HomeMy Public PortalAbout8-DA-MS Minutes-8-31-21
Tybee Island Development Authority/Main Street
Meeting Minutes, August 31, 2021
Location: Zoom Video Call
Attendance:
Present:, Michael Flores, Bill Garbett, Charissa Murray, Kelly Swope, Michelle Owens
Absent: Sarah Bernzott, Jay Burke, Cate Campbell Susan Kelleher, Maria Lancaster
Guest: Clayton Demanes, Placer.ai
Call to Order
Meeting called to order at 4:00 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
No quorum present to vote on minutes of June 16, 2021
New Business
Foot Traffic Analysis: This item was moved higher up on the agenda since a guest was
present to discuss a new software called Placer. Michelle Owens stated that she, the
board chair and co-chair had attended a live demonstration of Placer.ai, a software as a
service product that tracks vehicle and foot traffic in any defined geographical location.
Clayton Demanes discussed how the software works and how other cities have used it to
measure event attendance, vehicle traffic and where visitors spend their time. The
software tracks millions of mobile devices and apps to collect its data. Michelle stated
she, the chair and co-chair thought it could be a great tool for Main Street. The cost is
$10k-12k annually depending on which subscription is purchased. The board wanted to
more information. Michelle will send out information she received from the company and
set up a live demo with Clayton for anyone interested.
Financial Report
The board will allocate funds to a contractor to help DPW with Christmas decorations
and pressure washing. Michael Flores noted that the electrical and bike racks still have
not been repaired and that he felt like it was taking too long to get landscaping and
improvement projects completed on Tybrisa. Michelle stated she would continue
working to get those items taken care of for the board even though she is transitioning
into a new job at the city. The city has advertised the Main Street Director’s job but has
not scheduled interviews yet.
Michelle updated the board on the new fiscal year. The level of funding remained
essentially the same but the internal way the money is tracked has changed. Rather
than having separate line items for things like travel, supplies, advertising, etc., all the
funds are under one line item called Main Street. The board agreed it was still a good
idea track expenditures based on the old line item categories. Excluding salary and
benefits, the program budget is about $92k. This includes the south end business
district fund as well.
Old Business
Murals – Michelle discussed a new substrate called Alumigraphics that she learned
about in Georgia Main Street workshop. It is safe for historic buildings and adheres to all
types of building materials like brick. Many Main Streets are using it for mural
applications.
Michael Flores gave an update on the mural project that he is putting on a wall. His
design is halfway done. The board might need to approve the design. Michelle will
check on whether it needs Main Street approval since it is on private property not visible
from the street.
Beth inquired if her business could apply for a façade grant. Michelle stated that it could.
The account still has $5,600 left. The board can consider topping off the account with
fundraisers, sponsorships, memberships and fees charged for events.
Committee Updates
Promotions – The promotions subcommittee met in July and decided to do the
Christmas Parade and Tree lighting on two separate nights. The tree lighting will be the
Saturday (also small business Saturday) after Thanksgiving and the Christmas parade
will be Friday, December 3. Michelle will check to see if the county’s stage is available.
Renting a stage from a rental company will cost $5,000 including sound system. That
company already has our date on their calendar.
The parade will not start at North Beach as the board had previously discussed. The
Public Safety Committee and the Police Department both felt that was unsafe given that
our parade occurs after dark. The parade will start at Memorial Park. Some groups will
join at 8th Street so they won’t have to walk as far.
An entry fee will be charged for floats this year. It’s a tiered rate with the highest tier
being for businesses not on Tybee and the lowest rate for Tybee neighborhood groups.
The money raised will go into the development authority account to fund other main
street activities. If there are hardship cases related to the fee, the board can consider
those on a case-by-case basis. The rain date for the parade is Dec. 4. There is no rain
date for the tree lighting. The tree would then be turned on without fanfare.
Adjournment:
Meeting adjourned at 5:22 PM