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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2010-06-02 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes June 2, 2010 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at 8:30 a.m., in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas, with the following members present: Vice Chair Skip Evans, Mark Conrad, Kirk Lippert, Pauline Moore, and Bill Provenzano. Liaisons present were City Councilmember Mike Barker, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Executive Director of Special Projects Dan Seal, Galveston County Economic Alliance President Don Gartman, and Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Jones. Also in attendance was Ivee Sauls of the Friendswood Journal. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Roger Roecker. Absent from the meeting were Brett Banfield, Cody Owen, Troy Waters, and Hilmar Zeissig. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:35 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Bill Provenzano made a motion to approve the May 5, 2010 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 reported that he contacted three restaurants during the month. There will be a Food Service Expo in Houston during the month of June sponsored by the Texas Restaurant Association and the Greater Houston Restaurant Association. Kirk Lippert, Bill Provenzano, and Karen Capps plan to attend the expo to meet new restaurant contacts. Karen Capps reported that she was contacted earlier this week by a representative of a sit down restaurant interested in the municipal grant program. B. Communications and Marketing -Live Here Work Here campaign Karen Capps reported that Holly Mickler, The Green Event Center, will be featured in the next economic development e-newsletter is on the front page of today's Friendswood Reporter News. Joe Perez offered to prepare an audio business testimonial that could be embedded in the e-news and placed on the LHWH webpage. -Community Video It was reported that Nick Haby provided Joe Perez a script of content to include in the community video. Once the community video is complete, work will commence on a short business recruitment video. Karen Capps reported that staff is moving forward with getting quotes and possibly funding a new City website. Reports from Google Analytics show over 18,000 webpage views during the month of May 2010. C. Business Retention Visits No report. 5. Discussion regarding the Chapter 380 municipal grant program. Karen Capps reported that Brett Banfield, Pauline Moore, Cody Owen, and Bill Provenzano reviewed the municipal grant guidelines. The group reviewed the Chapter 380 Municipal Grant Program policy guidelines in Section V. 2., regarding when a business may apply for a municipal grant, and found the current language still appropriate which states that application must be made before a building permit is requested. The small group would also like to review the basis on determining the monetary calculation of incentives awarded to businesses and also conduct an internal assessment of past grant project recipients. It was discussed how building market values will differ with assessed values on the ad valorem tax rolls. 6. Reports: Liaisons City Council Councilmember Mike Barker reported that once the election is over, a budget retreat workshop will be held. He also reported on a transportation district town hall meeting. Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Jones reported that the Chamber's monthly luncheon is this Thursday, June 3 with Terry Byrd speaking about hurricane preparedness. The next luncheon will be held in September at the new Green Event Center. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported on the annual Citizens for Space Exploration trip that was held May17- 19. There were 152 travelers from twenty-five different states, and 355 visits were conducted with U.S. Senators and Representatives during the two and one-half day trip. There is strong push back from Congress regarding President Obama's proposed 2010-11 budget for NASA. Dan also reported on a site selection consultant's recent visit to the area. The consultant's visit was sponsored by CenterPoint Energy. Jonathan Sangster, global location strategist for CB Richard Ellis met with bay area City representatives including Friendswood. Mr. Sangster gave the bay area Houston region high marks for good workforce, low cost of doing business, available incentives, and the region's collaborative attitude for working together. Dan also provided an update on the Ike Dike strategy, emphasizing its need and purpose as we enter another hurricane season. City Staff Karen Capps reported that she is working on the 2nd quarter e-newsletter which will include HomeTown Bank's recent grant award and groundbreaking ceremony, Dunn Brother Coffee Shop, Chase Bank, and other developments. She attended the Bay Area Commercial Real Estate Network Luncheon in May where there was a presentation regarding foreign trade zones and information about the Port of Houston. She will attend a new commercial real estate conference, Interface Houston, to make contact and network with commercial brokers and also attend the Southwest Food Expo that will be held on June 28 at George R. Brown Convention Center. She asked the committee to mark their calendars for the annual Gathering that will be held on July 3 to honor City employees and volunteers. 7. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:51 am.