City of Sugar Hill Downtown Development Authority (DDA)

MINUTES

Meeting Date January 4^th, 2005 -- 7:00 PM

• Call to Order

Attendance at 7:00PM: DDA Members - Dawn P. Gober, Laura Allen, Tom Baughman, Nick Thompson, Allen Jorgenson. Also in attendance were quests – Brent Dowdle (Georgia Emissions Owner), Owner of Body Shop on Hillcrest adjacent to Faith Realty), an additional citizen, and current President of Suwanee Business Alliance and his wife (Ted Krotz)

• Approval of Agenda

Motion to Approve Agenda with amendment to discuss Sister City was made by Nick Thompson. The motion was properly seconded by Laura Allen and motion carried unanimously.

• Citizen and Guest comments

The floor was opened to Ted Krotz, president of Suwanee Business Alliance (SBA). A 20-25 minute discussion was had about various components and history of the SBA. Chairman Robert Kaufman joined the meeting a little past 7:00 for a total of six DDA members in attendance. Topics of discussion were:

1. History of SBA being 6-7 years with a fall-off period resulting in loss of enrollment several years ago.

2. There are 170 active members with annual dues of $60. There is a cost savings offered to residents of the City.

3. There are 11 board members (voting) of which one is a city of Suwanee official, in some capacity.

4. The board meets the 2^nd Tuesday of each month at 12:00 noon in the M&C chambers at Suwanee City Hall.

5. The networking meeting is the 2^nd Wednesday of each month, usually at a restaurant establishment. The average attendance for the networking meeting is 70 folks.

6. The SBA was in the process of acquiring liability insurance for around $300 per year, due to the fact that alcohol is served at their functions.

7. There are three primary officers (President, Vice President, Former President)

Significant documentation was shared by Mr. Krotz, including SBA bylaws, officer eligibility criteria, dues structure, voting criteria, member eligibility criteria, and other key framework components associated with forming an organization. Mr. Krotz was gracious to offer his help in assisting the Sugar Hill Business Alliance in their start-up efforts.

Additional Guests Comments from one citizen were supportive of the Sugar Hill Business Alliance (SHBA) efforts and suggested that the organization reach out to other established organizations in the City such as the PTA.

• Unfinished Business

• Checking Account – Member Nick Thompson estimated the remaining balance of the 2004 DDA budget to be $985, no other members could quote the exact amount at that time, Confirmation pending. Member Thompson also confirmed to the group that the City of Sugar Hill 2005 budget called for a DDA budgeted line-item of $10,000. Giving the DDA an eligible expense line of roughly $11,000 for 2005. Further discussions were had about the DDA obtaining a checking account. Chairman Kaufman indicated that he felt confident that a conversation with Councilman Ron Johnson, and possibly other Councilman would result in the DDA getting the checking account. Thompson mentioned the possibility of executing an inter-governmental agreement with the City of Sugar Hill and the DDA. Laura Allen took the initiative to commit to taking the topic to the M&C for discussion at the February work session. Chairman Kaufman added that from his perspective, if the DDA were to spend the entire 2005 budget by mid-year, then there would be enough Council support to re0supply the DDA with capitol for the balance of 2005. Further discussion to be had at the Council work session.

• New Business

• Accurate accounting of Meeting Minutes for 2005 – Nick Thompson apologized for the lack of organization throughout 2004, with respect to meeting minutes and agendas. Discussions were had of possibly out-sourcing the minute-taking and formatting to a third party, as the time requirements would be about two hours per month and that such a burden should not fall onto DDA members. Thompson agreed to handle the taking and proper posting of the minutes for the first two months of 2005. Laura Allen mentioned that each member could handle the task twice per year. Chairman Kaufman thanked Thompson for preparing the Agenda.

• Approval of SBA Mailer Format – Discussion was had as to the content and overall presentation of the mailer and the message. Dawn P. Gober motioned to approve the mailer with one minor change. The motion was properly seconded by Tom Baughman, and carried unanimously. Said mailer is hereby attached to these minutes and incorporated herein.

• $300 Expenditure for Mailers – Allen Jorgenson committed to get 800 copies of the mailer with return envelopes to city Clerk by the next day, in an effort to include the mailer with the 2005 Sugar Hill business license holders’ renewal mailer. Jorgenson will also get an electronic copy to City Manager so that the mailer can also be included the City’s gas invoice distribution for January. Nick Thompson gave a special thanks to Jorgenson for donating the time and resources associated with the mailer, especially the credit card invoicing option, at no charge to the City, DDA, or SHBA.

• Allocate other resources for promotion of Business Alliance Function (Gwinnett Post Advertising…ect) – Discussions were had about the DDA funding public advertisements endorsing the SHBA function in February. Chairman Kaufman spoke of his experience in witnessing the ability of Councilman Ron Johnson to gain exposure in the Gwinnett Daily Post by merely making one phone call. The recent College recruitment proceedings. Nick Thompson made a comment referencing a possibility of getting exposure in the AJC. The group was in agreement that both papers noting the function would be positive. However, the decision was whether or not the secure the advertising by actually paying for it. Dawn P. Gober volunteered to draft a sample 5” * 7” advertisement for DDA review at the February meeting, where the final decision will be made.

• Spend some money on Public Interest in District Overlay (February) –

Discussions were had referencing advertising the District Overlay when completed. An advertising approach was discussed in “getting the word out” when the overlay is completed. Allen Jorgenson and Tom Baughman asked questions about the format of the overlay and the overall scope of the consultant’s role in marketing the finished product. Laura Allen asked that the DDA be sure to keep Paul Kreager (UGA) in the loop with respect to the completion of the overlay. That comment prompted discussions of making follow-up visits to area lenders upon the completion of the overlay to expose the new plan. No expense decisions were made, waiting for review of the actual plan.

• Set goals and objectives for 1^st quarter of 2005 – Little discussion. Nick Thompson mentioned that the parallel efforts of both the Overlay and the SHBA were aligning themselves quite well, with respect to the calendar. The SHBA will be officially “Spun Off” by the end of February, which is about the same time the overlay will be completed. The group agreed that setting quarterly goals along with annual goals was a good idea. Each member will present at least one goal for discussion at the February meeting.

• Executive Session

There was no Executive Session. However Nick Thompson reminded the DDA as to what executive session actually was; due to the fact that the current board had never been into session as a unit. Thompson stated that only three discussion items were eligible for Executive Session: 1. Personnel Matters. 2. Pending Litigation. 3. Real Estate Matters.

Thompson recounted the Executive Sessions of 12-14 months prior where discussion, deliberation, negotiations, and consensuses were traversed in actually making recommendations to the M&C, with respect to property in and around the Downtown area. While those previous efforts did not result in M&C action, Thompson stated that Executive Session is part of the function of the group and is in the Charter. An Executive Session will be had in February, the group should bring ideas for discussion.

• Adjournment

The motion to adjourn was made by Chairman Kaufman and properly seconded by Tom Baughman, the motion carried unanimously.

These Minutes were taken, formatted, drafted, & submitted by Nick Thompson; Council Member and DDA Member – City of Sugar Hill