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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2012-07-11 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes July 11, 2012 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 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: Chair Skip Evans, Tony Annan, Brett Banfield, Mark Conrad, and Carolyn Lessenger. Also present were the following liaisons: City Councilmember Dr. Pat McGinnis, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Marcantel, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership representative Dan Seal, and Clear Creek Independent School District representative Eva DeCardenas. Absent from the meeting were Jeremy Magnuson, Pauline Moore, Bill Provenzano, and Hilmar Zeissig. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Morad Kabiri. Also present was Jeff Newpher of the Friendswood Journal. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call and introductions were made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Tony A n n a n made a motion to approve the June 6 and June 21, 2012 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Mark Conrad and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Elect Chair and Vice Chair No action was taken. 5. Discussion and possible action, but not limited to the Community and Economic Development Committee's strategic plan, goals, and action items. The committee reviewed and discussed their annual report to City Council. 6. Reports: Clear Creek ISD Eva reported that the Texas Association of School Boards named CCISD Superintendent, Dr. Gregg Smith, 2012 Superintendent of the Year for Region 4. There will be a citizens' advisory committee formed to assess facilities needs in the fall. Some of the campuses are getting crowded, aging, over capacity and using portables. CCISD is launching their second year of marketing with bus banners, website, and stadium which helps bring in additional revenues to the district. Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Marcantel reported that for the 4th of July Truck raffle, the Chamber paid $21,500 for the truck and raised another $21,000 in ticket sales. Jim Gibson, who won, had purchased 10 tickets. The Chamber is working on the Golf Tournament that is planned for October 11 and Leadership Friendswood which will begin in the fall with typically twelve candidates. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported that things seem to be surprisingly good here in Texas, and in the Houston area, the economy is good due largely to the Eagle Ford Shale project. Dan reported that he missed last month's meeting due to the Citizens for Space Exploration trip. CSE travelers that included City Councilmember Billy Enochs were in DC to advocate the importance of NASA. Representatives from twenty-nine states attended and tied the record for 355 visits with House of Representatives and Senators. The main message was to remind Washington of the big picture for NASA, and currently federal support is not for human space flight which, in turn hurts Texas since that is main focus of JSC. The argument was to shore up the budget and to focus on human space flight versus robotic space flight. Barbara Cutsinger recently attended the BIO tradeshow and BAHEP is working 55 active projects, more than it has ever been. They hope to have major announcement soon. A company purchased a 105,000 square foot building at Gemini and Saturn will move approximately 400 to 500 employees into the old USA building. Dan reported on a PUMPS and PIPES program which includes collaboration between Houston cardiologists, aerospace, and oil and gas sector. City Staff Morad Kabiri reported on the status of the International Property Maintenance Code and Alcohol ordinances. 7. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.