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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.15.22March 15th, 2022 Page 1 of 2 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the St. Joseph Economic Development Authority met on Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 at 12:00 PM. Members Present: Board Members Kevin Kluesner, Larry Hosch — via ZOOM, Rick Schultz, Doug Danielson, Dale Wick Members Absent: None City Representatives Present: Community Development Director Nate Keller, Finance Director Lori Bartlett Schultz called the St. Joseph Economic Development Authority meeting to order at 12:00 PM Public Comments None Agenda Approval: Kluesner made a motion to approve the agenda as presented; seconded by Wick and passed unanimously by those present. Consent Agenda: Kluesner made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows; seconded by Danielson and passed unanimously by those present. a. Minutes - Approve the minutes of February 15th, 2022 b. Financial Report — FEB. report BFA Grant — Fire Nall - Wiger Keller presented the request. Shannon Wiger who is remodeling the Fire Hall will be putting specific focus of the grant going towards the garage doors. The garage doors will be remodeled into tempered glass. The vision is to allow more natural light into the space and allow the doors to be opened during nice days. The front of the building will likely hold a patio so the space will add high vibrancy and activity in the area. Schultz stated the Council does not need to approve the Facade request. Wick mentioned to update the date from March 15th, 2022 to March 15th, 2023. Keller stated he will make the corrections to the resolution by changing Council references to EDA and updated the date. Kluesner made a motion to approve the grant as presented; seconded by Wick and passed unanimously by those present. BFA Grant —109 Ash St - Wiger An overview was provided to the Board by Keller. Shannon Wiger is remodeling the property into a commercial use. The fagade grant is being requested by Wiger so a 3rd entrance (and potential 3rd tenant) can be added to the space. Kluesner made a motion to approve the grant as presented; seconded by Wick and passed unanimously by those present. JR Mobile update Keller outlined the change in ownership for the property. The property is owned by Mark Martini now according to records. Staff will be scheduling a meeting with new owner in the coming weeks to discuss next steps. Keller provided context/background on previous meetings with the owner and what staff will continue to emphasize at this next meeting regarding expectations. CVB Request — Midwest Travel Network Conference Sponsorship Keller explained Mary Bruno and the CVB are requesting the use of EDA dollars to fund a sponsorship opportunity for Mary Bruno to attend the Midwest Travel Network Conference. The sponsorship gives Mary Bruno a platform (8 minutes) to speak at the conference and promote St. Joseph through handouts/marketing materials and the promotional video the CVB produced. Keller explained that Mary is March 15th, 2022 Page 2 of 2 also working on "excursions" which would be sponsored by local businesses. The excursions will transport folks to and from the conference to the city. Attendees would be brought to the businesses who participate in sponsoring the excursion. The excursions are separate from the sponsorship request. Wick expressed concerns on the timing of the request, budgeting concerns, and CVB's continuance in requesting EDA dollars for additional support. Wick and Danielson asked where this money would be pulled from. Bartlett and Keller explained the CVB budget items and if EDA supports the request the dollars would be pulled from EDA Marketing which has a $1,000 budget for the year. Keller said the CVB did not want to pull or substitute anything that is already plugged in to the CVB budget. Schultz mentioned that he spoke with Mary and this conference provides an opportunity for her to get in front of the attendees at the conference to speak and promote the town. Kluesner made a motion to support the $500 sponsorship to the Midwest Travel Network Conference for the CVB by utilizing EDA Marketing dollars, seconded by Danielson. Wick voted nay. Motion passes 4-1. Business/Development, EDA priorities Keller provided updates on: Distillery, Trobec's, discussion by the Planning Commission regarding event venues within rural areas, and boutique hotel discussions. Board Member Announcements None Adjourn: Wick made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:31 PM, seconded by Kluesner and passed unanimously by those present. Nate Keller Community Development Director