Town Center Economic Development Commission - Regular Meeting

Commissioner Michelle. Commissioner Kerisio present. Commissioner Gouly absent. Commissioner Hudgen absent. Commissioner Riley. There is a quorum.

Hey Lynn, can you hear me? Yes, we can. We I could hear you when you were calling roll call. Haven't been able to hear anything else since. Okay, thank you. Let me check the mics. This one's on. Can hear Denise? Yeah. Okay. Oh, is this better? Much better. Thank you guys. Denise Robu from Goman in New York. You put the mics on. Um, Julio, are you there? Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I thought it was just a long dramatic pause. Do you want to do the vote first?

So, Julio, before we move on, uh, we had a motion to approve the minutes from May May 6, 2025. Uh there were no discussions. Uh how do you vote? I'll vote to approve. Thank you very much. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Right. So we're going to move on to item five. 5 A.

Okay. So I'm going to give you an update on the community investment fund application um and next steps for resubmission. We did not get selected. We went through a series and about five series of questions that came back from DEC um up until the last minute with them for this round. Um they just sent us this past week the executive summary and there are 13 items that we they wish us to address. So we are going to be going over those items with them. Um we're speaking with um the grant writer again. And there's some things we have to go through. We will be updating some materials, especially the timeline that needs to reflect DEC's um approval process time within our timeline. Uh we'll be going over the budget a little bit to see uh where we have to tweak that. All in all, they told us that we need to resubmit for the next round. So

So uh Yes. Oh, we have we have an internal meeting on Monday with staff and then we have a one-on-one meeting. We jumped right on those and we will be on Thursday the 30th we have a meeting with DEC. Yeah. Uh so the reason we were rejected is because for the those 13 items.

Yes. Basically, there are some items that have to be finalized and they had some questions and even um some of the things that they asked in one section that they said were good, they wanted a little little bit more clarification. So, some of it I would say a good 75% of it is just clarifications that they need done. Can Can you remind us exactly what was this grant for? This for the public education in

Sure. It was um a grant ask of um John correct me if I'm wrong about 23 million and that took into account the budgeted amount of 4 million that the town had put in. It also took into account further down the road some potential developer money that was going to be put in. But it's to the drawing as you saw it in the master plan um for the new town center with the expanded town green for infrastructure improvements for property uh purchase and sales um and then for to bring the site up to a developer developable parcel. So

as $23 million Yes. Thank you. Any questions, Mara? No. Um, Julio, any questions? No. Um, so what next steps we're going to resubmit to what what's the timeline?

The timeline is we will be meeting with them on Thursday the 30th. We will be we've already actually started going over and making comments on all of the items. Um, working with the town. we will have to get the town council to approve the DEC ask. Again, there's a process for that. Um, and then the submission date is December 5th. We would like to have it in at least a week before that. So, the deadline to submit it December 5th. Yes.

Then what happens after that? I mean, how long is it going to take them? Then it goes through the their approval process goes through approximately March and then they go back to um the board make recommendations to the board who for um moves those on to the governor for funding through the bond commission. Oh, so this is going to be this is from the bond commission. Yeah. Okay. Yep. So um approval somewhere around April. Okay. Okay. And from that point on, I'm just trying to get a Yep. get a feel for the time. After that, then uh let's say it passes.

And then when when would the funds be available to us? You have to go through the DEC process and that is the agreement with them. Okay. So there's the legal agreement. It does take a couple months to go through that process. This is after the bond commission approves. Yes. You have to do an agreement with DEC. The town does. Okay. So, we're looking at April 26. April 2026. Yes. At the earliest. Yes. And we'll get some type of indication. Yeah. We are. Okay. Okay.

Um, thank you very much. Um, so next item on the agenda is town center property updates. Yeah, I'll go do it. Okay. I'm just gonna stay there and just say might want to jump to C first because that Yeah, works closely with A. Okay, sure. Um really at this point for C and B um there are some things we have to get in order that to answer some of the questions for DEC but really at this point both B and C there are no real updates until we move further and have our discussions with DEC.

So for the for the town center development RFP um what's the timeline? I know uh it was put out was it last week or two weeks ago when when are we expect when are we it hasn't gone nothing has gone out yet it has it's still in has to be worked through the exact process because we are um still waiting for DEC to come back with the formal letter approval of the master plan you want to

Mr. Chairman John Coleman, director of building and land use for the town. Um there's a sensitivity to discussing item C in public at this point. It's being worked on uh and there is a timeline um that um um will not um conflict with um the CIF grant regrant process. Um but there are but it is a it's a sensitive issue that um that uh staff is working with the town attorney u to uh prepare and then um at the at the appropriate time we can make it available to the committee for for its uh review and knowledge.

Okay. Uh thank you very much uh Mr. Coleman. Um, and I assume I just item B is tied up with that as well. We can't do anything. Okay. Thank you. I would just ask that um when the committee put together to review the the submitts and whenever we get the RFP out, I would ask that at least one person from this committee be assigned to be part of the review for of the submitts uh of the RFP. And I would recommend more to be to be that person. Right.

Yes. Part of review process. All right. So, um she she's she's ready to agree to do it. And um I just think somebody other than me probably be um better. All right. Very good. Thank you very much. Um the um Julio, you have any questions at all about anything? Uh, no. Is that a no? No. Okay. Thank you. Um, Laura, Miss Riley, nothing. No. No.

Okay. So, um, so the next meeting is scheduled for 11:18. I just want to make the public aware that, um, if there's nothing to discuss, that meeting may be postponed or actually maybe cancelled if we don't have anything of any substance to discuss. All right. But we'll keep you posted as Lynn does an amazing job in keeping everybody posted in where we are. Thank you, Lyn. We appreciate your your um responsiveness to everything that we do. So with that said, I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. So move has been moved by um been moved. Second. I second. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.

I. You very much. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you very much. um staff and our consultants uh for your continued excellent work um and keeping us in the loop. Appreciate it. Thank you all.