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 >> Okay. I would like to call the meeting to order of the downtown economic development

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 task force if I got that right. This is the Thursday, September 3rd, 2020. And we have

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 a quorum. So the item for consideration, first item will be to consider approval of the minutes

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 of the July 2nd, 2020 meeting. I'll entertain a motion.

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 >> I make that motion. Bob Moses. >> Okay. We have a motion. Do I have a second?

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 >> I'll second it. Beth Lewis. >> Motion and a second. Any discussion? All

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 those in favor say aye. Or do we need to go? >> Alex, can you do a roll call through

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 that? >> Sorry. I have to go around and do a roll call. Let me look at my screen. Hank,

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 what say you? >> I'm here and I say yes. >> John? >> Aye. >> Melissa? >> Aye. >> Nick?

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 >> Bill? >> Aye. >> Marty? >> Aye. >> Beth? >> Aye. >> Bob? >> Aye. >> And also an aye,

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 so motion carries. The next item is to receive a report, hold a discussion and give staff

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 direction regarding nominations for the annual business award. >> I'll be presenting that.

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 >> Each year we have our annual business award. This year we're going to do things a little

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 different. Instead of having an actual breakfast meeting, we're going to do things virtually.

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 We asked for your nominations over the last couple of weeks. I included that in the back

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 up. If you'd like to see it, I can pull it up on the screen and we can take a look at

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 it, all your nominations. In the past couple of years, in 2017, it was Beth Marie's. 2018,

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 it was Tim Beatty Builders. And in last year, we honored Jupiter House, Mini Figs and Bricks,

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 Lottie Daw and the Martina Group and Frank Zangroo Building as owner. And we did that

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 as a nod and appreciation for rebuilding after the minima fire. So if you'd like, I can pull

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 up that spreadsheet and we can take a look at it together, or does everyone have a good

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 feel for that list? Let me share my screen. >> It's like Melissa was very active in her

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 nominations. >> I'll throw it all out there.

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 >> You did. >> Glad someone did.

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 >> Here we go. So first at the top of the list is Greenhouse. They led a call to safety

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 first and they were really great about getting open early. They also participated in providing

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 food for some for the homeless folks that were being housed. They helped lots of businesses

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 downtown as they shifted to an online presence. They did several videos and online trainings

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 for people. Next is Hannah's and they've always been seen as kind of off the square, but they've

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 been very active in promoting a job shift and getting involved locally with the pandemic.

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 I personally enjoyed several of his cooking demonstrations, so that was really fun. We

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 also have from Melissa local banks. I'm not sure how you see that, Melissa. Maybe we can

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 talk about that. How we would honor multiple banks. But most of our banks went above and

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 beyond helping people get online and through all of the PPE and those types of things.

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 More fun comics. Tim's done a lot running his business. He's actually expanding during

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 this pandemic, so that's really great to see that. Norman Roscoe ran a give back program

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 where a portion of their sales for t-shirts was donated back to local businesses. And

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 I tried to confirm the most current amount in the number of different businesses that

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 they donated to. But at the end of July, that total amount was $130,000. Palm Tree Boutique,

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 they were really active on social media and is a different business to nominate instead

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 of a restaurant or bar or other business that we have in the past. They are super active

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 on social media. They don't just shoot things in their store. They go outside of their store

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 and shoot in other areas downtown, kind of giving people a glimpse of what downtown looks

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 like. 10-1 Cheese, they were really great in sharing and working with other businesses,

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 partnering with them as far as doing cheese plates and doing packages to help bring more

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 people to businesses downtown. And then the Chestnut Tree, they've done a great job pivoting

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 during this time, going from a restaurant to an actual providing groceries. So it's

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 kind of a brief overview of all those. Are there any that you want to talk about a little

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 bit further or do you have something else you want to add to the list?

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 Well, good job, Melissa and a few others that made nominations. I do like the theme if we're

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 going to be virtual anyway. It makes sense that we in some way nominated business that

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 has done a good job or helped others through a trying time for retail and for tourism.

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 So I do like that. I like the idea of the bankers and I personally appreciate mine that

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 have helped us and our businesses. I don't know how we may honor them or just recognize

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 some of them. Maybe it's not through this specific award, but it would be nice to try

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 and just say something, if nothing else, if that's not the selection we make, but just

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 have someone make mention of all of them during this virtual event. So I'm just throwing out

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 the discussion. I don't really have a specific one I'm thinking of.

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 Excuse me. This is Bob. I personally think that Chestnut Tree led the way in a lot of

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 ways of thinking outside the box for small companies of how to try and generate some

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 kind of income to continue in operation. They certainly helped us to see what they were

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 doing and I think it might have helped other folks too. So I just speak up for Chestnut

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 Tree.

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 Christina, the Norman Roscoe $130,000, who did that go to?

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 That's what I was trying to get and I know there were several businesses they included

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 in the downtown area as far as having options, but I don't have a complete list. I tried

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 to get that, but I wasn't able to get it. I didn't get a response back from Eric.

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 I like the idea of a couple of businesses. I don't think you can go wrong with this list.

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 I wouldn't do bankers. I think I appreciate that, but I wouldn't. We've got plenty of

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 other folks downtown and I think anybody we picked on here would be a good option. I do

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 like the idea of the companies that have, to use an overused word, pivoted and I especially

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 like the ones that have gone above and beyond to help the other businesses downtown. 10-1

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 and Norman Roscoe specifically, like 10-1 had when they were doing their cheese classes,

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 they announced they were going to Mulberry Street Cantina or you name it. They were partnering

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 with those groups and helping keep other businesses afloat. I personally like the idea of picking

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 somebody who was doing that above and beyond. I didn't know about Norman Roscoe. It's kind

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 of neat and we've got a number. It would be nice to know. I don't know that we need to

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 know that $5,000 went to XYZ Business and had to announce that, but let's just know

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 that that was happening because that's keeping the whole downtown afloat. Could be, I guess.

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 About two cents.

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 I wasn't aware of the involvement of what Chestnut Tree did, but they've done a great

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 job just in recent years anyway, updating that, staying relevant as a concept. They've

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 been a longstanding business down there and I bet you a lot of people still don't know

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 about them.

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 What I was referring to is that they actually kind of generated an online grocery store,

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 if you will, early on, where there's completely outside the box of what they normally do and

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 they set up an online thing and actually selling to other people downtown even to us, but to

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 the community things that you couldn't get at stores or generating curbside pickup kind

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 of opportunities. I think they led the way to a degree to other people to start thinking

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 outside of our box, at Beth Marie's. They were one of our motivators and helped us actually

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 set up online and do those kind of things of creating that. That's what they did.

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 You convinced me, Bob. I love the idea and I think you should present the award to them.

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 I'm not the presenter, but actually speaking from experience, I think it's well, actually,

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 my partner, Ken Willis, is the person that saw that happening because he's more directly

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 involved in our operations. I think everybody knows that Ken does operations. I do the branding

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 promotion of the things, but I was involved on the sideline and I just saw that happening

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 and thought it was very good.

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 Ken would be a very short presenter. I say we go with that.

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 John and Christine, do you all have an idea of how much work Gissotti did to allow the

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 square around Main Street to help people pivot?

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 I know that Gissotti helped Chestnut Tree with their marketplace. They helped a couple

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 other businesses. They and Swash did immediately, right after the closing of announcements on

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 March 23rd, I believe it was, Josh and Jason put together a webinar of sorts on a livestream

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 on Facebook to talk about how businesses could immediately shift to their social media for

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 sales and that is still living on our Facebook page as a livestream. That event helped businesses

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 make that shift because it was free for anybody to watch and tune in. It was a big movement

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 immediately right after COVID hit.

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 I know that Gissotti did that for less than retail cost to them to help out their neighbors.

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 Gissotti is just a superbly run organization. Jason does a fine job and I think I mentioned

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 it during the nomination process. I like to, I think our history is kind of laden with

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 a lot of restaurants and I think perhaps to recognize somebody in kind of the tech industry

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 to focus on them and to highlight them would be maybe a good idea.

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 I mean that way Jason, you know, the in the receipt. Melissa, we're losing you. Yeah,

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 we're not having much luck. All right, we'll let someone else speak for a moment. I would

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 just throw in there that Swash may have done some activity as well for other businesses.

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 I'm not as familiar with that but I do know they are one of our major sponsors for downtown

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 promotion, Swashes. They work very closely with Gissotti and our sponsorships. So, you

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 know, we can always find out more but I do know that it was those two companies work

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 pretty well together on a lot of things but I will say that Gissotti was, is, has been

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 a big partner for a lot of time and people.

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 Are they both involved with Main Street, Christine? Yes, both Swashes are platinum sponsors.

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 No one nominated them but if they're, if they both equally provided similar services during

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 that time and, you know, there were, if you had a testimonial from their clients that

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 could almost, you know, not that they have to get up and speak but even it's something

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 we could read from one of their clients maybe that just kind of attested to what they were

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 able to do and saw it as a way in which they felt like they survived. I think that would

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 be an effective story.

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 Yes, and just a little tidbit for you if it helped. Go ahead. Norman Roscoe was featured

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 in the Texas Downtown, or excuse me, Texas Main Street program did a little feature on

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 Norman Roscoe and their pivot and what they did to help businesses in their monthly statewide

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 newsletter. So it was recognized statewide. I feel like, if I'm not mistaken, I was trying

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 to look back at our, at our prior awards. I'm having a lot of luck toggling between

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 things today, have that right in front of me, what are you looking for.

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 So like I feel like in 2016 maybe that I know it's a different business, but, you know,

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 we awarded maybe Sparky Pearson but did Sparky get up and accept the award or was it, or

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 was it Jason? I just feel like I've seen him up there to accept an award before and he's

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 pretty good about getting a lot of attention brought to his businesses. So if, if we want

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 to try and, try and nominate and recognize someone that we haven't or a type of business

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 we haven't, I would, I would lean towards the Jasati or the Jasati slash Swash Labs

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 combo, you know, to kind of promote tech and you, do you have any other thoughts or did

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 Melissa come back on? Not yet. I don't see her. There, she's trying. There she is. At

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 least Melissa's chair is on, it says. Yeah, there she is. Oh, I don't, do we have any,

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 does anyone want to, well this is always tough because just a nomination by one, it may not

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 be what everybody's thinking. So we feel like is anyone leaning towards a consensus? I'd

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 like, I like Bob's idea and I like John's idea. I could be, I could go either way.

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 So far we've narrowed it down to Norman Roscoe, 10-1 Cheese, Chestnut Tree and then the Jasati

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 Swash Labs combo. Don't remember a lot of discussion about 10-1 Cheese but. This is

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 about, well, can we say that, I mean, is the understanding that Jasati and Swash Labs were

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 instrumental in promoting the differences or the, I guess the innovativeness of Norman

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 Roscoe and the Chestnut Tree? In other words, is that would be a common denominator for

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 them or we're looking at them individually as outstanding businesses? I know they helped

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 JT Clodieres also get online and set that up. I don't know, yeah. But this is also just

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 a culmination of their dedication and just like Christine said, they're platinum sponsors

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 for downtown and they are heavily invested in the success of downtown and that really

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 shined during the pandemic, during the quarantine.

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 Well, without an online presence or a voice online, because we certainly wouldn't be where

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 we are right now. I think it was significant and continues to be and will continue, especially

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 in the near future. And I'll be honest, we keep trying about getting back to new normal,

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 getting back to normal, but I actually want to come back better as a result of all that

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 we've been through. And I do think that technology is going to have a huge role in that.

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 I certainly respect anything John or Bob has to say about downtown, but I think because

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 Chestnut Tree sits right there on the square, we sometimes lean towards those businesses

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 that are right there on the four streets. I kind of like going with the online assistance

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 this year, because it was really the only way you were going to make a dent and keep

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 people afloat. So it sounds like we've got two very worthwhile providers in that sense.

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 I think that's where I would lean. But I'd like to keep, like we always do, Chestnut

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 Tree in mind, because we'll be having this discussion again next year and I would make

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 them my 1A and go with Jasadi and the online assistance.

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00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:09,480
 And it'd be helpful if you don't do it already. Every year it seems like we have like one

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 or two that we really would like to, but we say we'll do it next year. So like that list

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 that you keep, it's like it just maybe next year we're saying, what were those ones we

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 really wanted to honor? Not to say that we'll pick them, but you know, it would be nice.

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 So I guess I'll voice, I think I'm leaning towards this, you know, if we're going to

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 go combo, you know, a Swash and Jasadi nomination, or I'm not saying I'm nominated, but that's

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 where I would lean.

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00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:45,360
 Well, this is John Cartwright. I'll go ahead and nominate the combo of Jasadi and Swash

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 Labs to receive this year's award. Okay. We have a nomination. Any, do I have a second?

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00:21:57,380 --> 00:22:08,480
 I'll second that. Any further discussion? Okay. I guess I'll do it. I'll do a roll.

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 Do you have a preferred language that you want? I mean, is there a key phrase or something

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 that, how would you like their award to read? Oh, John, I think you can come up with that.

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 I don't know that it has to be part of the nomination. We have to do it right now, or

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 can we just do it offline? I think he can do that. We can do it offline to figure out

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 the exact language of the award. Yeah. I think I think we know the spirit of it. So I think

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 that the understanding is that it's helping other businesses move, transform their business,

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 move online, using technology to help offset the pandemic. So we'll craft something that's

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 a little good and we'll have John approve it. And I like what, just to throw that, I

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 like what Hank said that they helped in the only way that business could do business through

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 the online presence. And so I'd like to include that also.

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 I think it'd be really nice to get maybe some quotes from the businesses they helped.

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00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:22,720
 Oh, good idea. That would be awesome. Okay.

191
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:30,720
 Good discussion. All right. So we have a motion and a second.

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 Any further discussion? I'll go around the roll call. Hank?

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00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:45,000
 Aye. Christine, are you a voting member?

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00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:46,960
 No. Okay. John?

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 Aye. Nick? I think I saw aye, but you're on mute.

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 Hi. Okay. Marty? Same thing.

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00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:03,160
 Aye. Beth?

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00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,480
 Aye. Bob?

199
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 Aye. Melissa?

200
00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,680
 Aye. Michael?

201
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:18,840
 Aye. Okay. Motion carries. I believe unless there's

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 any, are you an aye? Yes, I'm an aye. Sorry. I think that is it as far as discussion besides

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 staff report. Okay. For staff reports, for openings, we

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 have TB WINS. They moved over into the space that was vacated by Amex Jewelers. It's over

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 there at 222 West Hickory. Then we have a new business downtown called Mashed Up Market.

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 They're at 318 East Oak. Mashed Up Market, they're a vegan grocery store. So something

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 a little different. We don't have anything like that downtown yet. They are known to

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 have an extensive product range from vegan items to other things like bacon bits and

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 vegan cheeses. Closings, we have an announcement from Circus 77 that they're going to close.

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 They haven't officially closed yet, but they're in the process of reducing their inventory

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 so that they can close. Coming soon, we still have H2Oak, Caskeys. We have a hair salon

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 going in at 110 West Oak, which is the former Wine Squared. Then More Fun Comics is working

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 on the Mad World Records location. Our status of the downtown reinvestment grants, Chai

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 Dow on 104 West McKinney is still under construction. Then we have completed the grant and issued

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 the payment for H2O for their sign grant. I think Jessica is going to give us a brief

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 update on the downtown tourist study. Yes. So many of you have been participating in

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 our ongoing stakeholder meetings that we've held throughout August and early September.

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 Our goal is to wrap up the report or the preliminary report and data collection phases over the

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 next week or so. And then we'll be presenting to the TURS board the preliminary report on

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 September 23rd. And that's been a very long process. I can't believe it. It's actually

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 been a year since we contracted for that study. But like many other things, we had about a

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 six-month break during that process. Yeah. All right. Can, I don't know. Hold on. Can

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 everyone, can anyone hear us? I hear you. I can hear you. Okay. Sorry. Our feed is cutting

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 in and out. Okay. You're on. Okay. Back on. Okay. Thank you. So like I said, preliminary

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 study moving forward to the TURS board on September 23rd. And we're excited to keep

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 that project moving and get some feedback. And then eventually we'll get to city council

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 after the TURS board discussion. And so we'll send out data to this board as we move forward

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 through that process. And then while I'm speaking, I'll go ahead and introduce the face that

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 you see on your screen that you probably have not met yet. And that's our new analyst, Dan

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 Rosenfield. So Dan joined our team this week. So he got to have his first week of work remotely

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 and in the office. And so we're happy to have him join the team. Okay. I keep getting messages

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 that my internet's unstable. So if I freeze up again, I just want to apologize. I wanted

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 to give you all an update on the committee member terms. Today is our fifth meeting to

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 hold this year. And I would like to congratulate Beth on your perfect attendance, but I don't,

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 I've seemed to have lost her on my screen, but gone through and checked all the minutes

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 and checked everyone's attendance. I can send that to you if you're curious, but I didn't

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 post it out yet. And then at our first meeting, this time last year, we drew straws. Our first

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 meeting after being named a committee, we drew straws to see who would serve one-year

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 terms or two-year terms. I reached out to everyone who was scheduled to have a one-year term

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 and asked them if they would like to be reappointed. And luckily enough, everyone has said yes.

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 So in the October meeting for the economic development committee, they were the economic

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 development partnership board committee. They will go forward and reappoint or do reappointments.

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 So the information I have, I'll share that with that group and that committee, and then

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 we'll move forward from there. Does anyone have any questions about that?

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 Christine, although I have a year left technically, but I will not be on the ED partnership board

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 anymore and I'm a representative for that. So I'll need to roll off of this committee.

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00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:47,800
 Okay. I was assuming the partnership board get somebody else. So the partnership board

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 appoints the chair of this committee, Marty. So that would be your seat. I believe that

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 we'll be switching out. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Other than that, under staff

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 reports, we have our next meeting scheduled for October 2nd.

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 October 2nd or 1st? Oh, I'm sorry. You're right. You were first.

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 That's why she has perfect attendance. Okay. Well, unless there are any other announcements

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 from the room. Anyone have anything? Yeah. I've got an announcement. I wanted to talk

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 about Medworld Records just for a moment since they're leaving the square and Tam with Atomic

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 Comics and Candy are coming in at that location. They're not leaving because they were having

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 business problems actually. Mark, that business was one of the top businesses and DFW for

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 what they did. And they were very active during the last three, four, five months. But Mark

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 realized that he was actually getting enough online sales and curb pickups and those kinds

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 of things to allow him to move his operation, I'll just say back home. And they have a house

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 next to them that they moved all of his collection into. And so he wanted to be around while

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 they raise their 10-year-old son more. And so it was kind of a personal decision like

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 that. And I was just thrilled that I was going to get someone coming into that slot that

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 I felt like was really still good for the square. So just wanted to let folks know why

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 Medworld Records moved off the square. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else?

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 Nobody on this call just turned 50. That's 30 years ago for me.

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 As I explained before, you start celebrating anniversaries of your 29th birthday.

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 Welcome to the club. Thank you.

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00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:26,540
 We are lucky to have you. Just a reminder, there's only 76 college football

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 programs playing and we're one of them. So Saturday at 630 against Houston Baptist, we're

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 going to try to socially distance and get a win. 25% capacity and evidently we've sold

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 out the 25% capacity. So there's a sellout. How about that?

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00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:51,260
 Okay. Okay. Well, if there's no other announcements

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 or discussions, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

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 So moved. All right.

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 I'll second. Okay. I don't think I'll roll call, but thanks

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 everybody. See you soon.

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 Thanks. Have a great week.