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05-02-1996 CITY OF EDGEWATER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD REGULAR MEETING May 2, 1996 6:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Fong called to order a regular meeting of the Economic Development Board at 6:36 p.m., Thursday, May 2, 1996 in the Conference Room of the Department of Community Development. ROLL CALL: Members present were Chairman Philip Fong, Richard Jones, William Fair, and Karl Gerwe. Also present were Tom Alcorn, Ocean Properties, and Liz McBride, Board Coordinator. John Browning and Randolph Churchill were recorded absent. Mr. Browning arrived at 6:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: After Chairman Fong clarified a few of his statements, and Mr. Gerwe corrected a word, the Chairman approved the minutes of March 4, 1996 as corrected. CONTINUED BUSINESS: 1. Grant Solicitation for Marketing Material Chairman Fong asked for an update of businesses solicited. Mr. Fair said the K -Mart manager was unavailable until late May, and he himself would be away until early June. He said he filled out forms at Winn Dixie and Publix which would then be forward to their corporate headquarters for responses. Mr. Fair said he had not heard back from the grocery stores. When he called Eckerd, Mr. Fair was told he needed to speak to the district manager, and would probably meet with him in June. Mr. Fair said he was disappointed in the negative responses he had received from those he spoke to. Chairman Fong said he spoke to the manager of Wal -Mart who then sent a grant application for their Industrial Development Program. The Chairman said it looked very encouraging because the average pledge amount to a qualified recipient was $4,000 to $6,000, payable over a one to two year period. He informed the Board he was in the process of completing the application for submittal. Mr. Browning said he received a commitment from Coronado Paint for $1,000, and may have someone else interested in contributing. Chairman Fong circulated the grant application, referring to the attachment which would accompany it. The Chairman then entertained a motion to approve the attachment. Mr. Gerwe moved to approve the Industrial Development Grant Application Attachment, seconded by Mr. Fair. Motion CARRIED 5 -0 ` 1 Economi velopment Board Noe Minutes May 2, 1996 Page -2- 2. Community Round -Table Briefing (Mayor & City Manager) a. Collection of Information from Various City Departments - Chairman Fong said at the conclusion of the meeting, the City Manager suggested setting up a box in the Board Coordinator's office to serve as a collection area for information to be channeled to the EDB from the different departments. Mr. Gerwe mentioned the Mayor and the City Manager were extremely cooperative, and felt they were not aware the EDB had not been receiving some of the information (i.e., new businesses, other things going on in the City). Mr. Gerwe said the Mayor indicated the sensitivity in some cases; that some businesses didn't want their inquires to be known. b. OEDP 1996 Update - Chairman Fong said they would keep the same projects, with an addition. He said the Mayor suggested adding the City of Edgewater being the utility provider, of water and sewer, in the southeast Volusia area, south of City limits. The water and sewer capacity were then discussed. c. Economic Development Summit in September - Chairman Fong said the summit would be informational in nature and would be held in September, possibly at DBCC. He asked the Board to think about topics of discussion. 3. Joint Meeting with SCORE - Chairman Fong said, having a joint meeting with SCORE was discussed previously by the Board to see how the EDB could network with them and utilize their resources. He said the meeting was scheduled for May 16, 1996, at 6:30 in the Community Development conference room. 4. Business Prospect Management Program a. Determine Objectives - Chairman Fong referred to the April minutes where the objectives were listed. Mr. Fair said he would like to go back to item #1.a. He said he received positive responses from small business owners. Chairman Fong indicated he didn't want to solicit small business. After further discussion, it was determined to wait to see the dollar amount contributed by the larger businesses before considering contacting small businesses. Chairman Fong asked the Board to refer to the April 4th minutes, item 2.a., Determine Objectives. Mr. Gerwe asked how many prospects requested the help of the EDB. The Chairman answered about three or four last year. He said the EDB needed a management system to go hand -in -hand with the marketing brochure. Mr. Fair asked if business leads would actually be funneled through the EDB. Mr. Jones said there was great discussion on this subject at the round -table briefing, and one of the primary concerns was confidentiality. b. Devise Program Content & Guidelines - Chairman Fong said the first objective was to identify potential prospects and asked the Board how they would do it. Mr. Gerwe said, through referrals from VCBDC or the Chamber. Chairman Fong said the real contact point would be City offices. The Board discussed how they would receive needed information. Mr. Fair said the EDB needed to devise a questionnaire or an application for use by City personnel. Chairman Fong suggested a registry. Tom Alcorn, Ocean Properties, suggested giving those requesting information on opening a business, control numbered packets, thereby keeping track of the number of inquiries. so/ Economi, Board Minutes - May 2, 1996 Page -3- He said an EDB member's card could be attached to the front of the packet, and City personnel could suggest contacting that member to "walk them through the process" of starting a business. Discussion followed on ways to make the public aware of the EDB services. Mr. Jones said it was discussed at the last meeting, establishing a flow chart on the process and procedure of starting a business, which he felt the EDB needed. Chairman Fong suggested assigning an EDB member to different City departments to find out what forms and information are distributed. The members and their assigned departments were: Mr. Browning, the Building Department; Mr. Gerwe, Utilities (water /sewer); Mr. Jones, the City Clerk's office (occupational licenses); and Mr. Fair, the Department of Community Development. The Chairman asked that the members report their findings at the June 6, 1996 meeting. Chairman Fong said the Board would table item 4.c., Deferment & Directives to Chamber's Participation, until the next meeting. He said he would like to accomplish this program by October. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Develop Checklist for OEDP Projects Chairman Fong referred to the City Newsletter, which outlined the four strategic areas. He said the Board should concentrate its efforts on Park Avenue. Chairman Fong said the City Manager mentioned at the round -table meeting, that there is a master study being done for the Utilities Department which should be completed soon. He said the study would show the CIP priorities, and the Board should review that report. Chairman Fong said, at the Council meeting on May 20, 1996, the issue of the comprehensive plan amendment for Guava Drive and Hibiscus Drive will be on the agenda. He said the Board needed to gather support for the land use change. He felt this would be an important change for the economic development future. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS REPORTS: Chairman: 1. Response to Beautification & Tree Committee (BTC) Memorandum - Chairman Fong circulated his response to the memorandum from the BTC requesting EDB input. He wrote in the memo that the BTC should refer to the "Business Climate & Supplies Linkage Study" for direction about the Edgewater Pride Campaign. 2. 1996 Southeast Volusia Business Expo - Chairman Fong asked for the members feed- back. Mr. Fair felt it was a waste of time, and that 75 percent of attendees were interested in "free - bes." Mr. Jones also felt it wasn't for the EDB. Chairman Fong thought it wasn't a place for business prospecting but more of a public relations for the City. Mr. Gerwe said he received a complaint about the condition of the businesses on US 1. The Board felt the manning of the booth should be a joint effort; to include other departments. Chairman Fong referred to a follow -up letter and survey from the Chamber, which the Board proceeded filling out. Nit,, Economi Board Minutes - May 2, 1996 Page -4- Tom Alcorn, Ocean Properties, said about a year ago, he met with the Chairman of the Board of Realtors and a few others, who then shared their ideas with the general membership on centralizing their property information. He said the general membership's response was negative, that they wanted to be contacted personally and do their own research. Mr. Alcorn then said he met with a company from Connecticut who had worked with Morgan Gilreath, Volusia County Property Appraiser. Mr. Alcorn said this company now had all the data from Volusia County pertaining to property, i.e. tax rolls, plats, city maps, all the information on zoning, where the property is physically on the map (longitude and latitude), could indicate the total square footage of the property, etc. Mr. Alcorn said the EDB could utilize this service through him. Mr. Browning asked about subscribing to that service. Mr. Alcorn said the fee was $1,500 per year. Members: Mr. Browning said he spoke to Bob Keesecker when he solicited funds from Coronado Paint. He stated, Mr. Keesecker said the economic development in Edgewater ran counter - productive to his efforts. He said, last year Coronado had a 4 -6 people turn-over rate (in just the expansion area), and typically it is only 2 -3 people per year. He felt the reason was the job force in Volusia County and Southeast Volusia County is very, very limited. Mr. Browning said by bringing new businesses to town, we are essentially tapping their labor market. Mr. Keesecker felt the work force needed more education/training. Chairman Fong felt workers' attitudes about work in general was a deeper problem. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion was made and approved to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:19 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Elizabeth J. McBride, Board Coordinator Economic Development Board c:ledb\minutes1050296.reg