New Britain Borough Community & Business Committee Meeting Minutes

August 11, 2016, 7:30pm

1. Call to order

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30PM by Vice Chair Peg Remmey.

2. Roll call

1. Members present included Co-Chair Robyne Kelemen, Vice Chair Peg Remmey, Loren Frasco, Lorraine Moxey, Richard Moxey
2. Members absent included Co-Chair Jeff Gilmore, Andrea Antell, Jackie D’Agostino, David Holewinski, Steve Giesler, David Joss, Dave Fermier Jr., Steve Gilmore, Bill Vandergrift
3. Guests included Sam Bryant, Steve Barth, Brian Wallace

3. Old Business

1. Capital Campaign / Main St PA

1. Mr. Bryant informed the group that the Borough was continuing to figure out how to logistically participate in a Capital Campaign with the Civic Association.  Mr. Bryant reported that he and Mr. Gilmore met with Steve Hirt, who did not have relevant examples of municipal fundraising campaigns.  Mr. Hirt did not recommend a feasibility study, but did recommend a leadership survey for Borough Council and the Civic Board.  Mr. Gilmore is working on this survey.
2. Mr. Barth gave an overview of the Main St PA program.  In exchange for committing to the program for five years, the Borough would receive decreasing amounts of funding for a Main St Manager.  The Borough would also have access to additional grants it does not have now.  The Borough would need to form a 501c3 that could be comprised of Borough Council, the Community/Business Committee or other individuals to oversee the Main St. Program and collect donations.  In Hatboro, this program was used for facades, sidewalks, banners, streetlights, etc. Ms. Kelemen asked Mr. Barth if the Borough was a good candidate for the program, to which he responded positively.
3. Mr. Moxey stated that it would be easier to keep the fundraising campaigns separate.  Ms. Kelemen felt it would be easier to work with an existing 501c3 than to form a new one, and that the Borough should be careful with its scope and pace.  Mr. Barth suggested that even joining Downtown PA without joining the Main St. program would be beneficial to the Borough.  Mr. Bryant requested Mr. Barth obtain literature for the CBC to review, so it can make a recommendation to Council.

2. DVU Update

1. Mr. Barth noted that Borough staff met with officials from Delaware Valley University, including the new President and CFO.  The meeting was about an hour and a half, and included the University Village, PILOT, Incubator, the TCDI Study, and mutual goals.
2. Ms. Frasco, as a Del Val alum, spoke to the importance of creating an experience for students when they make donation decisions as alumni.  She noted that none of the local stores, etc. carry Del Val gear.
3. Mr. Bryant noted that the next meeting with Del Val staff would be in late August to solely discuss the incubator and in mid-September to discuss the University Village.  He hoped to have a meeting in mid-October to discuss the PILOT.

3. New NBB Businesses

1. Mr. Barth provided handouts for “Fab Lab” and “Per Diem”, which allow businesses to rent space and specialized equipment on a short term basis.
2. Ms. Frasco noted issues with dilapidated housing in the Borough.  Ms. Moxey requested that the local court have offenders do community service in the Borough.  Mr.  Wallace noted that the homeowner has to agree to it, but the court does maintain a list of properties that have requested such a service.

4. DART Bus Service

1. Mr. Bryant explained that he and Mr. Barth met with other municipal staff and officials from DART to discuss expansion of bus service in the area.  The DART staff requested the Borough do a similar survey to the one they did in Doylestown to get a suggested route and general interest.  Mr. Bryant will provide this survey to Borough Council in September for review for the next newsletter.

4. New Business

1. Bristol Rd Extension

1. Mr. Bryant explained that PennDOT has decided to hire a consultant to do the traffic study the Borough was going to pay to do.  This consultant will likely meet with the borough in the fall.
2. Mr. Wallace mentioned some of the possible problems the extension could end up causing if constructed.

2. Nature Preserve Signage

1. Mr. Bryant noted that the Nature Preserve Committee requested the CBC and Planning Commission to review their proposal for directional signage.  They are considering signage on Butler Ave and Tamenend Ave to direct people to the Nature Preserve.  The signs would either say “New Britain Borough / Nature Preserve” or “Wilma Quinlan / Nature Preserve”.  This will be discussed thoroughly at the next meeting.

3. Butler Ave Speed Limit

1. Ms. Kelemen reported that the Public Safety Committee had asked Mr. Bryant to work with PennDOT to evaluate the speed on Butler Ave.  Mr. Bryant reported that PennDOT asked him to wait until sidewalks, etc. were done with construction.  If asked to do the study, it would only take a couple weeks from the request to have a completed response.

5. Adjournment

1. Having no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:12PM.