MEETING MINUTES
July 10, 2014
Economic Development Office, Old Saybrook Town Hall 7:00pm
Chairman Swenson called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.
Attendant Members: Absent Members:
Elizabeth Swenson Lauren Ashe
David Cole Carol Conklin
John DeCristoforo Bruce Greenfield
James Keating Maura Richards
Dr. David Shearer
Attendant Staff:
Susan W. Beckman, Economic Development Director
Joanne Kegel, Recording Clerk
MOTION: to approve the Minutes of June 19, 2014 as presented; MADE: by D. Cole; SECONDED: BY J. DeCristoforo; VOTED IN FAVOR: E. Swenson, D. Cole, J DeCristoforo, J. Keating; OPPOSED: None; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 4-0-0
- Correspondence & Announcements
- Letter requesting support for the Chamber of Commerce Arts & Crafts Festival
Director Beckman received a letter from the Chamber of Commerce requesting the Economic Development Commission to donate $100.00 for a “Friend” sponsorship to the Arts & Crafts Festival. The Director responded and submitted a check request to the Town.
The Commission noted that election of officers was held on March 13, 2014. Discussion was held regarding the procedure for changing of some member positions in the interim. D. Cole suggested
title changes be done administratively if possible. The Director will check with the First Selectman about procedure for making an alternate member a full member. The Director will update the Commission’s Member list. The Chairman proposed identifying members’ political affiliations to assure political balance. Some names were suggested to pursue as potential future members.
- The Lyons Property/The Preserve – wrap up
The Commission noted that the Town Referendum vote on Tuesday, June 8, 2014 was approved in favor of the purchase of the Lyons Property/The Preserve. David Cole will be attending the next Conservation Commission meeting to learn more about The Preserve ownership agreement between the town and the state will be developed. ~He will report back to the EDC on whether he believes the EDC could make a constructive contribution in the process and should be involved.~ The Chairman suggested to invite First Selectman Carl Fortuna to the next EDC meeting in August, to update the Commission on the structure of the deal and to clarify the EDC’s role and level of participation.
Director Beckman noted that the Planning Commission will act on the request to add the Mariner’s Way Plan to the Town’s Plan of Conservation & Development at its next meeting on July 22, 2014 and suggested that one or two EDC members should attend. J. Keating will attend.
- Bike/Pedestrian Safety Letter
A draft of a letter to various boards requesting consideration of pedestrian and biker safety was written. The Chairman indicated that it may be too late to incorporate bike paths on Route 154 and Route 1 due to commencement of paving. A decision was made to draft a letter to the Planning Commission Chairman Janis Esty to see if it is not too late to submit this request.
The ED office created post cards to place around town to remind people to vote for Old Saybrook as a Fan Favorite Town in Connecticut with instructions for voting on Facebook. The Director noted that Old Saybrook came in fifth last year. Details of the promotion are in the Director’s report below. At the June meeting the commission gave the Director authority to spend money in the promotional budget before year end if appropriate opportunities arose. ~$50 was spent on 500 Fan Favorite promotional post cards using these funds. ~The commission authorized spending of up to $250.00 for future promotional expenditures. The director will report all of those expenditures to the Commission.
MOTION: to approve future promotional expenditures, not to exceed $250.00, with condition that all costs be reported to the Economic Development Commission; MADE: by J. DeCristoforo; SECONDED: BY E. Swenson; VOTED IN FAVOR: E. Swenson, D. Cole, J DeCristoforo, J. Keating; OPPOSED: None; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 4-0-0
Sculptures of historically significant Old Saybrook residents could enhance the sense of place of Main Street by sharing the Town’s history with residents and visitors through art. The commission discussed suggesting the project to Main Street Business owners and speak with the Chairman of the
Planning Commission regarding logistics and feasibility of the project. Further details of the promotion are in the Director’s report below.
Economic Development Update
July 10, 2014
Grants
DECD Brownfields Assessment Grant submitted July 10, 2014 requesting $200,000 to assess the
extent of contamination and remediation needs for 9 contiguous properties on Mariner’s Way.
This is a relatively competitive grant and only 10 towns will receive funding for assessment in
this round.
Outreach
1. Post Card to Businesses – The post cards have resulted in three calls from local business
people with various concerns:
a. Art Vercillo, President and CEO of Computer Signs of Old Saybrook – met with
Art to discuss his interest in finding a larger building for his business to allow for
expansion. We set up a meeting with Jim Jackson of SBDC to discuss next steps
and potential funding sources.
b. Joe Wren, Principal of Indigo Land Designs – a civil engineering firm wants to
purchase the small yellow building on the corner of Elm and Boston Post Rd. We
set up a meeting with Jim Jackson to discuss getting prepared for the acquisition
and potential funding sources.
c. Another business owner called with concerns about a lack of support from Town
Hall. He has a location in the Industrial Park and would like more signage
opportunities on the corner of his road and he was wondering about allowing
businesses to rent town parks/space as non-profits are allowed to do. He also
brought up Food Trucks. Currently zoning allows limited food trucks (generally
ice cream at the beaches). FYI – In recent years, Food Trucks have gone more
“gourmet” serving higher end foods on a literally mobile platform. I have heard
of town and cities enjoying multiple food trucks during nicer weather and
creating events out of it. One example is “Food Truck Tuesday” in Buffalo, NY at
a redevelopment project called “Larkin”. See the website for a better idea of
2. Press – STEAP Grant announced in the Harbor News
3. Chamber of Commerce
a. Along with the Chamber, we are spreading the word about the Connecticut
Tourism Office’s “Fan Favorite” program. The ED office created post cards to
place around town to remind people to vote for Old Saybrook.
Individuals cast votes by going to Visit Connecticut on Facebook
(Facebook.com/VisitConnecticut) or by going to CTvisit.com now through July 25.
Individuals can vote once a day and are entered to win a drawing for a getaway
with each vote. The winning town and destination will receive:
• Bragging rights for all of 2014
• Advertising support from the Connecticut Office of Tourism
• National and in-state public relations support
• Editorial feature in the 2015 Connecticut Visitor’s Guide
• Week-long social media feature across the Connecticut Office of
Tourism’s social channels – an audience of more than 200,000!
• Honorary plaque
The top 10 favorite towns will also receive widespread promotional
support through PR and social media.
4. Website
a. Total Hits:
i. Feb = 187 Daily Avg = 6.71
ii. Mar = 216 Daily Avg = 6.97
iii. Apr =173 Daily Avg = 5.77
iv. May = 216 Daily Avg = 6.97
v. June = 212 Daily Avg = 7.07
b. Entrance Pages/Bounce Rate
i. Feb=46/18 39.13%
ii. Mar=45/13 28.89%
iii. Apr=65/26 40.00%
iv. May = 66/30 45.45%
v. June = 72/40 55.56%
5. Local Developers and Commercial Real Estate Agents:
75 Main (the old North Cove building) is in the hands of a new developer. He
plans to split the building into up to 6 retail units. He will be going through the
permitting process and Commission members may want to attend some of the
meetings to learn what he is proposing.
6. Region/Statewide
a. Middlesex County Revitalization Commission (MCRC) will be making micro-loans
to businesses for equipment purchases that allow them to expand.
b. Met with Susan Chen from DECD’s Small Business Express Program to learn more
about applying for this and other programs and share information with her
about Mariner’s Way.
Programs
1. Route 1/Mariner’s Way
a. Brownfields Grant submitted
b. The EDC should be represented by at least one or two Commissioners at the July
22 Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission will acting on the
request to add the Mariner’s Way Plan to the Town’s Plan of Conservation &
Development.
2. Main Street - Placemaking
a. Sculptures of historically significant Old Saybrook residents could enhance the
sense of place of Main Street by sharing the Town’s history with residents and
visitors through art. The is a project on which we could partner with the
Historical Society, an Art Academy, and the Main Street Business Association
i. Potential subjects:
1. Kathryn Hepburn - Actress
2. Anna Louise James - first African American woman to graduate
from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in 1908 and she was the
first African American female pharmacist in Connecticut
3. Walt Kosey – Walt’s Deli
4. David Bushnell – Designed the first submarine, the Turtle
ii. The Tourism Office of DECD makes grants for art-related projects. We
missed the funding round this year. I will contact Kip Bergstrom to ask
about applying for funding for sculptures along Main Street
Planning
We should develop an outline of a plan to help identify our overall goals, priorities, tasks
and metrics to measure our progress. It will need Commission input once I get it
organized. This could be a good project for September and October.
MOTION: to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Economic Development Commission on August 14, 2014, at 7:00 p.m., at 302 Main Street, Town Hall, EDC Office, First Floor; MADE: by J. DeCristoforo; SECONDED: By D. Cole; VOTED IN FAVOR: E. Swenson, D. Cole, J DeCristoforo, J. Keating; OPPOSED: None; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 4-0-0
Respectfully Submitted,
Joanne Kegel,
Recording Clerk
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