Village of Bartlett Economic Development Commission met Nov. 9.
Here is the minutes provided by the commission:
1. CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Erickson called the regular meeting of the Economic Development Commission of the Village of Bartlett to order on the above date at 7:04 p.m. and NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Section 7(e) of the Open Meetings Act as set forth in Senate Bill 2135 signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on June 12, 2020, making it effective upon said signing (“SB 2135”), that the regular meeting of Economic Development Commission of the Village of Bartlett (the “EDC”) scheduled to be held on November 9, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bartlett Municipal Building, 228 South Main Street, Bartlett, Illinois, may be conducted by audio or video conference without a physical quorum of the members of the Village Board present because an in-person meeting is not practical or prudent due to a disaster, that being COVID-19 pandemic and the applicable restrictions imposed under various laws rules, restrictions, Executive Orders and/or announcements issued by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and/or Ngozi O. Ezike MD, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, including without limitation “Restore Illinois: A Public Health Approach to Safely Reopen Our State”, which currently limits gatherings to the lesser of 25 people or 25% of the capacity of the meeting room as a public health measure.
2. ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Commissioners Kirsten Erickson, Gerald Kubaszko, Michelle Hughes, Nannette Gudenkauf, Joe LaPorte, Adam Lewensky, Tracy Smodilla
ABSENT: Commissioner Robert Perri
ALSO PRESENT: Economic Development Coordinator Tony Fradin, Assistant Village Administrator Scott Skrycki, Management Analyst Joey Dienberg, Senior Management Analyst Sam Hughes
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Lewensky moved to approve the Economic Development Commission Minutes from October 12, 2020 and that motion was seconded by Commissioner Gudenkauf.
AYES: Commissioners Erickson, Kubaszko, Hughes, Gudenkauf, LaPorte, Lewensky, Smodilla
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Commissioner Perri
MOTION CARRIED
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
Robert Gorski - 709 Bayberry Drive
Mr. Gorski introduced himself and stated that he was contacted by Village President Kevin Wallace about filling the vacancy on the EDC. He stated that he was attending to get a feel for what the Economic Development Commission is about and added that he is excited for the opportunity if appointed.
Commissioner Erickson stated that she loves seeing potential commissioners attending before they are appointed, and appreciates the enthusiasm.
Assistant Village Administrator Scott Skrycki introduced himself and thanked Mr.Gorski, and stated that he will send him some of the minutes from the last few meetings. He also offered Mr. Gorski to call either himself or Tony if he has any questions.
Tony Fradin introduced himself and stated that he is looking forward to working with Mr. Gorski.
5. BARTLETTAREATASTEOFTHETOWNS
Tony Fradin stated that with the State having recently issued orders to restrict eating and drinking establishments in DuPage and suburban Cook County once again, as occurred this past spring, the village is once again tasked with stepping up our support of existing businesses in the hope of retaining as many as possible.
Having already been faced with this challenge and creating additional platforms on which to do this, we are taking some additional actions in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce in this important effort to assist as many businesses as possible as the cold weather makes it more difficult.
In past years, the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce has hosted an evening in November titled “A Taste of the Town.” Village restaurants participated in an effort to promote their cuisine to attendees. The event has been hosted by the Bartlett Park District in the Oak Room.
As the Chamber expanded from Bartlett-only to including Hanover Park, the event expanded, as well.
Unable to host a one-night in-person event, this year, the Chamber of Commerce, park district and village are partnering to promote a two-week Taste of the Towns event that commenced on Friday the 6th and runs through Saturday the 21st.
Mr. Fradin added that the village, chamber and park district are encouraging dining establishments, members and non-members of the chamber alike, to participate this year in an effort to promote themselves to existing and new customers. Many area residents are not aware of all the eating and drinking establishments right here in town.
The village will be running advertisements and promotions both in print and on social media to promote this two-week event, which will serve as the de facto “dining weeks” for the village this year.
The four elements are to (1) order food or purchase gift cards from Bartlett area restaurants; (2) share a photo of your order with a positive comment on the Bartlett To- Go Facebook page; (3) tag the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce and the restaurant of your choice; and (4) add #BartlettAreaTasteOfTheTowns to your post.
Commissioner Gudenkauf reiterated the event’s history and expressed gratitude towards the village for their assistance in helping with this year’s event.
Mr. Fradin added that as commissioners, he asks them to share and promote this event in their own personal social media accounts as well as with any organizations that they are a part of. Our plan is to promote this largely through likes, shares and re-posts as well as in print and the village’s social media outlets.
Assistant Administrator Skrycki added that the village is always doing everything that they can for these struggling restaurants. If a business owner ever expresses that there is more the village can do, to let him or Tony know and they will do what they can.
Commissioner Erickson added that it is the obligation of commissioners to do their part in supporting the businesses as well as sharing these programs on social media. She suggested buying a few small gift cards from Bartlett restaurants and surprising neighbors, or just trying a different pizza place one week.
6. NOVEMBER BROKER EMAIL BLAST
Tony walked the commissioners through the most recent email blast that staff sent out. (see attached email) He added that open rates have consistently been high for industry standards, and added that during the last blast, staff received 4 inquiries within the day.
7. SMALLBUSINESSSATURDAY
Tony Fradin stated that Small Business Saturday is an American shopping event held on the Saturday after US Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. This year, Small Business Saturday will be on November 28th.
First celebrated in 2010, Small Business Saturday calls to attention the importance of shopping at the small businesses that serve as the backbone of the American economy and our local communities. Each year, Small Business Saturday draws shoppers to main streets across the country with great deals on unique products and services, events that encourage shopping locally, and unique experiences that introduce you to new venues. Many local politicians and small business groups in the United States issued proclamations concerning the campaign, which generated more than one million Facebook "like" registrations and nearly 30,000 tweets under the Twitter hashtags #smallbusinesssaturday and #smallbizsaturday.
Mr. Fradin added that unlike several surrounding municipalities, Bartlett does not have big-box retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer or Costco, nor does the village have a major shopping mall like Woodfield Mall, Stratford Square or Charlestown Mall.
What Bartlett does have is an interesting mix of small businesses, many of them sole proprietorships, and several of which have opened over the past few years.
With that in mind, staff has once again requested promotional items from Small Business Saturday at American Express to distribute to small businesses in the downtown area including tote bags, stickers, banners, buttons and door mats for them to display between now and Small Business Saturday.
Regular participants include the Shoppes at Banbury Fair, Arts in Bartlett, the three small retail shops at 138 S. Oak Avenue, Town & Country Gardens, Forever After Antiques & Collectibles, Spin Doctor Cyclewerks, and several of the independent restaurants throughout town.
Mr. Fradin encourages them to participate on their own with giveaways or specials of their own in an effort to encourage local residents to shop small the day after Black /Friday. Additionally, Staff will be promoting Small Business Saturday via multiple posts on the Discover Bartlett Facebook page, the village’s Twitter account, website and cable station. As members of the EDC, we request that you share these posts on your own social media and generally urge your contacts to shop small in Bartlett, if possible, this holiday season.
Commissioner Smodilla asked if staff has begun marketing the event yet, and also asked if the chamber is involved.
Mr. Fradin responded that staff will focus first on Taste of the Towns, then transition to Small Business Saturday.
Commissioner Gudenkauf stated that the chamber also promotes the program every year.
Commissioner Erickson asked if staff could provide yard signs next year to residents to encourage others to “Shop Local”.
Mr. Fradin stated that they can do it this year.
Commissioner Smodilla suggested downloading the shop small logo for signs.
Joey Dienberg added that staff will be starting a gift card campaign this holiday season to promote gift cards as a gift giving idea this year to include local restaurants as a part of small business Saturday.
Assistant Administrator Skrycki added that staff has sent over 100 emails to businesses about COVID rules, grant information, and village promotions over the last few months. He added that Bartlett has been one of the most communicative communities with their businesses throughout the pandemic. He thanked Tony and Joey for their hard work on that communication.
8. NEW BUSINESS
Tony Fradin stated that staff is working hard to bring in businesses to a few pieces of village properties, including a multifamily housing development at “Site E” as well as a retail developer for the southwest corner of Route 59 and Lake Street.
There being no further business to discuss, Commissioner Kubaszko moved to adjourn the EDC meeting and that motion was seconded by Commissioner Hughes.
ROLL CALL VOTE TO ADJOURN
AYES: Commissioners Erickson, Kubaszko, Hughes, Gudenkauf, LaPorte, Lewensky, Smodilla
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Commissioner Perri
MOTION CARRIED
https://www.village.bartlett.il.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=11539
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