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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/06/24 EDA MinutesEconomic Development Authority Meeting Minutes November 6, 2024 Peter Huber called the meeting to order at 10:06 a.m. and asked for a roll call. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Absent Adoption of August 6, 2024 and September 3, 2024 Work Session Minutes The motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Mr. Worrell to adopt the August 6, 2024 minutes. Ms. Has joined the meeting at 10:07 a.m. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye The motion was made by Mr. Worrell and seconded by Mr. Bell to adopt the September 3, 2024 Work Session minutes. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Before the financial report was given, Manager Day stated how exciting the last nine months have been with the transition between previous management. He stated the communication between board members is vital and without the communication, the transition between the number of projects would be impossible. Manager Day stated he has learned that the town has been awarded grants that go back to 2011 that have been left unfinished and audits have crept across priority. He stated a grant has been awarded to the Fire Department and additional funding for the brewery has also been awarded. He reported there will be a massive announcement within the next couple of months for the town, which will be the biggest announcement that the town has had in decades and he is excited to be apart of it. Manager Day stated there are other projects that are coming and the transition of the EDA getting off the ground has been complicated but there are opportunities coming for the board to be involved in. Financial Report Manager Day reported the Bimmerworld project to date is going extremely well. He stated he admired the County Officials and the boards that were here to support that project, which has been successful. He stated the Peak Creek project is just getting started and the payment method has been agreed upon. Discussion Bylaws Revisions Manager Day reported the Town Council reviewed the requested changes to the bylaws and they had no problems with the amendments. One amendment being the removal of the $1,500 limit of spending and the other was to put in language about meeting once a year. Mr. Worrell asked for the number of board members to be reviewed as there are seven members on the board but the bylaws state there are eight in Article III. The motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Ms. Hash to adjust the terms to match what the Town Council has appointed the board members to. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Mr. Huttick suggested Article XII be removed as it circumvents the authority vested by the legislature of Virginia, authority for a board that gives the Town Council the right to change anything they want at any time. Mr. Huber suggested the language be changed to instead of ‘vote of the Town Council’ would be ‘the vote of the EDA’. The motion was made by Mr. Huttick and seconded by Mr. Bell to amend Article XII from ‘the Town Council’ to the ‘EDA’ Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye The motion was made by Mr. Huttick and seconded by Mr. Worrell for the removal of $1,500 limitation in Article X. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye The motion was made by Mr. Huttick and seconded by Mr. Bell to amend Article VIII D-1 to amend the language to remove ‘if such request is accepted by the Town Council’ to ‘the chair and the board of directors as jointly scheduled with the Town Council’ Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Manager Day asked the board to consider adopting the bylaws with the previous mentioned changes made. The motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Mr. Worrell. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Bimmerworld Update Manager Day stated there were no other updates to Bimmerworld. Mr. Huttick stated Bimmerworld invited Pulaski County EDA to tour the facilities and suggested it may be helpful for the Town EDA to tour as well to give clarity, as he has heard good things about them within the last week. He stated he wasn’t aware they were still in their old building, and meeting with them would clear up some issues that we may or may not have. Manager Day asked Mr. Huttick if there were other issues he has with Bimmerworld and stated he would reach out to them and get some dates that they are comfortable with to schedule a tour. Mr. Huber asked if the board would like to come up with some dates to tour as having the board together would constitute an official meeting. Manager Day stated he would reach out to Bimmerworld and determine available dates. Mr. Worrell suggested touring the facility as the next meeting. Mr. Huttick stated he would be out for vacation from November 27th to January 3rd. MacGill Park Manager Day stated there have been some interest for potential development at the MacGill Park property. He stated he would like to go before the Town Council and ask to move ownership of that property to the EDA to take advantage of the legislative benefits that are available for the authority. Manager Day stated there is a potential developer who is interested in the property. Mr. Bell asked if the potential developer has submitted any preliminary plans. Manager Day reported there are preliminary drawings and the hydraulics, the utilities, DEQ, and additional guidelines need to be reviewed. Mr. Huber stated whatever point Mr. Day has a proposal, the board would need to enter into Closed Session to discuss the project as there are details that should be protected. He stated the board has a responsibility to keep, once they hear a proposal in Closed Session, to keep it confidential until such point as it’s publicly announced in whatever form, probably with the Town Council. Manager Day stated he’s not sure if there has been a phase one or phase two on the property but if there are red flags, Town Council would be notified but the EDA would still have more power on the property than Town Council would. The motion was made by Mr. Worrell and seconded by Mr. Bell to accept the MacGill Park property if granted by the Town Council. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Board Member Comments Mr. Huber stated the board needs to elect officers and with the resignation of Mr. Hall, there are two vacancies on the board. He suggested, if state code allows it, to appoint a member from the Housing Authority to the EDA and if there’s a vacancy on the Housing Authority have an EDA member appointed to that board, to allow the two boards stay coordinated with each other. Mr. Huttick stated he thought the authorities could work together jointly, working with housing authorities to the Towns next to us. Manager Day stated Mr. Huttick is correct and there’s no restriction other than under fraud for the EDA or Town Council. He stated the Town Council has a list of names that’ll be looked at for the EDA vacancies. Mr. Huber asked the board if they would like to proceed with the election of officers or wait until the last two seats are filled. Mr. Bell suggested to move forward with the election of officers. Mr. Bell nominated Mr. Huttick for the position of Chairman. With no other nominations made, the motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Mr. Worrell to appoint Mr. Huttick as Chairman. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Mr. Bell nominated Mr. Huber for the position of Vice-Chairman. With no other nominations made, the motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Mr. Huttick to appoint Mr. Huber as Vice-Chairman. Mr. Huttick stated it would be good to elect a secretary and treasurer, although the Clerk of Council and the Town Treasurer take on those rolls, to serve as a liaison between the individual members and the Clerk of Council and Town Treasurer. Mr. Bell nominated himself as secretary. With no other nominations, the motion was made by Mr. Worrell and seconded by Mr. Huttick to appoint Mr. Bell as secretary. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Mr. Worrell nominated Ms. Hash as treasurer. With no other nominations, the motion was made by Mr. Worrell and seconded by Mr. Huttick to appoint Ms. Hash as treasurer. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye Reminder of next meeting date Tuesday, December 3, 2024 10:00 a.m. Mr. Huber reminded the board to be aware of their attendance. Ms. Hash stated she missed the previous meeting for health concerns. With no further business, Mr. Huber asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:05 a.m. The motion was made by Mr. Bell and seconded by Mr. Worrell. Roger Bell- Aye Robert Huttick- Aye Jeffery Worrell- Aye Peter Huber- Aye Collette Hash- Aye