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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-20-2017 Minutes of the Economic Development Commission City of Mounds View Ramsey County, Minnesota Regular Meeting January 20, 2017 City of Mounds View, Council Chambers 2401 County Road 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Jason Helgemoe called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 a.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Chair, Jason Helgemoe, Vice Chair, Jim Freichels, Commissioners, Dan Larson, Gary Stevenson & Laurie Shoop Members Absent: Jessica Rieland Staff Present: Business Development Coordinator, Brian Beeman Meeting Attendees: Gary Meehlhause, Teresa Muckala, Dennis Farmer 3. APPROVAL OF JANUARY 20, 2017, AGENDA Motion/Second: Commissioner Stevenson moved and Commissioner Shoop seconded the approval of the January 20, 2017 EDC agenda. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 4. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 16, 2016, EDC MINUTES Motion/Second: Commissioner Freichels moved and Commissioner Shoop seconded the approval of the December 16, 2016 EDC minutes, as presented. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 5. EDC BUSINESS Administer Oath of Office, Laurie Shoop and Dan Larson Having been confirmed by the EDA for consideration of appointment to the EDC, Business Development Coordinator Beeman administered the Oath of Office for Laurie Shoop and Dan Larson. Elect Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Business Development Coordinator Beeman provided the EDC with an overview of the by-laws relating to the appointment of the EDC Chair and Vice-Chairperson. Commissioner Freichels added, that the Commission has historically tried to have a Business and Resident Representative serve as Chair and Vice-Chair if possible EDC Minutes January 20, 2017 Page 2 of 5 provided the members are willing. Commissioner Stevenson said he didn't feel that he could serve as Chair since he was already serving as Chair on another Commission at the City. Commissioner Larson mentioned that he wouldn't be interested in the Chair position, but he would serve as the Vice Chair if needed. Commissioner Shoop said she was not interested. Chair Helgemoe asked Commissioner Freichels if he would be interested in becoming the Chair. Freichels agreed to serve in that capacity even though he is a Business Representative. Motion/Second: Commissioner Helgemoe moved and Commissioner Stevenson seconded the approval of Commissioner Freichels as the EDC Chair and Commissioner Larson as the Vice-Chair. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays Review Applications to the EDC and Make Recommendation to the EDA Coordinator Beeman informed the Commission that staff had advertised for Royal Dahlstrom's position who had resigned in November of 2016 and the City received two qualified applicants. Beeman informed the Commission that both candidates' applications were included in the EDC packet and staff is recommending the EDC review the applications then make a final recommendation to the EDA for approval. The candidate would then be sworn in at the February EDC meeting. Commissioner Freichels asked about Teresa's resume which had not been included in the packet. Beeman said historically, the candidates have presented their backgrounds to the Commission before a recommendation is made. Candidate Teresa Muckala presented her background to the EDC followed by candidate Dennis Farmer. Mrs. Muckala is a market intelligence employee in the Strategy Department at Medtronic she is a Mounds View resident. Mr. Farmer is a research analyst employee at the Metropolitan Council and he is also a Mounds View resident. Each Commissioner provided their thoughts and feedback on the candidates. The EDC felt that both candidates were highly qualified. Since there was only one opening, Chair Helgemoe offered to step down if needed to allow both candidates to serve. Commissioner Shoop also offered to resign if needed. Council Member Meehlhause who was in the audience offered that the EDC could consider going to 9 members and/or perhaps one of the candidates could serve as a Business Representative rather than a Resident Representative. The Commission had a question about Commissioner Rieland. Beeman informed the Commission that Commissioner Rieland is in transition and had recently been elected as a City Council Person in another city. It is not known if this could be considered a conflict or not. Commissioner Freichels asked about the guidelines for Business Representatives. Beeman said the By-laws only specify that the Commission have 7 members, four of whom must be residents of the City of Mounds View and the other three must be qualified Business Representatives having experience in a variety of business areas such as banking, CEO experience, etc. However, the By-laws are silent in specifying that the Business Representatives must be a resident or work at a business in Mounds View. Therefore, there is not a clear answer and it is believed the intent of EDC Minutes January 20, 2017 Page 3 of 5 leaving the residency requirement out is to allow for discretionary authority by the EDC to allow for quality Business Representatives. Helgemoe asked if the Commission could table the decision until staff has a chance to talk to Commissioner Rieland. Helgemoe asked if the EDC could email each other so that they would know what to do. Beeman informed the Commission that this is not allowed, as it would be a violation of the open meeting law. Instead, staff would need to contact Commissioner Rieland. Beeman suggested the EDC table the decision until staff has a chance to talk to Rieland. That way the EDC will know her opinion and have a better idea in order to make a decision. Commissioner Freichels suggested the EDC make a motion at the current meeting so that the appointment is not delayed. Motion/Second: Commissioner Freichels moved and Commissioner Stevenson seconded the recommendation to the EDA that both applicants be considered for appointment to the EDC contingent and dependent upon one of the EDC Commissioners resigning. If one of the Commissioners doesn't resign, then the recommendation will be rescinded and revisited at the February EDC meeting. Motion Carried: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays 6. REPORTS OF STAFF Crossroad Pointe Redevelopment Prosect Business Development Coordinator, Brian Beeman provided the Commission with an update on the Crossroad Pointe redevelopment site. Beeman informed the Commission that construction activities has slowed through the winter and will pick up again once the weather turns nicer in the spring. Beeman said he was in contact with Ramsey County on the regional trail opening and they informed him that the trail was closed due to a safety issue. They are working on fixing the issue and couldn't offer a specific timeline for a trail opening. Business Retention & Expansion Visit (BR&E) Updates Next Beeman updated the Commission on the business retention and expansion efforts. Beeman informed the Commission that most of the near 150 businesses have been visited. The remaining businesses have wished not to participate. Beeman said this is their choice and he can respect that. For the second year in a row, the City has received an award for the City's BR&E program from the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce. Beeman plans to revisit about a half dozen businesses in 2017 in between the newsletter and website upgrade projects. Beeman said he always tries to give EDC Commissioners an option to attend. Website Update Beeman informed the Commission that the City has approved moving forward with the company REVIZE for the new website. It will be a year process and the City is establishing their internal web committee to help in the design phase which addressed the color, theme, branding, pictures, etc. It is important to get the design phase right EDC Minutes January 20, 2017 Page 4 of 5 because the company will charge around a $100 per hour for changes once the design has been agreed to. The design phase will take about 5-6 months and the content migration and other final features will take approximately 7-17 weeks. Beeman also informed the EDC that the City is in the process of deciding upon a new newsletter company to print and distribute the City's Mounds View Matters. Staff is comparing bids and services and it is hoped to have a decision made in the next few months. Mounds View Boulevard The Mounds View Boulevard signs have been going up and businesses are encouraged to continue to update their letterhead and other distribution materials. North Metro Business Council The North Metro Business Council meeting will be held at the Mermaid Event Center March 8 starting at 7:30 a.m. The theme for the meeting will be Community Policing and Engagement. Mounds View's Police Chief Nate Harder is already confirmed and Commissioner Helgemoe, Beeman, and the Chamber are coordinating the Ramsey County Sheriff and a representative from the Met-Transit to speak. New Development Beeman said another developer is proposing a 52 unit workforce housing project in the west side of the city on the Cynthia Johnson property. They will be asking for a Housing TIF up to $600,000 at a 15 year term and they will also be applying for Housing Tax Credits in order to make the project work. The developers must show that they have control of the property and that the City is participating which increased the application score. They expect to start construction April 2018 and complete construction and the lease up June 2019. The Council is generally fine with their initial proposal; however they will need to review the Housing TIF numbers when that time comes. The resident income cannot exceed 60% of the area median income ($59,760 for a family of 4) and the residents are responsible for the payment of rent. The developer has completed several of these projects across the metro and in other states. Sherman & Associates had also proposed a workforce housing project; however it was planned for the Crossroad Pointe site. However, they ended up backing out because they didn't feel that the Council's vision aligned with what they were proposing for that particular site. They left the door open in case the vision changes or the economic trends change. 7. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS Helgemoe asked Commissioners if they had any reports. Helgemoe said we was doing a polar plunge and encouraged others to join him or help in donating to the cause. Beeman also informed the Commission of the North Metro Home & Garden Show to be held at the Sports Arena in Blaine on February 4, 2017. There will also be an ugliest EDC Minutes January 20, 2017 Page 5 of 5 room contest with the prize worth $1,000. Hearing no further reports, Helgemoe moved to the next agenda item. 8. NEXT REGULAR EDC MEETING Chair Helgemoe reminded everyone that the next EDC meeting will be held February 17, 2017 at 7:30 a.m. 9. ADJOURN There being no further business, Chair Helgemoe adjourned the January 20, 2017, meeting at 8:17 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Brian Beeman Business Development Coordinator