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Home My WebLink About12/21/2016 - Minutes The Economic Development Authority of Roanoke County Roanoke County Administration Center 4th Floor Training Room 5204 Bernard Drive Roanoke,Virginia 24018 Minutes Wednesday,December 21,2016,9:00 A.M. Members Present Chairman-Steve Musselwhite Vice Chairman-Woody Windley Greg Apostolou Max Beyer Bill Branch Steve Anderson Kirtesh Patel Ssunny Shah Leon McGhee Jill Loope,Secretary-Treasurer Ruth Ellen Kuhnel, Counsel Glenna Ratcliffe Members Absent Dan Toti Guest Richard Peters,Vinton Assistant Town Manager; Brian Carter, Finance Manager;Doug Blount,Director,Parks,Recreation and Tourism The Economic Development Authority of Roanoke County,Virginia met this day at the Roanoke County.Administration Center. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Steve Musselwhite determined a quorum was established and called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. REQUEST TO POSTPONE, ADD TO, OR CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA ITEMS None Page 2 December 21,2016 Economic Development Authority Minutes APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 19,2016 MINUTES A motion was made by Ssunny Shah and seconded by Steve Anderson to approve the minutes of October 19,2016 as written. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. FINANCE REPORT Brian Carter, Finance Manager, presented the Financial Report for the month ending November 31, 2016. He stated the financial report includes EDA Administration and the Vinton Façade Grant. The County has received the$5,000 Façade grant contribution from the Town of Vinton, with $5,000 remaining to complete their $10,000 County/Town match. He stated the cash balance in the EDA account is $657,476.83. (Attached) After a motion by Max Beyer and second by Ssunny Shah, the financial report was accepted as presented. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. AUDIT REPORT Brian Carter, Finance Manager, presented the Audit Report for FY ending June 30, 2016. He reviewed the Balance Sheet, Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and changes in Fund Balances. He also provided notes to the Financial Statements. There were no auditor's comments. (Audit Report Attached) After a motion by Woody Windley and second by Steve Anderson, the Audit Report was accepted as presented. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. NEW BUSINESS Pete Peters, Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Vinton, reviewed a performance agreement between the Town of Vinton, The Economic Development Authority, and Waukeshaw Development, Inc. a Virginia Limited Liability Company. This performance agreement is regarding the renovation of the old William Byrd High School and mirrors the agreement approved between the County and Waukeshaw. This performance agreement has been approved by the Town of Vinton and requires approval by the EDA. In response to a query by Leon McGhee, Ms. Loope stated the intent is to transfer the main building to accommodate the project, and the property may need to be subdivided as appropriate in the future to separate the ball field and lower annex building. The historical designation needs to be secured and engineering complete before final decisions are made regarding the entire site. Mr. Peters stated most all of the adjacent land owners are in agreement with the project as it is viewed as a positive improvement for the area. Page 3 December 21,2016 Economic Development Authority Minutes Steve Musselwhite stated his only concern was parking. Pete Peters stated the site plan was reviewed and was in compliance with Town regulations. Both the upper lot and middle lot would be utilized for the redevelopment. The school auditorium will stay the same but the gymnasium will be renovated into apartments. Kirtesh Patel asked if there was a need for apartments in the Town of Vinton. Leon McGhee stated there are no new apartments in Vinton so this project could possibly bring in more young professionals. Most apartments in Vinton were built in the seventies. After a motion by Woody Windley and second by Ssunny Shah, the request for authorization to execute a performance agreement between the Town of Vinton, the Economic Development Authority of Roanoke County and Waukeshaw Development; Inc. was approved. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. REQUEST FOR EXPLORE PARK MOUNTAIN BIKE FUNDING Doug Blount,"Director of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, provided a power point presentation outlining the design of the mountain bike trails and skills park amenities for Explore Park. He stated a mountain bike facility at Explore Park will provide a necessary attraction to generate new and repeat visits to Explore Park while creating a reputation as a mountain bike destination. (See attached letter requesting funds) Mr. Blount reviewed the progress already made on the Explore Park's Adventure Plan. He stated the $800,000 water and sewer project has been bid and awarded by Western Virginia Water Authority. A Request for Information has gone out to detennine interest from potential investors to establish a winery,brewery, restaurant, cabins, outfitters, a lodge and other commercial operations on the property as it is the County's goal to bring in private partners for operations of this type. He stated the RFI'will shape the RFP which will go out later. He stated his department is also looking into Marketing Grants from Virginia Tourism Corporation. After much discussion regarding the merits of the project as well as funding already in place,Mr. Blount asked the EDA for their support in the amount of$41,629 to help design the Mountain Bike Project. He then asked for questions and discussion. Steve Musselwhite stated he thought it was a very exciting time in the County and he was pleased for the EDA to be involved in the project. Page 4 December 21,2016 Economic Development Authority Minutes Leon McGhee stated he was very much in favor of the project; however, he felt the project should be funded by the County. He felt the Authority's purpose should be to directly assist companies. He viewed this as government funding to government funding. Max Beyer questioned why the funds are being requested from the EDA. Mr. Blount stated he had spent out his department's budget and it was somewhat a matter of timing. He wanted to move the project along faster and preferred not to wait for funds from the CIP so that the design could be completed and ready for implementation. Steve Musselwhite stated he viewed this request as seed money for bringing in private companies;therefore,this was a way of helping companies. Steve Anderson stated he felt Mr. McGhee raised a good point and felt the role of the EDA should be defined and quantified at a higher level. Steve Musselwhite stated he thought it would be a good idea to meet with Mr. Gates to discuss his views on the role of the EDA, and suggested a meeting in the near future to hear his thoughts on their future direction. He felt now is a time when the EDA could make a difference. Kirtesh Patel felt this is a great project and will help spur development. He stated the Authority has not faced this kind of project before and thought they should be more involved and meet more, at least 6 meetings a year. He would like to hear more about development projects. Max Beyer made a motion to table the request for 30 days until a meeting with the EDA Chair and Mr. Gates could be arranged and vote at the January meeting. Mr. Musselwhite asked for a second and hearing none,the motion failed. Mr. Shah stated Roanoke County is recognized all over the county and this is a joint project with surrounding jurisdictions and if delayed will affect many people. Ruth Ellen Kuhnel, County Attorney, stated the role of the Authority is to act as a conduit for the flow of money and to guide policy. She stated the request was appropriate for the EDA to consider. Mr. Branch stated the EDA has a limited role and no way of generating revenue. He felt they should not step out in a direction not supported by the Board of Supervisors. Mr. Musselwhite stated he would like to see the request approved and then have a discussion on their role going forward. Sunny Shah suggested a work session in the future. A motion was made by Woody Windley and seconded by Sunny Shah to approve the request in the amount of$41,629. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Page 5 December 21,2016 Economic Development Authority Minutes ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATES REIMAGINE 419 PLAN - Ms. Loope stated the next community meeting regarding the Reimagine 419 Plan will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn on January 4th from 6:00 — 8:00 p.m. Citizens are encouraged to attend to hear recommendations and provide insight on transportation concepts at this meeting. TANGLEWOOD MALL - Ms. Loope stated discussion is continuing regarding the future plans for the Tanglewood Mall. VALLEY STAR CREDIT UNION—A groundbreaking was held on December 7,2016 at 3452 Buck Mountain Road for this new development. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.in the 4th Floor Training Room. ADJOURNMENT After a motion by Steve Anderson and second by Ssunny Shah, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a:m. Respectfully submitted, Jil oope, Secretary-Treasurer