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   Main Street Program Discussion

   discussed

   Council held a work session to discuss the future of the Main Street program, which has gone dormant due to lack of volunteers, staff, and leadership. The West Pasco Chamber of Commerce presented a proposal to take over Main Street under a collaboration, while downtown business owners expressed frustration with the lack of support and called for a merchant/business owners association. No formal decisions were made; the session was for council to gather input on options.

   🏢Cody River Brewing Company🏢Florida Main Street🏢Friendly Tea🏢Main Street Newport Richey🏢Rec Center🏢West Pasco Chamber of Commerce🏢White Heron Tea and Gifts👤Bob Smallwood👤Dave Dorsey👤Debbie Manz👤Dr. Unger👤John👤Judy👤Kelly Hackman👤Liz👤Pete👤Steve Sherdell#$15,000 city funding for Main Street administration#501(c)(3)#501(c)(6)#Chasco#Government in the Sunshine#Key Fest#Main Street Program#Movies in the Park#Seafood Fest#Shop and Sips

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   [00:00:21] Tonight we have two meetings. We have a work session at 5 which is, just for those of you [00:00:27] who haven't seen a work session, is relatively informal and it gives us an opportunity as [00:00:33] council members to talk to each other because under Government in the Sunshine we can't [00:00:37] outside of an official meeting. The discussion tonight is generally on the Main Street program. [00:00:47] Before we get too far in, I am going to ask any of you who would like to say anything [00:00:51] to come up, would ask, even though I don't have a timer sitting here, that you try to [00:00:56] keep it down to three minutes just because there's a bunch of people and the only way [00:01:00] any of us get a break for supper is if we get done by about 630 and we do want to have [00:01:05] plenty of time to talk about what our options are. So with that, Ms. Manz. I can start Mr. [00:01:11] Mayor if you'll allow me. I thought it would be helpful to talk a little bit about the [00:01:15] purpose of the Main Street program as well as its history in the city, the program itself [00:01:22] and the current situation. To begin, the purpose of the program is to work as a quasi-governmental [00:01:32] agency working with the government, the public and the business community for betterment [00:01:37] of typically a downtown area. There are Main Street programs nationally that aren't centered [00:01:46] around a downtown, but in large part they are. The city's program has been in operation [00:01:55] for 30 years. It has enjoyed the benefit and a very good working relationship with the [00:02:02] city both in terms of staff support as well as financial support of the program in regard [00:02:11] to some direct program financing and support in the form of in-kind contributions for special [00:02:22] events. The program is run by a board of directors and in large part run by committee, or at [00:02:32] least that's how it's intended to occur in most communities. And design, promotion, organization [00:02:42] and economic restructuring are the four tenets of the program that committees are responsible [00:02:49] to see go forward. In the case of the program in general, you really have to have a strong [00:03:00] organizational foundation. I consider that to be one of the keys of its success, as I [00:03:10] have had the good fortune of working in three communities that have very strong Main Street [00:03:15] programs. In the current scenario with the city of New Port Richey, we're lacking in [00:03:24] both volunteers and staff. And as a result of that, the program has gone dormant. This [00:03:34] dormancy has provided an opportunity for us to talk about the future of the program as [00:03:41] well as if the city should have a role in it and in what form the city should have a [00:03:48] role in it. And that's really why I convened the meeting of you this evening, so that I [00:03:53] could learn from you what your thinking is in that respect and we can go forward. [00:03:58] Any opening comments before I open it up to the members of the public? [00:04:04] Just if you could repeat the four cornerstones, more or less, of what Main Street programs are. [00:04:09] It's promotion, design, organization and then economic restructuring. [00:04:18] And design is intended to provide education and technical support to businesses that are [00:04:31] interested in implementing improvements. Promotion is about developing a marketing [00:04:37] strategy. Organization is the tenant of the program that's connected to stakeholders and [00:04:46] community to make sure that your events are staffed and that you pay your bills. Economic [00:04:56] restructuring is really about business recruitment, retention and expansion. [00:05:04] Do we have representatives from the board here? [00:05:07] I believe we do. [00:05:08] Currently, there are four, three sitting members of the Main Street board. It is an 11-member [00:05:19] board and we have Bob Smallwood in attendance and Bob, I don't see anyone else in attendance [00:05:28] this evening. It's you. I was counting. I thought it was four. I thought I lost one, [00:05:37] so I'm glad to hear we have it. All right, great. [00:05:42] Bob, do you know about the membership at all? What level of membership you have now? [00:05:47] Bob, if you could come up. [00:05:51] Let me just add some additional fact that I forgot to mention to you. The city up until September [00:05:59] of 2018 was in an agreement with Main Street whereby we dedicated funding in the amount of [00:06:09] $15,000 to support the administration of the program. As part of that relationship, there [00:06:15] were performance objectives set forth which required the Main Street organization to do [00:06:23] things like conduct meetings of committees, indicate who was in attendance at meetings, [00:06:32] have meeting minutes. Towards June, those things stopped happening with the Main Street organization [00:06:45] and as such, I wasn't comfortable making any subsequent payment to them. Actually, [00:06:51] the last quarter that they were paid for was June of 2018. [00:06:59] Bob, do you want to come up and give us your perspective on where you guys are? [00:07:07] You want to sit down here for a minute? [00:07:10] At what point in this workstation are we at here? Are we... [00:07:13] I'm just going to try to get... [00:07:14] We were going to get audience comments. [00:07:15] Get audience comments. [00:07:16] Now we're jumping right into the meeting. [00:07:18] No, we'll get audience... [00:07:20] I can just give you the state of what the Main Street program is, which is basically, [00:07:26] as Ms. Mann stated, it's inactive. It really has been inactive this whole summer. [00:07:31] There was an executive director hired over the summer, but to be honest with you, the program [00:07:36] has been inactive that full time. We've got four board members of which they all knew about this [00:07:41] meeting. I'm the only one that's here. I can't give you an answer on organization because I [00:07:47] don't know that number. I can't tell you our financials, but I do know we're positive numbers. [00:07:51] We're not coming into an area where we owe money to anybody. As far as I know, [00:07:56] we're clear with the city as well, too, on any back debt. [00:08:01] So my approach... I know I was trying to reorganize the organization back [00:08:05] May or June timeframe, and I approached several folks in the audience as well, [00:08:08] too, about that process. It just took a little longer than I thought to get to the point where [00:08:13] we could reorganize the program. Since we've had some talks with the West Pasco Chamber about [00:08:19] trying to reorganize underneath the West Pasco Chamber to the betterment of both organizations, [00:08:23] so I won't steal any of their thunder because I think they have a proposal to present to you as [00:08:27] well, too. Right now, I guess I consider myself really the only active board member that's trying [00:08:34] to make sure the program survives in some form or fashion. Maybe just to reemphasize, too, [00:08:40] there are four legs to the program, but the program is really organized on strategic [00:08:44] goals and criteria, and each of those four legs builds in to figure out a way to support that [00:08:50] overall objective. As far as I know, there hasn't been a meeting of minds with the city in a year [00:08:59] to go over what those overall goals and objectives should be, and that's why we're at the point where [00:09:04] we need to get new board members. We need to refocus back on what are the critical needs [00:09:09] of the downtown, of the surrounding neighborhoods, not just promotion-wise, [00:09:13] because I know there's some folks that are here that do an excellent job of promotions, [00:09:16] and the idea would, from my standpoint, was use what works for you in the city, [00:09:22] but have a full-rounded program that really implements the Main Street program. [00:09:26] So it's kind of a you guys' decision. I don't know how much you know about the program, [00:09:30] but it's a tremendous program, works extremely well in some cities. I talked with the Florida [00:09:36] Main Street director, who's a new person. She just started a month or two ago. She's doing [00:09:40] some tremendous changes within the Florida Main Street program as well, too. So she's fully on [00:09:46] board. I think she has talked to Ms. Manns a time or two as well, too. So we're at the point, [00:09:52] the program's basically at a restructuring point. It's, to my standpoint, and I'll be happy to step [00:09:57] down if whatever is determined from this new organization standpoint, I don't think any of [00:10:03] the board members, including myself, will be happy to stay involved, but if it makes sense for us to [00:10:08] step down, we'd be more than happy to do that. Do you have a membership idea? I don't. I didn't [00:10:15] bring that with me. Actually, I wasn't even planning to be here. I was supposed to be up [00:10:17] in North Carolina today. So if I didn't get a chance to pull out the... Members in the audience? [00:10:24] Yes. Yeah, one time or another, I bet you a lot of you were members, and to be honest with you, [00:10:31] the last... I know invoices were never sent out. I never got my own invoice to become a member [00:10:38] again. So right now, I can't tell you who's a current member, because personally, I'm probably [00:10:42] not a current member, because I never paid my dues for 2018, because I never got invoiced. [00:10:48] So we've had a lack of leadership from a director's standpoint that's [00:10:53] really affected the organization. Probably, I would say, over the last two and a half, [00:10:58] probably three years. You have a successful... Two successful events that I'm aware of. [00:11:07] The Key Fest and then the... Seafood? [00:11:12] The Seafood Fest, right. And there's the same group of volunteers, puts out... [00:11:18] I know you're involved in the Christmas. Is that an event that you make any money at or whatever? [00:11:25] Well, the Christmas event? To be honest with you, no. We worked with Dr. Unger to sort of take over that [00:11:30] responsibility. He had a much bigger plan. He was a key sponsor. He was basically paying for the events. [00:11:36] So the mainstream organization is not really designed... They're designed maybe to help create [00:11:40] events, but to hand them off, if it makes sense, to somebody else. It's like the movies in the park [00:11:45] used to be a Main Street event. I was told a long time ago. It was before my time being involved [00:11:49] with Main Street, and now the Rec Center does an excellent job of taking that and making that happen. [00:11:55] So I don't... The Seafood Fest makes a little bit of money. The Key Fest... Again, it's all weather [00:12:01] related. This past year, I think both events had significant rain. So I think we broke even [00:12:07] pretty much on both events, which is a major economic driver to pay for a staff. You know, [00:12:14] augment the 15,000 or so that the city was going to fund. Thank you, Bob. Pete, did you want to... [00:12:22] No, I just want to see how this develops. Okay. Lizzie had mentioned the chamber. You want to [00:12:30] talk about where you guys are coming from? [00:12:35] Good evening. The Chamber of Commerce was approached by [00:12:40] Bob a couple of months ago, and we've been exploring the option and the potential [00:12:47] collaboration of the Chamber of Commerce and working in collaboration with the Main Street [00:12:53] and downtown New Port Richey. It's a natural collaboration in a lot of ways. There's also a lot [00:12:59] of history that back up the successful collaboration between the Chamber of Commerce and [00:13:05] the Main Street, mainly because our missions are very similar. The Chamber of Commerce has a larger [00:13:12] footprint geographically, but our missions are really essentially the same, which is we're pro [00:13:17] business. We want to drive business to our local community. So a smaller footprint for Main Street [00:13:26] as opposed to a larger, but I think all of the basics are in place with the Chamber of Commerce, [00:13:32] and it's a very easy springboard to really springboard off of what the chamber is doing [00:13:37] on a more micro scale, if that makes sense. So strength in numbers is what's important for a [00:13:44] successful Main Street organization to get the people that are here today to re-engage. [00:13:50] There are proven results with any Main Street organization. We are here to generate jobs, [00:13:56] rehabilitate the buildings, add businesses into our community. We also offer valuable resources, [00:14:02] which is also what a chamber does as well. And then it's community leadership. So there's an [00:14:07] opportunity for us all to really enhance not only the downtown area, but the surrounding [00:14:14] neighborhoods as well. The chamber has invested recently in some technology that is a natural [00:14:20] collaboration, again, in terms of what Bob had mentioned, that invoices weren't being sent out. [00:14:26] There wasn't leadership. There weren't committee meetings. The chamber is structured as that there [00:14:30] are executive committee meetings every month. There are full board of director meetings every month. [00:14:34] There are subcommittee meetings every single month. So the model in which the chamber operates [00:14:41] is really quite, quite similar to how the Main Street organization would operate, except on a [00:14:46] little bit of a smaller scale. So for us, it's a matter of making sure that we have the leadership [00:14:52] in place to be able to execute the four tenants, which again are the design and the economic [00:14:59] vitality. [00:15:00] promotion, and organization. I think we have at least three of the four already in place and in speaking with City Manager [00:15:08] Manns, we know that there will be some City appointments for the committees that would also help enhance and further [00:15:15] reinforce the commitment of the City as well as the Chamber to make this a successful collaboration. And I think that we're in the [00:15:22] right position. Four, five, six months ago, I might not have said the same thing, but I think we are really have our ducks in a [00:15:29] row now and can make this a very strong collaboration. So we're just asking for your support and seeing if this is something that could [00:15:38] be explored for a year-to-year basis and see how it's working. This program needs a shot in the arm, and I believe that the enthusiasm of [00:15:46] our business community is ripe to have a great, strong program, and we'd like to help embrace that. [00:15:55] I want to say something that I do know about. You're talking about structure, that's why I want to mention it. There are 501... [00:16:01] C6. [00:16:02] C6. I can never remember which the letter or the number goes to. Main Street has two 501C3s. [00:16:08] Correct. [00:16:09] And they've got one that's left over that Dave Dorsey kept alive that was having to do when they had the art gallery, and then there was the one [00:16:19] for the entity itself. So there's a little bit of different structure, just so you know. And like I said, he maintained both those C3s. [00:16:29] It's also a very, very common model for a chamber of commerce to have a 501C3 arm. This particular chamber does not. The chambers that I have [00:16:39] been with previous to West Pasco did have a 501C3 arm, so I am versed in how to operate that and also request grant funding, grant writing, [00:16:50] and those types of things to, again, maximize all of the resources that are available through the Main Street USA program and Main Street Florida [00:16:58] programs. There's opportunities there that are not currently being exercised or implemented, and they should be, and they can be. So thank you. [00:17:07] Thank you. [00:17:08] I'll ask Liz a question real quick. Would the chamber be interested in taking over the program without any funding from the city? [00:17:15] I think the chamber in and of itself is, in order to implement the programs, I mean, yes, it's a natural collaboration. I don't think the financial [00:17:28] piece of it is the end goal here, but certainly, depending upon what the relationship was with the city ultimately, city fees, special event fees, [00:17:40] those types of things. And also, you want to have it done right. So we would probably need to hire a part-time staff person so that we can make sure [00:17:49] that all the details are being kept. So it's not a matter of money. It's more a matter of making sure the program is implemented the way it needs to be [00:17:56] and that we're able to financially afford to do it, which are these special events. They cost a lot of money. [00:18:06] Right, but well, that's all for now. Thanks. [00:18:09] Okay. Thank you. I know we've had some work with the local downtown business owners, Leah and Marilyn. Either of you want to, Chip, speak up? [00:18:28] Mr. Mayor, before they do, are there any business owners in the audience that would like to come and address Council at all about their relationship with the [00:18:36] Main Street organization over the last five to ten years, whether it's not benefited you or not? Is there anybody out there who would care to do so? [00:18:43] I've been very busy, and I did not realize what was happening with Main Street. They've been there when I've needed them for probably the last ten years, eight years. [00:19:10] I don't even know. It's been a wonderful relationship. I never came downtown the first five years that I had this dealership. I went back and forth to Palm Harbor and lived in [00:19:20] Palm Harbor. Now I am a business owner, a property owner, and another property owner in New Port Richey. I love New Port Richey. This Main Street, it's kind of because it [00:19:33] helped me so much. I know there was one time they didn't have any funding, and Steve Sherdell must have gotten in a traffic accident because he was supposed to be here. We talked a lot as Judy was the [00:19:43] director and Steve was active in it. One time they were lacking funding, and we pre-funded our dues or something like that. I'd forgotten about it until I heard right now that the [00:19:56] invoices haven't gone out for a while. It's been a great relationship. I couldn't have done, I can't even think of it, how do you do that? I said I do one thing. I write a check. Main Street takes care of everything else through the volunteer network. [00:20:14] Those volunteers are valuable. Maybe we, and I'm looking back now how we could have sustained our volunteers better, but one time out of eight or ten, that's really not enough. We had an appreciation cocktail hour, happy hour afterwards for them. I think the Main Street volunteers are due for another afternoon happy hour from Friendly Tea as soon as we can. [00:20:45] I'm not sure where this is going either because I really didn't understand why Main Street and the chamber weren't together. I understand at one time it was like the Hatfields and the McCoys where everybody wants to do what's good for the city. It's kind of like what's going on in this country right now. They all believe they're doing what's good. They just have to sit down and work it out. [00:21:13] I would do anything I can to help the city, Main Street, and I'm a member of the chamber also. I think it could be great for their together because I'm still hearing a lot of things that I see Mr. and Mrs. Sips are over there are doing downtown here, what they're bringing to the town and the energy and enthusiasm. [00:21:37] I'm telling people what I did the night before. These are people in this town that didn't even know about it, so hopefully the communication is in place to get out. I've even got, everywhere I go, I'm from a small town that has done a great job inventing themselves. [00:21:51] I just bought or have an interest in a property up and around Brevard. Brevard, North Carolina, is a great small town. Main Street has a college there that feeds the town, and I just would like to see everybody communicate, stay together, work together, and I'll do anything I can to help the situation. Big plus for me. I'll vote for them. [00:22:15] Thank you, John. Other business owners want to say anything? In that case, I thought I saw one of the twins starting to stand up. Oh, okay. Why don't you come on, work your way up here while Kelly talks to us. [00:22:35] Hi, everyone. Kelly Hackman, former Main Street employee, marketing director, former Main Street member, former chamber employee, former chamber member, former director of the largest event here in Pasco County. No, absolutely not. I've had enough. And now business owner in downtown New Port Richey of two businesses, the White Heron Tea and Gifts and the Cody River Brewing Company. [00:23:01] I believe in the prongs of the Main Street program, but being a downtown business owner for the past three years have not had the support of those four prong approach since opening my business. Now we've opened a second business and still don't have that support. I understand there's organizational issues, but as a downtown business owner who's making investments in your town and getting people to talk about our town when they come in and go, wow, New Port Richey's really doing some great things. [00:23:31] You know, I feel like we deserve a little bit more from an organization that's supposed to be helping the businesses. I know that there's a lot of other business owners in here that have put in a lot of time and energy. We've created events. We've done things to drive people downtown and there hasn't been any support, period, from a Main Street organization to help us make those happen. [00:23:53] Now, I used to tout about the economic possibilities of large events as well with like Chasco and all those things. And being on this side is very different as well. And I know that Main Street for a long time did work on large events in the park, which drew from the town. So I don't know what their plan is, if they come up with a plan to help support the businesses. [00:24:15] But I'm going to say this, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, I know nobody wants to be compared to them. We all want to be different. But the one thing that those cities have in common is a merchant association or business owners association where the business owners work together through an organization to create events and to have commerce among themselves in their districts that they identify. [00:24:38] I appreciate the chamber because they have a very large support system, but we really need the downtown district to have support of some kind of business owners group, period. And I feel very strongly about that. [00:24:51] As somebody who has run Shop and Sips and has been praised about how great they are and helped with these other events and other people have too, we need to have something in this town that's going to support us as we help the city to grow and become more involved and become more populous and have more people down here. [00:25:10] I don't know if you go out on the streets at night. It's crazy. There's people out. People want to be where other people are. But that has been created by your merchants, not from some group helping any of us. And we need the support. [00:25:23] So really, please take into consideration what your businesses are dealing with when you start to decide how you're going to find, what you're going to find, who you're going to find. You need to really work with the businesses because we're the ones here every day. [00:25:36] We're the ones paying your taxes. We're the ones paying your sales taxes. And we're the ones that want to see this succeed for everybody in this town. Thank you. [00:25:45] Thank you. Don? [00:25:48] Well, I guess it's kind of hard to sit there and not say anything. You know, I like to comment on things. And this is one issue. I've been a business owner in downtown for 45 plus years. I've seen organizations up and down and people promote them. [00:26:10] Personally, my type of business, I don't have a lot of influence from organizations that are going to be out promoting. I have professional office, so it's a lot different. [00:26:22] But from what I have seen, it seems the city, once Mario came on board, has really done more than any of the other organizations that we've had as far as being able to promote businesses and to make businesses grow to make the city vibrant once again. [00:26:39] So, you know, I'm not sure how much structure we need to give Main Street if we need to do it at all. I've been a member. I think I'm still a member. I'm not sure. I think I still pay dues, but I haven't seen any return from it. [00:26:53] My question that I would have, though, is if it is going to chamber, the chamber was actually New Port Richey Chamber at one time. Then it became West Pasco. I know we're all West Pasco, but I think we really need to look out for New Port Richey itself, too, and not just West Pasco. [00:27:11] So I think there has to be a very well-defined benefit to New Port Richey that would be in that type of an arrangement. And, you know, I'm not saying we should get rid of it or we should keep it, but I haven't seen benefits, personally. Thank you. [00:27:26] Thank you. Yes, ma'am. [00:27:28] So, do we have to have these meetings every day or at regular meetings? [00:27:34] This would be a good place to, we're trying just to, this is very freeform, get ideas out on the table so we can talk about them. [00:27:43] Okay, so I'm Kira Atkinson and Casey Atkinson and Leah Gallegos. We're Rock the Boat. I think everybody knows who we are. But we just wanted to say thank you for all for being involved in support of the work we've been doing to bring downtown businesses together and to create cooperative promotions. [00:28:00] It is our understanding that you are looking for new options for promoting the downtown, so Rock the Boat Productions and the downtown business owners are requesting that council consider funding the events and activities we've been hosting and that the business owners have been funding entirely themselves. [00:28:14] With an infusion of capital from the city, we will be able to develop a marketing effort for the downtown that will continue the work we've done to change the narrative about our downtown and establish our city as an important part of everyday life for residents. [00:28:29] It will also allow us to reach out to the larger surrounding community and tourists. [00:28:34] We're at a critical juncture right now with the development shopping plazas that are happening out on 54, and we have a very short window to establish ourselves as West Pasco's downtown so that we aren't forgotten once those campuses are open to the public. [00:28:46] Our focus has never been just about the events and marketing, though. Our bigger picture goal is to create a downtown alliance organization within a year that will be guided by a strong, proactive board made up of individuals that have a stake in the redevelopment of our downtown district, including residents and organizations. [00:29:01] The purpose of this alliance is to provide leadership, advocacy, and communication for our businesses, residents, and organizations, in addition to our marketing promotion efforts. [00:29:09] We've asked Marilyn Deschamps to come on board as the administrator of our proposed organization to head up development efforts, because that's her forte. [00:29:17] And this will free us up to concentrate on working with the downtown businesses to create unique events and promotions that reflect and enhance the character of our city. [00:29:25] The business owners we've been working with, many are here tonight, they understand the urgency and necessity of promoting ourselves as West Pasco's downtown. [00:29:34] But they have questioned why the city is not contributing to these efforts. [00:29:37] These people have invested everything they have in order to establish their businesses, because they, like us, love the city and see its potential. [00:29:45] We fully understand that the city invests heavily in economic development. [00:29:48] However, we would like to ask that you consider backing the investments paid by the individuals and help us be more competitive against the corporate marketing budgets of our competitors with funding from the city. [00:30:00] on promotions for years, but most recently our October promotion was pretty successful. [00:30:05] And we have letters of support from local business owners, just for, they'd like to

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3. 3Adjournment▶ 30:10