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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/07/1996 EDC MinutesMINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 2nd Floor Conference Room, Village Hall Thursday, March 7, 1996 8:00 A.M. The regular meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday morning, March 7, 1996, in the second floor conference room of Village Hall, 100 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Farley requested that Norman Kurtz act as Chairman for this meeting due to the fact that the Chairman and Vice Chairman for the Committee were absent for the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. by Norman Kurtz. Members present were: Ben Trapani, Brian McCarthy, Patricia Biedar and Bruce Gillilan. Also present were Mayor Gerald Farley; William J. Cooney, Director of Community Development; David Hulseberg, Deputy Director of Community Development. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Brian McCarthy and seconded by Bruce Gillilan to approve the minutes as presented. There was no discussion and the minutes were passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS Bill Cooney gave a brief update on current projects. He indicated that US Robotics was already producing modems at their Central Road facility. He also indicated that US Robotics was moving forward through the zoning process for approval of a five story office building. He indicated that US Robotics anticipated employing over 1,000 individuals at this facility by the end of 1996. Mr. Cooney stated that Venture was undergoing a repositioning in the retail market and were having their new grand opening this afternoon. He stated that he would be meeting with the store manager to discuss their current status and the development opportunities on their property. Mr. Cooney also indicated that the Village had become more aggressive on demolishing dilapidated buildings throughout the Village and had been successful with the property on the southeast corner of Algonquin and Busse Roads. He indicated that the Village will continue to pursue these dilapidated structures in the Village to ensure that they are brought into compliance with Codes or demolished. Dave Hulseberg indicated that he had contact with two manufacturing users that were looking at properties in Mount Prospect. He stated that one of them was looking at a vacant parcel in the Kensington Business Center and another one was looking at the south end of the Village. He stated that he would continue to update the Commission as information becomes available. Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 2 Brian McCarthy updated the Commission on recent activities at the Randhurst Shopping Center. He anticipates continued changes at this Center as a result of the retail economy. NEW BUSINESS Marketing Tool Update Mr. Hulseberg indicated that staff was looking to put together a request for proposals for firms interested in putting together a video marketing the Village. He stated he was looking for assistance from the Marketing Subcommittee which was headed by Norm Kurtz. Pat Biedar and Bruce Gillilan stated they would be interested in working on the Subcommittee to design the marketing video. Norm Kurtz and Dave Hulseberg will follow up on this matter and set a meeting up for the sub- committee in the next few weeks. Mr. Cooney stated that the Marketing Brochure was at the printers and would be completed by the end of March. He stated they were producing 5,000 copies of the brochure that would be distributed to local businesses and businesses showing interest in Mount Prospect. He also stated that the narrative section of the brochure would be put into a diskette format that could be utilized on a diskette for mailing and for a home page on the Internet. Industrial Revenue Bonds Mr Cooney indicated that Mayor Farley had sent a letter to all Mount Prospect manufacturing businesses indicating that the Village had $2.6 million in industrial revenue bonds available. To date, Mr. Cooney had received three inquiries from businesses regarding this matter. The deadline for allocating these funds is April 30, and therefore, needs to be addressed quickly. If the Village does not utilize the funds for local businesses, it would either cede its funding to another community or to the State. Liaison Contacts Mr. Cooney requested that the Commissioners make contacts to the businesses to which they are liaison. He stated that he wished to more aggressively pursue the Business Visitation Program. Several Commissioners asked that staff update the listing and to ensure that those businesses to which they are liaison, are in businesses similar to which they are. Mr. Cooney indicated he would update this list and re- distribute it at the next meeting. Small Business Development Council Breakfast Meeting Mr. Cooney indicated that the Small Business Development Council (SBDC) is holding a breakfast meeting on March 22 at the Ramada Inn. He stated that the SBDC was inviting economic development professionals and Chamber of Commerce executives from the Northwest Municipal Economic Development Commission Minutes Page 3 Conference communities. He stated that if any Economic Development Commission member was interested in attending, they are more than welcome. He asked that they contact him directly so that he can register them. Shop Mount Prospect Mr. Hulseberg indicated that he and the Village Manager, Mike Janonis, were on a subcommittee with the Chamber of Commerce that was promoting the Shop Mount Prospect Program. He also indicated that Mr. McCarthy was the Chairman of this Committee and that they hoped to bring this program to fruition by late summer /early fall of this year. The program would include a directory and educational material to make residents aware of the importance of shopping within the Village. Mr. Gillilan stated that it would probably be beneficial for the Village to put an article in its Newsletter indicating the negative impact of shopping returns to local stores. He stated that, according to Mr. McCarthy's information, when items that are bought at stores in Woodfield are returned to Randhurst, the Village looses out on sales tax. There was concurrence among the Commissioners to address this issue. Chairman's Report In the absence of Chairman Riordan, there would be no Chairman's report. The Commission discussed the upcoming meeting and decided that the meeting would be held on the second Thursday of April (April 11th) at 8:00 a.m. in the second floor conference room. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m. on a motion by Brian McCarthy, seconded by Ben Trapani.