Minutes: Economic Development: March 2013

City of Evansville Economic Development Committee Monday, March 18, 2013, 6:00 PM City Hall, 31 S. Madison St. Evansville, WI MINUTES 1. Call to Order at 6:04 PM. 2. Roll Call -- Present: Sarah Bauer (6:07 PM), Sue Berg, Chair Jim Brooks, Brandon Rutz (6:15 PM), Nicole Sidoff, Jon Senn, and Dan Wietecha. Also attending: Mayor Sandy Decker and Christina Slaback. Absent: Gene Bass, James Otterstein, and Blase Strobl. 3. Motion to Approve Agenda -- Delayed due to lack of quorum. 4. Motion to waive the reading of the minutes of the February 18, 2013 regular meeting and approve them as printed -- Delayed due to lack of quorum. 5. Citizen Appearances, other than listed agenda items -- None. 6. Chamber Report -- Slaback provided an update on Rock County Day at the Capitol, noting that 5 or 6 City and Chamber representatives attended. The priorities that attendees discussed with legislators included the I39/90 expansion, tax credit flexibility, tax increment financing reform, and workforce development. Slaback then noted that the Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting for the Grove Retreat, which was very well-attended. The Chamber will also be hosting a ribbon cutting on April 4 for NShape Nutrition Club. Slaback also noted that she and Sidoff had met with a new business looking to open a location in Evansville. Brooks noted that he gave Sidoff’s card to a baker looking to move into the former Alberici’s location. Bauer arrived at 6:07 PM. Brooks noted that the Committee officially had a quorum. Returned to Item 3 - Motion to Approve Agenda -- Berg/Senn, approved unanimously. Returned to Item 4 - Motion to waive the reading of the minutes of the February 18, 2013 regular meeting and approve them as printed -- Senn/Berg, approved unanimously. 7. City Report on Economic Development Activities -- Sidoff noted that this was a new and recurring agenda item whereupon she would share updates on City activities relating to economic development. Sidoff followed up on the Chamber’s report on Rock County Day, and she shared a handout detailing the economic development priorities discussed that day. Rutz arrived at 6:15 PM. Sidoff updated the EDC on Landmark Services Cooperative’s expansion project. The proposal to build a 185 foot tall grain storage bin, conveyors, and an additional pit/loading area was approved by the Plan Commission at the March meeting, and the Board of Appeals is addressing their variance application on April 2. This is a great project, which expands the capacity of an existing business and increases safety around the site. The EDC discussed the Landmark project. Sidoff noted that she and the Mayor, along with a few Chamber representatives, took Paul Jadin, Executive Director of Thrive, to Landmark during their tour last month, and Landmark management emphasized how important rail is to their operations. Decker noted that the main messages Jadin took away from the Evansville visit were the importance of expanding rail and broadband in the City. Sidoff noted that the Grove Retreat opened the first weekend of March. According to State Statutes, they will be required to pay room tax. They already have booked at least 17 weekends over the next two years, and that was before they even opened. This will have a positive impact on the room tax collected by the City. Wietecha has been working with Boarders Inn on revisions to their developer’s agreement. Wietecha noted that the hotel has been struggling with its occupancy rates. There are three revisions to the agreement that the Common Council will discuss at its meeting tomorrow: 1- Extending the repayment period of the TIF loan from $45,000 per year through 2020 to $30,000 per year through 2027. This would be in line with what the City is paying each year on the loan it took out to finance the project originally. 2- Providing a credit to reduce the amount of the $30,000 the hotel would have to pay each year. This would be tied to the amount the hotel collects in room tax and may prove contentious, as the City may not want to set a precedent regarding room tax. 3- Tightening up security on repayment of the loan, to ensure the City would be repaid if the hotel goes into foreclosure. Sidoff noted that she had met with all EDC members to discuss their economic development priorities and thanked members for taking the time to meet with her. Sidoff indicated that she was updating the City’s Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan, and a major part of the planning process was gathering public input. She encouraged members to complete the survey and share the survey link with anyone who might be interested in providing input. Sidoff also distributed packets of information on Gorman Company to interested EDC members. 8. Tourism Subcommittee Report -- Berg noted that the Committee still had not met, as the March meeting was cancelled and had yet to be rescheduled. Berg shared a few upcoming dates: Energy Fair - 4/19, Art Crawl - 4/26, National Park Service meeting on the possible Ice Age Trail extension in Evansville - 4/29. Decker noted that there would be two other meetings on the Ice Age Trail extension - 4/23 at the Milton House and 4/27 at Rotary Gardens. The Evansville meeting will take place from 5-8 PM at Creekside, with presentations by the National Park Service and John Decker at 6 PM. Turnout, comments, and input will all be important at this meeting. Decker noted that she would be speaking with the Lion’s Club the following night about the Ice Age Trail meeting and the update to the City’s Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan. Berg noted that the Inventors and Entrepreneurs (I & E) Club speaker in April would be Sue Farnsworth, who would discuss her business incubation efforts downtown. Sidoff set up Josh Clements, UWEX Educator, to speak about innovative downtown businesses at the May I & E Club meeting. Invitations would be extended to people involved in economic development in the City, as well as Chamber members and other businesses. Decker noted that there was an article on the front page of the Janesville Gazette that day about Delavan’s downtown revitalization efforts. Berg noted that Rally Round the Flag would be taking place May 17 through 19. Brooks indicated that he would be meeting with representatives from Janesville, Beloit, and Stoughton to continue working on the “Pardon Their Dust, Travel with Us” Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant efforts. Brooks also noted that he would like to discuss the Travel Green Wisconsin program and its possibilities in Evansville at the next EDC meeting. 9. Update on Wayfinding Signage Discussion -- Nothing to report. 10. Update on Rail Study Discussion -- Sidoff distributed a memo she received from the Oregon Village Administrator, which provided an update on the plans to reopen the rail line through Fitchburg and Oregon down to mile marker 119 (just north of Evansville). The memo indicates that the rail is being leased to Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Company (WSOR), and WSOR is planning to reactivate the entire line, make improvements from McCoy to West Netherwood Roads, and store cars south of Netherwood. Sidoff noted that this information would be helpful in Evansville’s development of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its rail study. Brooks noted the RFP should also consider rail options to the east and south on the Union Pacific line. Decker noted that opening the rail line from mile marker 119 through Evansville would create a much better use for rail than WSOR storing cars south of Oregon and Union Pacific storing cars next to Leonard-Leota Park. Decker noted that Landmark’s ability to access new markets would be improved if the WSOR line was reopened through Evansville. The EDC members discussed Landmark’s current market, which is primarily Texas. The EDC discussed Wisconsin’s legislators’ roles in promoting rail expansion, particularly at the Federal level. Brooks asked when the RFP would be ready, and Sidoff stated that once she was given direction on what the EDC would like the RFP to include, she would develop it. The EDC then discussed the types of businesses that additional rail access might attract to Evansville. 11. Retail Market Analysis Study Update. a. Chamber Lunch ‘N Learn Presentation Update -- Rutz distributed copies of his presentation, noting that about 16 people attended last Tuesday. He discussed the Ady Voltage report in addition to the results of the surveys that he, Sarah, and Blase conducted. He also brought in Kelly Gildner from the Evansville Review to discuss advertising opportunities, as both analyses suggested that newspapers were the best way to reach potential customers. During the presentation, Rutz also discussed UWEX resources related to downtown business development. Slaback noted that the businesses in attendance were not necessarily the ones who would benefit most from hearing the information shared. Bauer noted that scheduling is always an issue, particularly when multiple programs are scheduled within a few days of each other or when there is not a lot of notice for programs. Slaback noted that she created a Facebook group for small business owners in Evansville where she can share this type of information. Brooks noted a few additional bullets to include in Slide 20, which highlights the City’s economic development efforts. This should include the ongoing contacts between the City and Capitol as they relate to championing energy interests, the fact that having public power is an economic advantage, and the connections the City has with Thrive and the regional workforce development organization. Decker noted that the City’s relationship with the Department of Tourism was also an asset. Brooks suggested that anyone distributing press releases send them to FM 105.9, as Evansville is their City of license. Brooks cited evidence that local events like the Chili Cook-Off are drawing people from all over the region, including Orfordville and Janesville. b. Action Items -- Nothing to report. c. Newsletter/Fact Sheet Series -- Sidoff noted that she would be working on a newsletter/fact sheet series to distribute to local businesses highlighting recommendations from the analyses and sharing relevant case studies. This is intended to reach businesses that may not attend in-person programs and spark their thinking about these ideas. 12. Economic Development Committee Handbook -- Sidoff distributed the list of resources she proposed including in the EDC Handbook and asked members for their feedback. Suggestions included: Section 1 - language from the City Code and the Comprehensive Plan about the duties of the EDC. Section 4 - Information on facilitated discussions between the EDC and the Chamber. Section 6 - Information on shared savings from the utility, County Revolving Loan Fund, and State financing programs. Section 7 - Information on Evansville Community Partnership. 13. New Business a. Welcome Packet for New Businesses -- Sidoff mentioned that the City was discussing the possibility of developing welcome packets for new businesses, which could include information on City resources, other businesses in town, and local organizations. EDC members were encouraged to think about ideas for what could be included in the welcome packets, as the group would discuss this concept at the next EDC meeting. b. Other -- Sidoff noted that the Chamber indicated it was not going to coordinate the Business Expo anymore, and EDC member Sarah Bauer had stepped up to coordinate the event. EDC members agreed that it would be important to discuss the target audience for the event. Berg noted that the Business Expo may be able to partner with the I & E Club, and Brooks noted that Creekside should be kept in the loop regarding discussions on the Expo. Mayor Decker noted that the State Historical Society had granted its approval for the disc golf course at Leonard-Leota Park. 14. Meeting Reminder: Next regular meeting April 15, 2013, 6:00 PM. 15. Motion to adjourn -- 7:19 PM by Berg/Bauer. --Jim Brooks, Chairman