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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2009-02-11 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes February 11, 2009 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, February 11, 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: Vice Chair Brett Banfield, Kirk Lippert, Pauline Moore, Cody Owen, and Troy Waters. Liaisons present were City Councilmember Mike Barker, Planning and Zoning Commissioner David O'Farrell, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Jones, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership representative Dan Seal, Friendswood Independent School District Superintendent Trish Hanks, and Griffin Integrated Marketing representative Deanna Wilke. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Roger Roecker. Absent from the meeting were Skip Evans, Bill Provenzano, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:04 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call and introductions were made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Cody Owen made a motion to approve the December 10, 2008 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Troy Waters and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion regarding interim Chair position. A new committee chair and vice chair will be elected in July. Meanwhile, Brett Banfield will continue in his role as Vice Chair. 5. Discussion and possible action regarding planning for an annual goal setting retreat. The committee discussed possible retreat locations and facilitators. The committee prefers to have a retreat in April possibly at BAHEP's offices. Karen Capps and Roger Roecker will coordinate the retreat. 6. Discussion and possible action, but not limited to the following goals and action items to be included in the Community and Economic Development Committee's 2008-09 strategic plan. A. Business Recruitment B. Business retention and expansion A tour of Jacob White Construction Company's green building for the CEDC, City Department Directors, and Mayor and Council is scheduled for February 18. An open house to the public is scheduled on February 24. Karen Capps also reported that she visited with two businesses in the last month. C. Incentives The committee was provided a copy of the resolution amending Neighborhood Empowerment Zone # 1 that was approved by City Council in December 2008. The draft tax abatement guidelines were reviewed by the committee. Some revisions will be incorporated into the proposed guidelines and brought back as an action item on next month's agenda. 5. Reports: A. Planning and Zoning David O'Farrell reported on possible changes to the current parking requirement guidelines. B. Liaisons Councilmember Mike Barker reported that City Council has been discussing a possible bond referendum for May of this year that would include a library, community center, and park improvements. Trish Hanks reported that on today's groundbreaking of the new junior high. The estimated date of completion is Fall 2010. Bids are out for the high school and natatorium. FISD was able to refinance some 1998 bonds to save interest costs. The Texas Public Policy Commission rated FISD as the most efficient school district in Texas. The ranking is determined from the cost per student and student performance. Ms. Hanks also reported that FISD Board of Trustees member Denise Ruiz will be the new CEDC liaison. Carol Jones reported that there were 220 persons that attended last week's "State of the City address" that was hosted by the Chamber. She is now working on the annual Fig Festival and Car Show that will be held on April 18. Dan Seal reported that BAHEP is off to a good start this year. Dr. Bob Hodgin, a UHCL economist and Dr. Steven Klineberg, a sociologist at Rice University, were the speakers at BAHEP's general membership luncheon. The message was that the economic stimulus was needed to help bring us out of a recession. The goods news was that Houston led the way in job creation last year with 28,000 new jobs in the Houston area. Houston is a diverse community. Harris County became a majority for minority population the first time in 2006. BAHEP's legislative committee will visit Austin on March 3-5 to focus on education, continued funding and support for the space program and economic incentive programs like the Governor's Texas Enterprise Fund that helps recruit business, Texas Emerging Technology Fund, and the Texas Skills Development fund which assist workforce/job training. C. Marketing Deanna Wilke reported that the first quarter e-newsletter is being created. A second billboard on FM 2351 should be displayed some time in April after the current billboard is removed. Content is being created for the Live Here Work here webpage of the City's website. Copies of news articles of interest were provided as hand outs. D. City Staff Karen Capps reported that a group is working on a local option election to sell alcoholic beverages in restaurants and beer and wine in grocery stores for the "dry" area of Friendswood. She also reported on a possible EDA grant that may fund some infrastructure in the city. A municipal grant application was just received that will be processed for committee review. The major employers list was updated and UTMB is now a major employer in the city with 97 employed in 4 clinics. Two groundbreakings should occur in the next few days — Parkwood Vision Center and Riley -Sherman Shipping Agency. Ms. Capps reported on other new businesses in the city. E. Project Status It was reported that the construction of Hometown Center will be rebid. 6. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:43 am.