11/13/2018 MinutesREGULAR MEETING MINUTES
MAIN STREET ADVISORY BOARD
Tuesday November 13 2018
4:30 PM
Present:
Absent:
Glee Emmite, Chair
Laurie Redus
Shelley McDowell
Becky Semple
Kevin Ashmore
Clayton Pilgrim, Council Liaison
Carolyn Patterson
John Brazile
Jane Heiberg
City Staff— John Godwin, City Manager
Cheri Bedford, Main Street Manager
Delta Kamma Gappa members (17)
AGENDA
1. Glee Emmite called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM in the Paris City Council Chambers.
2. September minutes — Minutes had been emailed earlier to all board members and were available on the monitors
for viewing. A motion to approve the October 9, 2018 meeting minutes was made by Shelley McDowell, second by
John Brazile, motion carried.
3. Committee Discussions
• Design — Glee Emmite, HPC Liaison, reported on the HPC meeting in October. The committee reviewed fagade
adjustments for 127 Lamar Avenue which is owned by Lucy Funk/Dave Wensel.
• Promotions — John Brazile reported that the Promotions Committee met on October 9, 2018 to focus on plans for
Mannequin Night. The event was very successful and well attended. John thanked Jill Awtrey for her detailed
planning which made Mannequin Night a great event for Paris. The Pumpkin Festival was reported to be another
successful fall event. The new location at Bywaters Park seemed to be enjoyed by all.
• Economic Vitality — Kevin Ashmore reported that the committee met on October 11, 2018. The following
persons attended the meeting: Paul Allen (Lamar County Chamber of Commerce President), Chase Coleman (Vice -
President of Liberty National Bank), Cheri Bedford, Wade White (HWH Group), Darrell Felsberg (Downtown
Association member) and Kevin Ashmore. The public and business community need to be educated on the local,
state and federal incentives that are available. This will include Small Business Association loans/grants, BIG from
the City of Paris, and various state/federal building grants. With the help of HWH personnel, the group plans to
create a one-page synopsis detailing the opportunities available in both downtown and all of Lamar County. This
will be especially helpful for Paul Allen at the Chamber of Commerce as he recruits and attracts prospective
businesses to our area. Downtown will be a major focus of this project. The group will meet again in December.
• Organization — No report in the absence of Laurie Redus.
• Chamber & VCC — No report in the absence of Becky Semple.
• PDA —No report
4. Main Street Managers Report — Christmas tree lighting on November 17th with live reindeer downtown 4-8 PM,
Small Business Saturday on November 24th, • Christmas parade on December Ist, and • Wassail Fest the following
weekend. There will be a $300 downtown dollars give-away along with other door prizes the Saturday after
Thanksgiving.
5. John Godwin presented an overview of downtown improvements to a visiting group of teachers who attended the
Main Street meeting. A few of the improvements included were: water/electricity improvements to Bywaters Park
and the Plaza, taking over care of several properties in and around town, planting trees, creating small pocket parks,
sidewalks and many more. Godwin then described the Toole Design Group's 10 Year Plan for the major renovation
of the downtown area. Following the presentation, Cheri Bedford led the teacher group on a walking tour of two
buildings downtown that are currently under construction. Owners are Chris Dux (1" SW at Kaufman) and Lucy
Funk (127 Lamar Ave).
7. Kevin Ashmore made a motion to adjourn, second by Shelley McDowell, motion carried. The meeting was
adjourned at 4:56 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn Patterson
Secretary, Main Street Advisory Board
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Approved day day of 2019.
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Glee Emmite, Board
Chair