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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-05-20 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Monday, May 20, 2024 @ 5:15 PM Penobscot Room, Lower Floor of Penquis CAP MEETING MINUTES City Councilors Present: Dean, Fish, Fournier, Leonard, Schaefer, Tremble, Yacoubagha. City Staff Present: Hernandez-Smith, Krieg, Scannell, Wall. Councilor Schaefer called the meeting to order at 5:15 P.M. 1. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CULTURAL COMMISSION ON SPRING 2024 GRANT AWARDS, Action requested to accept the recommendation Development Director Anne Krieg presented the agenda item and gave overview of the Commission on Cultural Development's recommendations. Councilor Tremble moved acceptance of recommendation, seconded by Councilor Leonard. Vote unless doubted, no doubt. Councilor Fournier asked why the proposed grant amounts had been recommended. Development Director Krieg responded that these amounts were the result of evenly splitting the Commission's remaining grant funds. Councilor Dean asked to clarify which building the mural by Bangor Beautiful will be painted on. Development Director Krieg responded that it is 116 Hammond Street, which currently houses a massage business. 2. SCHEMATIC PLANS FOR THE CENTRAL COMMERCIAL KITCHEN PROJECT, Action requested to accept the report Development Director Anne Krieg presented the agenda item and gave overview of the central commercial kitchen project. Paul Lewandowski and Paul Bryant, Paul Designs Project, presented to the Committee via Zoom and gave overview of their schematic plans. Councilor Tremble asked if the proposed cold storage would be located in a building addition or would if it would be a walk-in storage facility attached to the building. Lewandowski responded that it will be an attached storage facility. Tremble asked if the Portland central kitchen facility that Lewandowski has worked on is also municipally-owned. Lewandowski responded that it is owned by an independent non-profit. Councilor Leonard asked about phasing in the addition of the cold storage facility and if this would close operations of the kitchen during construction. Lewandowski responded that the addition should not interrupt operations. Councilor Fournier asked about the projected revenue from the cold storage facility. Lewandowski responded that it could be around $100-150k per year in rental fee revenue, with a 4-5 year payback period. Councilor Schaefer commented that she is happy with the plans and asked if the kitchen's proximity to the airport would provide an increase in use to the cold storage facility. Development Director Krieg responded that she will look into this. Development Director Krieg stated that staff will keep the Committee updated with project progress and look into phasing options. Councilor Tremble asked if the City's grant writer could work on additional funding options. Development Director Krieg responded that he can. Councilor Fournier asked to confirm which design option will be pursued at this point. Lewandowski responded that they will be pursuing Option D. 3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY UPDATES, No action requested Economic Development Officer Biguita Hernandez-Smith and Business Development Specialist Brad Wall presented to the Committee and gave update on their work on the Economic Development Strategy. Councilor Fish asked about staff's conversation with the Bangor Mall owners. Economic Development Officer Hernandez-Smith responded that she feels the door is open to further communication now and that more conversations will be had to discuss the future of the mall. Councilor Schaefer asked if the Councilors could get copies of the new pamphlet on starting a business in Bangor, and commented on what a valuable resource this will be going forward. 4. HASEY BUILDING — POSSIBLE APPOINTMENT TO THE CITY HISTORIC LANDMARKS LIST, Action requested to recommend passage Planning Analyst Brian Scannell presented to the Committee and gave overview on the proposed appointment. Councilor Tremble asked to confirm that the building owner is interested in this designation and that there are no potential drawbacks. Development DirectorAnne Krieg responded that this is the case. Councilor Tremble moved to recommend passage, seconded by Councilor Leonard. Vote unless doubted, no doubt. Councilor Yacoubagha asked if this designation would open the building up to more grant opportunities. Development Director Krieg responded that it would. 5. CHECK-IN — HAMMOND STREET GROUND MURAL DESIGN, No action requested Development Director Anne Krieg presented the agenda item. Councilor Tremble asked about the timeline. Greg Edwards, Bangor Beautiful, presented to the Committee and confirmed that it is expected to last about 2-3 seasons, up until the Hammond Street repaving proposed in 2026. 6. EXECUTIVE SESSION — 1 M.R.S.A. § 405(6)(C) — DISPOSITION OF REAL PROPERTY OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,Action requested to provide staff direction Councilor Tremble moved to go into Executive Session pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. § 405(6)(C), seconded by Councilor Leonard. Roll call vote conducted — all in favor, none opposed. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:08 PM. Meeting minutes respectfully submitted, Sarah Maquillan Admin. Asst. C&ED