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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-02-26 SEDA Meeting Minutes MINUTES Springfield Economic Development Agency February 26, 2007 — 7:00 P.M. Springfield City Hall — Jessie Maine Meeting Room 225 Fifth Street - Springfield MEMBERS PRESENT: John Woodrow, Chair; Anne Ballew, Sid Leiken, Joe Pishioneri, Dave Ralston, and Hilary Wylie. MEMBERS ABSENT: Bill Dwyer, Christine Lundberg, and Faye Stewart. STAFF PRESENT: John Tamulonis, Bob Duey, Melissa Fechtel, Alan Girard, Courtney Grie- sel, Mike Herman, and Joe Leahy. I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson John Woodrow called the meeting of the Springfield Economic Development Agency (SEDA) to order at 7:35 p.m. Minutes Recorder Daniel Lindstrom called the roll, noted the absence of Directors Dwyer, Lundberg, and Stewart, and stated that a quorum was present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Director Joe Pishioneri moved, seconded by Director Anne Ballew, to accept the minutes of the January 22, 2007, meeting. The motion was adopted unanimously, 6:0. III. COMMUNICATIONS A. Business from Audience None. B. Correspondence None. • C. Business from Staff Mr. Tamulonis reported that a contract consultant had been engaged to develop prop- erty assessments and would complete the work in four to six weeks. Mr. Tamulonis said it was nearing time to establish a SEDA budget development proc- ess. He said membership for a SEDA Budget Committee had not been established. IV. REPORT OF THE CHAIR Mr. Woodrow said he had no items to raise, but that he, like everyone, was waiting for a response from Apex regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Development and Disposition Agreement (DDA). Springfield Economic Development Agency Minutes , 2007 Page 1 V. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES Mr. Tamulonis reported that the Glenwood Renewal District Advisory Committee had vis- ited affordable housing projects being developed by St. Vincent de Paul and The Tate condominium development in Eugene's Downtown. He said everyone involved had agreed that it had been a valuable experience to see both projects. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Financial Statement Mr. Tamulonis referred to a document entitled "Springfield Economic Development Agency—Annual Financial Statements for the Year Ended June 30, 2006." He noted that the Independent Auditor's Report on page three stated that SEDA financial re- cords presented its financial position "fairly, in all material respects." He reviewed the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances on page 13. Director Sid Leiken moved, seconded by Director Pishioneri, to accept the audit of SEDA financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2006. The motion was adopted unanimously, 6:0. B. Glenwood Fire Code Inspections Fire Marshall Alan Girard reported that Springfield Fire and Life Safety had recently been informed that it had code inspection responsibility for areas outside the City limits that are within its Urban Growth Boundary. He explained that the responsibility in- volved approximately new 111 commercial occupancy inspections, most of which were in the Glenwood area. He said inspections had begun in January and that a fourth In- spector position had been added to cover the new work. Mr. Girard referred to a sample letter to Glenwood business about the Inspections dated December 8 and a document entitled "Common Fire Code Violations. He said the inspections were being conducted in a non-threatening way, with an emphasis on correcting dangerous situations to the benefit of the businesses. Directors discussed the report. Director Ralston asked if SEDA should be funding the new Inspector position. Mr. Gi- rard replied that doing so would be appropriate on a short-term basis, but that he was unsure of how budgeting for the position would be able to be permanently funded. Chairperson Woodrow suggested that the City Council would have to discuss funding issues and whether Springfield should provide fire and life safety services to any or all of the Glenwood Renewal District. Director Pishioneri advised that caution be used in applying fees for the inspections. He suggested that fees be waived for the first visit to an occupant, but that normal fees should be imposed if a second, or additional follow up visit required because of a fail- ure-to-comply. Mr. Tamulonis said by providing businesses with a list of possible violations, the busi- nesses would be able to prepare for the inspections and perhaps even correct poten- tial violations. Mr. Girard said he considered the new inspections as an opportunity to educate businesses on fire safety issues. Springfield Economic Development Agency Minutes alai , 2007 Page 2 C. Glenwood Property Options Mr. Tamulonis referred to Agenda support material regarding purchase options held by SEDA and the City for properties in Glenwood. He reviewed an attachment that listed details of the options. He identified the locations of the properties on a map. Members discussed the options —the State will assume part of the burden of property purchases through tax credits (Ballew), owners are already making significant profit on the sale of their properties (Ralston), identifying the start and ending of the options would be helpful (Pishioneri). VII. OLD BUSINESS A. American Institute of Architects Request for Matching Funds Mr. Tamulonis reviewed previous consideration of a request from the Southwestern Oregon Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for matching funds for a grant it had received to conduct an Urban Riverfront Corridor Study. He said he had received support for the project from Apex representatives. Director Ballew said she continued to believe that SEDA should not participate in the project. Director Hillary Wylie said she believed the project would be valuable and give a re- gional dimension to Glenwood redevelopment. Director Leiken said he also did not yet support granting the request. He suggested that Springfield involvement in United Front lobbying efforts in Washington DC was evidence of its commitment to regional concerns. He said he did not believe the objec- tives of the project were clear. He said he could be convinced to favor the project if there was a clear indication from Apex that it would continue to pursue a MOU. Director Pishioneri said he also was not convinced that SEDA should support the pro- ject until there was "excitement"from Apex about it. He said the project appeared to have a good purpose, but that it was premature for SEDA to support it financially. Director Ralston said he considered the project an educational exercise and did not believe any product it produced would influence development in Glenwood because it would be market driven. Mr. Tamulonis said he would seek some evidence in writing from the AIA and Apex about the project. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. (Recorded by Daniel Lindstrom) Christine Lundber Secretary