02/19/2019 Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
m
ap
® e
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
9:00 AM
Council Chambers - Main Library
Community Redevelopment Agency
Page 1
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
Roll Call
Present 4 - Chair George N. Cretekos, Trustee Bob Cundiff, Trustee Hoyt
Hamilton, and Trustee David Allbritton
Absent 1 - Trustee Jay Polglaze
Also Present— Jill Silverboard — Deputy City Manager, Micah Maxwell —Assistant
City Manager, Pamela K. Akin — City Attorney, Rosemarie Call —
City Clerk, Nicole Sprague — Official Records and Legislative
Services Coordinator, and Amanda Thompson — CRA Executive
Director.
To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
1. Call to Order— Chair Cretekos
The meeting was called to order at 9:16 a.m. in Council Chambers at the
Main Library.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the January 14, 2019 CRA Meeting Minutes as submitted in written summation
by the City Clerk.
Trustee Hamilton moved to approve the January 14, 2019 CRA
Meeting Minutes as submitted in written summation by the City
Clerk. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda — None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Approve a Grant Agreement in the amount of$30,000 with Pour Yours Holdings LLC for
interior building improvements at 522 Cleveland Street and authorize the appropriate
officials to execute same.
At the October 29, 2018 CRA meeting, the Trustees approved a time limited,
Page 2
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
grant program for bar and restaurant tenants in the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) area that operate on nights and weekends, that received a
Certificate of Occupancy or were under active construction after January 1,
2018.
Pour Yours Holdings LLC has submitted a grant application, supporting invoices
and the financial documentation necessary for a complete grant request. As
outlined in their application, the tenant has expended $73,012.07 on eligible
grant expenses. These improvements were necessary to open the bar. The
tenant is eligible for a $30,000.00 grant from the Food & Drink Program to be
payable over two years. The tenant has agreed to stay in business and maintain
the existing improvements for a minimum of 2 years.
Pour Yours is a wine bar that has partnered with the neighboring restaurant, La
Fondita, to provide a tapas menu. The proposed grant application meets the
goals of the Food & Drink Program and the CRA's redevelopment plan to attract
more foot traffic to downtown and improve the appearance of buildings through
the establishment of bars and restaurants that are open on nights and
weekends.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funds are available in CRA project 3887552-94893, Opportunity Fund.
In response to questions, CRA Executive Director Amanda Thompson
said the current lease ends February 2020. If the entity goes out of
business, the bar portion would receive up to $15,000 for every year it is
open. Pour Yours has been open for over a year and would receive their
first $15,000-payment when the grant agreement is approved, and the
second payment would be received one later.
Trustee Cundiff moved to approve a Grant Agreement in the amount
of $30,000 with Pour Yours Holdings LLC for interior building
improvements at 522 Cleveland Street and authorize the appropriate
officials to execute same. The motion was duly seconded and
carried unanimously.
4.2 Approve a Grant Agreement in the amount of$9,054.82 with Vector Amusements LLC
for interior building improvements at 629 Cleveland Street and authorize the appropriate
officials to execute same.
At the October 29, 2018 CRA meeting, the Trustees approved a time limited,
grant program for bar and restaurant tenants in the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) area that received a Certificate of Occupancy or were under
active construction after January 1, 2018.
Page 3
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
Vector Amusements LLC has submitted a grant application, supporting invoices
and the financial documentation necessary for a complete grant request. As
outlined in their application, the tenant has expended $9,054.82 for eligible
improvements, although the total costs of improvements and business start-up
costs exceed $35,000. The tenant is eligible for a $9,054.82 grant from the
Food & Drink Program to be payable in one lump sum. The tenant has agreed
to stay in business and maintain the existing improvements for a minimum of 2
years.
Vector Arcade & Bar is an arcade bar that has classic and modern pinball
machines as well as programming for the gaming community. The proposed
grant application meets the goals of the Food & Drink Program and the CRA's
redevelopment plan to attract more foot traffic to downtown and improve the
appearance of buildings through providing new restaurants and bars that are
open on nights and weekends.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funds are available in CRA project 3887552-94893, Opportunity Fund.
In response to a question, CRA Executive Director Amanda Thompson
said the current lease runs through February 2021. The entity has
submitted a lease renewal for additional time.
Trustee Hamilton moved to approve a Grant Agreement in the
amount of $9,054.82 with Vector Amusements LLC for interior
building improvements at 629 Cleveland Street and authorize the
appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was duly
seconded and carried unanimously.
4.3 Approve a Loan to Grant Agreement in the amount of$62,341.25 with Fourcee LLC d/b/a
Blackbrick Tavern and Kitchen for interior building improvements at 432 Cleveland Street
and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
At the October 29, 2018 CRA meeting, the CRA Trustees approved a time
limited, grant program for restaurant tenants in the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) area that received a Certificate of Occupancy or were under
active construction after January 1, 2018.
Fourcee LLC d/b/a Blackbrick Tavern and Kitchen has submitted a grant
application, supporting invoices and the financial documentation necessary for a
complete grant request. As outlined in their application, the tenant has provided
invoices totaling $175,260.72. These building improvements are necessary to
open the restaurant. The tenant spent more than $256,388 dollars to construct
Page 4
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
the entire restaurant space. The Food and Drink grant program allows for the
loan to grant to be forgiven over a 5-year period. The tenant has agreed to stay
in business and maintain the existing improvements to the building for a
minimum of 5 years.
Black Brick Tavern will be a full-service bar and restaurant. The proposed grant
application meets the goals of the Anchor Tenant program and the CRA's
redevelopment plan to attract more foot traffic to downtown and improve the
appearance of buildings through new food and drink offerings that are open on
nights and weekends.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funds are available in CRA project 3887552-94893, Opportunity Fund.
Trustee Allbritton moved to approve a Loan to Grant Agreement in
the amount of $62,341.25 with Fourcee LLC d/b/a Blackbrick Tavern
and Kitchen for interior building improvements at 432 Cleveland
Street and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.4 Approve a Loan to Grant Agreement in the amount of$100,000.00 with Tequilas Mexican
Grill and Cantina LLC for interior building improvements at 422 Cleveland Street and
authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
At the October 29, 2018 CRA meeting, the Trustees approved a time limited,
grant program for bar and restaurant tenants in the Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) area that received a Certificate of Occupancy or were under
active construction after January 1, 2018.
Tequilas Mexican Grill and Cantina has submitted a grant application,
supporting invoices and the financial documentation necessary for a complete
grant request. The CRA Food and Drink Program allows for the loan to grant to
be forgiven over a 5-year period. The tenant has agreed to stay in business and
maintain the existing building improvements for a minimum of 5 years.
Tequila's Mexican Grill and Cantina is a bar/full-service restaurant that will be
moving from their current location at 401 S. Ft. Harrison Avenue to 422
Cleveland Street. The proposed grant application meets the goals of the Anchor
Tenant program and the CRA's redevelopment plan to attract more foot traffic to
downtown and improve the appearance of buildings through the establishment
of new restaurants open on nights and weekends.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funds are available in CRA project 3887552-94893, Opportunity Fund.
Page 5
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
Trustee Cundiff moved to approve a Loan to Grant Agreement in the
amount of $100,000.00 with Tequilas Mexican Grill and Cantina LLC
for interior building improvements at 422 Cleveland Street and
authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.5 Confirm the City Manager's appointment of Micah Maxwell as the Interim CRA Executive
Director.
CRA Executive Director Amanda Thompson will be on maternity leave from
March 1, 2019 through May 24, 2019. The Community Redevelopment Agency
(CRA) rules require the Board to confirm the appointment of the CRA Executive
Director. City Manager Bill Horne is requesting that the CRA confirm Assistant
City Manager Micah Maxwell as the Interim Executive Director until Ms.
Thompson returns from maternity leave.
In response to a concern, Deputy City Manager Jill Silverboard said the
City Manager believes the CRA and Imagine Clearwater are closely
aligned and related and within Mr. Maxwell's time and capability to
continue supervising the day to day activities.
Trustee Hamilton moved to confirm the City Manager's appointment
of Micah Maxwell as the Interim CRA Executive Director. The motion
was duly seconded and carried with the following vote:
Ayes: 4 - Trustee Cundiff, Trustee Hamilton, Trustee Allbritton and Trustee
Polglaze
Nays: 1 - Chair Cretekos
4.6 Approve amended contract with Sparxoo, LLC for maintenance of CRA website during
2019 and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
The Community Redevelopment Agency requests approval to amend the
CRA's contract with Sparxoo, its website maintenance company, to include a
broader scope of work. The first focus area of the CRA's 18-month strategy is
to create and share authentic, positive stories about downtown Clearwater. The
website, www.downtownclearwater.org <http://www.downtownclearwater.orq>,
is an important online platform that is used to promote downtown. By upgrading
the Master Services Agreement from the "Basic Plus" plan to the "Advanced"
plan, the CRA will improve website features, gain monthly reporting on site
performance, speed and security, and improve image and search engine
optimization. The upgrade will also double the amount of project work hours
included in the year (from 100 to 200 hours) from the Sparxoo team to build out
Page 6
City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency
Meeting Minutes February 19, 2019
new features for the site (a blog, video embed capabilities, etc.), and provide a
dedicated account manager from Sparxoo to work directly with the CRA. This is
a one-year contract. The increase in service will cost an additional $11,700 for
2019.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Funding is available in CRA project 3887552-94853, Downtown Marketing &
Events.
In response to a question, CRA Public Relations and Program Manager
Rosemary D'Amour said Sparxoo will be providing an additional 100
workhours for a project director, increased security and SEO (Search Engine
Optimization) updates. The site is ADA accessible.
Trustee Allbritton moved to approve amended contract with
Sparxoo, LLC for maintenance of CRA website during 2019 and
authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.7 Update on CRA 18 -month Strategy.
CRA Executive Director Amanda Thompson provided a PowerPoint
presentation.
5. Director's Report - None.
6. Board Members to be Heard - None.
7. Adjourn
Attest
)LtLM LL
City Clerk
City of Clearwater
The meeting adjourned at 9:39 a.m.
•— cke1) (k. \ccctkos
Community Redevelopment Agency