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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001.12.11 MINUTES • CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES December 11, 2001 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Economic Development Authority was held at City Hall, 7516 80th Street South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota on the 11th day of December 2001. CALL TO ORDER Sandy Shiely called the meeting to order at 7:00 AM. ROLL CALL • Members Present: Glen Kleven, Dick Pederson, Sandy Shiely, Fred Luden, Gerard Weingartner, and Mike Wennen. Members Absent: Jim Wolcott. Others Present: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator Michelle Wolfe, Assistant City Administrator Scott Johnson, Management Analyst Dennis Neitz, River Oaks Golf Course Sue O'Connell, River Oaks Golf Course. APPROVAL OF MINUTES No minutes were put on the agenda for this meeting. Project Updates Walgreen's— Currently doing site preparation for spring construction Kohl's—There will be a feasibility report for the next Council meeting. ED-01-035 — Cottage Grove is on the short list for this project. They have asked for additional information. • First Industrial — Currently looking into the feasibility of building a multi-tenant building in the Industrial Park. They are still marketing for possible tenants. ti Economic Development Authority- Minutes • December 11, 2001 • Page 2 Vanguard - Currently looking into the feasibility of building a multi-tenant building in the Industrial Park. Marketing for possible tenants Cedarhurst—Trying to get a conditional use permit related to obtaining a liquor license. New Elementary School —The EDA wants to send a letter in support of naming the new Elementary School "Cottage Grove" Elementary. Marketing Materials Annual Report—The EDA approved the 2001 Annual Report. Ad Campaign — The EDA will continue to advertise in the MN Real Estate Journal and City Business. They may look at other publications for 2002. Photos for advertising — EDA members like the current ad campaign put together by staff. They want to continue with the "Growth Partners" theme in all advertising. Marketing Folders — The updated marketing folders will be distributed at the next meeting. Advertising Plan — Staff hopes to have an advertising plan for 2002 will be on the next • agenda. EDA Bylaws Three options for changes to the EDA bylaws were discussed and reviewed: 1. Adopt the bylaws approved by Council on October 17, 2001. 2. EDA adopted bylaws several months ago. These were presented to the City Council who approved them with the two referenced changes. The EDA could decide to ask the City Council to reconsider the bylaws already adopted by the EDA. 3. The EDA could adopt the attached bylaws with some modifications or changes. These would then need to be presented to the City Council for approval. The EDA discussed the possible basis for the suggested changes. The change regarding Executive Director will require changes throughout the rest of the Bylaws, since several duties and responsibilities are assigned to that position. It was noted that even stating that there shall be an Executive Director does not mean that it is a full-time position, rather that it is an assignment that is made, which could be part of an existing position's job description. The EDA members voiced concern that limiting the EDA President position to a City Council member means losing flexibility. For example, if the two Council representatives on the EDA do not want to be President for reasons such as scheduling or work conflicts, it would require a bylaws change for someone else to hold the position. The EDA approved a motion to ask the City Council to reconsider the Bylaws as originally proposed by the EDA. However, they included one other change: • Economic Development Authority- Minutes • December 11, 2001 Page 3 that the section regarding "order of business" be changed to reflect the current agenda format used for EDA meetings. The motion passed by a vote of 5 to 1. 2002 Business Breakfast The City Administrator and the Mayor will do a "tag-team" approach to the State of the City address at this year's event. The invitations for this year's event will be sent out in the near future. 2002 Golf Outing The EDA has approved the idea of having different levels of hole sponsorships. The levels for the 2002 golf outing will be: Platinum Partner, Gold Partner, Silver Partner, and Bronze Partner. • River Oaks Banquet Service Dennis Neitz and Sue O'Connell discussed a River Oaks proposal to keep more of the catering at the golf course in-house. This would give the staff more control over the quality and the consistency of the catering. This would also help increase the profit margin for the clubhouse. The EDA members had a number of concerns about this proposed change. Kitchen facility may need to be expanded to accommodate groups of over 400 people. Offering just River Oaks as the caterer would take away choices from the customers. There is also the perception that the City is taking away business from the other area caterer's. Plus, there were some concerns over staffing for catered events. River Oaks is not opposed to cutting down the list of caterer's because only three do 95% of the catering at River Oaks. When River Oaks does the catering, staff prepares a majority of the food in-house. Some caterers and restaurants make and re-heat the entrees. River Oaks makes all of the food the same day so it is fresh. There are currently five staff members who are trained in all of the areas for catering. If the catering becomes successful, at a certain point River Oaks will look into a full-time staff member for cooking. The EDA wants River Oaks to keep their high quality and standards. A motion was carried to continue the caterer choice options, but limit to two or three options. Caterers must comply with River Oaks standards and quality to cater events. The EDA also requested that the staff begin to research the feasibility of expanding the kitchen area. Economic Development Authority- Minutes December 11, 2001 • Page 4 2002 Strategic Plan The staff is currently developing a rough draft for the new strategic plan for the EDA. Staff would like comments on the direction and policy concerns of the new plan. There are two questions the EDA should address: 1. Is the format sufficient? 2. What changes should be made to the draft? The EDA wants the main text of the plan sent out to members over e-mail. There will be a Council workshop in February. Staff would like to present the new EDA Strategic Plan to Council at this event. The bulk of the January meeting will be spent on this item. Transit Park and Ride The Met Council, MNDot, and the City are currently looking for a permanent Park and Ride location in Cottage Grove. The Met Council has reviewed a number of sites. The Met Council prefers two sites. One site is located on the east side of the Rodeo. The other site consists of two parcels at the northwest corner of Jamaica and Highway 61. There are also a number of possible sites in the Langdon area being reviewed. Staff would like the EDA's preferences on site locations for the Park and Ride. The EDA thought parts of Langdon would be a good place for the Park and Ride because of its proximity to the railroad for future commuter rail and the historic railroad station. The historic buildings can be moved and incorporated in the Park and Ride. They also like the location next to the Rodeo because of the possible opportunities for spin-off development. There is also some concern about wetlands with this property. The EDA also liked the northwest corner of Jamaica and Highway 61 for a Park and Ride because this parcel will not be able to be developed. This intersection would also need to be upgraded for a Park and Ride. The EDA wants the Park and Ride to be put in a site with some commercial vision and some high density housing nearby. ADJOURN Mayor Shiely adjourned the meeting at 9:40 AM. Respectfully submitted, Scott Johnson Management Analyst •