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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2015-08-05 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes August 5, 2015 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 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 Pauline Moore, Brett Banfield, Mark Conrad, Skip Evans, Gary Kay, and Marcus Perry. Liaisons present were Councilmember Carl Gustafson, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Marcantel, Dan Seal - Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, and Bix Rathburn — President of the Galveston County Economic Alliance. Also present were City Councilmember Steve Rockey and Stephen Garcia of Community Impact Newspaper. Staff member present was Karen Capps. Absent from the meeting were Jeremy Magnuson, Bill Provenzano, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:34 a.m. 2. Roll call was made. There was a quorum and introductions were made with new committee member, Gary Kay. 3. Approval of Minutes. Marcus Perry made a motion to approve the July 1, 2015 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Pauline Moore and passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Elect possible new Chair and Vice Chair Brett Banfield made a motion to re-elect Pauline Moore as Chair, it was seconded by Skip Evans and passed unanimously in the committee. Skip Evans made a motion to elect Marcus Perry as Vice Chair, it was seconded by Brett Banfield and passed unanimously in the committee. 5. Discussion regarding process for future recommendations on downzonings. The process of relaying information to City Council on downzonings was discussed. Councilmember Rockey suggested the following: 1) CEDC provide City Council with a briefing report with informational bullet points to support their recommendation; 2) assign a CEDC member to make contact with a designated Councilmember to relay the committee's position; and 3) the committee provide recommendations on all commercial rezonings, not just downzonings. 6. Reports: City Council Councilmember Rockey reported that the trees have died in front of the new Exxon and the owner will be replacing them as required by City ordinance. Councilmember Gustafson complimented the committee on their hard work during the last year. He also reported on his recent trip to southern California and places he visited. Committee Members Brett Banfield reported that the Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association now has 50 volunteers and an advisory board. Their next meeting will be held on August 25 at the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce's board room. It was discussed that Skip Evans gave the CEDC's Annual Report to City Council at the August 3rd meeting which was well received. Committee members discussed having another bus tour. Karen will work on getting possible dates the tour could occur. Staff Karen Capps reported that the streetscaping, benches, and lighting project was approved by City Council at Monday's City Council meeting which will provide these amenities in front of City Hall, the fire station, and Stevenson Park. Carl Gustafson was reappointed as the CEDC liaison. Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Marcantel provided a copy of the new Chamber Directory publication. Chamber staff are preparing for the October 27 golf tournament at Timber Creek Golf Club. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported that BAHEP will hold their monthly general membership meeting on August 26 at Lakewood Yacht Club with U.S. Congressman Brian Babin as the speaker. Dr. Bill Merrill's storm surge suppression study should be ready by mid -September. Once the study is done, federal funding will be sought to implement the plan to build a coastal spine along Galveston Bay. 7. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:27 a.m.