Minutes for the March 27th 'Think Tank' meeting

Hi everybody,


Discussion:

Determined that the path forward will require the proposed foundation proceeding as a legal entity that is distinctly separate from the DMBA.  The reason for this is because 501(c)(3) status requires the organization must exist for solely public purposes, and cannot in any way engage in activity that directly benefits or promotes an individual or business, and the DMBA exists to further its constituents' business interests. 

Discussed conception of the Foundation as an umbrella organization that will provide an avenue to motivated citizens and groups to apply for grant money to fund their Meadville betterment projects. The Foundation would provide applicants with grant-writing support, legal guidance, and financial oversight. All projects would be approved by the board only if the proposed project supports the Foundation's mission, which, broadly speaking, is to improve conditions in Meadville (see mission statement bullet points below)

We discussed names for this Foundation and after a few suggestions were tossed around, the group settled on "Meadville's Foundation".

We discussed what we know about the Conneaut Lake grant-writing group's experience, namely, that they apparently received another sizable ($665,000.00) grant for repair and maintenance of their town.  We have heard they are operating in their grant-writing capacity as a charter of the town of Conneaut Lake, this while they explore founding their own 501(c)(3) or attempt to get under the umbrella of the Western PA/Eastern OH Community Foundation. 

We discussed approaching our City Government with a similar proposal but would also like to talk with Conneaut Lake's Supervisor and the group's leaders to get a better idea of how they are functioning.


Mission Statement Bullet Points:   


        With regard to the City of Meadville, this organization aspires to do the following:
    •    Promote community pride
    •    Promote economic growth and prosperity
    •    Promote music and the arts
    •    Provide funds to improve Meadville's aesthetic appeal, improve facilities, and promote a healthful downtown environment
    •    Preserve Meadville's heritage
    •    Provide support for vulnerable or distressed citizens
    •    Engage the youth with mentoring, opportunities for civic involvement, scholarships and educational opportunities
    •    Provide resources, support and guidance to motivated citizens in their own efforts to improve Meadville
    •    Develop strategies to retain professionals and skilled workers in the city

Bylaw Brainstorming:

We determined that we must keep focus on Meadville but want to allow flexibility in pursuing attractive opportunities, recognizing that some grants will be available for projects taking place beyond city boundaries, but which benefit Meadville nonetheless.  The following ideas were suggested to be written into bylaw -
    •    We must define "Meadville" - Geographically, the downtown is the "epicenter" with the greatest importance, the City of Meadville as the second most important zone, beyond that 16335 area code range. 
    •    In order for the Board to approve an grant application and/or allocate funds for a given purpose, the requester must make a convincing case that the proposed plan furthers the Foundation's mission. If the Board is convinced that the proposal
    •    Proposed a pyramidal system to evaluate the strength of a given proposal, with greater weight given to positive effects that would be felt closer to the "epicenter" and less weight to effects that would be felt further beyond.

To do before next meeting:

    •    Make contact with Conneaut Lake's group and the town's Supervisor - attempt to discuss their experience and invite them to come to our next meeting in the hopes that they will share their knowledge.
    •    Request the Erie Community Foundation's IRS filings from the Erie Foundation and also the IRS in case Erie does not respond.  Also ask them if we might have a copy of their bylaws.
    •    Explore developing a charter relationship with the city government to allow us to pursue grants while 501(c)(3) status is pending.
    •    Develop mission statement into a coherent paragraph
    •    Continue to fill out IRS application paperwork
That's about it. 
If anybody would like to take a stab at bylaw and mission statement drafting, it would be appreciated.

Foundation Exploration Meeting 3/27/14

Foundation Exploration Meeting 3/27/14

Isaac Pineo
Mar 27 (12 days ago)


Hi everybody,

Here are my notes from tonight's meeting. Before I go further, I do not seem to have Tim, Mary, or Heather's email address, so if you could forward this to them (and anybody else who would want to see this) I would appreciate it.

Discussion:

Determined that the path forward will require the proposed foundation proceeding as a legal entity that is distinctly separate from the DMBA.  The reason for this is because 501(c)(3) status requires the organization must exist for solely public purposes, and cannot in any way engage in activity that directly benefits or promotes an individual or business, and the DMBA exists to further its constituents' business interests. 

Discussed conception of the Foundation as an umbrella organization that will provide an avenue to motivated citizens and groups to apply for grant money to fund their Meadville betterment projects. The Foundation would provide applicants with grant-writing support, legal guidance, and financial oversight. All projects would be approved by the board only if the proposed project supports the Foundation's mission, which, broadly speaking, is to improve conditions in Meadville (see mission statement bullet points below)

We discussed names for this Foundation and after a few suggestions were tossed around, the group settled on "Meadville's Foundation".

We discussed what we know about the Conneaut Lake grant-writing group's experience, namely, that they apparently received another sizable ($665,000.00) grant for repair and maintenance of their town.  We have heard they are operating in their grant-writing capacity as a charter of the town of Conneaut Lake, this while they explore founding their own 501(c)(3) or attempt to get under the umbrella of the Western PA/Eastern OH Community Foundation. 

We discussed approaching our City Government with a similar proposal but would also like to talk with Conneaut Lake's Supervisor and the group's leaders to get a better idea of how they are functioning.


Mission Statement Bullet Points:   


        With regard to the City of Meadville, this organization aspires to do the following:
    •    Promote community pride
    •    Promote economic growth and prosperity
    •    Promote music and the arts
    •    Provide funds to improve Meadville's aesthetic appeal, improve facilities, and promote a healthful downtown environment
    •    Preserve Meadville's heritage
    •    Provide support for vulnerable or distressed citizens
    •    Engage the youth with mentoring, opportunities for civic involvement, scholarships and educational opportunities
    •    Provide resources, support and guidance to motivated citizens in their own efforts to improve Meadville
    •    Develop strategies to retain professionals and skilled workers in the city

Bylaw Brainstorming:

We determined that we must keep focus on Meadville but want to allow flexibility in pursuing attractive opportunities, recognizing that some grants will be available for projects taking place beyond city boundaries, but which benefit Meadville nonetheless.  The following ideas were suggested to be written into bylaw -
    •    We must define "Meadville" - Geographically, the downtown is the "epicenter" with the greatest importance, the City of Meadville as the second most important zone, beyond that 16335 area code range. 
    •    In order for the Board to approve an grant application and/or allocate funds for a given purpose, the requester must make a convincing case that the proposed plan furthers the Foundation's mission. If the Board is convinced that the proposal
    •    Proposed a pyramidal system to evaluate the strength of a given proposal, with greater weight given to positive effects that would be felt closer to the "epicenter" and less weight to effects that would be felt further beyond.

To do before next meeting:

    •    Make contact with Conneaut Lake's group and the town's Supervisor - attempt to discuss their experience and invite them to come to our next meeting in the hopes that they will share their knowledge.
    •    Request the Erie Community Foundation's IRS filings from the Erie Foundation and also the IRS in case Erie does not respond.  Also ask them if we might have a copy of their bylaws.
    •    Explore developing a charter relationship with the city government to allow us to pursue grants while 501(c)(3) status is pending.
    •    Develop mission statement into a coherent paragraph
    •    Continue to fill out IRS application paperwork
That's about it. 
If anybody would like to take a stab at bylaw and mission statement drafting, it would be appreciated.




Kerstin Martin
Apr 3

Hi everyone,

I took a look at the mission statements of other city improvement groups, and I think we essentially wrote one together in our last meeting. I don't see a need to make the bullet points into sentences- I think it's easier to read the way we did it. Feel free to comment and edit, of course!

Kerstin

The mission of Meadville’s Foundation [?] is to support a positive downtown experience for visitors and citizens of Meadville. Meadville’s Foundation strives to:
    •    Promote economic growth and prosperity in the downtown district
    •    Cultivate an atmosphere for music and arts events
    •    Provide support for vulnerable or distressed citizens
    •   
    •    Engage the youth through mentoring, opportunities for civic involvement, scholarships and educational opportunities
    •    Develop strategies to retain professionals and skilled workers in the city
    •   
    •    Foster a sense of community pride
    •    Improve Meadville's aesthetic appeal, improve facilities, and promote a healthful downtown environment
    •   
    •    Provide resources, support and guidance to motivated citizens in their own efforts to improve Meadville
    •   
    •    Preserve Meadville's heritage



Viki Allin
Apr 3

I like it. The only thing I would add is the word retail. the downtown retail district. Or leave it out and say in Meadville's downtown. This has to do with other items Isaac and I are working on, with the city. 'District' is going to be used to define different areas of the downtown.

~~

I have been talking to Dan Crandall, who is on the board of the Chamber Of Commerce & Meadville Redevelopment and Richard Freeberg who is the former Mayor of Meadville. It was their suggestion to look into the Market Authority's structure to see if we could apply for Grants through that entity. The Market Authority is a division of the City Of Meadville. This would negate the need for a Charter since it's already set up to act as a type of Charter. I have a call in to Gary Alizzeo, the City's Solicitor for more information.

Amber Wellington, from Second Saturday, has information for Grants for buildings that are on the Historic Register. We could start out by getting Grants for the Market House through the Market Authority and this would help us become more established in the community and possibly get more people interested in working with us.

I also talked to Alice Sjolander and she more than willing to come to our next meeting to talk about the history and mission statement of the Market House. We just need to set a date.

Viki Allin



Isaac Pineo
Apr 3

I like what Kerstin drafted up as well.  I agree upon seeing her email that bullet points do a better job of clearly communicating than a very long sentence would.

I will be at the meeting next Tuesday.  See you all then,
Isaac

501(c)3 Formation Meeting, 2/26/27

501(c)3 Formation Meeting, 2/26/27

Attendees: Kerstin Martin, Danuta Majchrowicz, Jennifer Murphy, Sany Cheropovich, Nick Cheropovich, Tracy Scott, Isaac Pineo, Becky Pineo, Viki Allin, Amanda Allin, Tom (?)


    •    Discussed having a 2 organization structure
    ◦    The foundation:
    ▪    a 501c3 with a governing board of DMBA representatives as well as other community voices/stakeholders with knowledge, vision, and resources outside of the DMBA representatives
    ▪    It could be an organization with different subcommittees that run different DMBA projects, and/or an organization that serves as a fiscal sponsor to semi-autonomous projects/groups (e.g. DMBA, Second Saturdays, Summer Concert Series).
    ▪    The vision would that the foundation acts as an umbrella organization for obtaining funding (esp. grants) and coordinating projects/groups that benefit the downtown.
    ◦    The DMBA would continue to operate as a roundtable of business owners. 

    •    Brainstorming for mission/vision of both foundation and DMBA, with a focus on the big ideas and dreaming big (notes are organized by topic)

    •    First Steps

    ◦    Assessing current situation
    ▪    need to assess the problems and think of the solutions

    ◦    Researching to find other models
    ▪    need models for what we want to be, how to overcome issues
    ▪    need to find examples of other towns that are doing it well, or have similar organizations

    ◦    Defining “downtown”
    ▪    20 square blocks - downtown
    ▪    projects could physically take place outside of the city as long as they benefit the downtown

    •    Mission - Vision - Goals

    •    Filling a niche
    ▪    other organizations exist to improve Meadville, but they have other focuses -- there isn’t one focused specifically on retail, or on downtown businesses

    •    Increasing optimism
    ▪    need to overcome pessimism from past efforts
    ▪    need to cultivate the city’s sense of self-respect, to have people that are happy to be here

    •    Attracting more people to the downtown
    ▪    need people with money to come and spend it
    ▪    important to draw/benefit Meadvilleans of all income levels -- people from the more disadvantaged neighborhoods don’t make use of the downtown, perceive it as snooty
    ▪    need to have more kid/teen activities, places to go
    ▪    need better Allegheny presence downtown: college hangout, study spot, offices -- need to draw more students down here
    ▪    lack of good housing makes it less attractive place to live, so people are living elsewhere and shopping elsewhere

    •    Recruiting new businesses
    ▪    need resources/recruiting for new business
    ▪    need a certain quantity of businesses to draw consumers

    •    Improving aesthetics and safety
    ▪    vacant buildings, and some other aesthetic issues need to be addressed
    ▪    role model: other towns that are quaint and historic but well-kept. We have the potential, a lot of history
    ▪    expand “Market Alley” look - more planter boxes
    ▪    need to clean-up language people use on the street, yelling at bus stops
    ▪    perhaps try to increase happy police presence, walking the beat -- work with new chief

    •    Marketing the downtown
    ▪    need to define the downtown’s image
    ▪    need to promote/expand on Meadville as an art destination--we have so many resources in this area; we need to nurture them
    ▪    need better online presence, search engine optimization could help
    ▪    people don’t know about what’s available, or see elsewhere as being better
    ▪    bringing the downtown to Allegheny to increase awareness of offerings

    •    Training and retaining skilled laborers and professionals
    ▪    need to offer incentives for youth to stay
    ▪    need better training, more skilled local labor; locals cannot advance in the industry
    ▪    need to promote vo-tech
    ▪    need to attract college grads back, maybe with loan repayment help
    ▪    big businesses -- how do they affect the retail/services market? They are hiring from outside the area for higher level positions, and these employees are living outside the area (e.g. Erie) and don’t consider sourcing services/products in Meadville
    ▪    need Mark Kilburn to interview all the youth that decide to stay here!

    •    Political advocacy
    ▪    need to engage in local politics -- get someone on city council
    ▪    need to increase advertising for local elections -- turnout is low and margins are close

    •    Partnerships to increase downtown offerings
    ▪    partnerships with charities
    ▪    organizing festivals/music downtown
    ▪    organizing tours/walks
    ▪    QR codes throughout town, scavenger hunts
    ▪    Rhododendron Festival



    •    “Assignments”
    ◦    Send Isaac (pineolaw@gmail.com) additional ideas you have in terms of the vision/mission/goals of the DMBA and the umbrella foundation.
    ◦    Finding good examples of existing groups/cities that are doing this well (Danuta, and Becky). Andy Walker would be a good resource for this.

News On The 501c3

This is very exciting. We are in the process of writing the by-laws for a 501c3. This is huge. We are kicking around the idea of calling the 501c3 part of the DMBA, the Downtown Meadville Business Alliance Foundation. This aspect of the DMBA will go after grants for different interests in the downtown. Will keep you updated as the 501c3 sub-committee comes together and works on all the bugs.

February 2014 Minuts

Great Meeting!

• ExperienceMeadville.com is now going live. Lou Baxter, from JET TV has sent a letter to his tech staff to work on linking the ExperienceMeadville.com calendar page to their YourErie.com web site. and we have linked YourErie.com weather to ours. This is very exciting. We will be promoting ExperienceMeadville.com to every outlet we can. It is our hope that this will also generate new members and expand our customer base.

• Isaac Pineo talked about what we need to do to get a 501c3 status. There are a lot of steps to go through. Some more complicated than others. Our main concern was by-laws. We are going to tackle this first. A sub-committee will look at different by-laws from other organizations and we will pick and choose what we like and don’t like about them.

• Second Saturday. This is very exciting. There were a lot of great ideas going around the room.
   -  Art being created each week by the students that go to Second Saturday and have it displayed in each store during the last Second Saturday. A Hay Ride that would take people around to each of the stores to show off the art.
   –  Closing off Chestnut between Market and Park to expand the festivities into the downtown.
   -  An Art Walk that would go along with each theme of Second Saturday.
   -  Creating Second Saturday Banners to be placed throughout the downtown.
   -  Creating Painted Rain Barrels to be placed throughout the downtown.

• We talked about the businesses that are moving in, out and around, in the downtown. The desire to have coffee and ice cream up by the Diamond, and what we can do to help fill the empty store fronts, like the Eldred Building.

• 15 Minute Free parking meters. The city has several parking meters that, if you give them a crank, you get 15 minutes of free parking. It cost $105.00 to switch out the guts on an existing meter to put in these special meters. We talked about the DMBA finding sponsors to fund the change to these meters, with a sticker placed along the top that would read. 15 Minutes Free Parking / Sponsored By: Name Of Business. The business would pay for 1 or more meters plus the cost of the sticker. Isaac Pineo will be presenting this to council along with several other parking issues. That date has yet to be determined.

• Park and Ride. Tim, from CATA, suggested two possibilities.  (1) A bus could be chartered at $40.00/hr.  If we chose to operated the bus one day/week for 6 hours that would be $12,480/year.  That, of course, would only work if a grant were provided.  The second option would be establishing it as a regular route.  A fare would have to be charged although seniors and handicapped persons would ride free.  The fare, for example, might be 50 cents each way.  The fares might also be handled by some kind of grant.  In any event, it is nothing we could do in the short term.  Tim is checking with PennDot.

Great Meeting Everyone!

After meeting developments:

• We are looking into a Food Drive for the end of May. ‘Comic Walk’. We are hoping to partner with the Chamber of Commerce for the Food Drives. This would expand our reach and give us an opportunity to work on a project together. We are also looking into the possibility of having a central location for all the organizations that need food, to be able to go. Our job would be to keep those shelves full.

• We are moving forward, with the Second Saturday leaders, to have a Second Saturday Art Walk throughout the downtown. We will be meeting with Steven Prince, an art professor from Allegheny, to enlist his help and also to involve Allegheny College.