those who take photos of themselves in front of the largest num- ber of the historic sites win prizes, which are awarded at the Meet Me at the usa Cos- tume Ball. Other scavenger hunts simply ask participants to identify the location of historic landmarks rather than taking photographs. In .-......,-.......,.... . Mother's. Day makeover Downtowr Nashua,NH, offered .. . a chance to make mom feel like . .. o reality TV starwith a complete makeover from downtown mer- chants.First, second and third . prizes included massages, facials, manicures, hair styling, fashion and jewelry gift certifi- cates, and more. To enter mom in the prize drawing, contestants were asked to write a 1 DO-word essay on why their mother deserves to win. · Encourage merchants to cre- ate store window displays high- lighting the histo- ry of the business or building. Invite people downtown to tour the displays. · Organize a work project to clean and/or repair an historic town square, park or cemetery. Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com November 2009 Georgetown, TX, copies of the Scavenger Hunt form are avail- able at the First Friday event and the visitor's center. Completed forms are returned to the visitor's center to be entered in the draw- ing for a downtown gift basket. · Slideshow. Recognizing that not everyone is interested or able to participate in a walking tour, Main Street Laramie, WY, hosts a slideshow on the downtown's his- tory, which is presented by a member of the main street pro- gram's design committee. For more information on His- toric Preservation Month, visit the website at www.preservationna- tion.org/take-action/preservation- month. Downtown loves pets, too Be Kind to Animals Week (the first full week of the month) pro- motes humane treatment of ani- mals. One aspect of the celebration is the annual Be Kind to Animals Kid Contest, which recognizes two children for their outstanding com- mitment to improving the lives of animals. 1\vo national grand-prize winners each receive $1,000. There are also opportunities to work with local shelters and pet stores to sponsor a citywide contest along the same lines. In Longbeach, CA, the cele- bration takes a different approach and focuses on responsible pet ownership through a low-cost microchip and license clinic. Recognize teachers On National Teacher Day (Tuesday of the first full week in May), communities honor local educators. The National Educa- tion Association's (NEA) website November 2009 provides details on this annual event and also suggests a number of ways to celebrate, many of which can be adapted to the down- town area. For example: · Run congratulatory. messages on electronic signs outside banks or other businesses, or on bill- boards, banners or storefront signs. · Offer teachers discounts on purchases made on Teacher Day. · Invite all teachers to a recep- tion in their honor, hosted by the mayor, school board, school administrators, chamber of com- merce or other group. · Invite teachers to a before school "coffee, juice and pastries" salute downtown. A sample news release, procla- mation, quotes about teaching, and artwork such as downloadable posters and web site banners are available at the NEA website. For more information Visit the website at wvvw.nea.org/grants/1359.htm. Join hands to help downtown Join Hands Day is a national volunteer day that focuses on developing relationships between children and adults through neigh- borhood volunteering. Some of the many 2009 projects that are appro- priate for the downtown area include those in: · Flushing, NY, where volun- teers under adult and police super- vision removed and painted over graffiti. · San Antonio, TX, where adults and children worked togeth- er to create an inner city green space of flowerbeds and walkways next to an elementary schooL · McClure, OH, where volun- teers spread 23 tons of gravel in the community park. mE May 1 May Day Join Hands Day Kentucky Derby May 4 National Teacher Day MayS Cinco de Mayo May 9 Mother's Day May 19 Employee Health & Fitness Day May 21 Bike-to-Work Day May 24 Victoria Day (Canada) May 31 Memorial Day Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com 7 Scavenger hunts show oH downtown (Continued from page 1) Participants are typically couples or best buddies, and between 21 and 55 in age, but kids also compete in the races as a part of family teams of three or four. Some contestants will travel from other cities for the races, "and other people who are always in the sub- urbswill come in for the race, and learn a few new . things about their town," says Kevin Keefe, president of Urban Dare, which was found- ed in 2005 with two races and will have done 20 races in 2009. "It's definitely something that attracts people to the downtown." Public transportation is often strategically integrated into these races, which adds to their novel- ty for many of the participants who don't live, work, or play downtown. "Some people have never used a public transit system until our race, and all of a sudden, the buses and trains aren't as intimi- dating," says Ryan Kunkel, race director, Red Frog Events. The Great Urban Race events he plans can have up to 1,000 participants. In the case of Urban Dare, turnouts fortheraces range from 150 to 500 people. The race format and rules are fairly standard. Each race has teams of two to four solving trivia clues to find checkpoints throughout downtown. To move on, contestants must take photos or perform other physically or mentally challenging tasks. Sponsors (from yoga to tea) enjoy high visibility in urban race events. An opportunity for downtown organizations Surprisingly, with all three race organizers we spoke with, downtown organizations have not been prominent partners or co-promoters of these events. In the few cases where Keefe has partnered with an organization to plan a race, such as the Fresno CVB for Fresno, CA (est. pop. 476,100), "it's worked very well," he says. "I don't think there's a much bet- - r-- 'j Web Extras :;::::::::; ==-:=:: For summaries of three home-grown scavenger :::--:=:: -== hunts, which originally appeared in the August issue of Downtown Promotion Reporter, visit www.DowntownDevelopment.com and click on Web Extras. ter way than these events to highlight the downtown and all the different gems there are. "You can work easily with sponsors to promote their businesses. Or if perhaps there's a new park that the city wants to show off, you can inake that one of your checkpoints or startthe race from there," he says. For example, Urban Dare obliged the City of Pittsburgh and used a public square it wished to draw more activity to as the starting point for its race there. The Fresno CVB contacted Keefe seeking to bring an Urban Dare race to that downtown, and so he worked with them to build sponsor- ships for the event. The tie-in to sponsors can be very direct, as the races can have the competing teams snap pictures of themselves in front of sponsoring businesses or attractions. Participants don't see that as a hassle so much as part of the fun of the game, and perhaps an opportunity for a complimentary refreshment from. a sponsoring 'restaurant or coffee house. Involving businesses, universities, local charities "What's really neat about our race is the way that we're able to incorporate businesses into the event, and get the downtown community involved," says Kunkel. He offers several examples of how sponsor- ing businesses can be partnered with and featured: . A small crafts store, where the challenge was to complete a certain project in store. . A theater that altered its marquee to set up a clue for the race organizer. . A fitness center where the challenge was a boot camp session that all participants must complete. . A cafe where the food challenge was hosted. "It's really a neat way to get these locally-owned businesses involved," he says. The Great Urban Race launched in 2007 with an eight-market tour, and expanded to 21 markets last year. Its third tour is now wrapping up. "Our numbers have roughly doubled every year, and we're planning on expanding to more markets next year," Kunkel says. "It's been a very exciting trend for us to see and help develop." 8 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopmenf.com November 2009 A new market the outfitter added to this year's tour was Normal, ~ (est. pop. 52,060), in partnership with Illinois State University which promoted it to alumni as a fun homecoming weekend activity. "It is the smallest market that we're going to," Kunkel says, and the m()st enthusiastic, being a small and close-knit community. "With the University organizing a lotofconipo- nents with us in Normal, that was a great treat for us. And our participants had a great time, despite rainy and cold weather!" In every market it visits, the Great Urban Race partners with local charities so that the race can benefit them in some way. For example, "We'll have our par- ticipants make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at one of the clue checkpoints. And at the end of the race, we'll donate 2,000 peanut butter andjetiysandwiches to the local homeless shelter. Things like that have been a neat way to give back to the markets we go to." Red tape on permitting hinders planning A new downtown-oriented scavenger hunt race is GO Urban. GO, short for Get Outside, is an initia- tive of the Vallon Institute, a not.:for-profit organiza- tion aimed at creating a healthier lifestyle. GO Urban is a series of downtown-oriented adventure "','" .,.....,.....;,.,...,....,.,....,',.,..",..", Adventure, races ,in smaller market downtown can make a big splash While hosting this sort of an event in a smaller downtown may not draw the numbers it would in a larger city, it can make a big publicity splash. "The smaller the market, the more media cover- age we get," says Ryan Kunket race director, Red Frog Events. "Normal, Illinois is the perfect example , of that. We've had probably three radio interviews and half a dozen written news articles about it. "Depending on the city, we may get some local news coverage on the 5 o'clock news, and a few a rticles written." The other quirk of organizing these events in smaller downtowns is that they can require more physical exertion on the part of participants, due to the fact that public transit networks, which the events typically incorporate, are less robust. People must walk further to reach transit stops. "But it's also a lot of fun to get the community involved, and watch the event take on a life of its own in a smaller market," Kunkel says. races whose race fees will provide funding for the Vallon Institute. "It fits well into getting people involved and interested in what downtowns are doing," says Sean Ofe1dt, race director for GO Urban and president of the Vallon Institute. Sponsors and partners foreachGO Urban race are sought in health and sustainability-oriented busi- nesses, as well as just plain fun locations. The inau- gural year of the race series, which began in August, will have toured a dozen cities through next May. Next July, Vallon Institute will hold the GO Urban Championship in Washington D.C. (est. pop. 591,800), where it is partnering with a development company promoting its environmentally green water- front redevelopment. Participants who rank in the top 30 of each race are invited to the championship. . Red tape has frequently encumbered working with local government in the events, Ofeldt says. "We've run into problems just getting park space to host the event at," he says. "A lot of towns want 60 to 90 days advance for permitting. We're constantly planning another race, and we don't like to plan too far in advance because things always change." Mobile rechnology and, the promise of fun Part of the reason why this race styleis becoming more mainstream is the boom in mobile technology, especially mobile phones connected to the Internet. "It's the type ofrace that is keeping up with the technology that we have today. The way that we can look stuff up in the middle of a race and what not, you couldn't have done 10 years ago," Keefe says. He adds: "Number one, people are looking for a fun day. This brings out their inner child, and allows them to forget all of life's stresses for a few hours." These events also give people the chance to live urban adventures of their own, rather than vicariously watch them on TV reality shows, and to be active. "It's a fun way to get some exercise. For a lot of our participants, it's the first race they ever signed up for," Kunkel says." "People enjoy it, and there's going to be more and more of these types of races coming. I learn about a new one every couple of weeks," Keefe says. Contact: Kevin Keefe, Urban Dare, kkeefe@urbandare.com, www.urbandare.com; Ryan Kunkel, Great Urban Race, ryan@redfrogevents.com, www.greaturbanrace.com; Sean Ofeldt, Vallon Institute, info@valloninstitute.org, www. gourban.org. I:IDm November 2009 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDeve/opment.com 9 Promotional Tips & Ideas Partner with other organizations, and get youth involved While, Jennifer Herrick, the executive director of Elmira DOwntown Development in Elmira, NY (est. pop. 29,270 would be the firstto acknowledge the many benefits to hosting downtown events, she is also realistic about how much a small downtown organiza- tion can accomplish on its own. Events are key to redevelopment because they give various community members a compelling reason to come back and see what's going on down- town, Herrick says. The problem is, special events require an awful lot of work to produce. Her solution? "Don't try to be all things to all people. If you can't han- dle all the special events, reach out to other organi- zations. You can always give them an event in the box and help them do it. [The fact that downtown may have created an event]d()esn't mean thai you have to [continue to] . ," "- ---.' - :. -:' . take it on," she says. A lot of downtown organizations are under- staffed, she notes. "So, be there to encourage folks to host their events downtown. Especially as you're trying to revitalize. People would get so down on Elmira for so long, because nothing was happening. And now, people are really starting to feel really good about the heart of the city again," she says. "They see that we are listening, and understand that they do want to see activities happening. So we try to have frequent events." In the summer, down- town Elmira has an event every week. Arts organizations in particular are great part- ners to work with in producing quality events. Over two days last July, for example, downtown became an art destination experience during the Second Annual Elmira Street Painting Festival. The event drew between 4,000 and 5,000 people this year, and between 2,000 and 3,000 the year before. This project was made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered . locally. by the ARTS Council of the Southern Finge~ Lake~. "Talk to your arts organizations and get ;them involved. Arts and downtown revitaIization,.as far as I'm concerned, go hand in hand," she says. Mine youth groups for eager volunteers "Keep an open mind [about events], and get your youth involved," Herrick adds. "We reach out to the schools, the county youth bureau, the YMCA ..." Area youth are among the hundreds who volunteer in Downtown CleanUp, which Elmira Downtown Development holds annual- ly on the Saturday prior to Mother's Day, in partner- ship with the Kiwanis Club. Elmira. Downtown Development and program sponsors provide volunteers ranging in age from kinder- gartners to senior citizens. They also provide trash bags, rubber gloves, rakes, brooms, dustpans and other supplies. Following the massive cleanup, volunteers have a giant pizza party in the park. Another program that youth are recruited for is Operation Green Streets, which lets community groups adopt a public flower bed in downtown. All materials, including plants, tools and mulch, are provided. Adoptive groups commit to maintaining their own little piece of downtown for at least a year. Operation Green Streets is funded through a Community Development Block Grant, and city pub- lic services staff assists in preparing existing beds for planting and in maintenance. Partners in this program include the City, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, the Star-Gazette, and private businesses. Contact: Jennifer Herrick, Elmira Downtown Development, (607) 734-0341, jherrick@elmiradowntown.com. ~ Vani Akula's "Mark Twain Reflection" was awarded Best in Show at the Second Annual Elmira Street Painting Festival. 10 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDevelopment.com November 2009 ~ T LB X ~ ................................................................................ A Urban trail guides hikers through downtown The Asheville (NC) Urban Trail leads downtown visitors on a 1.7-mile walk through the downtown area. Along the route, walkers view 30 sites each of which features a piece of urban sculpture that works as a landmark identifier. The Urban Trail was begun by the City of Asheville as part of a program to highlight the many positive aspects of downtown. The initial funding for the sculptures came from contribu- tions by individuals, groups and institutions that wanted to help build a legacy for Asheville. Other volunteers created the walking tour brochure. Local residents also conduct guided tours along the trail. Tours run every Saturday from April through October. Tickets are priced at $5 for adults and $2 for children. Dinner and a movie Enjoying a great movie and a good meal sounds appealing. The idea was put together by the restored Palace movie the- ater in downtown Albany, NY, and the cooperating Victory Cafe. For a flat $20 per person, downtown's guests can enjoy a meal then take a short stroll to the Palace for a special screening of a classic film. Dinner is served from 5 to 6 p.m. and the showing begins at 7. People need to reserve in advance by calling the Palace box office and arranging for a November 2009 Victory Cafe reservation. Com- ing soon: "Ben-Hur" and "The Quiet Man." Art sells downtown A well-regarded local artist, Melissa A. Miller, is supporting downtown Concord, NH. She painted "Bicentennial Square, Evening" then donated the work to the Main Street association. Next, the painting was reproduced as a limited edition fine art print. One hun- dred pieces were produced, numbered, signed by Miller and put on sale at a downtown fine arts shop. Prints sell for $300, unframed. The potential total sale value of $30,000 was pledged to support downtown initiatives through the main street organization. Local celebrity event Famous daredevil Evel Knievel hails from Butte, MT. In 2002, Knievel1ent his name to Eve1 Knievel Days running for three days during the last week in July. Despite Knievel's death in 2007, the event pulls thou- sands of people into the area to witness "dozens of dazzling feats attempted by some of the coun- try's greatest stuntmen and dare- devils." The event is organized by Evel Knievel Week, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. All events are held in the His- toric Uptown Butte district and are free. Beyond the daredevilry, the event schedule includes live music on the Main Stage at /55N 0363.2830 Downtown Promotion....Reor'er Phone: ( Ema1I: . Website: Edi .. Paul Felt, ext. 119 .. pfelt@DowntownDevelopnient.com Customer Service Mary Pagliaroli, mpagliaroli@Downtown . Reprints and Permissions Mary Dalessandro, mdalessandro@Downtown Publish Margaret DeWitt, ext. 106 msdewitt@DowntownDevelopment.com Dawntown Promotion Reporte,@ is published monthly by the Downtown Research & DeVelopment Center, The Center provides news, information and data for . successful downtown revitalization Ihfough !ers, books, reports, and website, . O..,::~":;t Group. Inc. All rights reserVed. No lication may be reproduced. stored system. or transmitted in any fomi electronic. mechanica~ photocopyi without the prior written permiss' Communications Group, Please start/renew my one- year subscription to Downtown Promotion Reporter for $197.* NAME TITLE FIRM/ORGANIZATION ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP PHONE FAX EMAlL N15 <8lJ MAIL: 712 Main Street - Suite 187B Boonton, NJ 07005-1450 W FAX: (973) 402-6056 . PHONE: (973) 265-2300 @ EMAlL: info@DowntownDevelopmentcom . North America, $197, Elsewhere, $227 ~ncludes airmail delivery), Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDeve/opment.com 11 LB X ~ ............................................................................................................................... a Broadway and Main Streets, a motorcycle parade and a raffle for a Harley Davidson Street Glide FLHX with custom paint. Has your town got a popular hero or heroine? Re-defining celebrity Along with the rise in reality TV, we've seen a rise in the num- ber of celebrities all around us. And people are often very inter- ested to see and meet their favorite "stars" in person. Take Althea Harper, for example. Who? That's right, she is one of the fashion designers from the sixth season of the popular Bravo reality show, Project Runway. Althea hails from Dayton, OH, and returned recently to display her fashion sketches at the Color of Energy gallery in the Oregon Arts District. In addition, she was on-hand to create a new piece of clothing on a sewing machine in the gallery. Haunted history October was the perfect time for downtowners to learn more about their areas haunted past. The Ogden and Salt Lake City Ghost Tours were founded by a local storyteller who interviewed merchants and residents and compiled many unusual and spooky tales. A bus takes partici- pants to each location where the guide, a professional story- teller, brings the cities' mysteri- ous past to life. The storytellers are members of the Utah Story- telling Guild, which like similar organizations around the coun- try, provides an online directory of professional storytellers. The fee for these hour-and-a-half tours is $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $12 for children or groups. pre-paid charge card system developed by Parcxmart Tech- nologies. A city-branded charge card can be used to charge park- ing fees, pay for retail purchases, pay restaurant checks, and more. The operations of the Fort Laud- erdale card system are managed by Heartland Payment Systems and include reporting, auditing, customer service, and risk man- agement for all of the partici- pants. The citywide program could also be modified to serve a smaller area such as a downtown. The new cashless system is being used in city-run garages as well as at curb meters. ~ Card links parking and shopping The relationship between good parking and good business is made clear in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where the City integrates parking with shopping through a 12 Downtown Promotion Reporter . www.DowntownDeve/opment.com November 2009 '" Ul ::l o .t: " '" '" 13 '" W ::J :'5 ....;l!:?~ tt:ge;. ~ .~~ -''''-' <(OW o1l Z o ~ <( ~ : ~ g al l"ll ~ ~ C\ tJ~:'5 g <(<(~ N BiQ2~ 0~::J ffi<(o <(::EU ..; CIl .... .... CIl l: '';; ::l CD ~ CIl Z z o l- I.) Z ~ c.:: < u.. u.. o ~ iJ o1l ~ a: 11: <( o to U a: ~ ~ '" U to 0 s::=~e. 0 o1l "'0 Z lfl ~ ~a! 5 ~t7\~~'2~ l.9cr:Oz2:ll.9 lfl3:~bOfijz oW::J::E~uCi o>~z~og ....J 0::: u.. 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Vl '" 1lI " .in ::l .0 ~ o to ~ o " .; Vl '" " .in :0 .0 " ~: " ~ {!. ~ 1lI E' ii. * - <D N '" o a ~ co ~ ,~ 11 Q. 5 l! i i g. S ~ , .Q i i ~ i j i i Q. .. ~ ~ .Q i i ~ -5 .s i ~ ~ Q Page 1 of 1 qc/ Tina Hansmeier From: Tina Hansmeier Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 1 :49 PM To: 'Iboyd@dakotaelectric,com' Cc: Peter Herlofsky Subject: Partners In Progress Grant Request LaDonna, Pursuant to your recent request, the following are suggestions for the use of the grant funding Dakota Electric Association may be willing to provide to the City of Farmington as part of their Partners in Progress program. The activities that the grant funding could go towards include: a new Business Appreciation Event, the Farmington Economic Update (monthly business newsletter), and towards the advertising associated with the City run Farmers' Market. The City of Farmington greatly appreciates the financial assistance that Dakota Electric Association has made available through their Partners in Progress program. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you, Tina Hansmeier Economic Development Specialist City of Farmington 430 Third Street 651-280-6821 11/912009