06-04-14 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

EDC Minutes June 4, 2014 Page 3 of 6 Commissioner Erickson questioned whether the Extension tracked any measurements of success in the communities that have implemented the BRE program. Associate Planner Bachler commented that he was unaware of data collected by the Extension on the outcomes of their program. He added that one way to measure success would be to evaluate whether the priority projects recommended by the Extension during the program were effectively implemented. Commissioner Radziej commented that meeting with business owners always has a positive impact. He recommended that the City be cautious about accepting the Extension's program as the only approach to doing BRE. He believed that Shoreview had implemented a strong program, but that more staff resources are required in taking this approach. Commissioner Erickson suggested that staff contact the Extension to request more details on the services they could provide and any data they track on the outcomes of their BRE program. Community Development Director Hutmacher suggested that the EDC decide on their general goals for the BRE program before staff contacts the Extension. She summarized the discussion so far, stating that the EDC was in favor of fewer meetings, less data collection, and a results -oriented approach. She stated that staff would bring a more detailed proposal to the EDC at the July meeting before contacting the Extension. B. City Video Tour Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that staff had drafted a video tour script and proposed filming locations based on the comments provided by the EDC at the April 2, 2014 meeting. She added that testimonials from two businesses and the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce regarding the TCAAP project could be included as well. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that with the inclusion of the testimonials, the length of the video is expected to be nearly five minutes. The original goal was to limit the length of the video to three minutes. She requested recommendations from the EDC on parts of the script that could be cut. Chair von Holtum commented that the section on educational attainment and housing could be shortened by removing the specific data points. He requested that the line, "Arden Hills is nearly fully developed," be removed from the script. Commissioner Erickson suggested that the description of the adult degree programs offered at Bethel University and the University of Northwestern be removed. Commissioner Heikkila recommended that a title block be used to identify individual businesses in the video.