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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-11 Minutes CRA (approved) COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING Ocoee Commission Chambers 150 North Lakeshore Drive Ocoee, Florida October 4,2011 MINUTES 6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER CRA Board Chairman Vandergrift called the Community Redevelopment Area Board together at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of City Hall. City Clerk Eikenberry called roll and declared a quorum present. Roll Call: Member Hood, Member Wilsen, Chairman Vandergrift, Member Keller (absent), Member Corless, Member C. Johnson and Vice-Chair R. Johnson(absent) Also Present: City Manager Frank, City Attorney Rosenthal, City Clerk Eikenberry, CRA Administrator Russ Wagner and Assistant City Manager Shadrix. I. Designation of Board Chair and Vice Chair Member Hood, seconded by Member Wilsen, moved to reelect Member Scott Vandergrift as CRA Board Chairperson. Motion carried 5-0, with Member Keller and Member R. Johnson absent. Member Hood, moved to reelect Member Rusty Johnson as CRA Board Vice Chairperson. Motion died for lack of second. Member Wilsen, seconded by Member Hood, moved to elect Member Carla Johnson as CRA Board Vice Chairperson. Motion carried 5-0, with Member Keller and Member R. Johnson absent. IL Approval of Minutes of the September 29,2010 Regular CRA Board Meeting Member Wilsen made a motion to approve the minutes as revised and presented by staff. Member Corless seconded. Motion carried 5-0, with Member Keller and Member R. Johnson absent. Review and Discussion of FY 2011/2012 Budget CRA Administrator Russ Wagner explained that a CRA budget works differently than the municipal budget in that there is carry-over from the previous year. He said there is a worksheet in the packets that explains the carry-over. Mr. Wagner gave a PowerPoint presentation showing an over view of the accomplishments during the last year which included two awards; one from the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association for "Best Redevelopment Plan" and one from the Florida Planning and Zoning Association for "Best Practices." They Mayor reminded him to do press releases regarding the awards. Mr. Wagner continued saying there has been a lot of discussion with realtors and developers and they have handed out the overlay plans and getting the information out there. He said we are getting good feedback on that. He talked about the 429 Working Group, an effort which includes Apopka, Winter Garden and Ocoee, primarily, but also includes Orange County, West Orange Chamber of Commerce, local colleges, etc. He said their objective is to gain recognition for the West Orange area of the SR 429. You will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming year. Mr. Wagner talked about the Multimodal Mobility Plan; he stated the study is almost completed. Member Corless asked about getting a draft for this plan ahead of the next meeting in order to review it. Mr. Wagner discussed Florida Central Railroad's rail improvements project (Orange Blossom Express). He said that all communities along the route have now agreed to contribute their fair share funding; Apopka was the last to fall in line, but they did a few weeks ago. This project will be moving forward. A Federal grant for 2.2 million dollars has been secured which will help with our share of the project. He said this railroad will have with excursion trains, freight movement, etc. An alternative analysis study ready to begin in Orange County that we are trying to get Ocoee and Winter Garden included in that as those cities have a lot of potential for commuter rail in the future. He showed a CRA ad that was placed in the Discover Magazine and Orlando Business Journal. This ad campaign, with the new modern logo and signage, is geared toward younger families and professionals and technology-type business. It is meant to hit a targeted group that we want to attract to the CRA. He discussed various banners and signage that have been placed around the city. The website www.ocoeecra.com is being developed. We are trying to make this a go-to location for business. They are developing ideas for phone apps and other types of marketing. The website also has a fresh, contemporary feel to it. Mr. Wagner discussed the Ocoee landmark/icon sign that will be erected at the Blackwood Avenue streetscape project; it will stand approximately 25 feet tall. He showed what it will look like in the day and night. Member Corless said she thinks the 50 West signage is a great marketing tool. She said even her kids noticed them. Mr. Wagner discussed the events at the CENFLO Central Florida Film Festival, which was a successful event and showed some movies that were shot locally. We will be getting a DVD of the event and it should soon be airing on Ocoee TV. He was happy with the project and the awards program. He discussed the EVENTOCOEE feasibility study. He showed an artist rendering of the concept of the event center. There will be a meeting in a month or two to give a full presentation on that. He briefly summarized the following projects: • Blackwood Avenue Enhancement Project-to.be completed early November • Transaction Data Systems- expanding to 15,000 sq. ft. office building on Blackwood Avenue • Highway 50 connection with Marshall Farms area in Target Area 1 —long term project • Lighted fountain in Lake Bennett, seen from Highway 50 • Ocoee sign over the turnpike, soft plastic letters for safety; there would be 100,000 per day seeing the sign; still waiting for approval. CRA Budget Meeting 10-4-2011 Page 2 Mayor Vandergrift stated he would like to award the Transaction Data Systems business, as well as McDonalds, on the suburb landscaping jobs they have done. IV. CRA Budget CRA Administrator Wagner reviewed the FY2011/2012 Budget (attached) and discussed some of the reductions that were made this year. He noted that they are continuing with design standards, which will be one of their major projects. Mr. Wagner said are planning to add Target Areas 4 & 5, which will be some of the more sizable areas left in the CRA. He said he would rather wait to identify those areas after the property owners have been approached. He discussed the transfer of$167,625 to cover staff personnel costs of himself and the Assistant City Manager who are actively involved in administering the program. He said revenues declined this year because of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF). We are fortunate to have some carry over and still move forward with projects. The new office building as well as the expansion at West Orange 5 will add some tax increment and help somewhat. He said there are a lot of things happening in the CRA despite the economy. He stated he hoped that Health Central will complete their merger with Orlando Health and stimulate the growth of offices, etc. within the CRA. Member C. Johnson said she had a note to ask about Target Areas 4 & 5, but understands the need to wait according to his previous comments. She said she will get more detail at the next gathering. Member C. Johnson also asked about the EVENTOCOEE events center. She wondered if it should be explicitly included in the CRA Plan. She said her thoughts are that, to the extent that we advance beyond the feasibility level of analysis and maybe morph into an actual public project, it should be added to the actual redevelopment plan. She further asked about the marketing funds being spent and said she wants to understand what we are marketing. She asked if we are marketing a concept in order to bring a private developer to the table. CRA Administrator Wagner said that is exactly what we need to do. He added that our consultants have done this all over the world; they are a premier consulting firm. They have advised that these types of event centers are rarely built by a single entity; they are generally partnerships between government entities, public/private entities such as hotels, the county, etc. The money usually comes from many sources where you would get sponsorships to pay for certain portions of it to lower the capital costs and the rest is financed over time. These facilities normally take 2-3 years to accomplish, but could take longer now with the current economy. We have interest with the users; the feasibility study shows a tremendous need for this type facility and it would be highly utilized. We need to get funding and show that it is a catalyst that will bring other business in. Member C. Johnson complemented the CRA team on the marketing and signage that has blossomed over the past year. She said she sees it developing a sense of place and although she is not of the "younger target audience" she finds it very attractive. CRA Budget Meeting 10-4-2011 Page 3 ',Y V. Resolution adopting CRA Budget for FY 2011/2012 City Attorney Rosenthal read the title of the resolution. Mayor Vandergrift asked if there were any comments from the public. Member Corless advised that she has noted some cleanup that needs to be done on the budget worksheets, but they do not affect the final budget being approved this evening. Member Wilsen, seconded by Member Corless made a motion to approve the CRA FY 2011/12 budget as presented by staff. Motion carried 5-0 with Commissioner Johnson and Commissioner Keller absent. The resolution, as adopted, carries the following caption: RESOLUTION NO.CRA 2011-001 A RESOLUTION OF THE OCOEE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ADOPTING A BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012; PROVIDING FOR BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS AND THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. VI. Board Member Comments Member Corless said she would like to see the CRA board be more active this year; she believes they should meet at least quarterly. Consensus of the Board was to have quarterly meetings. CRA Administrator Wagner said they may not occur quarterly, exactly, but they will meet more frequently for updates. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:37 p.m. APPROVED: Attest: Beth Eikenberry, Secretary S. Scott Vandergrift, Chair CRA Budget Meeting 10-4-2011 Page 4