Board of Director’s Meeting – Minutes

Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Location: online 6:30 p.m.

Attendees: Miguel Gonsalves (MG), Sara Bergsma (SB), Joe Taglieri (JT), Eric Chabot (EC), Alan Cooke (AC), Kristina Tesser Derksen (KTD), Margaret Lara (ML), Rachel Shuttleworth (RS)

Regrets: Colin Best (CB)

EC called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm.

EC asked the board if there was any declaration of pecuniary interest or conflict of interest. None were made.

Review of previous minutes

  • SB moved to accept September minutes. JT seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report:

  • In September, incurred $25k in expenses, half relates to staffing, other half is rent, ads, beautification.
  • Incurred $178k in expenses to date.
  • Received confirmation that Town will contribute $14,250 towards winter event (from dollars earmarked for Street Festival). Grateful for Town’s support.
  • Revised budget is $243k (does not include $39k drawdown from reserve). Have used 70% to date. Expecting to incur $67k between now and end of year, plus $42k for Christmas event. Total expected expenditures are $287k. Expecting a small surplus at the end of the year.
    • ML moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report. SB seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Council Reports

KTD (Local):

  • Town creating new Economic Development Strategy. Stakeholders can give input through an online survey – can get downtown businesses involved. KTD to send link so we can share with members.
  • Budget call reports coming to Council in November. No information yet on potential tax rate increases. Town’s reserves held out pretty well through pandemic and Milton is in a better financial position than some municipalities.

Executive Director’s Report

OBIAA Conference

  • RS, EC, KTD attended OBIAA Conference in Hamilton. Opportunity to share ideas, network.
  • KTD – Attended sessions on homelessness. Not as significant an issue for Milton yet but it does exist and may increase in next decade. Great tour of Ottawa Street BIA, revitalization projects.
  • EC – Visited International Village BIA. In Hamilton, city pays for landscaping, maintenance, flowers, decorations. We pay for most of those things. Session on revitalizing through colour.

Request from the Town related to 2022 budget

  • Town requesting a revision to our 2022 budget to reflect a $17,250 contribution from them for staging for DMSF. Would be an increase in our expenses (Department ‘9260 Summer Events’) and revenues.
  • Relates to a change in responsibilities. Booking stages & equipment was previously managed by Town staff but in 2019 that was moved to BIA. Transfer comes from the Community Services Department.
  • Stages, speakers and related costs around $28k in 2019. Town paid for a headliner/closer for $10k.
  • Will meet with Community Services to finalize how roles are divided between Town and BIA.
  • MG – Inflation will kick in and stage costs rise. Ensure Town can cover the difference.
  • EC – We want to proceed with festival. Ensure Town can support cost difference for staging if needed.
    • MG motioned to accept the revision to our 2022 budget to increase expenses by $17,250 for the Street Festival and a revenue transfer from the Town and ensure Town can help by covering potential increases in staging costs. Seconded by KTD. Motion passed.

Upcoming Events

  • Downtown Flashback Tour – With funding support from the Chamber’s Shop Local program, working with Milton Historical Society on historical walking tour featuring downtown businesses. Includes info on our website, QR codes in garden beds, info cards for businesses. Launch later this fall.
  • Tiny Tots Trick or Treat – Saturday, October 30. Coordinating logistics for event. Several new requirements related to signage, volunteer training, traffic flow. Good interest from members in participating. All participation is outdoors. Possibility of a couple new sponsors at the event. A few businesses want to participate but are short on staff. Also have lots of high school students looking to volunteer this time around. Town did not approve proposal to use $3k from DMSF budget for event.
  • SB – If businesses provide their own table and candy, could assign a volunteer to help them. Many currently experiencing labour shortages and it’s hurting businesses. Have volunteers wear customs.
  • ML – Questions related to event insurance.
  • RS – Town covers us for Tiny Tots. We need to get our own policy for HolidayFest.
  • Downtown Milton HolidayFest – Saturday, November 27. Working with Public Health, Town, Fire, Police, etc. Finalizing stage location. Doing well on entertainer applications. Outreach underway for more external vendors. Good response from members. Town approved proposal to use $14k from DSMF budget. In discussion with potential sponsors. ‘Experienced’ volunteers needed.
  • JT – Ensure we are incorporate Pasqualino in the road closure.
  • RS – Road closure is between Brown and Commercial so Pasqualino will be in the event.
  • Santa Claus Parade – On board as a Platinum sponsor. Eric and Alan exploring option of doing a float. Register the float before November 3.

Litter management downtown

  • Town Operations staff have been doing some daily cleaning for the last few weeks.
  • BIA hired a temporary ‘ambassador’ to help with litter clean-up, poster removal, etc downtown. He worked recently and cleaned up 4-5 bags of litter. Willing to continue working.
  • Will revisit our MOU with the Town on beautification and maintenance for 2022 season and beyond.

Garden bed electrical receptacles

  • Receptacles to be repaired as they are needed for upcoming events. Last year, we did tall orange sticks and flags in the ground. No receptacles were hit by plows last year (not too much snow last year though). It looked ugly. Whether to explore something more decorative.
  • KTD, EC – No need to do anything decorative, it’s orange, looks like it’s marking a locate, so it works.
  • AC – Has some supplies available if needed to do sticks in the ground.

Beautification planning

  • Local resident interested in downtown and willing to volunteer to support beautification. Offered to approach some design agencies to ask them to do a pro bono beautification plan (includes gardens, garbage bins, electrical boxes, etc.).
  • EC – Some of those items sit with the Town. Best to focus volunteers on smaller, manageable projects.
  • Engage volunteer to look at wraps for electrical boxes.

My Main Street Funding

  • Federal government grants, $25k-$250k, supports community placemaking projects – events, activities, enhancements, and policy and capacity building designed to draw visitors and increase local vibrancy.
  • Year 1 (2021) Applications open Oct 1-Nov 1, for work completed June 8-Dec 31, 2021. Reimbursement for work you are already doing, not for taking on new projects. 70% of funding goes into this round.
  • Year 2 (2022) Applications open Dec 1-Feb 1, for work completed Jan 1-Dec 31, 2022. 30% of funding goes into this round.
  • Option 1: HolidayFest – Could apply $30k for event and ask Town to move their contribution to 2022.
  • Option 2: Patios – Infrastructure for seasonal patios (no plans underway so could work for round 2).
  • Option 3: Lighting – Street pole lighting or lighting installations.
  • Option 4: Parkette – Could propose to Town that we apply for the parkette redesign project and request that the Town dollars be used in 2022 for another downtown project – ie Ivy walkway improvements, safety barrier at Martin & Main, patios infrastructure.
  • KTD – Positive response from public about the parkette picnic tables. They are used a lot, great comments on social media.
  • RS – Spoke to Town about design suggestions for parkette (including some tables, benches, lights, resurfacing, etc.). No answer on our federal funding application for the parkette mural.
  • MG – Ensure Town is supportive of our application.
  • EC – Parkette/furniture costs fit well within criteria for grant program because we have support from community groups. Hopefully Town would support the application. If they don’t we won’t apply.
  • RS – Would need support from KTD and CB on liaising with Town re parkette and moving project along.
  • EC – Could also consider Accelerator Program.
  • RS – Accelerator Program is similar to Digital Service Squad program that Town is going to run.

Police support downtown

  • Two downtown buildings tagged this weekend (including one that was newly painted). Landlord called requesting a greater police presence downtown to deter vandalism and also speeding.
  • EC – Special constable used to be assigned to downtown. He provided a crime incident report at board meetings. The person left, a new person came in and was not in place for long.
  • KTD – Can request additional support from Police. Constable was around in the day, not at night.
  • EC – In Sauble, Police said to report everything that happens. Police map all the calls (graffiti, crime, needles, peeing, loitering, speeding, fights, etc.) and allocate budget accordingly. Build a case over a period of time. Call the dispatch number each time or report it through email.
  • AC – People always speed on Main Street. Last week a man person came into store, screamed at and threatened people. Have cameras at store but area doesn’t feel safe at night. Seeing it in other municipalities as well. Needs to be more of a police presence at night.
  • EC – Some people hang out outside the building all day long.
  • SB – See lots of speeding and people always blow through the stop sign. Would like Town to put in speed bumps or flags in the middle of the road to slow people down.
  • AC – People associated with one downtown businesses rev motors after 8pm. Disruptive to everyone.
  • KTD – Need police enforcement. Traffic calming measures could help – speed bumps.
  • EC – Forward all complaints to Halton Police and track it. At Police budget time, can make a delegation.
  • KTD – Town has not decided whether to keep the speed limit on Main St to 40 km/hour after patio season. Worth exploring speed cameras. Suggest DMBIA make a delegation when the speed camera question comes up at the Town. Will send contact details for Traffic Sargent.

For December Meeting

  • Suggestion to have in-person meeting in December.
  • Could consider a hybrid model meetings for the new year.
  • AC moved to accept the ED Report. MG seconded the motion. Motion passed.
  • JT moved to accept the Council Report. ML seconded the motion. Motion passed.

New Business

  • JT – Inquire about status of safety barrier at Martin & Main St.
  • RS – We requested that that be added to 2022 Town budget. Will follow up.
  • MG – A letter was sent by the BIAs in Toronto requesting that restaurants be allowed to go to full capacity like many of the sport and entertainment venues.
  • RS – We were not contacted to sign letter. May have been through TABIA. Lots of complaints in the media, community related to restaurants still having capacity limits.
  • SB – Once they can go to full capacity, problem will be finding staff. Staff shortages right now.

Adjournment

  • SB moved to adjourn. KTD seconded the motion. Motion passed.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:56 pm