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Downtown Muskegon Business Improvement District
Meeting Agenda
March 28, 2017
380 Western Ave., Suite 202 Muskegon, MI at 4 PM
1) Call to Order
2) Welcome new member Phyllis Watson-Laudermill and new staffer Megan Jones
3) Election of BID board officers for 2017
4) Consent Agenda |
a) Approval of Agenda
b) Approval of Minutes from the regular meeting (no quorum) Jan. 24, 2016
c) Acceptance of financial statements as of March 24, 2017
5) Consent Agenda II (items for formal approval from Jan. 24 meeting)
a) Meeting minutes from Nov. 22. 2016
b) Consideration of a DMN-BID letter of understanding for 2017
c) Direction on spending $3,000 in community foundation grants for downtown
message signs
d) Consideration of BID’s First Fridays sponsorship for winter quarter of 2017 -- $2,500
e) Request to contribute $5,000 from the streetscape account for Pop-Up Shops project
on Western Avenue
6) Public Comment (on an agenda item)
5) Unfinished Business
a) Report on the snow removal and financial update from the city
6) New Business
a) Review of proposals on landscaping and planters
b) Recommendation from special committee on BID renewal beyond 2017
7) Other Business
a) Update on DMN events-promotions, Megan Jones
b) Next meeting is Tuesday May 23, 2017 4 p.m. chamber training room, 380 W.
Western Ave. Suite 202, Muskegon, MI or at the call of the chair.
8) Adjournment
Downtown Muskegon Business Improvement District
Meeting Minutes
Nov. 22, 2016
380 W. Western Ave., Suite 202 Muskegon, MI at 4 PM
1) Call to Order: 4:05 PM
2) Attendance: Doug Pollock (Chair), Gary Post and Bob Tarrant
Excused Absent(s): Connie Taylor, Justin Clark (VC) John Riegler, Bruce Lindstrom,
Mike Hennessy and Frank Peterson
Guests: Dave Alexander, Downtown Muskegon Now director; Cindy Larsen, Muskegon
Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and Dennis Lohman, Northwester Industrial Sales.
3) There was not a quorum for regular business to be conducted. This is how the three BID
board members handled the items on the agenda:
The group reviewed the financials and Dave Alexander explained how the unpaid 2016
and all of the 2017 assessments will be collected and provided the BID with the payment
of winter property tax bills by Feb. 14.
Board discussed the snow removal services and lack of snow to this point. BID has paid
the city $16,000 through January and the city has had roughly $9,200 of expenses. If
such weather continues as we have had in January, the BID board should ask the city to
forego a portion of snow removal payments for additional resources put toward
landscaping.
The special working group led by Bob Tarrant met once so far and will have a
recommendation for the BID beyond 2017 at our March 28 meeting. The group of Bob
Tarrant, Mike Hennessy and Doug Pollock and Dave Alexander as staff will meet again
Feb. 21 to complete a recommendation.
The board will need to formally approve the DMN-BID letter of understanding for 2017
when we have a quorum March 28. The DMN board has already approved.
Dave Alexander received the direction of the board members present to seek private
contractor quotes on landscape work for 2017, remaining the same as we have had
done for 2016. We can also seek those services from the city DPW as we have for
sidewalk snow removal.
Dave Alexander was directed to seek quotes and get three community message boards
up for this summer at the Johnson Circle, the Farmers Market and the Depot. We
received $3,000 in foundation grants, which should cover most all of the cost and
installation.
The BID events, marketing and promotion budget of $24,000 would cover a $2,500 First
Fridays sponsorship for the winter and early spring season.
Cindy Larsen from the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce outlined the pop-up
shops for Western Avenue and requested $5,000 from the BID for the $25,000 project.
The consensus was to contribute out of the $13,000 streetscape BID budget.
Board members asked that | take the community message board, First Friday and pop-
up issues to the DMN board for its approval at the Feb. 9 meeting.
1
4) Adjournment
5:25 PM
No Objection
Minutes produced and submitted by Dave Alexander, executive director of Downtown
Muskegon Now.
To: BID board
From: Dave Alexander, DMN executive director wl)
Date: 3-24-2017 (U ‘
Re: Background information on March 28 agenda item
It is very important that we have a quorum of at least five of our nine members
for the Tuesday March 28 meeting at 4 p.m. in the chamber training room. Two
critical issues need decisions: 1. Landscaping and planter services for this summer
and 2. Request of the city for extension of the BID beyond 2017.
We will welcome our new BID board member Phyllis Watson-Laudermill owner of
HerCo Construction and owner of the office building at Third Street and Monroe
in the BID. Along with Phyllis’s city commission appointment, Bruce Lindstrum’s
and Bob Tarrant’s seats on the BID board were extended by the commission. Also
joining us will be Megan Jones, the new DMN events, promotion and marketing
assistant who is taking over for Ellen Berends.
Official election of officers: Currently Doug Pollock is our chairman and Justin
Clark our vice chairman.
Consent Agenda I: The minutes for Jan. 24 reflect a lack of a quorum but outline
the issues discussed and the direction | was given by board members present. The
financial statement shows that we have not received our winter tax bill payment
yet but that should be arriving in our account in the coming weeks.
Consent Agenda II: By acting on this list of five action items, we formally and
officially approve the items from the Jan. 24 meeting. The Jan. 24 agenda packet
also has been attached to my Friday email to you for background purposes.
Further explanation can be found in the Jan. 24 minutes in the Consent Agenda I.
Snow removal report: City of Muskegon DPW Director Mohammed Al-Shatel will
be at our meeting and give us a report on snow removal costs so far this season.
Mo also will be able to discuss the landscaping item.
Landscaping and planters: The BID received six private vendor proposals for
landscaping and/or planter services for downtown this summer. My summary is in
our packet along with a specific memo. All of the details of the RFP and the
submitted proposals are also attached in a separate PDF document to this email.
The city of Muskegon DPW also would like to discuss providing the landscaping
services only.
BID extension recommendation: The special committee of board members Bob
Tarrant, Doug Pollock and Mike Hennessy meet with Dave Alexander to arrive at a
recommendation for the city commission on extension of the BID beyond 2017.
The document in your packet answers key questions. The recommendation is for
a three-year extension, status quo district boundaries and rate and maximum
adjustments to generate approximately $140,000 in annual revenue. The work
plan would remain pretty much status quo. Action on the recommendation will
allow the BID to request city staff to begin working on the renewal process, which
needs to be complete by Oct. 31, 2017.
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To: BID Board members
From: Dave Alexander, DMN executive director
Re: Proposals from vendors for landscaping and planters summer 2017
Date: March 24, 2017
| was directed by those members attending the Jan. 24, 2017 meeting (which
there was not an official quorum) to seek bids on downtown landscaping and
planters for the summer of 2017. | also have had discussions with Muskegon City
Manager Frank Peterson and DPW Director Mohammed Al-Shatel concerning city
crews handling the landscaping work this summer. This would be similar to our
arrangement this past winter on sidewalk snow removal. The city is not interested
in providing planter services this summer. Mo will be at our meeting to give us an
update on the cost of snow removal so far this winter compared to our $8,000
monthly flat fee and time/materials on Sundays. The city is willing to consider
moving snow removal funds into the summer landscaping program to provide the
best look possible for downtown within our BID budget.
As for the private vendor proposals, we received six of the more than dozen RFPs
that | sent out to vendors in Muskegon County, both landscaping and garden
centers. The RFP’s sought landscaping, planter set up and planter maintenance
proposals. The suggestion by Barry Flower to have the same company do the set
up and maintenance of the planters is a solid suggestion. | am sending you a
separate PDF with the RFPs, summary of the proposals and the actual proposal
documents. In the agenda packet, | am including the summary of the proposals.
We have budgeted $16,000 for all landscaping and planter services this summer.
The budget was based upon the 2016 contracts and costs. However, the current
budget does not take into account the additional 34 small metal planters added
to downtown by the city of Muskegon late in the 2016 season as part of the city
hall “day of caring” that redid all of our landscaping in September. The
landscaping for 2017 also does not include the former city parking lot at Western
Avenue and Fifth Street, which was sold to a private owner. That lot was included
in the 2016 work.
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To: BID board
From: Special committee of members Tarrant, Hennessy and Pollock
Re: Recommendation for BID beyond 2017
Date: March 2017
What the BID board would need to recommend to the city commission for BID extension beyond 2017:
1. Do we need to extend it, does the downtown need a base of funding for common maintenance,
improvements, events and promotion?
Yes, downtown needs a funding base for common maintenance and promotion.
2. For how many years?
Three years
3. The district boundaries?
Status quo
4. The assessment categories and their definitions
No change but will explore specific properties classifications.
5. The assessment rates for each category
An increase of the B properties from 0.02 cents a s/f to 0.04 cents a s/f and maximum
amounts for A properties going from $3,000 to $4,000 and B properties going from $750 to
$2.000.
6. Anestimated annual budget and work plan
The above rates and maximums will generate $140,100 vs. the current $115,000. The work
plan should be putting those resources for snow plowing, landscaping and marketing. This
year’s budget and work plan is for $150,000 as it includes fund balance
7. Method of payment such as the current winter property tax bills.
Keep with the current winter property tax bills.
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