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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2009-11-18 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes November 18, 2009 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at 8:00 a.m., in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas, with the following members present: Chair Brett Banfield, Mark Conrad, Kirk Lippert, Bill Provenzano, Troy Waters, and Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were Trish Hanks of Friendswood ISD, Eva DeCardenas of Clear Creek ISD, Carol Jones of the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce, Dan Seal of Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, and Don Gartman of the Galveston County Economic Alliance. Staff member present was Karen Capps. Absent from the meeting were Skip Evans, Pauline Moore and Cody Owen. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:12 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Hilmar Zeissig made a motion to approve the October 21, 2009 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Bill Provenzano and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion and possible action, but not limited to the Community and Economic Development Committee's 2009-10 goals and action items. A. Retail/Restaurant Attraction Kirk Lippert reported on a plan to attract restaurants to the community. There will be follow up with attendees from the broker and developer day event. Karen Capps reported that she sent the retail flyer by email to about twenty restaurants and the Greater Houston Restaurant Association will send an email with the retail flyer and include information about the recent election. The retail tenant directory will be used to target other possible restaurants. Karen said she will contact owners of existing shopping centers in town. B. Communications and Marketing Karen Capps reported that she is working on the next Live Here Work Here feature for the 4t' quarter e-news. Window decals and t-shirts have been ordered. An application to trademark the new logo is being submitted to the Secretary of the State of Texas. C. Business Retention Visits It was reported that several members attended the grand opening of Parkwood Animal Hospital and the pre -grand opening of La Vino Clozet. A tour of Park Plaza is scheduled directly after the CEDC meeting. 5. Reports: Liaisons Friendswood ISD Trish Hanks reported that Westwood Elementary earned the National School of Character award. Friendswood High School earned a magnet award for engineering. The FHS boys cross country won the regional championship, and the Mighty Mustangs band won the silver medal at competition. Superintendent Hanks also gave an update on facility construction and renovations. Clear Creek ISD Eva deCardenas reported that two new schools were just named at the Education Village. Clear Falls High School and Bayside Intermediate School will both open in the Fall of 2010. Karen Engle was selected as Clear Falls' principal and Jo Beth Brizendine as Associate Principal. The Inside CCISD program is on its fourth class which includes information about technology and school finance. The last class will be held in December. Chamber Carol Jones reported that ads are available in the annual Chamber Directory and Guide Book. Bill Provenzano will be the incoming Chairman of the Chamber starting in 2010. The State of the City annual luncheon will be held in March of 2010. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal said there was a large delegation in Texas from Berlin. With the help of Hilmar Zeissig and Dan Seal, four journalists toured Lockheed Martin and were able to see the CREW exploration vehicle. Dan reported that CDBG funding is being sought for the Ike Dike study. There was a successful launch of the space shuttle on Monday, November 16 and there should be five more launches before the space shuttle is retired. BAHEP hosted a successful golf tournament with several that participated from Friendswood. Dan also reported on BAHEP's tradeshow booth at the ICSC in San Antonio and that feedback from retailers is that they are cautiously optimistic. Galveston County Economic Alliance Don Gartman reported that the Small Business Development Center has been more active. Don provided a report on the Bolivar peninsula and the recent news about BP. City Staff Karen Capps reported on the recent goal setting retreat that CEDC attended with other committees, Mayor, City Council, and City staff. A reports was given of recent prospects. BAHEP has scheduled a broker visit with Moody Rambin that she will attend. A grant for downtown sidewalks is being explored. 6. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 am.