Convention Center Commission - Regular Meeting

All right, we're gonna go live here with YouTube. So, aren't we fish? Oh, thank you.

So, it's fine. Oh, let me just release. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. Let's see. There we go. You you will note that uh the video has got a lag to it. Um this is being live streamed and uh to the seaside uh city of seaside uh you YouTube page now. So uh you are on video uh you have any questions we can we can chat about it but uh other than that you want to get us started but

okay I I think it's four or five right in the calling the meeting to order so let's do roll call and when I call your name please say yes Robert Folder yes Eric Maren yes Robert Peril is off. Nancy Mchuan, yes. Mark Hopman, yes. Welcome. Yes. Welcome. Welcome. Thank you. Tom Jensen. Yes. And Chris Baker. Yes. Yay. We're all here. Cora. Yes. Okay. Could we take a minute and just have Mark introduce himself and tell us about Sounds good.

What what he's doing and what he wants. So,

sure. Oh, for sure. So, um I'm the general manager of the Best Western. I've been there at the Best Western since 2011, uh with a short stint over at the River Tide Suites for about four years running that property. Um I moved down here in 2004. And what else? I I moved down here to take care of my mom and she passed away a few years ago now. So, but while I was down here, I met my current wife, Marcel, and you probably all know if you've met her and

so yeah, just living life down at the beach. It's great. Good. Welcome. Thank you. appreciate you scheduling us because we needed the input from especially with motel lodging in the commission. So that's great.

Yeah, thank you. Yeah, as we uh we have other openings come open and I'd love to have uh retail. That would be great. Uh and then Marco would like to schedule a time for you and I to meet just uh just so you can kind of hear my vision more than just what this meeting will actually. All right. I need a motion to move the Well, I guess because we didn't really even have a quarant.

All those opposed. Motion to approve. Okay. Most importantly, next I want to thank all of you for entrusting me for two years being your chairman. It's not time to pass the No hesitation there at all. No, I know. But since I'm coming off in a just a little over a year. Um anyway, so do we have anybody that wants to step up the plank or if somebody wants to We have a nomination or please feel free to uh nominate yourself.

Don't all speak at once. Well, Mr. Surp we got nomination for Robert Fuller for for chair? Any other any other nominations?

All right. So yeah, all it's been moved and uh any other nominations? No. Okay. So all those in favor of Robert stepping into the chair. Cool.

All of the Okay, Robert, you are the new chair. I'm turning it over to you. Um, but before I turn it over to you and you can run the meeting, um, I would just like to uh make a note to everyone when you're thinking about nominating the vice chair. So there's continuity. Robert, Nancy, and I are all coming off on the in that 26 26. So keep that in mind. So anyway, all right. Could I ask procedural chair? A procedural question chair. What what happens when you don't get a nomination for a vice chair? I point

there really isn't that specific. So you just don't have one. I'll nominate Robert since I'll do this. He did say that he would accept. Okay. I was going to say good idea. So I'm missing that's what happened to me last year. Okay. All those in favor of uh Robert Perl being vice chair.

I posted. Yay. We now have a chair and a vice chair. And Robert, it's to you. Isn't this for next year though? Starting now. It was actually It should have been last month in October. Yeah. Should have been in October. U off cycle. Yeah. All right, sir. Sir, we didn't have a for guest present.

Oh, here we got the for October for September and October. We didn't have that. Um, I'll move to approve the minutes for the September 11th meeting. Second. Any discussion yet? He none. All in favor of approving the September of minutes consented. I post September minutes approved. I will make a motion to approve the October 9th minutes. Second.

So are these technical units? If there was no one more notice and minutes. So no, excuse me. Let me ask you wasn't at that meeting. So you are you not October meeting? No. I don't think you have to be present. Okay. All right. I don't think that meeting. Yeah. to be honest.

That was good. Yes. Move on to Brian.

We're going to pop over to the really colorful page here in your class. And um I'm just going to start up at the top real quick. Um the NAV VIP fund requests, we did get another payment from them just today. So that leaves their balance at uh $2,000 that we're hoping that will be taken care of by the first of the year. And um if we go scroll down to the bottom, both Iron Chef and Artisan Fair have both paid their invoices. And so, remarkably, we only have three outstanding invoices remaining. OTAAO, Seaside Kids, and a Winter Conference.

That was good.

Yeah, it was really good. We had a very good quantitual year of people paying except for that one event and they are working with this. Um and then I want to draw your attention to the ind individual page here that uh has uh both both sides. We'll start on the side that starts with the revenue. Uh as uh most of you know we we actually start with a big mating fund balance u and then have a a room transfer a room tax transfer to us. um that actually sets our budget for the year. And uh then we we also show our food and and liquor um which is the uh agreement through Oregon fine Oregon fine foods. Um we are looking at potentially going upwards to 1.8 million with uh with food and beverage this year. Right. Right. Right now we're just under uh one 1.1 million. the um events are um pretty standard. That's uh we we don't bring in a lot of revenue because we are uh heavily sub subsidized by our room transfer tax. Um if you look underneath under personnel, uh we're sitting really well in every line. I will state that um our paid family leave will probably be a little um over because of a couple of medical issues within the the department. One being myself. Um so I would see that go just a tad tad over. And if you flip to the other side, uh the areas that I really watch, uh supplies, uh like I've I've been me I've

been stating, uh we'll definitely be over on that on that line. uh underneath equipment uh maintenance and ground maintenance equipment uh I believe that we're going to probably be another uh 5 to7,000 over the um insurance of course is something that we can't really we don't affect that's a city agreement um and uh under just above insurance underneath the professional contract contractual we will be under uh quite a bit probably about 30 to 40,000 and uh that will that will help for the the lines that we're over and then we'll definitely be under in our travel and training. Uh we haven't been able to u align our calendar with with our typical trips. So, uh, myself, Tina, and Fan Celeste are all not attending, uh, a couple of different events. So, we'll we'll be, uh, we'll be under there, probably about 15,000 also. So, uh, overall, we're doing we're doing well. Um, below there, I I always list out our capital. Um and uh and that that pretty much uh gives us our our working basis. So any questions?

And do you have the 2026 budget? Yeah. Well, so 26. This says 25 26. So we're fiscal year. Not a calendar year. We're basically halfway through.

Anything any questions?

I'm just curious. Since since the revenue of liquor is over a million dollars, is that adversely affecting organization clause within their pump track that once they hit a certain volume that uh a that we that we then receive a higher percentage of revenue. Um but it does enough for saying definitely not on a negative it actually benefits us questions for all let's just talk about the deaths uh impact wise um we uh October a little October or three 3.3 million um and then November 3.1 million uh which is right in line with what with what we've been doing. Um October we were a little bit higher because we had a couple of events that were um not typical for us. They they they had a a few more uh attendees but we also brought in a a we don't normally have. So we had a a small small spike there. Uh so right now we are sitting at a little over 33 or yeah 33 million 500,000 in total impact for the community. Um and then uh we had 24 days of usage in November with five different

conferences, one fundraiser and four civic events. uh the art of fair did a really great job in uh attendance and I think that's probably the highest attendance that that that event seen in years. Yeah. You have counters or anything else? No. Wish we did. What did you do to see what counters? Oh, I mean it'd be a little bit tough because people come and go. They step out of smoke breaks and stuff like that. But

yeah, we have to rely on the event and then some events I believe feel that if they tell us true numbers, we'll charge them more. Uh and that's not the case. So really we if we can really tell that not um where where we can be very accurate is when we have food and beverage and we can count the number of points or they charge tickets. Yeah. Yeah. Unfortunately very very few now. Right. All right. So there's one she accepted.

I'll second all in favor. I thank you Brian.

All right. For the sales, u I'm just going to kind of highlight a couple things. Um Tina is out for a extended leave and uh prior to her leave I was out on a leave. So we didn't truly both align on exactly uh what she had accomplished. Uh she did send me these two reports which show actually they're not two they're one. In October she hit 36 contracts. Um, and you can see here on the the event column, Battle at the Beach. This is a um uh cheerleading event. Uh, and we are bringing them in uh in December.

Wow. Uh there is a challenge with this event uh locally because it is going to displace a event that is a civic local event here. Um but through our priority uh scheduling um if we're bringing in probably close to three 3,000 people to town uh for 10 plus years uh that bumps uh a local event. So hopefully that will go that will move into a weekday and a uh continue.

No, it's not festival trees. It's of Encor's and I'm meeting with uh the owner of the company here. And I'll talk more about that. We also have a couple of cancellations. Uh uh and one in here that uh just just happened. So we have we actually have three. Um the chamber has moved their uh

any better from us to another location. Well, all those moved which to another location? Oh, yeah. No, that's just their Christmas party. Yeah.

When does the banquet happen? It's going to be on January I think we part of it was we had to change dates and it wasn't available. Um I think it said last week this month you better not know yet because it was still in process. Yeah. Either way they're not they're not here

though. All right. Um, and that's all for the sales. Uh, I'm going to pass around a ad that's pointing ahead. One of our our French print ads. You're welcome to follow them through it.

Yes. Is there a motion to also move second house? All in favor? All right.

We start. Yes. All right. So, you can read my my write up on the on the back the back page there. As you all know, I don't like to read read my own own writing. Um, I'm going to pass around a contact list. Would you just make sure that your phone number and mailing address is correct on this list? If it's not, please write the correction. Um, I do want to bring back um a couple of thing. Well, actually, let me back up a little bit. Um, I want to recognize that Tina is is out on medical leave and she's doing great. Um, I just got back from my medical leave and I'm doing doing well. The uh yesterday I was released to come back full full time. I still can't lift, but u I didn't lift anyway unless unless I was just wanting something else to to do. So, it shouldn't affect me much at all. Uh but I appreciate the team. The team jumped in and uh between Tina leaving and me going u they did a fantastic job. So, if you do see any other team, please say thank you to them. Um it was a a tough thing for for us both to say we need to get our our own selves taken care of. Um and uh unfortunately it was just something that we had to do now. Um with that the uh one of the things that we were working on just before leaving was uh this project with city council on boards, commissions and so on. want to just reiterate what I had uh requested

or recommended which was to go to a four meeting per year cycle. So every quarter and for each one of those meetings to be specific for what's coming forward meaning so rather than this meeting always being a report of what we've done I want to hear more of what you where you want us to go. So um what I had recommended in March would be around budget would be around u financial June meeting would be around priorities of of projects for the building. Uh September would be focused on sales and and building the market. You know where where are we taking them at um for this this next next year. December would be focused again on the finance staffing and pro the building projects. Each one of those dates or correlate with a due date for me of one to three months later. So what it would that's what I'm working on during that quarter and that's what I'm focused on. And so I would like uh the commission to also be focused on that on on what I'm working on and have a voice in it rather than hearing this is what we did. Um which we still are going to do uh I want more projects uh for this committee. I also uh feel that a monthly uh letter uh of accomplishments needs needs to go out. So, they'd still get financial, they'd still get budget or uh sales, marketing,

all that data. Um, but not necessarily have to have you in the in the building for a meeting. Um, couple of reasons that I recommended that. One is it's tough for a business owner to get here or business manager to get here um 4:00 on a Thursday monthly. though if we went to less frequent meetings. I'm hoping that as slots come open that we start to attract more individuals that are uh in are really engaged with that downtown core with with where the where the business community is going. Uh but more importantly, I want to know your voice. I want to know where I should focus on my time and energy and what type of projects. I I'll I'll tell you I'm always going to be working on maintenance. I'm always going to be working on making sure that that the building runs. But there's some other things that that we can start to talk about. Um so that's kind of in in a real simple form of where we've left it off. Chris, do you have any updates from council of kind of where that project is?

Yes. Unfortunately, um we talked about it uh at Monday's meeting. There are, I believe, four or five committees still outstanding who uh to submit their proposed changes to their bylaws. Yes. Um, I push for us to get this wrapped up and not take on anything new, but to complete these things that have been in progress for months and months. So, I'm hoping we have some uh movement on it soon.

Either way, I am going to refocus u our meetings in this structure uh because it is the most beneficial for me. this commission is a a advisory board to city council. Um, but I also think that this commission really does have a voice in what this building looks like and acts acts like. So, I want uh again less me talking and more you you talking. Want to start giving us some projects also. they won't be hurting, but it will be nice to have uh uh that input from us so that I'm I'm confident that we're all on the same page. At least we're in the same conversation and there isn't uh oh wow, we did what u because that's what's happening now. I I I look forward with things. Luckily, nothing's been negative. So uh but again might give you some more

uh sorry before we move on. So the meeting frequency is in ordinance right now right that's why we so yes it is that's why we want to change it uh officially with council if I'm hearing you right you'd like to move to the quarterly meeting schedule now regardless regardless of the ordinance being completely updated. Yeah. Okay, I'm thinking and you maybe could help with this, but what if we move to the quarterly meeting schedule? The other two meetings are cancelled until the ordinance is updated. Sounds good to me,

right? Like I just think that keeps us in compliance and accomplishes the goal at the same time. As long as we're not causing a stir within No, I thought it would cause No, I don't think it would at all. and I've heard nothing but positive feedback about what was submitted by this committee. So, it's just like getting a stamp on it hasn't happened yet. Yeah.

Okay. Good deal. Well, I'll I'll work on that uh and uh start getting out a new a newsletter so that we're all on the same page. Uh probably the first line in the newsletter will be this month's meeting is canceled. Uh all right. Well, so for our first project, uh I want you all to start thinking about budgetary items. And we the way that our budget works within the city of the process is right now I'm being asked what projects do I want to do for the 26 27. Those need to be submitted by the end of December. Okay. These are projects that are going to be um 30,000 to let's say you know 2 and a half million. Uh, so if we wanted to, well, like we're going to redo the sound sound system. Um, I would love to have the uh ceiling replaced in the Pacific Room and go to a a much more modern system that is a drop ceiling. Uh, couple of problem or a couple of challenges there. One, I need at least 10 days of nonbookings to get that done. Uh then to we need to have some architects come in and give us some some numbers so we have some idea of what it would actually cost. Uh because that would be changing not only the tiles but the lighting. Uh probably some duct work. I'm sure there's electrical have to be done and so on. Um but is there and I don't need an answer right now. I just want you to think. Is there something that you've always thought

that we should have here? uh small things that are three to five maybe upwards to $10,000. There's a lot of uh ability for us to move some money around and to purchase those. But if there is something that you're thinking that we should have uh whether it be a big dollar or a small small dollar, I'd love to love to hear it hear it from you. Do we need more marketing? Need more uh whatever. Uh I would like to uh find some cash to uh have a plate warping system for the uh gatoring.

That was exactly what I I want to I saw it in your note here. Um the Festival of Trees dinner was the best I've ever had in this building in 33 years. Um, hard to believe I've been here that long. Um, but that was the best meal except it was not hot. And what can we and I know nothing about how you keep food hot and serving that many people. The whole heated system that not get utilized. Oh, that's a question.

It was an incredible meal, but it was not hot. Um, and I know that I was at a table that got served pretty quickly. Um, so it should have been. But anyway, um, I don't know what the cost would be. I don't even know what exists to keep plated meal hot. But I that would be from my suggestion. Yeah, I think it's going to be a couple of different things. One would be um, warmers. Um warmers aren't going to be the best uh scenario because um we can only have x amount of plates out on the counter. Yeah.

Uh where a u I think a well I'll call it well uh system that has the plates that warm that that that come up. Um I think that would probably be our most u beneficial opportunity for us. They're like trolley or they are straight babies that are warm.

So, we'll we'll be working with Oregon Pipe Foods on what they'll actually do uh what what works works works for them. Uh Jennifer had mentioned our warming system. We actually have a hot cart. So, uh think of yourself at the hospital and you see this cart coming down and trays can come out and there's your food. We've got a hot cart uh that was purchased during the remodeling I I believe. Um and I just think that we can utilize some of these uh these tools that have folks uh have a a warmer meal. Again, I completely agree with you. That was a fantastic meal. Rosco, Jeremy, they worked really hard. Um, this was something that our team and their and their team were right on right on top of and uh, Festival of Traces had nothing but fantastic things to say about us. So, I would agree with the shams, those hot boxes

um, and covers. Um, if you have a hot plate in cold food, this doesn't work either. Um, yeah. Yeah. So,

it ruins that. The outs are the best way to go or the transfer boxes with hundreds of people fed. You knew there was a way ahead of this. What is the responsibility of the city or Oregon fine foods and equipment and remodeling or the section of the kitchen cuz it has not really changed forever. Um, so the city owns all the equipment back there except for the small wear. So all the ovens, all the all the big items we own. Uh, this year I will be putting in uh to replace the U dishwasher.

It's been here for longer than John Stockenberg. So we don't really know how long it's been here. a while.

A while. And uh as we go to replace those type of things, we also have a contingency fund for the building itself. As soon as you start to pull those things off off the wall, you're going to expose, you know, years and years of potential damage. Uh so we we we don't just look at the item that we're replacing. We're also putting some money aside for that type of work. Uh and then Rosco has asked for a new uh uh oven system and uh we we have two of them now. We would have three so that he could uh meet those three to 600 person meal on a a better schedule. having done the pancake feed and then I did make a point this is any none of you care I did make a point at festival to get where to roco then

oh yeah I made sure he was it was indeed okay I have a question about you're talking about improving the sound system how is that going to correlate with changing the Pacific loom ceiling. Yeah. Let's do uh the ceiling. There is acoustical tiles. Oh yeah.

And so the architects, the sound architects will be able to uh have something that's more decorative but yet functional for the audio. So it won't really have a huge factor on our sound. Um, we're not a concert hall. So, um, we can do a couple of other other types of things. Something on our actual wall. We can do uh there's there's a lot of different options there. So, u it's not it shouldn't slow down any other projects. Uh, we should do the sound now and uh do the ceiling when when it's possible. uh you know exposing that area it is going to create a bit of a u capture zone and a echo. So having those acoustical tiles that would would hang more vertically um maybe I'm not the sound person. Uh but then being being able to have some nice fixturing that we can change the the color and uh the tones, the u uh brightness um and have that all current will really uh make that room look good. There's not a whole lot we can do with that room now. The next big big thing would be to replace the floor. Uh and again that would be uh three to four week process. Uh the only reason that we want to replace the floor is that there is some some dipping of it and uh that want to have power within the floor. I know when it was changed with the lowering of the ceiling to so it wasn't so cavernous

and but I'm sure things have come a long way since that was done. But um yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, there's there's a lot of things that we can do now that way above my my knowledge. We hire the right people.

That's good. But uh the other thing I want to do is I uh think you all got a copy of our mission and vision. This also has our scheduling policy on it. Um I really wanted Mark to to have this also. I I believe Mark have a good understanding of how we schedule here, but this is truly how it's uh listed out. Uh throughout this year, we may want to look at our mission and our vision. Are those still current? Is there something that we want to um adjust that mission statement is absolutely huge? Um and maybe we want to try and go something a little more specific. uh one of the people we could actually remember one that we could actually recite. Yes. Uh but then also uh I wanted to give you this because uh not only do we have the annual event that is being displaced as a larger event um we also have a event that is historically been here. Um but a lot of that event is now looking like a event the next week and um uh we're going to have to address this. And that's the uh the artisan fair has now created a um a community function that looks exactly like the um festival of trees can be key lane and that's something that we would never have looked to events that looked like that or acted like that. Uh so we we may need to ask that the chamber to uh look at refocusing how they want that community function.

Can you explain a little bit more what's the problem with having them with food and have candy? Um yeah of what was Yeah. the uh um the historic event that's done that vessel of trees uh felt that that was imposing upon what they what they do and taken away from their events. Is there any quantitative to support that or was that just

we're going to have to work through that. Yeah, it's a conversation now. So, uh, but I always like to bring these things forward now before, uh, things start to get larger. That's just really interesting. Yeah. Because originally when the gift fair always had that up on the stage, the Candy Lane and Santa going in gift. Yeah, Santa isn't a big deal. It's like it was all the activities that were happening real. So,

I'm sorry. That's okay. And it was a record. I mean, it was the best attendance that's been in a while, you said. Well, be happy to have that discussion. One opinion, but it seemed to me like the the artisan fair candy cane later, the activities were really family and children focused. That seems very different. Oh, no. the festival trees in the daytime at Oh, so it was the day. Did not know that.

Yeah, they do it for three hours on a Saturday, you know, they have like stuff for kids to do upstairs and walk the freeze, do all that. So, we need to go. Um, and let's see. So uh please just take a take take a look at uh the mission vision and uh I'll be asking you some questions uh emailwise and then as we meet again um we will look at you know is this a project that we want to take on now later on the year just let it go because we're all good and just change the date on this from the n 2019 to 206. Um that'll be uh you know one of your homework assignments. The other one is and I I need this within the next say two weeks. Anything that you're thinking about budget Mark I would like to have a little more information about what you're talking about with the u the warning system. Do

we have any survey information from um guests or from people that have a host of events here and said, "Hey, I wish you guys had a you know, blah blah blah."

I really don't uh nothing that they they would love us to run their event for them. Um but not things specific. We have you have a couple uh events that would like us to have a video system that would be throughout the whole building and they could plug into. Um that's not going to happen. Um they're just a little paranoid, I think. Um and that would infringe on a lot of our other events because people would see cameras why is there a camera there? and we could tell them all day long that it's not on, but still there's a camera there. So,

how about your fabulous staff? Have they suggest made any suggestions like we need this or we could really use this? Great. Because that stuff to me is really vital for that. A good listener to say. I have a question. uh your economic you know impact you need money for that you know don't already no as in as in the October notes

was looking at uh a new uh we don't have numbers back yet so unfortunately I I I left and I haven't been able to follow up on that on that project What uh uh Mr. Moore is talking about is we have a calculator that was built for us for for creating our economic impact by the amount of people by the different types of event and so on. Um and I would like to look at some other models. Um I have reach reached out to a couple of different companies uh and unfortunately uh then went on leave so I haven't been able to follow up with that. Uh with that I'll just uh quickly state one thing I would like to do and uh this is low priority right now. Um, this is a uh report that a lot of convention centers put out. This is this is from the Oregon convention center, but it's really more of a handout about their economic impact for the year in a nice little short story. Um, so I think that uh for our uh city council presentation that Mr. now gets to be a part of with with with me. Um, and a lot of what we'll be presenting there should probably be put in some nice little document that is easy to consume and something that we can really show the community that we've had x amount of days, x amount of impact. We've created this amount of this many jobs. um and just really easy to read. But I we do have money in our application budget for for for this kind of stuff.

You have no clue about what the impact all the different events in this building. I had no clue when I started this job. I thought I did, but just Yeah. When they started doing the port of motel rooms versus restaurants and who Yeah. It's mindb which does.

That's all. Oh, and none. I didn't have chance to respond. Any other discussion on this report? All in favor? big circle for edit those in terms of this vision and the mission statement what's your timing uh as I started looking around because of this question of bank status and what you're doing I just noticed the year and like, whoa, this needs to be looked at again.

Yeah, it might be interesting for you to put that mission statement. What does that one app that you use, right? We come up with sarcastic. Yeah. All right, Mark, any questions? Do you have 10 minutes to walk me through the building? Sure. Sure. I can do that. Also, um, it's a good thing.

If you Google past president there is a 120 plate on rollers, right? And so, yeah, you can just roll those around and Yeah. Usually organ foods has several people we over to strategic spots on the floor. Doesn't matter. You guys have the same thing.

We have something else. You want to end this and I'll

go okay. Yeah, you're welcome. I actually used to serve and come over in that colony and I thought it was