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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2010-02-03 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes February 3, 2010 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, February 3, 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, 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 representatives Dan Seal and David Braun, and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jim Gibson. Also in attendance was Ivee Sauls of the Friendswood Journal. Staff members present were Karen Capps, Nick Haby, and Roger Roecker. Absent from the meeting were Mark Conrad, Skip Evans, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:11 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Kirk Lippert made a motion to approve the January 13, 2010 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Bill Provenzano and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion with Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership regarding NASA funding. David Braun, Aerospace Marketing Manager for the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, gave a report on NASA funding stating that there is a lot of uncertainty regarding future funding. He said there are approximately 18,400 total jobs in the region related to NASA-JSC of which 3,400 are civil employees and 15,000 aerospace contractors. There are approximately 35,000 secondary jobs in the region as a result of NASA. There are 3,000 employees in the region that are part of the shuttle and expect about 2,000 of those would be transitioned into other jobs and some could retire. There are 2,400 employees that work on the Constellation program and about 1,400 on Orion. Three -hundred employees are expected to work on the space suit contract when that begins. If the Constellation program ends, then 5,000 to 5,500 employees could be terminated. It is unknown how many secondary jobs will be affected in the region. The Citizens for Space Exploration trip to Washington, DC will be on May 17 and there may be a delegation going on an earlier trip in March. It is estimated that Florida will lose 7,000 jobs when the shuttle stops. Congressman Pete Olson will hold a meeting on February 17 at NASA Hilton Hotel to bring the region together and discuss this issue. 5. 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 that he will meet with a representative of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association and has met with two restaurateurs. Birraporetti's announced they were taking the space where Babbo Bruno's was located. B. Communications and Marketing -Live Here Work Here campaign T-shirts and window decals are being distributed. There will be an ad in the upcoming Chamber Membership Directory. Staff will inquire when the billboard on FM 2351 will become available again. -City Communications Ad Hoc Committee Chair Banfield said the ad hoc committee has met once and are working on recommendations on how to improve communications. Nick Haby reported that the City now has a web link to access city records. The City now has 80 followers on Twitter. C. Business Retention Visits Bill Provenzano encouraged CEDC members to attend Chamber ribbon -cuttings and events. 5. Reports: Liaisons Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jim Gibson reported that P&Z is reviewing the permitted use table. He also reported that more people are looking at subdividing land in residential subdivisions. Residents can rezone large lots to single-family residential estate zone to ensure that lots aren't subdivided. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal said that Friendswood was well represented at BAHEP's Quasar Award banquet. He also reported that BAHEP will have a booth at the Heli Expo that will be held on February 21-23 at George R. Brown Convention Center. BAHEP continues to work on pushing forward with the Ike Dike concept. City Staff Karen Capps reported on the International Economic Development Council conference that she recently attended in The Woodlands. She also reported that the downtown drainage project will begin in the next few weeks and take about nine months to complete. Clearwood Business Park is waiting for written approval from Exxon regarding an easement. Ms. Capps explained the measurement of the distance for where alcoholic beverages may be sold. The municipal grant for Park Plaza is being processed and a grand opening will be scheduled. The committee suggested the City order a big presentation check for these events. There were more commercial inquiries during the last month. There were 19 residential permits in January. 6. Adiournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 am.