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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2010-01-13 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes January 13, 2010 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 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, Skip Evans, Mark Conrad, Kirk Lippert, Pauline Moore, Cody Owen, and Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were City Councilmember Mike Barker, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Jones, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership representative Dan Seal, and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Mark McLean. Also in attendance were Friendswood resident Chris Turner and Jim Wright of the Reporter News. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Nick Haby. Absent from the meeting were Bill Provenzano and Troy Waters. 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 November 18, 2009 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Kirk Lippert 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 gave a report on efforts to attract more restaurants to the city. He reported that the Texas Tea Room and Cafe just opened. Karen Capps reported that the retail flyer was published in the City economic development e-newsletter, the Texas Real Estate Business magazine, and the Greater Houston Restaurant Association's e-news. Ms. Capps also stated she received two inquiries from potential restaurants during the last month. B. Communications and Marketing -Live Here Work Here campaign Karen Capps reported that the window decals and t-shirts arrived and she has begun to deliver these to businesses. The billboard on FM 2351 was removed on December 24 and she will contact the owner for future placement possibly in April. The LHWH webpage on the City's website was updated. Rancho Mexican Restaurant was featured in the 4t' quarter 2009 e- news. A LHWH ad was created for the Chamber membership directory. C. Business Retention Visits Carol Jones suggested that CEDC members start attending ribbon -cuttings and open houses. She will begin to forward weekly updates on Chamber activities. 5. Reports: Liaisons Planning and Zoning Commissioner Mark McLean reported that the final plat approval for property that may include a future hotel is scheduled for their Thursday night P&Z meeting. He stated there were many residents that spoke in opposition of the hotel and asked for CEDC's feedback. City Council Councilmember Mike Barker reported that bids were opened yesterday on the FM 518 Downtown Drainage project. There were seven bids, the lowest being about $2.4 million which was considerably lower than the City's project cost estimates. Chamber Carol Jones reported that the Chamber's annual banquet will be held this Saturday at the Houston Hobby Marriott Hotel. It was also reported that the 2010 annual golf tournament will be held on Monday, November 8 at Timber Creek Golf Club. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported that four projects will locate or expand in the bay area which include Mustang Engineering, a salt water treatment facility in Pasadena, the coast guard will move to Ellington Field with 300 employees, the City of Houston Police Helicopter squadron will relocate from Hobby Airport to Ellington, and a valve and instrument company will move from Louisiana to the Fairmont Parkway area. He said that BAHEP is still pushing the benefits of the human space program instead of a robotics space program and that the Citizens for Space Exploration's advocacy helps by educating and informing top level representatives in Washington, D.C. when the group visits annually. Dan also reported that BAHEP's annual banquet will be held on January 22 in which State Rep. Craig Eiland will be honored with the Quasar award. City Staff Karen Capps reported that she and Kirk Lippert graduated from the Inside CCISD program and recommended other members to attend in the future. A report on recent prospects was given along with a status report on the EDA grant. 6. Adiournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:26 am.