City of Darien met Nov. 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 pm by Chairwoman Tina Beilke. Other committee members present were: Matt Weberling, Angelo Imbrogno, Mary Sullivan, and Nick Pitzer. The meeting was held at Darien City Hall.
2. Public Comment
There were no Public comments.
3. Approval of Minutes - October 9, 2019
The minutes as submitted for October 9, 2019, were approved.
4. New Business
a. IRC Retail Centers Representative
Matt Weberling discussed that the company managing chestnut court shopping center is going through a merger and they were hesitant of sending a representative at this time. It is tabled for now.
b. Darien Economic Development Survey Results
Significant discussion was centered on the survey data. There was a consensus that the areas of focus should be dining and entertainment. Extended discussion addressed ideas on improving dining and entertainment in Darien.
5. Old Business
a. Incentive Website Link Completion (Vision, Mission, Application)
The committee reviewed and approved the economic guidelines for incentive requests on October 9h. No further update.
b. Incentive Matrix/Template and Application Rollout
The incentive matrix/template and application has been completed and submitted to the city. The next step is it will go to municipal services for their comments. Once it has gone through municipal services, the committee will discuss the comments made before going on the consent agenda.
C. Implementation of Business Outreach Program
i. Message Outline
The committee discussed sending out a form letter after the New Year with a focus on a short, concise, and open message. The goal of the letter is to reach out to local businesses explaining briefly what the EDC is all about and that we would like to hear back from them.
ii. Draft Reach out Write Up for Mayor & Neighbors Magazine EDC Insert
Angelo will be meeting with the Mayor to draft the form letter and advertisement for the EDC. The goal is to approve the letter at December's EDC meeting.
iii. Business Contacts - First Round
The information provided by the city only had the business owners name, manager, and contact information but no email. Tina reached out to April Padalik (Chamber director) to obtain email information for the local businesses but has not heard back. The first round of business contacts will focus on chestnut court, shopping centers, and dining / entertainment businesses.
d. Darien Marketing Material Update
Mary Sullivan discussed the city of Darien's focus on improving communication to the community. Mary will also provide an update on the two Darien marketing videos and the estimated completion date.
6. Next Scheduled Meeting
The date has been scheduled for December 11, 2019 at 7.00 p.m. in Darien City Hall.
7. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn at 8:16 pm approved.
https://www.darien.il.us/getattachment/87592a3f-d85b-4c5f-80e8-fece46bee4c5/191120.aspx
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