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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-09-2017 Minutes _ - ����� � P� BIA Ratepayer Board IV�eeting �� � October 9, 2017— 1:00 PM �� �'� �y ° r� ��,����..N���;�-,�� Auburn City Hall Council Chambers MINUTES I. CALI TO ORDER Roll Call The meeting was called to order at 1:18 pm by Vice Chair, Giovanni DiQuattro. Board Members present:Vice Chair Giovanni DiQuattro, Board Members Josef' Forsberg, Kelly Gordon, Darren Jones, Bob Klontz, Ronnie Roberts, and Laura Theimer. Board Members absent: Chair Megan White, Lynda Krill, Kirk Lantier, Ruth Neil-Stover,and William Cowart (alternate voting member). Staff present: Doug Lein, Economic Development Manager; Tourism Coordinator Chachere; Officer Darrell lones; and Holly Ferry, Board Secretary. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Board Member Gordon moved and Member Theimer second to approve the September 11, 2017 minutes. ' MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 7-0 III. FINANCIAL REPORT Economic Development Manager poug Lein reported that there had been no change to the financial report since last month. IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on Draft to Ordinance G658 Manager Lein reported that the first hearing and briefing of the draft ordinance with Council will take place at the Council Study Session on October 9 at 5:30 pm in City Hall Council Chambers. There was an error on the date for public hearing that will be taken care of at the next Council meeting,and the publie hearing will be November 6 at 7:00 pm in Cify Hall Council Chambers. Several Board members agreed to attend the Study Session. B. Brandin�and Marketin�for the Fourth Quarter Tourism Coordinator Lorraine Chachere presented some ideas that could be coordinated and promoted to bring people to downtown and through the doors of downtown businesses:Trick or Treating;Small Business Saturday; a Christmas Tree Festival launch where shoppers could vote for their favorite tree. This would also highlight the three Christmas tree farms in Auburn. She also presented the current plan for a Mardi Gras parade in conjunction with Geaux Brewing and The Quarters restaurant and the possibility of a spring fling wine walk or craft beer event. The Board was informed of the Tourism goals:to make viewers see Auburn in a new way; to change their perception of Auburn;to share something that might be new to them;to generate enthusiasm and participation of the current residents;to cultivate civic pride, to promote Auburn's attractions—both retail and restaurants; and to keep resident and visitor spending in Auburn.The Board viewed the Tourism video clips. 12-Week Di�ital Campai�n Collaboration Coordinator Chachere presented the draft form of the Tourism video clips,which are targeted more toward locals and have more of a downtown focus. She informed the Board that the Tourism Board would like to conduct a comprehensive 12-week digital campaign featuring the video with a modified portion of Mayor Backus,tying it together with the messaging on multiple platforms—YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. It would allow targeting of people geographically and accumulating data to know precisely the demographic that is watching the ads to completion, which would give a better understanding of the ROI and how to target rnarketing efforts. It would have an anticipated start date of October 13 and run through January 4. She requested the Board collaborate with the Tourism Board and Economic Development on this project, as a small start in an ongoing relationship with the BIA, by allocating$2,500 to have a profound impact on this campaign. Board Member Theimer moved and Member Roberts second to budget and partner with the Tourism Board $2,500. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 7-0 Downtown Aesthetic_Improvements The question was raised about the status of the prior work that had been done on making aesthetic improvements to downtown. Manager Lein informed the Board that the Planning Department still has it in the works, but he was unsure about the status. Staff from the Planning Department will give a briefing at the next meeting. Explore Auburn Website The new Explore Auburn Tourism website was discussed. Because the Tourism Board has been looking for a new agency that would maintain the site, Member Jones agreed to supply the contact information for some local agencies he has used. Coordinator Chachere presented the Explore Auburn Tourism website to the Board and explained its features. She also informed the Board that another fourth quarter project the Tourism Board is working on is a user-friendly,two- sided tear-off map of Auburn that is not to scale but would featu�e major icons showing what there is to do in Auburn and would highlight the downtown core shopping and dining.The other side would tie-in to the website and include a QR code that would connect people to the website,which would give more detail. V. NEW BUSINESS A. Report on Police's Approach to Parking Manager Lein introduced Officer Darrell Jones, and reminded the Board that Auburn Police Department does not make the rules for downtown parking. They only enforce the current rules that were set forth by City Council. OfficerJones informed the Board that there are fwo parking enforcement officers who are assigned to the police department who handle parking issues. Much of the long- standing problem with semi-trucks has been alleviated, and permits are now required. The question was raised about where to report abandoned vehicles. Officer Jones suggested that it is easiest and most effective to file a report on the City website where it will be handled in an extremely timely manner. There was discussion about the lack of parking for business owners, customers, and employees and the need for a city parking garage.There was also discussion about the possibility of bringing parking meters into downtown, which would increase revenue. Manager Lein informed the Board that he would have staff from Community Development come to the next meeting to give an update on structured parking options. B. Decide on Three Ad Woc Nominees Members Bob Klontz, Kelly Gordon, and Ronnie Roberts volunteered to participate on the ad hoc committee. An ad hoc update will be included on the. monthly BIA agenda, and the ad hoc committee will be given the opportunify to update the Board if needed. C. Parkin�Survev Discussion Manager Lein requested the previous survey report be sent to the Board for their review and offered some guidelines for what to include on the next survey. VI. AUBURN DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION UPDATE Board Member Theimer reported on the budget.They would like to have a quarterly event where they would hire an event coordinator with some up-front money, and the coordinator would also get a percentage of the profits from the e�ent.A few events that are set and can be supported are the Chocolate Walk;the Art, Wine, and Music Walk; and the Mardi Gras Parade. Manager Lein commented that, once they get their calendar together, Economic De�elopment has budget money available to help promote ADA activities. He also suggested that there are many businesses , outside the BIA that would like to be a part of the BIA, and participation in the ADA could help to fill a void of embracing a membership of someone that is outside the BIA. The importance of having a collective voice was discussed. VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board,the meeting adjourned at 2:50 pm. APPROVED this 13th day of November, 2017. . � _t Giovanni DiQuattro, Vice Chair Holly Ferry, Board Secr tary