Old Town Kemptville BIA Board of Management Meeting Status: In-person
Location: North Grenville Public Library
Date and Time of Meeting: May 1, 2023 at 7:00pm.
Reminder: All Board Meetings are conducted by the Chair. All Board Directors and staff are expected to raise their hand if they wish to comment or ask a question on an agenda item. The Chair has sole discretion on whether to allow someone to speak. Any BIA members, members of the public or media who have questions or wish to make a comment on an agenda item may only speak if invited to by the Chair or only during the section of the agenda marked “Period For Questions From Members, Public and Media”.
Present: Meagan, Sierra, Shelley, John and Deron (staff). Absent:
Regrets: Courtney.
Guests: Matt.
Call to Order at: 7:02pm
Reading of Land Acknowledgement: “We begin this meeting by acknowledging that we are meeting on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Huron Wendat First Peoples. We do so respecting both the land and the Indigenous people who continue to walk with us through this world. We are grateful for the opportunity to gather here.
In recognition of the contributions and importance of all Indigenous Peoples, we strongly support Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action in our nation and commit to support local endeavors where possible.”
Assignment of Recording Secretary: Shelley
Review of agenda for meeting of May 1, 2023.
Motion to approve agenda for May 1, 2023. Moved by Sierra, seconded by John. Carried. Review of minutes for meeting of March 27, 2023.
Motion to approve minutes of March 27, 2023. Moved by Shelley, seconded by Sierra. Carried.
Review of Executive Committee Minutes.
Note: unless otherwise stated in these minutes, all motions to accept or approve were unanimously supported.
Disclosure of interest: None. Opening Statements: None. Deputations: None.
Discussion
• Resignation of Chair Dave Leger.
o Recommendation: The Executive Committee recommends that the Board accept the resignation of Dave Leger as Chair.
o Motion: To accept the resignation of Chair Dave Leger from the Board. Moved by Sierra, seconded by Meagan. Carried. • RFP for Strategic Plan.
o Recommendation: The Executive Committee recommends that the expansion of the BIA be the #1 strategic priority for the BIA.
o Motion: To request that Deron prepare an RFP to determine who the facilitator for the Strategic Plan will be. Moved by Sierra, seconded by John. Carried.
o Matt and John offered to provide support to Deron to bring a draft to the next Board Meeting on May 15th.
• Municipal Parking Study.
o Recommendation: The Executive Committee recommends that a representative of the Board be assigned to connect with the parking study consultant about how the BIA can participate and provide support in connecting with the local business community.
o Shelley suggested that we invite the consultant to a Board Meeting. • Dedicated BIA website.
o Recommendation: The Executive committee recommends that Deron create a RFP to have a dedicated website created for the BIA. The funding for this project would come from the BIA reserve.
o Motion: To request that Deron prepare an RFP to find someone to create a website for the BIA. Moved by Sierra, seconded by John. Carried.
• Choosing BIA rep for Tourism Advisory Committee.
o Recommendation: The Executive Committee recommends that the Board begin the selection process of recruiting a Board member to represent the BIA on the
Tourism Advisory Committee.
o Matt advised that the committee is undergoing changes and will be operating differently now and the BIA will be invited to participate as required.
Reports
Speakers are encouraged to be respectful of everyone’s time by being brief, concise and to remain focused on the topic.
• Municipal Report – Matt Gilmer and Deputy Mayor Barclay.
o Economic Development news relevant to the BIA and downtown.
o Waterfront Access Strategy consultant is being chosen.
o Economic Development Strategy draft will be going to Council in June. There is still time to make comments on the draft.
o Tourism Guide is being printed and will soon be ready for distribution.
o Mayor’s Address will be happening on May 25th.
o Parking Study will be going back out for tender due to lack of competition.
Financial Report – Sierra.
o Done.
Programming & Marketing Committee Report – Shelley.
o Easter Bunny Hop was successful despite the weather forecast.
o Egg Hunt, Colouring Contest and Treasure Hunt had lots of participation. o Buskerfest is progressing well including the development of
Executive Director’s Report – Deron.
o Parking lot access for Healthy Pets and Sugold has been blocked at least partially for two weeks due to work being done at old courthouse.
o Downtown walking map is being updated and it will be used by Kemptville Live o Shelley raised concern for the reduced amount of parking in the downtown and how it may impact people’s perception of access to downtown businesses.
Other Business Arising From Discussion
John brought up the issue of the CR 43 signage and suggested that they needed to be improved in some way as the signs are not currently effective.o Motion: To ask Deron to reach out to Classic Graphics about the cost involved in cleaning the CR43 signs. Moved by John, seconded by Shelley. Carried.
Shelley suggested that recruiting more Board Members should be a priority and would like to see it discussed at the next meeting.Period For Questions From Members, Public and Media
Reminder: Individual Board Directors are reminded that they do not speak for the Board or the BIA and should not be making any statements or claims on behalf of the BIA or the Board. Only the Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Director are authorized to speak on behalf of the BIA and the Board as per the BIA’s Governance.
Summary of Actionable Items
Reminder: Individual Board Directors are not permitted to provide direction or make requests of fellow Board Members, volunteers or staff. Providing direction or making requests to carry out some type of action or task are authorized only by the Board as a whole through collective decision-making or by the Chair.
Closed Session
Close of Meeting
Meeting closed at: 7:58pm
Motion to close: Moved by Sierra, seconded by Meagan. Carried.
Next Meeting: May 15, 2023 at 7pm.
