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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999.09.14 EDA MINUTES-APPROVED CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES September 14, 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 14th day of September 1999. 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. by Mayor Denzer. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Jack Denzer, Shannon Green, Glen Kleven, Fred Luden, Dick Pederson,. Jim Wolcott, Gerard Weingartner. • Members Absent: None. Others Present: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator. Michelle Wolfe, Assistant City Administrator. Dan King, Management Analyst. Neil Belscamper, Secretary. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Luden moved to approve the August 10, 1999 Economic Development Authority Minutes. Pederson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 4.A. PROJECT UPDATES Wolfe stated that Metro East has been active with proposals, but nothing has progressed beyond discussion to this point, though an international company interested in a site for a 30,000 sq. ft. building looked promising. At a workshop discussion the previous week, the local school board had indicated that they were willing to discuss selling a parcel of land they owned; a developer is interested in acquiring the land for a hotel project. The school district's concerns were over parking space for their facility on the adjoining parcel, as well as traffic congestion in the area. • The new post office annex had submitted a site plan for review. Schroeder commented that there were some problems with the site plan related to grading, but that it would most likely be presented at the next Planning Commission meeting. • Economic Development Authority - Minutes September 14, 1999 Page 2 There was nothing new to report for the proposed renovation of a local shopping center. One of the present tenants, however, was considering another site in the same vicinity. Tenants are now being sought for a new 44,000 sq. ft. office/warehouse project. No new information was available regarding a proposal by a paper company interested in constructing a 50,000 sq. ft. facility. The company had expressed an interest in rail service to the site. The Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development had requested information on behalf of a food processing company looking for an existing facility. The company would consider building if no other options were available. Luden said that the Murphy Warehouse project was moving forward, but that it was taking longer than expected. They should be operational by next spring. 4.B. ANNUAL GOLF OUTING Wolfe said expenditures for this year were only a few hundred dollars more than last • year, but that the number of participants had more than doubled. Wolcott remarked that the tournament had run quite smoothly, and that the number of participants was ideal. There was discussion of running the tournament along with the Chamber of Commerce. Pederson said he liked the approach. Wolcott voiced concerns over the number of participants potentially being too great for the event to run well. 4.C. MARKETING/ADVERTISING Wolfe stated that a new CD-ROM advertising service would be utilized, which would supply updated business information about the City to recipients of the service. Luden said he had distributed some information on the City at a manufacturers' lunch, and Wolfe said that several publications were being scrutinized for their advertising value. King highlighted some of the upcoming "special focus" issues of CityBusiness, one of which would center on the east metro area. Kleven asked if some of the regional publications had been considered, and Wolfe replied that sources other than strictly local publications were being looked at. More advertising would have to be done at the outset, Kleven noted, to establish a good advertising base in a new publication. He felt it might be valuable to find out each publication's subscriber base. King emphasized that better rates could be established with multiple ads in the same publication. Green said she would research the publications that Andersen site selection personnel utilize. Lastly, Wolfe said that postcards were being considered as Christmas mailers, possibly featuring an aerial photograph of the industrial park. 4.D. LABOR FORCE EXPO • Wolfe said that the Labor Force Expo would take place the following Tuesday, and briefly outlined the program. • Economic Development Authority - Minutes September 14, 1999 Page 3 4.E. STORMWATER DESIGN — INDUSTRIAL PARK Schroeder explained the stormwater design and landscaping requirements of companies locating in the Industrial Park. Denzer asked why the EDA was involved in the funding. Schroeder replied that the EDA has an engineering budget, and that it would be used for funding, but that the landowner would dedicate land for the project. Wolcott moved to support EDA funding of the project. Kleven seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Luden asked who would approve the landscape concept plan. Schroeder responded that the EDA would. 4.F. LIVABLE COMMUNITIES GRANT Wolfe said an application had been submitted last year. This year another would be submitted requesting funds for planning and predevelopment activities. Matching funds from the City would be required if the grant were accepted. Schroeder noted that $150,000 had been requested last year. Whether other grant funds can be used as a matching fund source remained unanswered. The due date for the grant application is October 1. Wolfe noted that EDA support of the application would be beneficial. Schroeder said the grant would have to be formally accepted by the City Council if the • application were approved. Wolcott asked what the chances of the grant application being approved were. Schroeder replied that the City had submitted a good proposal last year, but it had not been accepted. Kleven moved to support the grant application. Pederson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 4.G. EDA STRATEGIC PLAN Wolfe outlined the strategic planning process, and said it should be looked at in order to be in place when the current plan expires. The consensus was that a facilitator should be hired for the process. Pederson remarked that the business community could be asked to participate in the process with lead-in sessions; he thought that adjusting the process might be beneficial. Kleven felt it was an excellent ideal, and that the input would be valuable. Luden said a survey of businesses might prove valuable. Wolcott thought it would be interesting to see how many of the goals from the past plan had been achieved. He requested a copy of the present strategic plan. 5. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS ITEMS ADJOURN Wolcott moved to adjourn. Weingartner seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, • eil Belscamp-V Economic Development - retary