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Home My WebLink About02-26-02-02 • City of Lakeville Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes February 26, 2002 Marion Conference Room, City Hall Members Present: Vogel, Brantly, Emond, Erickson, Matasosky, Miller, Pogatchnik, Schubert, Tushie, Ex-Officio member Todd Bornhauser. Members Absent: Ex-Officio member Robert Erickson. Others Present: Staff present: David Olson, Community & Economic Development Director; Ann Flad, Economic Development Coordinator and Karla Hartmann, Engineering Secretary. 1. Call Meeting to Order. Chair Vogel called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. in the Marion Conference Room of City Hall, 20195 Holyoke Avenue, Lakeville, Minnesota. • 2. Approve January 22, 2002 Meeting Minutes. Motion 02.06 Comms. Matasosky/Erickson moved to approve the minutes of the January 22, 2002 meeting. Motion carried unanimously. It was noted that the representative from Advanced Wireless Communications was in attendance and suggested moving this item up on the agenda. 3. Advanced Wireless Project Update. Appro Development introduced Ms. Brenda Sand, General Manager of Advanced Wireless. Mr. Olson reviewed the staff report and noted that a special meeting may need to be held prior to the March 18'" City Council to review the proposed business subsidy agreement. A tentative meeting window of March 11 to the 13t" was discussed and it was determined that a quorum would be available for those dates. Staff indicated they would get back to the commissioners with specifics. Mr. Olson stated that the building plans have been delivered to the County Assessor's office for review and determination of Estimated Market Value. Discussion took place regarding the tax increment financing plan and what effect it has on the CSAH 70 interchange improvements. Mr. Tushie asked how many jobs would be generated with this facility. Ms. Sand . stated that there are approximately 100 employees in total of which 35 will be Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes February 26, 2001 • located at corporate headquarters. It is anticipated that 15-20 new employees would be added within the next 18-24 months. Ms. Sand provided an overview on the job salary ranges. Ms. Sand stated the 2- way radio technicians can earn $14-25/hour and the sales force has a base of $55,000 plus commission. Mr. Matasosky indicated the project construction will begin in April and anticipates it will take 4.5 months to complete. No action was taken as this was an informational only item on the agenda. 4. 2002-2004 Strategic Plan. 4A) Work Plan Goal #1: Educate residents on benefits of C/1 Mr. Olson stated that the City Council unanimously approved a proposal to feature and to recognize local businesses on a regularly scheduled basis at City Council meetings. In order to ensure effectiveness, the Council has requested it be limited to two businesses per meeting, and to visually display the business location in some form. The March 4'h City Council meeting will spotlight Progressive Rail. Mr. Matasosky volunteered to be present for introductions at the March 4"' meeting and Mr. Emond volunteered for the • March 18th meeting. Discussion regarding potential businesses to feature for the March 18th meeting occurred. Mr. Olson indicated Staff would write the introduction and fact sheets on the featured business. Mr. Olson stated that the C/I subcommittee held its first meeting on January 31, 2002. The subcommittee concluded that additional information was needed on five chosen metropolitan cities. Chair Vogel commented that it is important to relate benefits to the Comprehensive Plan and to give residents a picture of what Lakeville will look like. He stated that residents with a "not in my backyard" attitude need to be educated on the C/I benefits. Mr. Emond agreed that they need to be shown how it affects their pocketbook, i.e. retail square footage equates to additional tax dollars for the community, therefore a lower tax base for residents. Ms. Schubert stated that education also helps eliminate the element of surprise so residents know what to expect. 4B) Work Plan Goal #3: Encourage investigation of critical business infrastructure Mr. Olson stated that Staff is working with Springsted on the preliminary analysis for the Interchange Financing Study and that some information should be ready • for review at the March EDC meeting. GaEconomic Development~EDC~EDC Meetings~2002 mtgst2 Febmary~minules Feb 26.doc 2 Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes February 28, 2001 • Discussion took place regarding telecommunication providers and what the future holds for the telecommunication industry. 5. 2002 CDBG Downtown Improvement Program: Solicitation of Applicants. Ms. Flad reviewed the staff report and attachments. Mr. Tushie asked if Staff plans to include specifics on available funding in the solicitation letter. Mr. Olson stated that Staff is open to suggestions or comments regarding this issue. Mr. Matasosky expressed concern about the perception that funds are available. Ms. Flad noted that the CDBG funds could possibly be allocated in the future. Ms. Flad also indicated that the funds are on a "first-come first serve" basis. Mr. Pogatchnik asked if the unused balance carries over. Mr. Dison responded that HUD allows funds to be carried over with some limitations county-wide. Mr. Olson stated that the Enggren's agreement is still being worked on. 6. Customer Service Training. Ms. Flad reviewed the staff report, indicating that a session has been scheduled for March 6th for all City employees. Ms. Flad indicated that participation from the EDC members in the small group sessions is requested. Ms. Flad passed around a sign up sheet and said that there are 14-16 slots to fill and she would be asking • the business members to fill the remaining slots. Mr. Bornhauser offered to help provide contact names. Mr. Brantly stated he believes the training should be held on a regular basis to prevent slippage in customer service. Chair Vogel agreed and stated that training needs reinforcement in order for it to be effective. Mr. Olson noted that in addition to the customer service training, employees have other opportunities available throughout the year to receive training such as Municipals and other seminars. Chair Vogel made a recommendation to provide supplemental or ongoing customer service programs. 7. Annual Report -Development Project Feedback Survey. Mr. Olson stated that Lakeville is one of the only cities in Dakota County that surveys developers on C/I development. He indicated that Staff sent a letter to all City Administrators and Managers in Dakota County with 2001 survey results. Considerable discussion took place regarding the slight decrease in respondents' . reported level of satisfaction with the City of Lakeville, and Ms. Flad attributed this GdEconomic Developmen0EDC1EDC Meetings~2002 mtgs~2 Febmary~minutes Feb 26.doc 3 Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes February 26, 2001 to the fact that "satisfactory° rankings were not included in the results from previous years. She noted that there were no "poor" rankings. 8. Executive Director's Report Mr. Olson reviewed his report, and distributed Airlake Business Maps that show existing businesses within Airlake Industrial Park and the parcels available. Mr. Olson also distributed a copy of an article from the Minnesota Real Estate Journal featuring Lakeville. Mr. Olson also updated the Commission on the sale of the FBO at Airlake Airport to Steve Wentworth ,owner of Wentworth Aviation. Mr. Wentworth will be invited to attend the March EDC meeting. 9. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Attested to: Kar Hartmann, Recording Secretary R. T. Brantly, Secreta • G:~Ewnomic Development~EDC~EDC Mee[ing5~2002 m[gs~2 February~minutes Feb 26.doc 4