Economic Development Commission Minutes 12/12/2013 ADOPTED
Economic Development Commission ADOPTED
Minutes 12/12/2013
Regular Meeting
Simsbury Town Offices – 7:30 a.m. – Main Meeting Room
1. Call to Order
Mark Deming called the regular meeting of the Economic Development Commission to order on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 7:30 AM in the Main Meeting Room at the Town Offices. The following members were also present: David Balboni, Kris Barnett, James DeVivo, Gary Dornbush, Louis George, Charles Minor and Allan Raphael. Also in attendance were: Mary Glassman, First Selectman; Hiram Peck, Planning Director; Nancy Haase, Board of Selectmen; Lisa Heavner, Board of Selectmen; and other interested parties.
2. Approval of the minutes of November 2013
Commissioner George made a motion for approval of the November 14, 2013 minutes, as presented. Commissioner Balboni seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
3. Status of the Hartford Land Use Study; Marketing Study
Hiram Peck stated that The Hartford Land Use Study was completed and the final presentation is vieweable on-line. The draft for the study is out and The Hartford and their own consultants are looking at it and are happy with the way it is going so far. The framework has been established in terms of how the process would work going forward. The consultants from Gateway are working on the second iteration of that draft, which will likely be available by the end of December.
Mary Glassman stated that the town sent a letter and did meet with Commissioner Smith and Ron Angelo from the State. Hiram did find a great model to serve the on-site program. They talked to The Hartford, who would like to get the site ready for further development rather than wait for a developer to come in and try to put a proposal together. They contacted the State and volunteered Simsbury as a pilot program for the Certified Site program, who responded favorably. They met with the Chamber on Tuesday and shared this information with them, and they are also very interested. Mary said she would be working with the EDC to come up with meetings and will include some members who have stated they would like to be involved. They are determining what the next steps are for The Hartford property to be identified as a “Certified Site”.
Commissioner Deming explained that a “Certified Site” is “shell-ready” with no pollution or environmental permits in place. Currently, Connecticut does not have a program for this and the consultants were happy to work with the Town to create one. Commissioner Deming noted that the need for developers coming in to be flexible on a plan, but clear enough as to what is planned for the site, i.e. type or form of structure(s). He stated he is hopeful this will be completed by January or February 2014.
Commissioner George stated that the Chamber, through the Government Affairs, is sponsoring an informational breakfast on February 26th at The Hartford. He will be asking someone from the DECD to come and explain their portion.
Commissioner Deming stated that Phase I of the marketing study is done and Hiram Peck asked that the EDC adopt Phase I. Commissioner Balboni stated that he does not believe the EDC did a good job with the study, as they did not use talented people from our town.
Hiram Peck noted the need to aim at the high end of the smaller businesses, as there will not be another Hartford coming in with a 600,000-square-foot building and 2,000 to 3,000 employees. The focus should be on high quality, which is an outreach to ten smaller businesses with 100 people or 100 businesses with ten people, as opposed to one business with thousands of people. Another key item to develop is a monitoring tool to ensure, on a year-to-year basis, how well the program is performing. In the last three years, commercial activity has continued to increase. The town can track this activity by using the Grand List, which, from 1995 to 2012, commercial assessments have increased from 10.5% to 11.65% of the total Grand List. Commissioner George stated the goal is to increase that figure to 20%. Mr. Peck also stated that you have to take into account the re-zoning that took place in the town center and the one that will be taking place in Weatogue. Simsbury does not want to create sprawl. Mr. Peck stated that information on Phase II is on-line for review.
Commissioner George made a motion to adopt Phase I of the marketing study and the results. Commissioner Raphael seconded the motion. Commissioners Dornbush and Balboni abstained.
4. Discussion: Adoption by the EDC of Phase I marketing study; support for Phase II in the budget
Commissioner Lou George listed the goals proposed for Phase I: 1) Continued support for Simsbury Main Street Partnership of the Farmington Valley Visitors Association; 2) Re-design and/or maintenance of the EDC, Tourism, and the Simsbury Main Street Partnership’s websites; 3) Support and help implement Phase II of the marketing study by identifying top priorities there; 4) Support the transition of The Hartford Group’s property to new uses; 5) Support and promote the planning of the Simsbury Meadows area for recreation and educational uses; 6) Discuss possible revisions to the tax abatement program and re-establishment of the infrastructure assistance program; 7) Work with DECD to create a Certified Site model for the State of Connecticut using The Hartford property as an example; 8) Study the cost benefit analysis of geological information systems (this has been done but the town needs to decide if they will pay for the expense); 9) Establish an annual meeting of the Town boards and commissions to discuss the best practices for economic development.
Commissioner Gary Dornbush stated that he believes that what gets measured will get done. He noted that there are numerous things getting done by Main Street Partnership, but he has no idea what the benefits are. He believes there should be a way to estimate such revenues that are filtered into the Town. Commissioner Dornbush also suggested identifying other towns similar to Simsbury, whether in the state of Connecticut or not, and talking with their economic development people to see what they are doing.
Commissioner Mark Deming stated that we have looked at other towns similar to Simsbury and it is a challenge in that we do not have the transportation that towns like Avon and Glastonbury have.
Commissioner Kris Barnett stated that one of the EDC goals is to reach out to other businesses and to ask how they are doing and what can be done to help them grow. Existing businesses need to be retained, as well as attracting new business to town. There needs to be a formal way to touch base with local businesses on a regular basis.
Commissioner Deming questioned how SMSP reaches out to its members and does SMSP share the information regarding how their members are doing. Is there information that is usable to businesses?
Sarah Nielsen stated that the SMSP works with the majority of their members. Businesses in Simsbury are very nervous with The Hartford leaving and what effects that will have on everyone. Ms. Nielsen reaches out to members personally, as well as by e-mail. Packages are also sent out for events in order to keep up communication with the members. SMSP has brought in small business experts and energy experts to help small businesses in town. Ms. Nielsen also mentioned that businesses share personal information and business owners do not want some of this information shared publicly. She responds directly with the business owner only. Everything she does is shaped around the needs of the business.
Commissioner Barnett stated that there are other businesses that are growing, but Ms. Nielsen does reach out to them. He asked that if a business is not being reached out to by SMSP or the Chamber, could EDC somehow have a program to do this.
Commissioner David Balboni noted that he has never heard of a budget for Main Street Partnership. Sarah Nielsen stated that SMSP does publish a budget, which is in their annual report. The budget for this year is $140,000, of which 1/3 comes from the Town. Commissioner Balboni also noted that he has never seen the Chamber at the EDC meetings.
Commissioner Lou George stated that he is now the Chairman of the Government Affairs for the Chamber. SMSP reports to the EDC, as the EDC has provided money to them in the past. The Chamber does not receive any money from the EDC; however, it would be good to open communication with them moving forward. This communication should increase, which Commissioner George has agreed to do.
Hiram Peck stated that information from the Governor Affairs meeting of the Chambers should be reported back to know what happened at the meeting. Many things that have been discussed are being worked on, i.e. talking to other towns, reaching out to other businesses, such as the Herman Drive area, which was one of the focus points of the Phase I marketing study. With regard to talking to other towns, he stated that the presentation on The Hartford Land Use Study was done by Gateway Planning. They have national expertise and a lot of the economic components of that study were very wide-ranging and done all over the country, which included a lot of information on what towns and cities across the country are doing. Simsbury is limited in terms of its size and access. Simsbury would have to tailor the size of the events to the scope of the size of the town.
Commissioner Lou George noted that the EDC has to be the central communication area of the town and the business community should run through the EDC. We have to be a voice for the business community for economic development and that could be a particular project that may come into town or it may be recognizing a deficiency in our town. We do not have the regulatory authority to approve things, so we are more of the voice and receptor of these various areas. If we set ourselves up to do that, ultimately, these goals can be reached.
Commissioner Dornbush stated that he was the Chairman for a Chamber in another state and they were the focal point for the whole region. He believes that there should also be one focal point and is surprised that the Chamber does not show up at these meetings. Commissioner George stated that he is the Liaison that represents the Chamber at the EDC meetings.
Commissioner Balboni noted that the Chamber has never made a presentation to the EDC and that the EDC puts in $50,000 to the SMSP.
Commissioner George stated that the Chamber has in fact made presentations to the EDC in support of certain projects/issues. They do not come and report every month; however, the communication is very good between Government Affairs on a Tuesday morning and our meeting is on Thursday of the same week. Commissioner George agreed that they could increase their communication with the Chamber.
Commissioner Kris Barnett noted that if the EDC is going to create a website that is comprehensive, the EDC needs to partner with these other organizations so that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date. The website is the face of the EDC.
Lisa Heavner noted the Connecticut General Statutes for the EDC and that the EDC does have a charge. The commission “shall conduct research into the economic conditions. Shall make recommendations to appropriate officials and agencies of it municipalities regarding actions to improve its economic condition and development. Shall seek to coordinate the activities and cooperate with unofficial bodies with economic development”.
5. EDC goals for 2014-2015
Nothing reported.
6. Discussion of the SMSP and FVVA goals and deliverables for 2014-2015
Sarah Nielsen, Simsbury Main Street Partnership, stated that the EDC is the economic development engine. The Connecticut Main Street center is funded by the Department of Economic and Community Development and Connecticut Light and Power. She distributed a copy of the updated work plans to the Commission members. She noted that the fiscal year is April 1st to the end of March. She does not anticipate the majority of their deliverables to change, as the SMSP tries to set goals that are long term. The SMSP will be working on marketing materials and would like to figure out a successful way to integrate all the branding the town has already done. Ms. Nielsen noted that their budget will stay the same as last year. She believes economic development needs to take top priority with the town and it starts with the EDC.
Commissioner Deming suggested that the commission study the updated work plans and discuss them at the next meeting.
Commissioner Balboni requested some numbers, as wells as trends on membership, cost and how it is placed throughout the different sections of the town.
Commissioner George discussed SMSP’s position on The Meadows, in that this area can be developed as a cultural, recreational and historic area (i.e. running trails, pavilions, etc.) with a master-type plan that may take years to implement, based on funds. This would help businesses along Hopmeadow and the main street area. Commissioner George wanted to add a goal to develop and complete a master plan for the Meadows area to develop into a cultural recreational destination, incorporating the Farmington River and the 200 acres of natural land in the Town Center area.
Sarah Nielsen stated that the main street businesses testified that the Meadows is an important/critical piece to their businesses. She believes that more development has to be done in conjunction with the businesses. An extensive grant was written with the Hartford Symphony for the Meadows to add a small addition to the back of the current building, which could include bathroom facilities, multi-purpose space and lockers. Ms. Nielsen noted that this would enable more successful activities to be held at the Meadows with these permanent facilities.
Hiram Peck noted that a grant has already been submitted and approved for the running trail, which is going to cost $167,000. The Town is ready to move forward but has to get funding.
Mary Glassman stated that in order to get more events scheduled, now is the time to put that in the goals and budget in order to get it to the Board of Selectmen and voters.
Nancy Weiner-Anstey, Farmington Valley Visitors Association, distributed the 2014 Guide to Commission. The FVVA has been in Simsbury since 1994, which included Avon, Canton, Farmington and Simsbury. This is the 20th anniversary this year and they have scheduled a gala at the end of May, which information will be given out at a later date. The FVVA does not receive any state or federal funding and is supported by membership dues and fund raising events. The total budget is $91,200. The FVVA is currently a 50166 and tried to become a 50123. After $1,500 and 18 months of work, it was turned down because of the lack of full educational programs and we do not give loans to family and children. In the midst of doing this, the FVVA had to switch their fiscal year to July 1 to June 30. Last year’s budget was $93,700. We switched to the $91,200 budget because we had all the accounting for the Farmington Valley fund commission within our budget and we decided that it does not give an accurate accounting of what we are doing, so that is a separate budget. The FVVA provides a guide with town information and includes all members, as well as a web site with 6,000 hits a month. The membership drive is in January, with a 20th anniversary discount of 20% if you pay your dues by February 14th. If you have to wait until St. Patrick ’s Day, it is 10% off. Their office is a resource for residents. The FVVA has around 160 members. The monthly newsletter goes out to at least 600 e-mails, which includes news and events people provide them. A relationship with the Valley papers has been established to include events.
Commissioner Raphael believes that the tribute to Dr. King in downtown Simsbury was a shot in the arm for the town.
7. EDC website upgrade; presented by Kris Barnett
Commissioner Barnett and Commissioner Deming have met a couple of times with Rick Fassino and will be participating in a webinar on December 19th with Virtual Town Hall. Within Virtual Town Hall lies the ability to host our own EDC website, which requires the purchase of a domain name. Commissioner Barnett provided a proposal of what the website would consist of, as a sketch must be provided to Virtual Town Hall to see what they are capable of doing. This site will be used as a way to attract developers to Simsbury and to make it more concise for businesses and provide reasons why a business should locate here. The website would include a brief description of the town, about what the EDC is about, links to the meeting schedules, agendas, minutes and contact information for the members. Virtual Town Hall does have capabilities for GIS mapping and Rick was going to get back to Kris on what that cost would be. An inventory of the available space in town would be desirable on the website, which would require property owners to realize the value and be willing to upload their available property to the website. Commissioner Barnett noted that a decision on what domain name the town would like to purchase needs to be made and the one that is available for purchase is “Simsbury Development”. The cost of the domain name would be $20 a year. Commissioner Deming stated that the maintenance would cost $2,000 to $4,000 a year. This would be linked to the Town’s website.
Commissioner Deming stated that the reason we want to have our own domain is that we want to get our website maintained on a weekly or as-needed basis in order to keep it fresh. It was suggested by Commissioner Dornbush to get someone from Simsbury to do the maintenance on the website.
8. Connecticut Small Business Development Center; presented by Tammy Warner PhD
Tammy Warner, Connecticut Small Business Development Center is located at UCONN. The mission of this organization is to help businesses start, grow and thrive by providing customized consulting, education and network resources. They have a network of twelve individuals throughout the state with various expertise to help small businesses. Ms. Warner is located in Simsbury to help these small businesses in town get the resources they need, such as getting their financial statements together to obtain a loan, developing a business plan together to get started, and numerous other items. A large focus of the organization is export and how to get small businesses’ products into overseas markets. Ms. Warner currently does not have an actual space here in Simsbury but would like to get one to make it easier to be able to meet with local businesses. Commissioner Deming stated that he will add this to town’s website.
9. Old/New business
Commissioner Deming stated that the budgets will be discussed at the next meeting and he will e-mail this list to the members for their comments and suggestions. He also requested members look at the website, as well as Main Street Partnership and Farmington Valley Visitors Association information to be discussed at the next meeting. The next meeting will be January 9, 2014 at 7:30 AM.
Hiram Peck stated that he received a letter from Tom Cooke regarding the presentation to the Board of Selectmen with regard to the Economic Development task force, which asks that the EDC discuss this. The proposal was made by Nancy Haase to the Board of Selectmen and asks that an Economic Development task force be formed; the First Selectmen wanted EDC input on this. Mary Glassman will provide a copy to the members. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
Mary Glassman also requested to add the Library Board. They are looking for 3D printing and innovation initiatives. Rick Wagner is looking at initiatives that will be privately funded.
Rick Wagner stated there will be a meeting from 9:00 to 11:00 today in Program Room 2 at Simsbury Library between Simsbury Historical Society and Simsbury Library on innovation.
Commissioner Dornbush made a suggestion that any attachments for the meetings be attached to the Agenda when it is sent out so that all members are fully prepared for the meeting.
10. Adjournment
Commissioner George made a motion for approval for adjournment at 9:00 AM. Commissioner Raphael seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.