5. HRSR 08-06-2007ITEM # 5.
City of
El
fiver
MEMORANDUM
TO: Housing & Redevelopment Authority ~j
FROM: Heidi Steinmetz, Assistant Director of Economic Development J
DATE: August 6, 2007
SUBJECT: Downtown Revitalization Project Update
Attachments
• River's Edge Minutes, May June 2007
• River's Edge Agenda, August 8, 2007
Jackson Place
The construction fence is anticipated to be removed in late September to be followed by street
restoration work.
The Bluffs of Elk River
Community Development Director Scott Clark will provide a verbal update at the HRA meeting.
Downtown Parking Study
On May 14, 2007, the City Council authorized Carl Walker, Inc. to conduct a downtown parking
study. Carl Walker, Inc. recently completed the parking supply/demand portion of the study, which
is the first of the following three phases to be completed:
Phase 1 -Existing & Future Parking Conditions
Phase 2 -Parking Management & Conceptual Design Alternatives
Phase 3 -Final Report & Presentation of Study Findings
Carl Walker, Inc. is proceeding with Phase 2. It is anticipated that Phase 2 will be completed by the
end of August. Staff is anticipating that a presentation of the final report and study findings will
occur in September.
River's Edge Downtown Business Association Street Dance Update
In June, the HRA authorized $2,000 be used toward the August 18`" River's Edge street dance. Fred
McCoy of McCoy's Pub is working with the City Clerk's office on necessary applications that need
to be submitted for the event, including the street closure request, which will be considered by the
City Council on August 13`"
River's Edge Meeting Minutes
Attached are the May and June 2007 River's Edge Meeting Minutes. There was no meeting in July.
Attached is the next meeting agenda for August 8.
Rivers Edge Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
8AM Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room
Treasurer's Report
Secretary's Report
(Minutes went out in June)
Old Business
City Update
Street Reopening Dates
Planters Downtown to Mums?
Street Dance August 1 gcn
Sidewalk Sale August 18t"
Parking Discussion Recap
From July Meeting with Scott Clark/Chief Beahen
New Business
Jim Rudolph
Patti Hipsag
Heidi Steinmetz
Fred
Wendy
Music in the Park at Lunchtime Tuesdays 11:30-12:30
Halloween decorating?
Santa Downtown Dates, where, Petting Zoo?
Plans for building completion celebration?
Dates for Parking Survey working meetings
Please email (simen003numn.edu) call or fax Wendy at Kemper Drug (441-1353) or
(441-9004 fax) If there is anything you would like added to the agenda.
Rivers Edge Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 8AM in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room. Present:
Jim Rudolph, Wendy Simenson, Dave Rymanowski, Tony Mikols, Roger Hebeisen, Jeff
Gongoll, Heidi Steinmetz, Patti Hipsag, Alissa Peichel, Patrick Grace, Fred McCoy, Cliff
Lundberg
Treasurers Report: $2289.69 in Treasury
Secretary's Report: Minutes were accepted as written
Old Business:
Revitalization Plan Update:
Parking Task Force: Haven't met since the last meeting.
Connecting to ArtSoup June 23/24.
Four businesses have pledged $200 towards the $1200 price of the Trolley. They will
have ads on the side of the trolley advertising their places of business. The Trolley will
run during the day between Handke School and downtown. It will go past the new park
and turn around in the parking lot of The Bank of Elk River. Several more spots are still
available on the Trolley for advertsing.
Let Patrick know if your business is interested in selling ArtSoup Buttons. Lots of fun
activities are planned for ArtSoup.
Sidewalk sale will be held downtown June 22, 23, 24. The exact times will be up to the
participating businesses. Wendy will have a banner made for the side of Kemper Drug
advertising both the sidewalk sale and ArtSoup. We will try to get as many downtown
businesses as possible to advertise in the ArtSoup Program and have the ad highlight the
sidewalk sale to encourage people to come downtown during ArtSoup.
Downtown SK Race/Street Dance:
The date for the event is August 18th, 2007. Fred has been working on the details for the
street dance. With more lead time this year he has been checking out more bands to play.
Main Street would be closed again at SPM that night. He is working with the City to
figure out exactly where we can close the street. We are looking for entertainment to play
in the park during the day. We will be having another sidewalk sale downtown that day
also.
The SK race has been cancelled for this year. It requires more planning than we had
anticipated. We will start planning sooner for next year.
Planters:
Meryl will be out of town until May 31St. When she gets back she will start planting the
flowers. The city put out the pots during our last Rivers Edge Meeting before Heidi could
contact them to ask them to put the pots where we wanted them. Meryl talked to Phil
Hals about this and about having contracts with businesses to water them. Phil said that
he would have city employees move some of the pots where Meryl wanted them placed.
New Business
Election of Officers: The following officers have finished serving a 1 year term: Wendy
Simenson Chair Person, Fred McCoy Vice Chair and Patti Hipsag Secretary, Jim
Simpson Treasurer. Jim Rudolph from the Bank of Elk River was nominated as
Treasurer, the rest of the officers were nominated to continue in the positions that they
currently hold. The slate of candidates was approved by acclamation by those members
present at the meeting to serve another term.
The Meeting was adjourned at 8:SOAM
The website is active. Please let me know if you have a link you want linked
or info that you would like added. For those of you who don't have a link I
will attempt to copy business cards for a link at a later date. We will be
talking about the website at the meeting
http://www.kemperdrug.com/downtown asp
Are you planning to do anything during the sidewalk sale? Table on the
sidewalk, sidewalk sale inside, restaurant specials, discount haircuts or
massages???? Please let me know and I will get the info out there.
Don't forget to buy an ArtSoup Button and help promote the festival and all
that the Elk River Area Arts Alliance Does. Ads for the program have to be
turned in by June 12th -you still have time to get in the ArtSoup Program!
Call Patrick at 441-4725 if you are interested.
Wendy
763-441-1353
763-441-9004(fax)
Simen003@umn.edu
Rivers Edge Meeting Minutes for Wednesday June 13, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 8AM in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room. Present: Jim
Rudolph, Wendy Simenson, Dave Rymanowski, Tony Mikols, Bill Houlton, Jeff Gongoll, Heidi
Steinmetz, Patrick Grace, Marcy VanValkenberg.
Treasurers Report: $2491.22 in Treasury
Secretary's Report: Minutes were accepted as written (Dave moved and John seconded)
Old Business:
City Update:
Heidi told us that the Bluffs should be open some time in June or July and Jackson Place should
be opening in Sept-Oct time frames. The streets should not need to be closed for road work.
Fences will come down as buildings open.
Parking Task Force:
The task force has not met recently. A consultant is being brought in to look at the parking
situation downtown, interview some business people downtown and observe the parking lots
downtown the week of June 18th. He will then make recommendations to the City as to what the
next steps should be to address parking issues Downtown Elk River.
Marcy didn't understand why the Parking Task Force came up with the recommendations that
they did. They didn't take into consideration that the downtown businesses had purchased the
property that makes up much of the King Ave Lot. The businesses later deeded the lot to the city.
No one has seen if there are any stipulations in the deed that directs the City in how the lot should
be managed.
Wendy said that many of the businesses downtown have parking available to them adjacent to
their businesses for their employees. The Brick Block Businesses option is to use the King Ave
Lot or cross Hwy 10.
The MetroPlains people were at City Council meetings where downtown business people
questioned the parking problems that would result from building on the Jackson Square Parking
Lot. MetroPlains was asked about parking for their employees in their underground lots and they
said that there would be some parking for the employees in those lots.
Furthur discussion concerned the fact that the Parking Task force was given a list of tasks. One of
the tasks was to "Develop and recommend policies for transition of employee parking to the
periphery of downtown." The task force was not given the option of trying to make the existing
parking lots work without requiring people to cross highway 10 or try to find unregulated street
parking.
The Police Department put up cross walk markers on the East Side of Jackson Ave on Highway
10. Wendy contacted the Police Chief to ask whether they would also be placed on the West Side
of Jackson Ave. His response was that there would not be: "the crosswalk on the west
side has both a turn lane and a southbound lane that travel over the
primary center of the walkway. If we placed delineators there-cars
would have to drive over them to make their turns. Wish we could-but
not physically possible. The east crosswalk-although currently leading
to the construction
area-is a far better/safer crosswalk to use."
John said that he has been parking across highway 10 for the last several days and having no
problem crossing the street.
Music in the Park:
Every Thursday night through the summer, the Parks Department will be hosting a free concert in
the park. The concerts will usually start at 7PM and last for 45 minutes to an hour. (Intermissions
not included so they may actually go longer than that). June 21 there will be a ribbon cutting
ceremony at 6:30 PM that RiversEdge Businesses are invited to. At 7PM Bill Isles will be
playing.
Please let Ross Demants at the Park Department know if you have any concerns about what goes
on downtown during the concerts. He is aware of the concern about concert goers having to use
business restrooms and he will be addressing that issue.
Connecting to ArtSoup June 23/24.
Several Businesses will be having sidewalk sales downtown during ArtSoup.
A Trolley will be going up and down Main Street between Handke Stadium and the new
RiversEdge Commons Park. Patrick Grace had Postcards for businesses to pass out. There will be
a nice spread in the ArtSoup Program with downtown sidewalk sale ad with the downtown
businesses advertising around it.
Street Dance August 18"', 2007:
Fred wasn't at the meeting but shared the following information: Jackson Ave will be closed at
SPM as will parts of Main Street around the intersection of Main and Jackson. The 9PM band will
be "Hang Fire" an energetic band that plays both Rock N Roll and the Blues. He is still working
on the opening band. Once again tickets will be sold ahead for $5.00. The City of Elk River has
agreed to help pay for advertising to help promote this event. Fred has to talk to the parks
department about the best place to put the band for people to dance. He is thinking about putting
it on Jackson Ave facing Main Street.
Downtown Retail businesses are going to do another sidewalk sale that day. We are looking at
trying to get some activity during the park that day also.
Planters:
The Planters should all be planted by ArtSoup. Thanks to Meryl for all of her hard work!
New Business
Welcoming new businesses:
We don't have an official welcoming group but we should all make an attempt to stop in and say
hi to the new businesses as they open.
Webpage:
Wendy has turned on a webpage for downtown on Kemper Drug's website
www.kemperdru~.com/dou~Itow~l.a~ If you have anything you want added to it please email
simen003(~r~:urnn.edu and let her know. She will try to keep it updated with what's happening
downtown (concerts in the park- special events at businesses) and a listing of businesses that give
her their information to put on the site.
The Meeting was adjourned at 9:OOAM