Minutes: Redevelopment July 2007

Evansville Redevelopment Authority

Board of Commissioners

Regular Meeting

Tuesday, July 17, 2007, 7:30 pm

City Hall, 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville, Wisconsin

MINUTES

Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by Chair Chris Eager. Present: Chris Eager, Betsy Ahner, Tony Wyse, John Decker, Barbara Jacobson and Roger Roth. Absent: Tom Calley. Also present: Executive Director Dan Wietecha and Mayor Sandy Decker.
Declare Quorum. There being a majority of the commissioners present at call to order, a quorum was declared by the chair.
Approve Agenda. Decker made a motion, seconded by Jacobson, to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously.
Approve Minutes of June 19, 2007 Meeting. Decker made a motion, seconded by Jacobson, to approve the minutes. Motion carried unanimously.

Old Business.

Allen Creek Master Plan RFP. Wietecha said that RA Smith had conducted a number of interviews with property owners last week, and they will likely finish their interviews in the next week. RA Smith has also been compiling the basic background information they will need for the project. An open house presentation of the mid-project draft is tentatively scheduled for the August 21 Redevelopment Authority meeting. The Board asked that the property owners, Plan Commission, and Chamber of Commerce be notified of the open house.

Main Street Construction.

Wietecha noted that last week the Public Works Committee had awarded the contract for the surface work on Main Street to Trierweiler Construction. Construction is expected to start the first week of August with a completion date in mid November. It would be phased by blocks similar to the underground utility work. The Board asked that the Downtown Taskforce discuss any coordination that may be needed with the businesses that may be holding sidewalk sales during the upcoming Citywide Garage Sale.


In answer to a series of questions, Wietecha said that the total cost of both phases, purchase of additional bricks, and extra utility work on Maple Street was roughly $130,000 to $200,000 below budget. The $70,000 difference is in the cost of extending the bricks from Maple Street to Railroad Street. The City Council has said that the additional block of bricks would only be done if additional grant funds were received. The second grant application was denied, but there is still some local interest in having the bricks extended to Railroad Street. The Board noted that there had been some $10,000 to $20,000 in donations pledged to the brick project a year ago.

Wyse made a motion, seconded by Ahner, to recommend to the Common Council that the bricks be extended to Railroad Street. Motion approved unanimously.

New Business.

TIF Projects with Historic Properties. Wietecha distributed the Historic Preservation Commission’s Design Review Standards for Commercial Projects.

The Board noted that several past projects in TID #5 had raised the question of requiring approval of the Historic Preservation Commission as a condition of granting tax increment financing to a project. With no projects currently before it, now is a convenient time for the Board to discuss a formal policy of considering or requiring Historic Preservation’s approval for tax increment projects.

The Board noted that the design standards were based on national and state guidelines and that attention to the historic context of the downtown was appropriate for projects receiving public funds. Jacobson made a motion, seconded by Decker, to require Historic Preservation Commission approval as a condition for TIF projects within the historic district or involving designated local landmarks.
2008 Budget. The Board noted that it has historically not worked with a budget since its operations are project-specific rather than ongoing. The Board recommended allocating $5,000 in TIF for marketing and promotion of the Allen Creek Master Plan and $10,000 in TIF for purchase of easements or other property rights.
Other Business. None.

Adjournment. Wyse moved, seconded by Jacobson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved unanimously at 8:20 pm.