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4A Wichita Falls Economic Development Minutes - 11/18/2021 MINUTES OF THE WICHITA FALLS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION November 18, 2021 Present: Leo Lane, President § WFEDC Members David Toogood, Vice-President § Darron Leiker § Brent Hillery § Stephen Santellana, Mayor § Mayor and Council Paul Menzies, Assistant City Manager § City Administration Blake Jurecek, Assistant City Manager § R. Kinley Hegglund, Jr., City Attorney § Russell Shreiber, Director of Public Works § Jessica Williams, Chief Financial Officer § Terry Floyd, Dir of Community Development § Andrea Kidd, Public Information § Paige Lessor, Recording Secretary § Henry Florsheim, President and CEO § WFCCI Katie Britt, V.P. of Marketing § Travis Haggard, V.P. of BR&E § Shay Jones, Director, Business Intelligence § Absent: Phyllis Cowling, Secretary-Treasurer § WFEDC Member 1. Call to Order Leo Lane called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. 2. Strategic Discussion Mr. Lane called upon Henry Florsheim to start the strategic discussion. Mr. Florsheim discussed that one part of a community-wide strategy is ensuring the community has adequate sites and buildings for business recruitment and expansion. A discussion began about improving the infrastructure at the business park, so the WF Chamber of Commerce and Industry researched peer communities' business parks, including their appearance, infrastructure, and marketing. Ms. Shay Jones from the WFCCI presented a PowerPoint slide show comparing business parks located in peer communities. Summary: • Abilene o Top Industries — Oil and Gas, Dyess Air Force Base, Wind Energy, Advanced Page 1 of 6 Manufacturing o Two business parks with lot sizes ranging from 2 acres to 107 acres • Five Points Business Park • Access Business Park o Marketing — Chamber of Commerce, local news stations, Facebook, site search magazines, Abilene Industrial Foundation o Location— on Interstate 20 outside of town o Fully equipped with infrastructure Mr. Florsheim asked Ms. Jones if she knew to which park Abilene's big dairy prospect went. Ms. Jones was unsure but assumed it would have gone to the Five Points Business Park. Mr. Florsheim said that Mr. Toogood planned to visit Abilene and would research it. Mr. Florsheim stated that he would keep the Board posted. • Amarillo o Population over 200,000 o Two business parks: • Western Business Park • Canyon Business Park o Traditional, older business parks located on the outskirts of town. o Marketing - Chamber of Commerce, commercial data platforms such as LoopNet, CREXi, and CommericalCafe o Location— close proximity to the airport o Advertising their overhead doors, high ceilings in warehouses, and flex space Mr. Lane asked if the Amarillo business parks had buildings already constructed or "speculative"properties. Ms. Jones confirmed that they did have speculative properties. Mr. Lane then asked whether Abilene had any speculative properties. Ms. Jones stated that Abilene had some speculative properties, but most of their marketing was geared toward available lots and tracts. Mr. Lane affirmed that Amarillo had some buildings available, and Ms. Jones reaffirmed that Amarillo had buildings available. • Lawton o Population over 90,000 o Three different sites primarily located off Lee Blvd and I44 o Some industrial tracts located toward the airport o Marketing— similar to the other peer communities—local Chamber of Commerce, local news stations, commercial platforms such as LoopNet and CREXi o Utilities— accessible roadways o Largest lot size is 440 Acres • Longview o Population over 81,000 o Two Business Parks: • North Business Park - Opened in 1994 - 704 total acres with 419 acres currently available with plans to expand • Longview Business Park Page 2 of 6 - Opened in 2011 - Ongoing projects o Marketing is similar to all other business parks. o Location—North of I20 o Zoning—Light Industrial • Lubbock o Population over 257,000 o Over 500 acres with 17 lots ranging from 4 acres to 60 acres o Marketing is similar to peer cities. o Advertising — rail transportation available, warehouse industrial dock doors, and clearance space. o Zoning—Industrial Park District • Tyler o Different in their marketing and space utilized o Phase one construction of a three-story office complex with 50,000 square feet to house a daycare facility to benefit industrial workers o Marketing— Chamber of Commerce, Facebook, and YouTube • Decatur o Population 6,538 o Currently advertising their railway and proximity to Fort Worth o Utilizing their convenience to Fort Worth and the I35 corridor o Zoning—Heavy Industrial • Denton o Population 139,869 o Westgate Industrial Park is a 1,500-acre master-planned park with over 700 acres available. o Marketing — Chamber of Commerce, commercial platforms such as CREXi and CommercialCafe o Type of Industries—Manufacturing, Transportation, and Warehouse o Surging and on the cutting edge of the automotive industry with class 6A trucks and hybrid vehicles. • Wichita Falls o Marketing—similar to all other peer cities. Exceeded marketing efforts through the Chamber of Commerce, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, local news station. Ms. Jones stated that all the business parks' marketing is similar to the Wichita Falls Business Park marketing. This marketing includes getting information from the governor's office and ensuring the business park is part of that project. Mr. Leiker requested an emailed copy of the PowerPoint, and Ms. Jones affirmed that she would email a copy. Mr. Florsheim stated that the key takeaway from this presentation is that everyone has a business park,but each is a bit different. He explained that the situation is not strictly"if you build it, they will come"because of all the competition. However, "if we don't have it built, we know what happens."He stated that the strategic plan to grow Wichita Falls should include the business park. Page 3 of 6 Mr. Lane wondered how Wichita Falls would compare if he was a potential prospect and drove to Abilene or Longview. He asked about the attractiveness of the lots and if anyone had a feel about prospects. He said he knew that some of the larger lots had mesquite patches, while others had been cleared. Mr. Florsheim discussed using sample prospects. He explained that the Chamber could take the research done so far and go to the next level. Mr. Lane stated that Wichita Falls had a couple of prospects that were pretty close to making a deal, but it didn't happen. He asked if changing some things with the park would make it more attractive to prospects, such as clearing brush or building a fence.Mr.Florsheim said that could be explored. Mr.Florsheim stated that the entrance to the park is attractive, but lots located further in the park are covered in mesquite. A prospect might wonder how long it would take to start construction on their project. Mr. Lane was curious as to a prospect's first-time impression. Mr. Leiker asked, "what is the business park's curb appeal?" Ms. Britt wondered whether the board members were wondering how the park looked at street level and if photos would be helpful. Mr. Florsheim said that the team would visit and return to the Board with more information. 3. Discussion and possible action related to appointment of officers. Mr. Toogood asked if the officers' terms were expired. Mr. Lane said yes, that was his understanding. Mr. Leiker asked for some background information, and Mr. Hegglund responded that the terms did expire. Mr. Hegglund further explained that the terms are good for one year, and the officers have served over one year, so this would be a good time for elections. Mr. Lane said the Board would circle back to elections during the executive session. 4. Discussion and possible action related to Panda Biotech performance agreement. This item was discussed in the executive session. 5. City staff presentation regarding the progress of the ongoing Business Park Infrastructure Project. Mr. Schreiber gave an update on the water and sewer improvements. He stated that a discussion started a year ago about selling bonds and making improvements to the park to make it more attractive, give it more curb appeal, and make it more shovel-ready. The Board decided to issue some bonds and move forward with three different projects. Project l: Mr. Schreiber reported that the water and sewer improvements were all but finished. The City installed a new collective system and a new water line for fire flow protection and better capacity at the park. Mr. Schreiber stated that two 100-acre tracks (7 and 8)were show- ready, except for the mesquites to be cleared and a site pad to be built. He noted that the project was awarded in June and is nearly complete. Project 2: Mr. Schreiber explained that this project would extend and widen Midwestern Parkway and complete the other half of Fisher Boulevard. This project is completely designed and being advertised for bids. He is trying to open bids and work it into the Board's December meeting to consider awarding the project. Project 3: Mr. Schreiber stated that this project would widen Hammon Road from US287 to the Midwestern Parkway extension. Mr. Schreiber explained that through the course of the work, staff discovered a portion of the road that lies in the County outside of the city limits. The City then went to County and asked them if they would be interested in participating in the improvements in Hammon Road. The portion measures 800 to 900 feet in length. The County was Page 4 of 6 very receptive to participating. The County has ARPA funds that they would like to use on water and sewer improvements. The City and County entered into an agreement in which the County agreed to pay for the Phase I Project amounting to slightly over $1,000,000. This agreement allowed the change order that has been brought before the Board. The County has indicated that they will cut the check on the 22nd, so those funds will be back in 4A's budget quickly. The City agreed to an MOU for Phase I improvements. Additionally, the City agreed to improve that portion of Hammon Road. The MOU will be brought to the City Council's December 7th meeting. Mr. Schreiber stated that things are moving along well at the business park and that he would be glad to answer any questions. 6. Consider and take action to approve Change Order #1 for the Business Park Phase 1 — Water and Sewer Improvements in the amount of$135,258.42, and authorizing the Board president to execute all related documents. Mr. Schreiber explained that during the design phase, Biggs and Matthews suggested that a 12-inch water main be looped into the existing water line on Production Ave. This pipe would connect to the proposed 12-inch water main to be installed along Midwestern Pkwy. The connecting main would be located along the west property line of Old Dominion Trucking. This installation would allow an increase in fire flow capacity to a range of 3,000 to 3,500 gallons per minute. Adding these lines would give the business park one more checked box when comparing it to other sites. However, this proposed line was removed from the project due to budget constraints. Now that the County has kicked in its ARPA funds, the City staff and the consultant thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and improve this line. This Change Order would add this project to the Water and Sewer Phase I. Mr. Schreiber informed the Board that the contractor is moving forward and is currently installing the waterline. 7. Consider and take action to approve the dedication of a 15-foot wide utility easement to the City of Wichita Falls as part of the Business Park Infrastructure Project, and authorizing the Board president to execute all related documents. Mr. Schreiber stated that a 15-foot utility easement needs to be dedicated for the waterline. There is a 10-foot easement on the Old Dominion lot, but it is under concrete covered parking. Rather than sawing out concrete from the covered parking located on the Old Dominion lot, it would be easier to give the City another 15-foot easement for the waterline. This would be done when the business park is platted for the Midwestern Parkway Improvement. Mr. Lane asked if that would preclude the property behind Wichita Clutch and if lots would have to be accessed through a future extension of Production Blvd. Mr. Schreiber answered that there were three lots already platted that would need to be accessed by way of Production Blvd. Mr. Schreiber said that when he was at the business park with some of the representatives of the manufacturing companies, he felt like they could not see what they were buying because the property was too overgrown. He believed it would be very beneficial to clear out the mesquite trees and brush. 8. Consent Agenda a. Approval of Minutes (October 14, 2021). Mr.Hegglund stated that Ms. Cowling had sent an email asking if the minutes from August 19th and August 23rd had been properly approved. Mr. Hegglund explained that they had been Page 5 of 6 properly approved at the October 14`h meeting. The only minutes that need approval are the October 14th minutes. Mr. Leiker moved to approve minutes. Seconded by Mr. Toogood. motion carried 4-0. b. Financial Report Mr. Menzies stated that the City was receiving the November Sales Tax Payment, which reflects September and closes out Fiscal Year 2021. He said that sales tax continued to do well, performing 12.5 percent ahead of last year and about 25 percent ahead of what was conservatively budgeted. He stated that the Board's bottom line is approximately $8,000,000 in unreserved cash. and he told the Board that Jessica Williams, Chief Financial Officer, was available if anyone had any questions. 9. Executive Session Mr. Lane adjourned the meeting into executive session at 2:57 p.m. pursuant to Texas Government Code §551.087. Mr. Lane recused himself from the executive session during discussion of Panda Biotech. He announced the meeting back into regular session at 3:22 p.m. The subjects posted in the Notice of Meeting were deliberated,and no votes or further action were taken on the items in executive session. 10. Motions Appointment of Officers Mr. Leiker moved to reappoint the current officers. Seconded by Mr. Hillery. motion carried 4-0. Change Order#1 for the Business Park Phase 1 Mr. Toogood moved to approve Change Order#1 for the Business Park Phase 1 — Water and Sewer Improvements in the amount of$135.258.42: Seconded by Mr. Leiker, motion carried 4-0. Dedication of a 15-foot Wide Utility Easement as Part of the Business Park Infrastructure Project Mr. Leiker moved to dedicate a 15-foot easement to the City of Wichita Falls as part of the Business Park Infrastructure Project. Seconded by Mr. Toogood, motion carried 4-0. Panda Biotech Agreement Extension Mr. Toogood moved to approve an extension of the agreement between the 4A Board and Panda Biotech until 6/30/2021: Seconded by Mr. Hillery, motion carried 4-0. 11. Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 3:26 p.m. Leo Lane, President Page 6 of 6 WICHITA FALLS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CERTIFIED AGENDA OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION January 20, 2022 At the beginning of the session, I announced a closed meeting began on January 20, 2022, at 1-14 (o o'clock p.m., and the sections of Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code under which the meeting was held were as follows and as otherwise described in the agenda of the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation (WFEDC)meeting: Executive Session in accordance with TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE §§551.072 and 551.087,to discuss or deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive, including modification to an existing agreement, for a territory of the City of Wichita Falls and with which the WFEDC is conducting economic development negotiations for creation and retention of primary jobs (as defined by TEx. LOCAL Gov'T. CODE §502.002). At the end of the session,I announced the date and time were January 20,2022,at 4:0o o'clock p.m. The subjects described above were deliberated, and no further action was taken on these subjects in executive session. I, Leo Lane, President of the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation, certify that the above is a certified agenda of the proceedings of the executive session of the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation. Leo Lane, President