Downtown Business Improvement District Minutes 02-24-2020

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      Downtown Muskegon Business Improvement District
                                      Meeting Minutes
                                       Feb. 24, 2020
                                          Muskegon City Hall
                                   933 Terrace Muskegon, MI 49440
                                              Room 103


1) Call to Order: 8:00 AM

   Attendance: Bob Tarrant, Bruce Lindstrom, Frank Peterson and Mike Hennessy.
    Excused Absent(s): Phyllis Watson-Laudermill, Kathy Denison and John Riegler.
   Guests: Dave Alexander, city Business Development Manager and LeighAnn Mikesell, City
   Development Director.
2) Consent agenda

       a) Approval of the agenda
       b) Approval of the Minutes from June 28, 2019 special meeting

   Motion to approve the consent agenda: Frank Peterson
   Support: Bruce Lindstrom
   All voted in favor

3) Public Comment (on an agenda item) – The board chose to leave the floor open for the
   whole meeting allowing attendees to participate as they like.


4) New Business

                            a) Accept the financial statement dated Jan. 31, 2020 and review
                               of financial position.

    Motion to accept: Frank Peterson
   Support: Bruce Lindstrom
   All voted in favor

                          b) BID-City DPW 2020 landscaping agreement
           Dave Alexander presented the 2020 BID-City DPW landscaping agreement. There
           were no work changes from the previous year but a 5 percent increase in the BID
           payment to DPW was added. The total cost for the season is $24,050.



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       Motion to approve the agreement: Frank Peterson
       Support Mike Hennessy
       Vote: All voted in favor

                      c) BID-Barry’s Flowers planter agreement for 2020
                         Dave Alexander presented the board the 2020 agreement for
                         72 planters in the downtown for materials and seasonal
                         maintenance. The quote was $13,485, which was 8.4 percent
                         increase over last year. The increase was due to increased
                         cost of flowers and labor, according to Dawn Berry.

 Motion to approve the agreement: Frank Peterson
Support: Bruce Lindstrom
All voted in favor

                      d) Harmony Park
                         The Muskegon Rotary Watch Muskegon Play instrument/public
                         art initiative asked for the BID to contribute to a $100,000 effort
                         that had already raised about $75,000. Of the five locations that
                         the city has agreed to install the artwork instruments, three are
                         within the BID. Dave Alexander recommended $1,000 donation
                         to assist the placement of the three within the BID, being at
                         Seventh/Shoreline, Olthoff Stage and the Farmers Market. BID
                         board members discussed more but came to the consensus
                         that $1,000 was appropriate, leaving potential future
                         contributions to other public art projects within the BID.

       Motion to approve the public art contribution: Bruce Lindstrom
       Support: Frank Peterson
       Vote: All voted in favor

                      e) Dave Alexander presented the BID board and overview of the
                         potential for paid parking on downtown streets within the BID as
                         a potential parking structure is developed. This is potential
                         source of downtown revenue in the future. The item was for
                         discussion, no vote taken.

                      f)   Dave Alexander presented a potential three-year renewal of the
                           BID beginning in Jan. 1, 2021. LeighAnn Mikesell gave a city
                           staff perspective on the need for continued revenues to support
                           downtown services in the next three years. Now that downtown
                           is in full development, there are property owners, investors,
                           businesses, institutions and residents counting on the current
                           level of service downtown, especially in landscaping and
                           sidewalk snow removal. The BID board had a full discussion
                           with no one happy about having to again have special property
                           assessments in the district but no one wanted to walk away
                           from the progress that has been made downtown. The three-
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                               year BID renewal proposal calls for $115,000 in revenues,
                               down from about 165,000 in the current BID. With the same
                               rates, the reduction was created by shrinking the size of the
                               BID to include just Western Avenue, Third Street, Clay Avenue,
                               Pine Street, Terrace Street and Third Street. The work plan
                               was reduced to just landscaping and sidewalk snow removal
                               within the smaller district. If the BID board will recommend this
                               plan, there should be a public information meeting prior to
                               sending the plan to the Muskegon City Commission, which
                               would have two public hearings before voting on the renewal. A
                               final decision would be needed by Oct. 31 if a BID special
                               assessment was to be implemented for 2021. A robust
                               discussion concluded on a general consensus in support of the
                               outline staff presented. No vote was taken but staff was
                               directed to start the renewal process.

                          g) Changes to downtown snow removal plan
                             There was some concern discussed on Facebook of weekend
                             sidewalk snow removal services during heavily attended
                             events. Downtown, the city DPW and venues will try to better
                             handled weekend snow storms. As the current snow season
                             comes to an end, what was learned this year will inform how
                             the service would be structured going into the 2020-21 snow
                             season if the BID was renewed. No vote was taken.

                          h) Marketing and events update
                             Dave Alexander provided the BID board with an update on
                             marketing and events for the remainder of the year.

                          i)   Downtown project update
                               Dave Alexander provided the BID board an update on
                               development and construction projects in the agenda packet.


5) Other Business

     a) Next meeting is Monday April 27, 8 a.m. at Muskegon City Hall Room 103

6) Adjournment
   9:10 AM
   No Objection
Minutes produced and submitted by Dave Alexander, city of Muskegon business development
manager




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