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August 12, 2020 8:30 AM-Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority Meeting Agenda/Minutes

Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority

Meeting Agenda

 

            Date:               Wednesday, August 12, 2020

            Time:              8:30 AM

            Location:         Hiawassee City Hall

                                    50 River Street, Hiawassee, GA  30546

  1. Call to order
  1. Approval minutes of July 13, 2020 meeting
  • Treasurers report
  1. Directors Update
  1. Old Business
    1. Business Plan/ARC Grant of $500,000 Update
      1. RFP
    2. Mural Update
    3. First Friday – Update and critique 
    4. Collection boxes – Lloyds Landing
    5. Hamilton Garden Dinner Update
    6. Workplan – action plan to implement
  1. New Business
    1. Volunteer recruitment
    2. Window artist – Bazya Smith and Mackenzie Smith
    3. Website

VII.      Open Discussion

  • Executive Session
  1. Adjourn

Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority August 12, 2020 Minutes

Present: Steve Harper, Liz Ordiales, Alec Therrel, Tamela Cooper, Lindie Wright, Rob Sollie, and Margaret Oliver.

Absent: All present

Staff: Denise McKay, Marta Izquierdo

Minutes:

The August 12, 2020, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meeting was called to order at 8:35 AM by Chairperson Steven Harper.

A motion to adopt the final minutes for the July 13, 2020 meeting was made by Lindie Wright and seconded by Tamela Cooper, motion carried unanimously.

Treasurer’s report – Denise McKay reported the Downtown Development Authority has a starting balance of $20,000. Two deposits were made totaling $1,243.43 from vendor fees and sales. Expenses totaled $4,514.21. The checking account balance as of today is $16,729.22.

Denise McKay gave Directors Update – The JDA had their first formal meeting. Mr. Adam Hazel with the Georgia Mountain Regional Committee will attend the next meeting, on Monday, August 17, 2020, at 6:30 at The Young Harris City Hall, to give an update on Economic Development Plan for the County.

The Rural Zone Application was sent out for approval. This will allow incentives for businesses to receive three types of tax credits, investment, rehabilitation, and job. The credits can be layered, however, all based upon job creation

The Kayak Ramp design was approved. The ramp should be completed within the next 45 to 90 days.

A new Alcohol Ordinance was rewritten, including a referendum for a package store. It will be reviewed by the City Council; first reading should be at the September meeting.

Old Business:

The ARC grant for $500,00.00 is still in process. The RFP for architectural and engineering services is now open. The architectural report is a component of the complete grant application. The grant application will be submitted in late October or early November.

Approved 9/9/2020

The artist has started the Mural. The framing and the sky are painted, he should be finished by the end of the month.

The First Friday Night Market event was a big success. The event was critiqued and updated with new ideas. The vendor surveys were viewed, suggestions will be taken into consideration for future events.

Four Collection boxes will be placed, two at Mayor’s Park and two at Lloyd’s Landing. They will be completed in September and used by the DDA for beautification projects.

The Hamilton Garden’s Dinner will be held on October 17, 2020. The pavilion will hold 15 tables with seating for six people per table. The DDA will provide tents for more private accommodations. Donations are needed for the silent auction. The committee will begin to contact businesses soon and will begin to sell tickets for the event.

The Workplan will be discussed individually since the meeting ran late. Denise will contact everyone via email or by phone.

New Business:

Volunteer recruitment will be extended to our retirees and to members of SCORE. A few volunteers have already come forward to help.

There are three artists that will be painting the “Paris Plaza” windows. They are Bazya Smith, Mackenzie Smith, and Chelsea Berrong. A motion for a $200.00 budget for this project was made by Margaret Oliver and seconded by Alec Therrel, motion carried unanimously.

The DDA Facebook is now up. Pictures and text will be added soon. No Open Discussion or Executive Session was needed.

Motion to adjourn was made by Margaret Oliver, seconded by Tamela Cooper, motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 9:54 AM.