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Home My WebLink About04/21/06 CDC I I I MINUTES THE COLONY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WORK SESSION APRIL 21 ST 2006 PRESENT: Don Beckel - President Vicki Briggs - Vice President Debby Short - Member Stephen Sohn - Member John Sanders - Member Susan King - Secretary Sue Walden - Treasurer STAFF: Pam Nelson Sam Fitzgerald Kathy Neal COUNCIL LIAISON: Allen Harris - Absent GUESTS: Dale Cheatham - City Manager Tom Terrall- Economic Development Director Christi Martin - Lakeside Arts Foundation President Allison Mihavics - Chamber of Commerce & CVB Amber Fulton - LISD Board Member The Work Session was called to order at 3:00 p.m. 1. RECEIVE INFORMATION AND HAVE DISCUSSION REGARDING FUTURE PLANNING GOALS AND PROJECTS - Dale Cheatham, City Manager - Dale gave the board a list of projects currently in progress, a list of future projects and issues that will be addressed, and some information on developments taking place. When asked what could be done to improve the image and quality of life in The Colony, Dale said there are 3 things at the top of his list that 4B has responsibility for, trails, a Recreation Center, and improving the City's appearance. A trail system like the one the board is working on, will set us apart from any other city, the Rec. Center needs to be upgraded, as it does not meet the needs of the community, and when we do projects, we try to upgrade some of the things we are doing like enhancing landscaping. Dale thanked the board for the work they are doing and for having this retreat. Tom Terrall, Economic Development Director- Tom was invited but was unable to attend at the last minute. Christi Martin, Lakeside Arts Foundation President- Even though the plan for the Civic Center was voted down by City Council, she said she agreed with some of the reasons why it was voted down. Now she has started to lookfor ways to reduce the costs or find ways to raise more money. LAF haltedfundraising efforts in November when there was some doubt as to where they would be - Five Star or Calvary Christian Center or nowhere. They still have money in savings. Christi has been meeting with builders to find ways to cut costs. One thing to consider is a pre-fab building. Ways to possibly reduce operations costs is to consider contracting an event planner and getting a percentage, or having someone from the Chamber or CVB to do some of the basic scheduling. Christi gave the board a copy or the financial projections for the Civic Center and the projected revenue. There was no allowance in those figures for landscaping. For an auditorium, Christie needs 8,000 sq. feet. There was a suggestion to form a committee to work on getting more people aware of the arts. Allison Mihavics, Chamber of Commerce & CVB- Allison gave the board a list of some of their activities they do throughout the year. The goal of the Chamber is to connect the business community to the rest of the community. The Chamber is very concerned about the traffic, what's happening and what ill happen with the construction on 121 and 423, and that the businesses along Main St. are struggling to maintain. I The Chamber was asked to form the CVB and is trying to get a board set so that the City can take it over. There is a set of bylaws in place. The board needs to be made of people with the proper expertise and talent. Somefundingfor the CVB comesjrom the HOT TAX money. We have started a Leadership Program to help people and business people develop leadership skills so they can come into city government. There are a lot of people that move here when they retire. The Chamber tracks the phone calls they receive. She would like to have a marquis sign to display information. A suggestion was made to see if the Chamber could send us information on the phone calls they receive; this would help the board's planning process. Amber Fulton, LISD Board Member - Amber gave the board some iriformation about the school district - the cities that make up the school district, the bond history of LISD, current construction projects in The Colony, 2005 bond projects for The Colony, information about the number of meals served in 04-05 and on a daily basis, bus transportation, the National Merit Scholarship Program, and enrollment figures. This is the first time in a long while that the district is not opening a new school- this is due to rezoning. The district is building a natatorium on Memorial Dr., and a bus maintenance facility by the Colony High School. A bond package was passed in 2005 and includes a lot of technology, I maintenance, land for wherever the need and growth is, additions to fine arts in The Colony, a new orchestra room at Lakeview. Don said that the sidewalk on the natatorium site is only built on one side but not on the South Colony to the driveway entrance, he asked Amber if the school district would complete the sidewalk - it's ugly and a safety issue. Amber said she would find out. Pam said there is a lot of land at BB Owen that the district could develop that would benefit them as well as the city. Amber will give this iriformation to the district. A suggestion was made that the district should consider using HCP for their camping trip since they no longer go to Camp Goddard There was a consensus among the board and Amber agreed, that this board and LISD become more aware about projects that each entity is doing. Amber or a representative jrom LISD could come to the 4B meetings every quarter to give updates on things happening in the school district. The work session was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Following dinner, the board will convene into a Special Session. I I I I The work session reconvened at 7:25 p.m. following the Special Session. The levels of strategic planning were discussed - Vision, Mission, Core Values, Strategies, Goals and Objectives, and Tactics. The board reviewed the Proposition 2 that was voted on in 1998 and passed by the voters. The strategic plan should identify the board's strengths and weaknesses and it gives us goals. The board discussed the need to change their mission statement. The new mission statement is _ "Enhancing the quality of life in our community". The board developed a vision statement - "Setting the standard for excellence for community development ". The board already has strategies that they have been working on for several years - existing park improvements, new facilities, Five Star, culture/arts, other. The board wrote down ideas they had regarding each category, and this is what they came up with - Existing Park Improvements - Kids Colony Pave the parking lot at Lions Club Park Continue to improve pocket parks Landscaping at the Recreation Center, Aquatic Park, and other parks Beautification Replace old trashcans Implement the Landscape Plan Addition of a sidewalk at the Little League fields on North Colony Expand the skate park Replace the gazebo at the Historical Park Expand Ridgepointe Improvements at Bill Allen Memorial Park Put tennis courts at the Aquatic Park Improvements to Taylor Park - the north end by Squires Culture / Arts - Need public art Public art to highlight the city's history Historical sculptures Visual art pieces Art-work at Five Star Historical art along the trail at Five Star Art exhibit on the lake Five Star - Add tennis courts 60,000 sq. ft. Recreation Center Dog Park Family Sunday with games and activities Car Shows New facility project that is wider community based Watch the appearance of Five Star New Facilities- BMX Track Entertainmentfacility for teens - partnership Camping / Learningfacility @ HCP with Marine Quest Dog Park Medieval Times Cool Zone Frisbee Golf + additional 9 holes Kayak course Canals with boats Trails Shoreline Trail Nature Trail Feeder trail @ Stans Utilize the lake front Trails through the middle of town I Other - Continuing education for the board Communications More work sessions with City Council Develop a closer relationship with LISD Invite different groups to board meetings Work with various interest groups to provide amenities Host more community events at neighborhood parks Have BBQ 's at neighborhood parks Participate on citywide community calendar Advertise accomplishments Advertise what we can / can't do Work on getting sponsorships - market financial needs to corporations Tourism brochure Article in the newspaper quarterly or 2x per year about CDC Expandfitness area at the Rec. Center Drive-in movies at Stewart Creek Park More festivals at Stewart Creek Park Guided walks on the shoreline Seek special events for the community Lakeshore clean up 4b Website (currently under construction) I At the May board meeting, we will schedule another retreat to continue the strategic planning process. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. ~~ .~e-~ Don Beckel, resident I Kath