Board Meeting, October 14, 2021

Meeting Agenda

1. Call to Order & Attendance | Informational

2. Past Minutes Approval | Action Required

   Minute approval was not available for the September 8th meeting, so included are meeting minutes from:

   • August 4th, Board
   • August 27th, Special Board
   • September 8, Board
   • October 6th, Membership
   • October 6th, Special Board

3. Finance Report | Action Required

   September Bills paid include:

   • Dan Sharbono – Geocaching – $1100
   • First Western Insurance – Directors Policy – $997
   • First Western Insurance – Event Liability Addendum $51

   Deposits:

   • Cash – $600 – Thursday Night Close Out – Split with Blue Rider & MACA
   • Wine Walk Ticket Deposits ~$10,000

   Pending Bills:

   • CC Auto Billing – Intuit Annual Contract ~$870
   • A1-Evans – Summer & Fall Festival Support (2 bills) Total – $1200 – To be paid via CC

   Account Balances:

   • Wine Walk Gross Sales To Date
   • Accounts-1
   • Accounts-2

4. Review of Virtual Action - Appointment of Casey Klein to DBPA Board | Action Required

   On October 6th, the DBPA Board took virtual action as authorized by the organizational bylaws to appoint Casey Klein to the Board of Directors.

   • Email-Action

5. Flood Protection Update & Discussion | Action Required

   Attached are initial design concepts for flood protection through downtown to roughly the entrance to Roosevelt Park.

   • MI-6 Downtown Initial Alignment

6. Anne Street Bridge Update | Informational

   • SRJB-Anne-Street-Bridge-Request

7. Retail Coach - Initial Report | Action Required

   The City’s initial request to the retail coach was to begin building a recruiting portfolio including (see attached image). The Board is invited to provide comment on this list and whether aligns with our vision for downtown and the community.

   • Retailer Match List
   • Dakota Square Visits By Hour
   • Downtown Visits By Hour

8. Issue - Principles of Redevelopment & Private Investment | Action Required

   As a basis for many issues moving forward in which the DBPA will be invited to provide input and comment, the following principles are offered as a starting point on which to stand. These will come to bear on large, generational, downtown-shaping projects including flood protection, 1st Ave North, Trinity Redevelopment, parking garage development

   A page on the DBPA website has been developed to communicate these issues here. 

    

9. Holiday Hours Resolution | Action Required

   Given the fast-approaching holiday season and changing retail trends, it may be appropriate for the DBPA to nudge merchants to stay open a little later. This is a controversial issue that is regularly met with resistance. As a softening approach, a simple resolution recommending merchants stay open till 7:00 pm throughout the holiday season is proposed.

   Action requested: Approval to request Downtown Merchants remain open till 7:00 pm Thursday nights.

   Files:

   • Spending After 6:00

10. 2022 Events & Insurance Strategy | Action Required

    After considerable discussions with our insurance carrier, it seems possible that we’ve been to liberal with our definitions of an ‘event’. The DBPA has annually submitted a list of the upcoming year’s events as a basis for the organization’s liability insurance. Events that were included on the 2021 calendar included events such as the Bunny Hop, the Treat Trail, etc. Upon further discovery, it was learned they we’ve been paying — in essence — a per event liability. As such, it may be appropriate to reconsider many of these as ‘events’ for the purposes of reducing our event liability insurance.

    • 2021 Insurance/Event Submission

11. Virtual Action Guiding Resolution | Action Required

    The following policy is recommended for official Board business taking through email/virtual action.

    1. Action shall only be taken virtually when time is of the essence and delay till the next Board meeting is not prudent.
    2. Proposed action be initiated by either the acting executive director or the Board Secretary.
    3. Proposed Virtual Actions shall be emailed to the entire DBPA Board with a subject formatted as such:
       1. Minot DBPA – Proposed Virtual Action – [ Description of Action ]
    4. Following the initial email proposing virtual action:
       1. An Email from a board member to the entire Board ‘Moving the proposed virtual action’ must be offered.
       2. An email from a board member to ‘Second the proposed virtual action’ must be offered.
       3. Following the Motion and Second, an email vote will be taken by all Board Members “Replying to All” with their vote.
       4. A quorum of the entire board either supporting or denying the motion to close the business.
       5. A PDF record of the vote shall be provided as a record of the action and included as a part of the agenda and minutes of the next regular board meeting.

     

12. School Bond Issue Resolution | Action Required

    The DBPA Board has been invited to draft and consider a letter of support for Minot Public School District’s School Bond Issue proposal and election. If desired, the resolution would focus on two areas of importance:

    1. General positive impact on the Minot community and our responsibility to educate effectively.
    2. The benefit to downtown through the transition to middle school versus a Grade 9/10 High School.

    If moved, and passed, the formal resolution will be drafted.

13. September/October Work Plan Report | Action Required

    At the September 8, DBPA Board Meeting, the board approved the attached work plan. The updated report is provided as a progress report. A hard copy of the progress report will be provided at the time of the meeting.

    • UPDATED-Work-Plan

14. November Work Plan` | Action Required

    • October Work Plan carry-overs
    • October 15th – Board Member – Membership Renewal Test Run & Website Explore
    • Business Planning & Development – Continue
    • Membership Outreach, Renewals, & Business Survey
      • Member Renewal Letter – October 18
      • Investor Identification & Strategy – October 19
    • Website Evangelizing
    • 2022 Preliminary Budget
    • 2021 Cost Report
    • Employee Handbook
    • Organizational Yearly Work Plan

15. Long Term Business Planning | Informational

    The larger, existential challenge facing the DBPA beyond the immediate membership billing and project completion needs is the development of a business and operational model to support the work of the organization. This work will not be completed with a single agenda item or in a single meeting. The Board is invited to discuss and begin thinking about how to solve the organization’s challenges including:

    1. Developing Sustainable Revenue Streams. This might include:
       1. Small Event Revenue (Wine Walks) – $5-7k per event  – Time Intensive
       2. Gaming Revenue – Either Develop or Partner? – Administratively Intensive
       3. Large Event Revenue – Logistics & Planning Intensive
       4. Investor Level Members – Relationship Intensive
       5. SWAG Subscriptions
          1. Limited Edition T-Shirts
          2. Member’s Only SWAG
       6. Other Revenue
          1. Event Ticket Services
          2. Information/Newsletter Subscriptions
       7. Ideas?
    2. Cost Control Methods:
       1. Reduce/Reshape/Re-Imagine Professional Help
       2. Spread Load to Volunteer Committees
       3. Ideas?

16. President's Report & Agenda Items | Action Required

    1. DBPA Dues/Billing
    2. Corporate Board Position
    3. Current Members (Hard copy at Meeting)

17. Wine Walk Report | Informational

    • Current Ticket Sales & Event Planning Number
    • Final Marketing Push

    Files:

    • Gross Sales to Date
    • Ticket Sales to Date
    • COVID-Oct-14

18. Main Street Summit & Roger Brooks 5 Ingredients | Informational

    At least a couple of Board members attended the Main Street Summit in West Fargo on Tuesday. They’re invited to share comments and priorities that have risen on their radar as a result.

19. Upcoming Events & Event Updates | Informational

    • Wine Walk – October 21
    • Treat Trail – October 28, 10:00 – Noon
    • Pints for a Purpose – November 1-30 – Blue Rider, $1 of Each Atypical London Fog to the DBPA.
    • Board Meeting – November 3, 2:00 pm, Location TBD (Pending Reschedule Request Below)
    • Tree Lighting, November 26, 2021
    • Small Business Saturday Open House, November 27, 2021
    • Holiday Window Walk , December 5 – 18

    Sadly:

    • It’s time to Winterize the Fountain. Kevin’s Plumbing has been contacted.
    • 5:30 Appointment Today to look at a Christmas Tree – fingers crossed for the right size and shape!
    • The Holiday Train has been canceled. Have had preliminary conversations with Mac McCloud on developing some type of replacement event to support the Homeless Coalition and local food banks.

20. Next Meeting - Reschedule Request - November 1-2 or November 8-10 | Action Required

    The November Board meeting is currently scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd at 2:00 p.m. This is at the same time as Visit Minot will be holding a marketing training session for key community stakeholders with the assistance of an out-of-town consultant. A reschedule of this meeting date to either November 1/2 or November 8-10 is requested.