MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE DOWNTOWN PORT PERRY BIA
HELD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009 AT 6:00 P.M.
IN THE SCUGOG VISITOR & BUSINESS CENTRE
PRESENT:
Chair, Mr. Stewart Bennett Christy Stone-Curry
Vic-Chair, Terry Venner Birgitta MacLeod
Lana Crosbie Bill Minors
Susan Clearwater Amanda Jackson
Julie Brock Lynn Hodgson
Michelle Belair
ALSO PRESENT: General Manager - Kenna Kozak
Anita
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
2. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST
No member made a disclosure of pecuniary interest in any of the following matters.
3. MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 17, 2009 MEETING
RESOLUTION NO: 09-05
Moved by: Bill Minors
Seconded by: Terri Venner
THAT the minutes of the February 17, 2009 meeting be approved.
Carried
4. DEPUTATION Carey Nicholson, Scugog Council for the Arts
The Scugog Council for the Arts (SCA) is open to partnering with the BIA for arts & culture events. They would help facilitate these events. Some ideas discussed were: buskers (who would pay a licensing fee and go through auditions); a kiosk for arts & culture info. The SCA was asked if they would help organize a street event on a Sunday in August (proposed date of Aug. 9) with artists of all kinds. The SCA will check other events and respond. The SCA’s annual general meeting is April 28. A new website is being launched.
5. REPORTS
i. President’s Report:
The weather is looking better and so are the numbers of people on the street and in the stores. It was nice to see lots of folks this last weekend.
I hope everyone is planning something special for Diva Night on April 24. We need these special events to increase sales and visibility of our shops. We want these shoppers to enjoy the night and make several return trips to town as well as tell their friends.
I attended a Tourism website seminar last Thursday. It was put on by the Region. It was most informative and there are lots of tools that we all should be aware of and using. Blogging, Twittering and Facebook are the new business terms being used today. Go onto the Tourism site www.delicious.com/durhamtourism.com and it will walk you through these tools. Use google map to indentify where you are. It became evident to link with other successful sites. Metroland is getting 2.5 million hits per month.
I will be attending the OBIA conference in Toronto at the end of the month and hope to bring back some ideas from other BIAs. If there are any questions that anyone wants to ask, just email me and I will bring these up during the conference.
This is our last meeting in the SVBC and next month we will be in a new board room 2 doors down. Make sure you use Kenna and the resources that our BIA has to offer.
RESOLUTION NO: 09-06
Moved by: Michelle Belair
Seconded by: Birgitta MacLeod
THAT the minutes of the President’s Report for March 2009 be accepted.
Carried
ii. Treasurer’s Report: There was some discussion about how area development funds could be used, e.g. to purchase more flower baskets. Michelle reviewed the budget figures for 2008, which are now final. She recommended that additional accounts be added to better track event advertising.
RESOLUTION NO: 09-07
Moved by: Michelle Belair
Seconded by: Terri Venner
THAT additional accounts for event advertising be created.
Carried
RESOLUTION NO: 09-08
Moved by: Michelle Belair
Seconded by: Terri Venner
THAT the Treasurer’s report for March 2009 be accepted.
Carried
iii. Advertising Report – Lana Crosbie
The next event is Divas in Downtown on April 24 from 6 pm to 10 pm. Members need to help promote their own Divas activities and not just leave it to the BIA. If you donate a prize for the evening your store will be promoted on the map that is handed out. The map is very popular with patrons.
2009 Advertising: The BIA is planning full page ads in York and Durham for several 2009 events. The ad rep, Tony Edwards, will be visiting merchants with details. By participating together we are saving by getting a lower rate and by having colour ads for the same price as black and white. The TO ads will run in April, July, September, November and December. Businesses can now plan ahead for these campaigns.
A pull-out feature is planned for the Curious Country Shopper in November with 500 extra copies we can distribute. Kenna will send a survey to members to gather information on their target markets and current advertising/promotion plans.
There was a suggestion that we could have a free draw on the website; people could win just by visiting the website. Prizes could be donated by members.
The need for a new logo and tagline was discussed. A few members will meet Wednesday morning to discuss.
iv. Area Development - Susan Clearwater
BENCHES
Arranging with John Sellars for viewing of benches in storage to determine if painting is needed.
FLOWER BASKETS
Arranging with John Sellars to have contact with Otters and Landscape staff who do plantings in flowerbeds around BIA signage at entrance points to the town and parking lots to have more involvement in landscape decisions. Communities in Bloom judges have previously commented that these beds require more variety of plantings.
BANNERS
Contacted Mike Butcher from Classic Displays of Mississauga (he lives in Pickering) to get costs for brackets and banners.
Once ordered there would be a 3 week turnaround.
Banners would go up in Spring and be removed when baskets are put up. Winter banners are also available.
18 inch bracket ranges from $40 - $175. He recommends a 20” x 40” bracket.
Plates to secure brackets, plus a D ring on the bottom with eye bolt, all in black is $20.
Banners - $99 - $130.
Banner graphics - $90/hour. He estimates 1.5 hours.
Note: Consideration needs to be given whether banners are placed on road or sidewalk side of pole.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Will verify that the smaller garbage cans have been painted black and do not need further painting.
ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Emailed the Accessibility Director of Ontario (accessibility@css.gov.on.ca) to enquire about the requirements for accessibility for small towns with a heritage designation.
Getting this information will allow us to better comment on the “Official Plan”.
“Private sector, non-profit, non-designated public sector businesses and organizations” with fewer than 20 employees are exempt from Phase 1 of the Act until 2012 (1-866-515-2025)
DOWNTOWN HERITAGE DISTRICT PLAN
The Downtown Heritage District Plan goes to Council at 9:30am, Monday April 20th, 2009 and there is a Public Open House the same day from 6-8 pm.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING #1 - March 5, 2009
“FIRST IMPRESSIONS COMMUNITY EXCHANGE PROGRAM”
Judy Coward - Economic Development Consultant with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Branch, Lindsay, Ontario, would like to present this program to the BIA. “The Lindsay Office is responsible for providing Economic Development expertise to a large area which includes 41 Municipalities in Ontario.”
“Volunteer “visiting teams” from two exchange communities do unannounced, incognito visits, record their observations, and give constructive feedback to their exchange community….Exchange can be the basis for positive community action, focused on downtown revitalization, tourism development, investment attraction, quality service improvement, or broader community strategic planning efforts.”
“The most effective exchanges have occurred when the exchange communities have had similar characteristics, such as population size, proximity to a large urban centre, or economic base (e.g. agricultural, tourism, manufacturing).”
TOWNSHIP OF SCUGOG (DRAFT) OFFICIAL PLAN - February 2009 (Version 2) (206 pages)
Released for Public Comment until April 24, 2009
Public Session for Comments - March 30th , 6-8 pm.
Comments can be submitted via email: planning @scugog.ca
Focusing on the downtown core by not allowing other areas to expand. Caps on floorspace in the downtown area have been removed to maintain downtown Port Perry as a focus of the commercial structure. The west end development will be restricted to its original square footage.
Blackstock will have special status as a “Future Village” due to its ability to service new construction and its existing small retail area.
LEED (Leadership in Environmental Engineering and Design) Certification will be required for construction to promote sustainability.
NOTE: The above are only a few comments mentioned in the meeting. I will review the entire document and provide comments to the BIA. All comments from the BIA can be incorporated into one document and sent electronically.
DURHAM TOURISM
25 volunteers are required for the Durham Tourism booth at the CNE.
It is in the, very popular, Better Living Centre where the Arts and Crafts are located.
The Lucy Maude Montgomery Heritage Site in Uxbridge was very successful in receiving busloads of tourists as a result of advertising in the Durham Tourism booth last year.
Tourists are divided into 3 categories according to Trends in Tourism:
Upscale Adventurers, High Flyers, Fun-Loving Families
“Visitors are seeking quality experiences - nature and adventure tourism is growing”.
“Earned media (good news stories/written press releases) has proven to e 6 to 10 times more powerful than purchased media.”
“Focusing on branding has also proven successful ie. Durham Tourisms “Good Natured, Good Times”.
DRAFT BANNER POLICY - presented by Bev Hendry (still available for comment)
“Township of Scugog Community Service Banner Policy” - “to provide guidelines under which the Township will endorse the installation and removal of community service banners on public road allowances and decorative street light poles, particularly Simcoe, Water and Curts Streets.”
ONTARIO BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (OBIAA)
Conference held in Toronto at the Delta Chelsea from March 29-31, 2009.
Speakers from across Ontario and the U.S. provide insight on how BIAs have improved their downtowns.
Highly recommended by Judy Coward – Economic Development Consultant-
Kenna will invite Judy Coward of OMAFRA to attend the next meeting.
RESOLUTION NO: 09-09
Moved by: Lynn Hodgson
Seconded by: Amanda Jackson
THAT the Area Development report for March 2009 be accepted.
Carried
v. Councillor’s Report – Lynn Hodgson
Changes to weekly garbage pick up will not affect businesses in the downtown area as this is a separate contract. News reports indicate that the west end development will be starting this spring.
The first draft of the official plan is now open for public comment. The province mandates that this be updated every 5 years.
4. CORRESPONDENCE none
5. NEW BUSINESS
There is a skunk problem in downtown. If you have them on your property the time to trap them is now. Several members objected to the use of “liquidation” and “store closing” signage on some businesses. It sends a pessimistic message to consumers. Kenna will write a letter on behalf of the BIA to these businesses.
6. ADJOURN
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 pm.
