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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorona del Mar BID Minutes 09/26/2013 1 Corona del Mar Business Improvement District Board Meeting Minutes September 26, 2013 CdM Chamber of Commerce Offices Board Members Present: Bernie Svalstad, Scott Palmer, Jim Walker, Scott Laidlaw, Tom Nicholson and Keith Dawson Board Members Absent: None (one open seat) Guest(s): Nancy Gardner and Ed Selich (Newport Beach City Council) , Ron Yeo, Linda Leonhard, Jessica Prause (New Port Theater), Amy Senk, Mary Locey (BID Coordinator - City of Newport Beach), Susie Smith and Jeff Spinelli-Faris (Farmers & Merchants Bank), Stacy Jordan (Dekralite), Bob Quaid (Willdan Financial Services - BID Administrator), Nick Alvarado and Jim Mosher 1. Call to Order at 7:30 a.m. 2. Roll Call The Chairman called the roll and determined that a quorum was in place. Those present introduced themselves. 3. Public Comments Ron Yeo commented that Pacific Coast Highway is still “Highway One” and an effort should be made to recognize the iconic Highway One name in CDM. Ron Yeo commented that Bliss Home Design should be considered for the beautification award because of the work they have done to improve their tree wells and the appearance of the front of their business. Ron Yeo commented that the City’s recent pruning of the orchid trees is far too extreme. A discussion followed that Mark Harmon of the City should be notified. Scott Laidlaw noted that there is a difficult balance between proper tree pruning and the merchants’ desire that trees not obscure business signage. Nancy Gardner suggested that 2 the topic of tree trimming in relation to business signage should be included in the next annual meeting of the BID and the Residents’ Association. Linda Leonard introduced Jeff Spinelli-Faris, the Senior Vice-President of Farmers & Merchants Bank. Mr. Spinelli-Faris stated that Farmers & Merchants is excited about opening in CDM and the new facility is scheduled to be open for business on October 25, 2013. Jim Mosher stated that the members of the BID Board are bound by the Fair Political Procedures Act and are required to recuse themselves from BID Board decisions that could impact their individual businesses. Jim Walker stated that he had consulted with the City Attorney and was advised the FPPA does not apply to volunteer organizations such as the CDM BID. He further suggested that Mr. Mosher should contact the City Attorney with his concerns. 4. Approval of Minutes Keith Dawson noted that Ron Yeo had provided corrections to Item 5 – Marguerite Project prior to the meeting as follows: - Marguerite Project - Ron Yeo reported that he sent the conceptual plan and proposal prepared by BGB, Inc. for certain improvements at PCH and Marguerite to the City’s Public Works Department and had not heard back from them. Mary Locey stated that the Public Works Department should have been involved with the project at an earlier point to avoid any wasted effort. She directed Ron to meet with City Engineer Pat Thomas. Jim Mosher noted that Frank Peters, a citizen on the Bike Committee, was erroneously referred to with Brad Sommers as being “of the City”. Mr. Mosher also noted that Matt Lenton’s name was misspelled on page 4 under Administrative Support Services. MOTION: Jim Walker moved to approve the Minutes of the August 22, 2013 meeting as corrected. Scott Laidlaw seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. 5. Current Business A. BID Chairman Report Bernie Svalstad requested and those present to observe a moment of silence in recognition of the recent passing of Wade Roberts. Bernie asked the members of the BID Board to consider ways to memorialize Wade’s dedicated service to the BID and CDM. /// 3 B. City Council Report Nancy Gardner reported that Balboa Village is working with Urban Land Institute to generate fresh ideas for the future of the community. She noted that ULI’s $14,000 charge for their services was well worth the expenditure. Bernie suggested that a representative from ULI should be invited to the next BID Board meeting. Scott Palmer noted that it has been many years since the first design charrette in CDM and that the timing may be right for another design charrette to get new ideas . Ed Selich reported that the Coastal Plan Committee had submitted a diagram of the proposed revisions to the location of the coastal zone boundary line to the Coastal Commission which provided for the LCP boundary to be seaward of the business district on the south side of PCH. He added that a meeting is scheduled with the Coastal Commission in October to consider moving the coastal zone boundary line. C. Administration & Financial Report Open Board Seat Recommendations - Approval of New Board Member Jessica Prause of The New Port Theater announced that she wished to be considered for the vacant seat on the BID Board. Jeff Spinelli-Faris of Farmers & Merchants Bank announced that he wished to be considered for the vacant seat of the BID Board. Linda Leonhard noted that Ms. Prause and Mr. Spinelli-Faris had been provided with the City’s application form. Bernie indicated that the BID Board will vote on any applicants at the October 24th BID Board meeting. BID Financial Reports - Scott Palmer reported that there is presently $96,973 cash on hand with accounts receivables in the amount of $207,875 . Scott Palmer questioned whether the invoice payable to Bonanza Steam Cleaning in the amount of $4,300 should be paid. Scott Laidlaw stated that he was not happy with the quality of the work but that the work was done. It was the consensus of the BID Board that the steam cleaning invoice should be paid. MOTION: Scott Laidlaw moved for approval the financial report as of August 31, 2013. Scott Palmer seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. Status /Schedule for Proposed Ordinance for Council Approval to Waive Penalties and Interest on Collection of Delinquent Past Due Assessments . BID Coordinator Mary Locey reported that an ordinance is required authorizing letters to be sent business owners who are delinquent in the payment of BID assessments and that the ordinance process must be followed. She indicated that the matter would be on the City Council agenda during the second week of October and that BID members must be notified that the proposed ordinance is under consideration. She added that, if approved, the earliest that the ordinance could be in 4 effect would be December 2013. A discussion followed concerning the duration of the amnesty window as feedback from the City Attorney’s office was that 30 days was too short and that 60 days was a more appropriate window . MOTION: Jim Walker moved that the amnesty period be changed from 30 days to 60 days. Scott Laidlaw seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. D. City Requests for Proposals for BID Support and Services Update Administrative Support Services . Mary Locey introduced Bob Quaid of Willdan Financial Services who will be acting as BID Administrator. BID Holiday Décor RFP Results and Approval of Annual Décor. Mary Locey reported that Dekra-Lite was awarded the $23,571.85 contract. Stacey Jordan from Dekra-Lite described the holiday decorations that are planned for this year and recommended that the Christmas Tree in the median in front of Bandera be upgraded with snow flakes and a star on the top of the tree at an additional cost of $5,000. A discussion followed concerning how to best use the additional $5,000 if the expenditure was to be approved. It was noted that an additional $5,000 is already in the holiday decoration budget but not yet allocated. MOTION: Scott Palmer moved that an additional $5,000 be allocated for holiday decorations to be spent in accordance with the BID board’s future recommendation . Scott Laidlaw seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. BID Landscape Maintenance RFP. Mary Locey reported that vendors had submitted cost proposals to the City. Scott Laidlaw is to be involved in evaluating the proposals. Bernie noted that many of the tree wells are in poor condition. E. Revitalization Improvement Projects & Maintenance Items Task Action Review Gateway Improvements – No report. Parking Project – Bernie, Scott Laidlaw and Jim Walker attended a meeting with Nelson/Nygaard on September 23rd. Jim summarized the preliminary findings of the parking study , including that there are parking spaces available but that they are poorly managed. He added that common parking for employees of CDM businesses should be considered and that contact should be made with property owners of private parking lots. A public outreach meeting is scheduled for October 29th at the Community Center in an effort to get the public involved and to solicit public input. Nancy Gardner stressed the importance of involving the residents in parking 5 decisions as parking solutions will benefit both businesses and residents. It was agreed that the public outreach meeting would be jointly sponsored by the City, the CDM and the Residents’ Association. Marguerite Project – Design Consultant Approval. Ron Yeo reported that he and Bernie met with Pat Thomas of the City . Ron reported that Pat Thomas was enthusiastic about the project and recommended that more landscape architect firms be asked to submit proposals. Ron reported that the City is willing to remove the cracked driveway adjacent to Franklin Realty and landscape the area. In addition to the proposal from BGB, Inc. , Ron reported that three other landscape architect firms (David Petersen, Richard Ramsey and Rabben/Herman Design Office) were asked to submit concept designs for the project. Based on availability and cost concerns, Ron recommended Rabben/Herman who quoted $3,000 for a design concept. MOTION: Jim Walker moved to accept Rabben/Herman’s design proposal in the amount of $3,000 for the Marguerite Project. Scott Palmer seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. Street Furniture Maintenance / Trash Can Bid Approval. Ron Yeo reported that the trash can enclosures have been damaged by the trash collection company and no maintenance on the trash can enclosures has been performed. Ron indicated that Newport-Mesa Powder Coat quoted $180 to powder coat 0ne trash can enclosure plus $1.30 per mile to pick-up and return the trash can enclosures. Ron added that the City requires that temporary trash cans be provided while the trash can enclosures are being refinished. Ron also added that the new candy shop at Jasmine Avenue and PCH has requested that a trash can be provided in the vicinity of the business. MOTION: Scott Laidlaw moved to approve an expenditure of $7,000 to powder coat thirty (30) trash can enclosures plus purchase one (1) additional trash can enclosure and to reallocate $1,000 from the Gateway Project to the maintenance budget to pay the cost. Discussion: Tom Nicholson recommended an expenditure of $8,500 to powder coat thirty (30) trash can enclosures plus purchase one (1) additional trash can enclosure and to reallocate $2,500 from the Gateway Project to the maintenance budget to pay the cost. /// 6 AMENDED MOTION: Scott Laidlaw moved to approve an expenditure of $8,500 to powder coat thirty (30) trash can enclosures plus purchase one (1) additional trash can enclosure and to reallocate $2,500 from the Gateway Project to the maintenance budget to pay the cost. Jim Walker seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. On a related topic, Ron Yeo reported that he met with Brad Sommers of the City and circulated a report with a map identifying 49 possible locations for bike racks out of the 80 locations previously identified. Ron’s report included drawings of bike rack configurations. A discussion followed regarding the need to contact property owners to determine whether they are in favor, against or indifferent to the installation of a bike rack in front of their properties. Ron also mentioned that he is looking into Alan Brandenburger’s bike sharing program and that the bike committee should consider the program. Jim Walker recommended that the fire department should be consulted before bike racks are installed adjacent to red curbs. Ron indicated that a budget of $15,000 with a $5,000 contingency would be appropriate for the bike rack program. Bernie suggested that reprints of Ron’s report should be made available to the business property owners. MOTION: Jim Walker moved to approve an allocation of funds in the amount of $15,000to $20,000 for the Bike the Village program and to make information regarding the possible locations of the bike racks to the affected property owners. Scott Laidlaw seconded and the Motion was approved by unanimous vote. On another related topic, Ron Yeo reported that the cost of six (6) newspaper racks racks at $6500 each would be $45,000 including installation; eight (8) would cost $57,000, including installation. Mary Locey indicated that the city ordinance pertaining to newspaper racks would have to be rewritten before newspaper racks could be installed and that the public works department must be involved with location and installation. Signal Arm Modifications. Mary Locey stated that the decorative lights do not produce sufficient illumination. A discussion followed that it is the signal arms, not the lights, that must match. Mary indicated that the City’s Pat Thomas is aware of the need to match the signal arms with the existing decor. Sidewalk Steam Cleaning. See BID Financial Reports, above. Tree Wells. See BID Landscape Maintenance RFP, above. Plaza Upkeep. No report. 7 Landscaping. See BID Landscape Maintenance RFP, above. Pocket Park. Ed Selich reported that the agreement with the property owner is complete and that the City is working on a landscaping plan for the Pocket Park. Ed Indicated that work should start on the installation by the first of the year. Bernie suggested placing a memorial to Wade Roberts at the Pocket Park. Ron commented that a memorial at Sherman Gardens might be a more appropriate location. Bernie volunteered to check with Dan Daniels at Sherman Gardens to find out what is planned. Carnation Pipeline Project. Jim Walker reported that he is happy with the work that has been done thus far and that the temporary valet lane that the City installed worked well. Jim reported that that work will begin again on Carnation in December and that the pipeline installation is expected to take two (2) weeks per block. Jim indicated that thought should be given to a permanent valet lane that would service the restaurants, Farmers & Merchants Bank and other businesses in the area. Other – Discussion. The two college football teams that will be competing in the BCS game on January 6, 2014 and the media that will be covering the event will be hosted by the City of Newport Beach. BID board members were encouraged to consider ways by which the BID can benefit from the influx of public and media as a result of the City’s hosting of the teams and the media. F. Marketing Report. Linda reported that she and Bernie had an itnitial meeting with Gary Sherwin of Visit Newport regarding a new website for CDM. She added that the Dolphin program is being evaluated/inventoried. Linda stated that Farmers & Merchants Bank and Bliss Home Design are under consideration for the beautification award. Because the Beautification Award was not on the agenda, a straw vote was conducted resulting in the award going to Farmers & Merchants Bank. The beautification award will be on next month’s agenda. Linda reported that work on the directory is underway and that the new directory is expected out after the first of the year and that the BID’s database will be merged with the City’s database. Linda announced that full page adds will coordinate with the BCS game. Scott Laidlaw suggested generating a generic BCS banner. Bernie commented that the BID’s efforts regarding the BCS should be coordinated with what Visit Newport is doing. Jim Walker suggested that a shuttle bus should be made available from the hotels to the business district. Jim Walker and Scott Palmer volunteered to be a part of the BID Marketing Committee. G. CDM Chamber Report. Linda Leonhard reported that the Coastline Classic Car Show was well-attended and that a sizable donation was made the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. She added that Channel 7 News featured the event. Linda announced that Christmas Walk packets will be going out to the merchants soon and that fund raising is ongoing. She added that the Christmas Walk will take place on Sunday, December 8th this year 8 due to Thanksgiving falling on November 28th. Linda announced that there are six open seats on the Chamber board and nominations will be accepted in October. 6. CORONA DEL MAR BID ANNOUNCEMENTS - FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS None. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 a.m. Next meeting: October 24, 2013