FDP Board of Directors’ Meeting - June 15, 2005

Fayetteville Downtown Partners Board Meeting

Wednesday, June 15, 2005                 11:30am          Fayetteville Public Library

Present:

Board:  Leslie Belden, Jill Anthes, Steve Davis, Cindy Kalke

Staff:  Dan Hintz, Morgan Hicks

Press:  Drew Terry, Sarah Terry

Guests:  Susan Thomas – City, Kathryn Hunt - FEDC

The meeting was called to order at 11:45

Minutes from the previous board meeting were unanimously approved

Administrative Update:

Dan explained that FDP is looking at structuring the organization around taxing structures.

Structuring the budget like a tree:  Administration is the trunk.  City money flows through administration – which includes staff, consultants.  Limbs or special projects must pay for themselves so that they don’t become a drain on the organization.  Right now, the FAF is the only project that FDP is taking on for the time being. 

We’re currently switching everything to Quickbooks.  Bill Christensen is helping to set up line items.  This technology will allow us to do payroll, track donations, create donor database.  And this will help us when we get to audit times. 

Equipment:

With buying from Dell as opposed to a local – will we have access to support.  The board agreed that we would.

Staff is requesting the approval of  a line-item in the budget of up to $7000.00 for computer purchases:  Notebook, Desktop and server. 

Staff asks to approve the $15.00 to cancel the check that was written to Bill Tucker.  The check and his W-4 that was sent to his old address was returned.

We will reissue the check if he is located.  The check should probably be released to the state and he would have to go through the state to claim it.

Human Resources:

Job description and hr policy is done.  There has been no negative feedback.  35 resumes for managing director.  23 have been saved.  Some people removed themselves from the search.  Hoping to have someone in place by July 1st.  Interviews will take place over the next few weeks.  Leslie will be sitting in on the interviews.  All other board members will be notified of the interview times and are welcome to sit in on the interviews.

FAF:

Dan updated the board on the highlights of events.  WAC season brochure.  July and August CityScapes.  We’ll be looking into Radio and Television sponsorship.  Web presence based on the DOXA graphics.  We have created databases of over 700 arts organizations within a 450 mile radius as well as a database of 150  individual artists

Projected Earned revenue of
Projected Expenses of the festival: $55,—-
We started with $7000.  We now have $17000 in the bank that

BID

Urban Place3   June 28-July 1
Town center July 29 12-1:30, 6-7:30
BID steering committee:  July 30, 6-7:30

We have identified the 5—property owners.  30 property owners have been prioritizes as the highest evaluation of property value – we are looking into contact information for them, so they can be contacted individually

America in Bloom

Announcement on hanging of the new banners will be Friday at 10:00 at Colliers. 
20 side banners that say community and FDP is on the sponsor flap of the banner.
Will come down early July.

Board Development

We need 6 more board members.  There has been a prioritization of people to be asked.  Some people have declined due to lack of time – not interest. 
Belden Motioned to re-elect existing board members Jill Anthes, Robert Rhodes, and John Nock to serve a second consecutive three year term.

Belden Motioned to approve the election of new officers Kathy Bass, Brandon Karn, Daniel Keeley, Amy Mack-White, Greg House, Jeff Collins.

Board elected officers.  Job Description for the executive committee have gone out in e-mail, so presumably there is awareness of responsibilities.

Dan suggests that nominations are sent in, and can be voted on via e-mail. 
Officers sit for a one-year term.  Everyone that is currently on the board should be eligible to serve as an officer. 

CADI

Has been meeting for 8 months.  Usually there are 20-30 artists.  A list of objectives and priorities for projects were identified.  We introduced a project last night, and new people that came to the meeting for the first time jumped into the committee and are going to take on the project.  So there is great enthusiasm in the process.

Why should FDP be interested in the arts? 

America’s nonprofit arts industry generates more than $134 billion in economic activity every year, including $24.4 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue.  Arts are a much more aggressive tool for economic development than other areas.  Currently there is not another advocate for this economic development avenue.

Compared to all U.S. travelers, cultural travelers spend more per trip, are more likely to use hotels, motels or B&Bs, are more likely to spend $1000-plus and are more likely to shop. This IS Fayetteville’s desired demographic. 

This process is helping to create common vocabulary for artists and development in order for people to be able to communicate.  Other movements have started to approach this goal, but have not been as successful. 

FDP is also able to look at the arts in economic terms. 

We have to create our own assessment for projects- because it isn’t fair to compare ourselves to other city’s that have been working toward this goal for much longer.

The CADI objectives have been identified as:

• Increase opportunity for artists,
• Strengthen the arts infrastructure
• Increase audience for the arts
• Enhance young people’s access to the arts.

For FDP, any project that we take on must cover at least 3 if not all 4 of these objectives.

An online survey received about 200 responses. CADI brainstormed over 150 projects.  The following six projects have been chosen as the top priorities:

• Establish a Fayetteville Arts Commission
• Produce an expanded Fayetteville Arts Festival
• Define boundaries of the Fayeetveill Cultural Arts District
• Write and Implement a Public Arts Policy/Define and develop a Museum-Without-Walls
• Develop and Support a sustainable Downtown Gallery Arts Walk
• Facilitate certification of AIE/Rostered Artists at the state level. 

FDP will be looking into finding the best possible way to approach these priorities. 

The Business Improvement District is also the process for creating the Cultural Arts District.  The boundaries may be different.  Money that is generated by the BID can only be used within the BID district.  But other projects can be taken on, they would just have to be funded through an alternate revenue stream.

The next big push is to approach somewhat achievable projects like wrapping the fence of the Mountain Inn and Legacy construction sites with a public arts mural project. 

FDP wants to facilitate these projects, but to put them back into the public’s domain. 

Board Retreat

The Board Retreat will include training when Steve Gibbs is in town.  The retreat is July 16th from 10am to 4pm.  Ex-Officio is also invited to this retreat.

On the agenda:

• Visioning for the future
• Organization and Board Structure
• How the Board interacts with Staff – Carver Method
• Role of Ex-Officios and Advisory Board
• By-law Revisions
• How and if committees should be used
• More standardized meeting dates and times. 

Meeting was adjourned at 12:47pm.