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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember EDC Minutes'It ,AREN HILLS CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION DECEMBER 5, 2012 8:00 AM CITY HALL -- 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Ed von Holtum called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Ed von Holtum, Dan Erickson and Dan Altstatt. Also Present: Council Liaison Ed Werner; City Administrator Patrick Klaers, and Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher. Absent: Jim Huninghake 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was the consensus of the Commission to accept the agenda as amended. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was the consensus of the Commission to accept the November 7, 2012, meeting minutes as presented. The consensus of Commissioners was that more generalized minutes were preferred in the future. 3. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. 2013 EDC Work Plan Community Development Director Hutmacher presented the proposed work plan which is based on Commissioners comments at the November 7, 2012 EDC meeting. Chair von Holtum noted that Commissioner recruitment needs to continue to be a priority. Commissioner Erickson questioned why the economic development newsletter was not scheduled until the fourth quarter of 2013. EDC Minutes December 5, 2012 Page 2 of 3 Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that the staff workload, particularly related to the TCAAP project, would not allow the newsletter project to be completed earlier unless Commissioners were willing to take responsibility for the newsletter. It was the consensus of the Commission that the economic development newsletter would primarily be a Commissioner project. The language of the newsletter initiative was amended to, "Explore publishing an economic development newsletter" with a timeline of Q1 to Q4. It was agreed that the newsletter initiative will be discussed in greater detail at the next EDC meeting. Commissioners will discuss newsletter topics, Commissioner assignments, and whether the newsletter should be published in a print version, an electronic version, or both. Altstatt moved and Erickson seconded to approve the 2013 EDC Work Plan as amended. Motion carried unanimously. B. City Website Preview Community Development Director Hutmacher presented the new City website and noted that the website would "go live" on Thursday, December 6, which is one day earlier than planned. The early launch allows staff an opportunity to fix any problems related to the redirection of users from the old URL to the new site on Friday, December 7. Community Development Director Hutmacher presented the website navigation and features. EDC Commissioners were interested in the Business section of the website which the EDC outlined in spring 2012. The new website will enable businesses to access relevant information very efficiently. Commissioners noted that the new website looked very good and would be an improvement, particularly in terms of business information, over the previous website. 4. UPDATES A. TCAAP Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that the City approved a Joint Powers Agreement on November 26, 2012. The JPA establishes a partnership between the City and County for the remediation and redevelopment of the TCAAP site. On November 27, 2012, Ramsey County approved the JPA and the purchase agreement with the federal government for the TCAAP site. The County also authorized the notice to proceed with a remediation contract including demolition of the remaining buildings on the TCAAP site and remediation of the entire site to a residential standard. Community Development Director Hutmacher added that demolition and remediation work could begin in spring 2013 following federal approval of the purchase agreement. The City is required to complete an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) and a Master Plan for the site within 18 to 24 months. The City will move forward with these documents following federal approval of the County's purchase agreement. EDC Minutes December 5, 2012 Page 3 of 3 B. Holiday Inn Reuse Proposal Community Development Director Hutmacher reported the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the Holiday Inn reuse proposal which will go to the City Council on December 17, 2012. Community Development Director Hutmacher explained the City's goals regarding combining driveways and access drives along the property's western boundary. Commissioners agreed that improving access may mitigate the risk of blight for properties that have no access to a public street. None. C. Commission Members D. Council Liaison Councilmember Werner reported that Council consensus was for staff to research other event options for the Celebrating Arden Hills Fall Festival to assist in deciding the future of the event. Currently, the event is not in the budget for 2013. E. Staff Comments Community Development Director Hutmacher reported that Commissioner Huninghake had notified her that he now has a conflict for Wednesday morning meetings. It was the consensus of Commissioners that the EDC would consider alternate meeting times at the next meeting. Community Development Director Hutmacher asked for a volunteer to work on a newsletter article on Delkor Systems. Commissioner Erickson volunteered. Community Development Director Hutmacher suggested that the January EDC meeting be cancelled since it would regularly be scheduled on the morning of the first regular business day following the New Year's holiday. The consensus of Commissioners was that the next regular EDC meeting be held on February 1, 2013. 5. ADJOURNMENT Chair von Holtum adjourned the meeting at 9:48 a.m. 'l Ed von Holtum, Chair Ji utmacher rommunity Development Director