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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999.03.09 EDA MINUTES-APPROVED CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES March 9, 1999 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 9th day of March 1999. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. by Mayor Denzer. • ROLL CALL Members Present: Jack Denzer, Glen Kleven, Fred Luden, Dick Pederson, Gerard Weingartner, Jim Wolcott Members Absent: Donna Boehm Others Present: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator Michelle Wolfe, Assistant City Administrator Dan King, Management Analyst Neil Belscamper, Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES Wolcott moved to approve the February 9, 1999 EDA Minutes. Luden seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 4.A. BUSINESS BREAKFAST RE-CAP Wolfe commented that 61 people had signed in, but she and Luden felt that approximately 80 or 90 people had actually attended. There was a lack of elected officials at the event, Wolcott remarked, but noted the representation from DTED and MNDOT. Luden felt that there was a lot of positive feedback, and Schroeder asked if anyone thought there were ways to improve the event in the future. Pederson questioned whether an event of this sort should be conducted more often, and • wondered how to increase involvement from local business associations. Pederson also suggested bringing in someone from the education community to give a presentation. Schroeder asked whether people liked the State-of-the-City format. Several members • Economic Development Authority - Minutes March 9, 1999 Page 2 replied in favor of the format, saying that it had been done often in the past, notwithstanding recent years. Wolcott stressed the importance of having department heads in attendance. Pederson concurred. Wolfe questioned EDA members whether another event should be planned for later in the year. Luden suggested that something could possibly be done during the manufacturers' week events. 4.B. PROJECT UPDATES Wolfe stated that there had been few inquiries over the past month, along with some referrals from Metro East. Wolcott asked when the new cable show would be taped. It would be done in the next week or so, Wolfe replied. Wolcott suggested that the new Majestic Antiques business be featured in one of the upcoming programs. 4.C. METRO EAST ANNUAL MEETING . Wolfe stated that she and Schroeder had attended the Metro East Annual meeting. Materials from the meeting (the MEDP Strategic Plan, an issue of Twin Cities Business Monthly) were passed around for anyone interested. It was noted that a key speaker at the event was Dick Krant of Renewal by Andersen. Mr. Krant had many good things to • say about Cottage Grove, the Mayor, City Council and Staff. Pederson asked whether there were ways to involve the Economic Development Authority with other development groups in the Metro Area. Schroeder briefly outlined the contacts and resources the City currently uses, and Pederson asked if such groups or brokers were valuable in providing leads to the City. Schroeder replied that at present there were no strong contacts or sources for business leads. 4.D 3M SURVEY Wolfe highlighted several areas that might be of interest to the EDA, including keeping and attracting businesses and restaurants to the City. Luden outlined portions of the survey, noting that most people have a positive attitude about the community. He suggested presenting some of the information to the Planning Commission. 4.E. GREY CLOUD ISLAND—COLUMN IN BULLETIN Denzer complimented Schroeder's letter to the Bulletin, and Weingartner suggested that it be submitted to the Pioneer Press. There was some discussion over having all the viewpoints relating to Grey Cloud Island expressed at an upcoming Chamber of Commerce lunch, where the topic would be presented. 4.F. CITY IDENTITY THEME Pederson asked if members had considered the subject, stating that creating an identity • would help solidify the community. Pederson remarked that many cities have community identifiers. Kleven agreed with the concept, but felt that a theme other than volunteerism was in order, as did Wolcott, and suggested soliciting ideas from the community. • Economic Development Authority - Minutes March 9, 1999 Page 3 4.G. FISCAL IMPACT STUDY Wolfe said the Grey Cloud Island portion of the fiscal impact study was scheduled to be finished by March 15. She said a lot of data had been received from the consultant, and the remainder of the study would be completed by the end of March. Wolfe noted that she had spoken to the City of Lakeville in regard to a similar study that had been done there, explaining that Lakeville felt they had benefited considerably from the study. She said that Lakeville had identified the areas of highest return for the City from different zoning districts, and that taxes had been controlled as a result. Schroeder commented that there had been a summary of suggestions in the Lakeville study that had proven useful. 5. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS ITEMS None 6. ADJOURN • Wolcott moved to adjourn. Weingartner seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, eil Belscamp conomic Development Secretary 411