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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorona del Mar BID Minutes 01/23/2014 Approved Minutes of the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District Board Meeting January 23, 2014 CdM Chamber of Commerce Offices 2855 E. Coast Hwy, Suite 101, Corona del Mar 1. Call to Order Chairman Bernie Svalstad called the meeting to order at 7:33 am. 2. Roll Call The Chairman called the roll and determined that a quorum was present. Guests in attendance introduced themselves. Board Members Present: Bernie Svalstad, Chairman; Tom Nicholson, Vice Chairman; Keith Dawson, Secretary; Scott Palmer, Treasurer; Scott Laidlaw; Jim Walker; Jessica Prause. All members present. City Representatives Bob Quaid, BID Administrator (Willdan Financial); Nancy Gardner, City Council Member (City of Newport Beach); Ed Selich, City Council Member (City of Newport Beach). Guest(s): Linda Leonhard (Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce), Karen Tringali (CDM Resident’s Association), Amy Senk (CDM Today), Jim Mosher (Resident), Ron Yeo (BID Volunteer), Tim Brown (City Council Candidate), Scott LaFleur (Sherman Gardens). 3. Public Comments on Agenda Items Karen Tringali asked if the agenda and minutes would be emailed out. Bob Quaid stated that the City had given instructions that agendas were to be emailed only to Board Members or those who will be presenting at a meeting. Minutes and agenda are posted on the City’s website for the public. Ms. Tringali also expressed concern regarding the securing of the location for the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for April 16. Director Svalstad replied that he had spoken to Scott LaFleur at Sherman Gardens who confirmed the event is on the calendar. Jim Mosher suggested that it would be useful if all handouts distributed at the Board meeting, particularly the financials, be posted to the City website along with the agenda and draft 2 minutes. Mr. Mosher also stated that his minor edits to the draft minutes were delivered to Bob Quaid a few days ago, which Mr. Quaid confirmed. Tim Brown, candidate for City Council (District 4), introduced himself and presented his background and qualifications to the Board. Scott LaFleur, the new Director for Sherman Gardens, introduced himself and gave a brief bio and recap of his background leading to the position with Sherman Gardens. Mr. LaFleur confirmed that the April 16 date for the BID Annual Meeting was on the Sherman Gardens calendar. Director Svalstad stated that he and Ms. Tringali would get together with him in the next few weeks for an appointment. Mr. LaFleur provided his contact information to the Board. 4. Approval of Minutes Mr. Quaid acknowledged the edits submitted by Mr. Mosher were received a few days ago and the corrections would be made in the final December 5, 2013 minutes upon approval. These changes were mostly minor edits and grammatical corrections. Director Svalstad requested a motion to approve the December 5, 2013 minutes. MOTION: Director Walker moved to approve the Minutes of the December 5, 2013 meeting subject to proposed corrections. Director Dawson seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause. 5. Current Business A. BID Chairman Report No report was given. B. City Council Report Council Member Nancy Gardner reported that the new merchants association for Balboa Island and Balboa Village is doing quite well, and they do not have to deal with the City and Brown Act requirements. Council Member Ed Selich commented that the woman who was donating the parcel for the Pocket Park unfortunately passed away before Christmas. The property is in the hands of her estate, but he thinks the project will remain on schedule with an estimated completion in early summer. Mr. Selich also spoke about a proposed development for the block on Goldenrod. A property owner is interested in building a two story parking structure with condos on top (three stories 3 total) within the height limit of the residential zoning. This would create a net gain of 12 new parking spaces to the parking pool for businesses. The details still need to be worked out, but the City is looking for community feedback. Additional discussion occurred at which time the Board members indicated an interest and requested a presentation. Mr. Selich will ask to have the property owner contact Chairman Svalstad and Mr. Quaid to schedule a presentation on a future Board agenda. Jessica Prause Appointment - Mr. Quaid introduced Jessica Prause as the new BID Board Member. A-Frame Sign ordinance - Mr. Quaid reported that a memo was drafted by Director Palmer addressed to Ms. Gardner and delivered to the City on January 20, 2014 regarding the proposed ordinance. The item will be reviewed and presented to the City Council for consideration. BID Communications - the City has requested that any BID questions on BID projects or activities be channeled through the BID Administrator, Mr. Quaid, and not directly to City staff. C. BID Financial Reports for November 2013 and December 2013 Mr. Quaid reported that the BID cash balance was $172,000 at the end of December, down about $1,000 from November. Accounts receivable were reduced by about $13,000 in December resulting from $8,000 in additional collections and $5,000 in write-offs for accumulated assessments and penalties determined to be uncollectable from members no longer in business. Mr. Quaid recapped the major expenses (anything over $1,000) and responded to Board member questions regarding the financials. MOTION: Director Palmer moved the Board approve and accept the November and December 2013 BID financials. Director Walker seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svlstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause. D. Status of City Ordinance to waive penalties & interest on collections - Billing of delinquent assessments / collections Mr. Quaid reported that following the City’s approval of the Amnesty Program, Whittaker & Co. mailed out forty-nine (49) amnesty letters on January 7, totaling $50,000 in unpaid assessments. The invoice mailing went to delinquent members verified by the City as still being in business. The remaining delinquent members still require additional research by the City before invoices are sent. Mr. Quaid recapped the basic terms and payment options presented in the invoice. The deadline for the amnesty program is February 28, 2014. To date, there have 4 been no calls regarding the program, no payments received, nor any invoices returned due to an invalid address. Mr. Quaid suggested that the Board make phone calls to the 49 delinquent businesses who received the amnesty letters to facilitate collection. Director Svalstad recommended splitting the list between the seven Board members and sending each Board member seven businesses to contact. Mr. Quaid will provide a list to each member along with phone numbers and contact names. At the next Board meeting, the Board will discuss what actions to take with businesses that remain unpaid including turning the receivables over to a collection agent. E. City Requests for Proposals on BID Support and Service Update Mr. Quaid reported that the City is putting together a RFP for BID Landscape Maintenance. No further updates are available. F. New Street Bench in front of Sherman Gardens Director Svalstad reported that Sherman Gardens has requested a bench outside of its facility. The estimated cost for a bench would be approximately $2,900. Director Walker recommended that instead of the BID spending money on a new bench, that the bench outside of Golden Spoon could be re-located to the Sherman Gardens location. Director Palmer alternatively suggested soliciting a donation of $200 each from fourteen people to purchase the bench with a plaque on it dedicated to the memory of former Sherman Gardens director Wade Roberts. Director Palmer volunteered to spearhead this effort to use private rather than taxpayer dollars for this improvement. The BID will coordinate with the City on the bench purchase and installation. G. Revitalization Improvement Projects & Maintenance Items  Gateway Improvements – Director Svalstad reported the project is progressing, but it is tied into the parking project. Ms. Gardner recommended setting BID priorities to present at the City goal setting workshop on January 25.  Parking Project – Director Walker reported that he and Director Svalstad met with Fern Nueno with the City regarding the parking plan. The City has several ideas including: forming partnerships with businesses that have extra parking; doing away with unused fire lane parking areas along PCH to provide more parking; locating designated employee parking, and consolidated valet parking. The overall plan is to come up with a practical solution for the residents and businesses. There is a tentative public outreach meeting scheduled in February.  Marguerite Project – Director Svalstad requested a meeting with Rabben/Herman, the landscape architects, be set up to conceptualize and have a plan prepared to submit to City Council. Mr. Quaid agreed to try to schedule a meeting as soon as possible.  Street Furniture - Mr. Quaid reported that the new trash receptacle was successfully installed in front of the candy shop. In September 2013, the Board approved $8,500 to 5 purchase the new trash receptacle: the receptacle was estimated at $1,000 and to powder coat thirty existing trash receptacles was estimated at $7,400. The total cost for both has increased to $8,764.28 with an actual price of $1,323.01 for the trash receptacle and a quoted price of $7,441.27 for the power coating received in October 2013. Mr. Quaid recommended increasing the budget to cover the higher costs. MOTION: Director Palmer moved the Board approve an additional $300 to cover the additional cost to re- powder the trash receptacles. Director Laidlaw seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  Bike Racks – Mr. Quaid reported that the Board had previously approved $20,000 for bike racks. The BID needs to work with the City to find out where these racks will be located and the exact cost of installation. Discussion ensued regarding the prioritization of this project and other BID projects to be presented at the City goal-setting meeting on January 25.  Signal Arm Modifications – Ms. Gardner indicated that the City will be replacing the old heads with the normal type head but is researching the cost of decorative heads. If the decorative heads are more expensive, the BID may be asked if it wants to pay the difference to have the decorative heads installed.  Sidewalk Steam Cleaning – Director Svalstad discussed options the BID may take to address the issue of the condition of the sidewalks in front of certain businesses, such as Golden Spoon and Coffee Bean. Discussion of the options ensued including having the BID talk to the businesses or calling the City’s code enforcement and having them address the issue with the owners. Mr. Quaid was instructed to determine the City’s existing code enforcement on sidewalk maintenance.  Plaza Upkeep – Mr. Yeo commented that tiles on the Centennial Plaza are cracking. He contacted Sunset Studios that furnished the tiles for the Plaza and was directed to contact the contractor who installed the tiles for tips on how to fix cracks and the recommended maintenance.  Landscaping / Tree Wells - Director Svalstad did a walk through with Park West Landscape to review the replanting of the tree wells. Work is to be completed by January 24. Director Laidlaw volunteered to monitor the tree wells over the next year and make recommendations as to which plants are working best.  Pocket Park – See earlier discussion. 6 H. BID Project Goals and Priorities for FY 2014-15 Director Svalstad directed the Board to identify which BID projects would require staff time, any ordinance changes and funding participation by the City. Ms. Gardner also stated that it would help the City Council in its decision making if the BID identified which projects would provide the most benefit to the CdM BID members. Discussion ensued regarding the prioritization of projects and City support needed.  Gateway Project – This project was identified as being under consideration for several years. It is unclear whether the cost of this project is $50,000 or $500,000. The BID has allocated $35,000 for this project. This project will require City staff time and City funding of approximately $500,000. MOTION: Director Svalstad moved that the Board approve the Gateway Project as the number one priority BID project requiring City staff time and funding of an estimated $500,000. Jim Walker seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  Marguerite Project - This project was identified to require City staff time only to complete the design phase. MOTION: Director Laidlaw moved that the Board approve the execution of the design contract and completion of design documents for the Marguerite Project as the number two priority BID project requiring City staff time only. Keith Dawson seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  Parking Project – This project was identified to require City staff time to implement the required zone change for this project. MOTION: Director Palmer moved that the Board approve the zone change for parking as the number three priority BID project. Director Walker seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: 7 Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  Bike Racks - This project was identified to require City staff time only. MOTION: Director Palmer moved that the Board approve Bike Racks as the number four priority BID project. Director Dawson seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  News Racks - This project will require City time due to the staff ordinance change. MOTION: Director Palmer moved that the Board approve News Racks as the number five priority. Director Laidlaw seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause.  Director Svalstad called for a motion to provide BID funding for design costs for both the Gateway and Marguerite projects MOTION: Director Laidlaw moved that the BID provide $35,000 for the Gateway Project and $24,000 for the Marguerite Project for design and/or implementation. Director Walker seconded the motion. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause. I. Website Upgrade Ms. Leonhard reported that she, Director Svalstad, Director Palmer and Mr. Quaid met with Newport Beach & Co. for a presentation on various marketing venues and website development. No formal proposals or costs have been received. NB&Co. remains in the midst of researching new website components for the BID. Director Svalstad stated he, Director Palmer and Ms. Leonhard will draft a proposal to provide clarification and guidance to NB&Co. as to the needs of the BID’s website. Director Palmer commented that the website should emphasize the 8 BID’s projects over marketing businesses. Further discussion ensued and Board members were asked to submit comments or suggestions for the website to Ms. Leonhard. J. Marketing Report Ms. Leonhard provided an update on the following items:  Member Directory - the directory is in production and on schedule. An updated member database is needed.  Posting BID Agendas and Minutes - to save time and duplication of efforts the BID’s website redirects to the City’s website for the posting of the BID’s agendas and minutes.  Annual Town Meeting - the annual town meeting is scheduled on April 16. Ms. Leonhard has the median banner and noted that the permit application must be filed with the City.  Streetlight Banners - the annual calendar for streetlight banners needs to be discussed with Dekralite. Ms. Leonhard will provide Mr. Quaid with the schedule.  Farmers & Merchant Bank - those interested in attending the Farmers & Merchant Bank gala on January 30 should RSVP with Ms. Leonhard.  Annual BID Goals - before the end of the fiscal year, Ms. Leonhard needs the BID goals for updating the BID brochure. K. CdM Chamber of Commerce Report Ms. Leonhard announced there is a new Chamber Board member. The Christmas Walk was a complete success. The Scenic 5K is scheduled on June 7. Membership from last year exceeded the membership budget goals. 7. Adjournment Chairman Svalstad requested a motion to adjourn. MOTION: Scott Palmer moved to adjourn the meeting. Jim Walker seconded. The motion carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Chairman Svalstad, Vice Chairman Nicholson, Director Dawson, Director Palmer, Director Laidlaw, Director Walker, Director Prause. The meeting was adjourned at 9:41 a.m. 8. Next Scheduled Meeting: The next scheduled meeting will be on February 27, 2014.