Board Meeting Minutes - May

Board of Directors Meeting
Downtown Chattanooga Alliance Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Time: 2:10p.m.-3:13 p.m.
Location: By Zoom

1. Call to Order

Steve Hunt, Chair of the DCA, called the meeting to order. Board members attending were Adam Kinsey, Lisa Maragnano, Tom Marshall, Matt McGauley, Donald O’Connor, and Charles Perry.

Not attending were Pierre Dabit, Kelly Fitzgerald, Kevin Love, Darian Scott, Gordon Stalans, Raquetta Dotley, Todd Gardenhire, and Robin Smith.

Also present were Steve Brookes, Executive Director of the DCA and Emily Mack, President and CEO of the River City Company and Dawn Hjelseth, Vice President of Marketing and Communication at River City Company.

2. Approval of the Executive Committee minutes of May 12, 2021 and DCA Board minutes of April 21, 2021 was tabled.

3. A warm welcome was given to our new Board member Tom Marshall and our speaker Emily Mack.

4. Emily Mack gave an up-date on the work of River City Company. She began by stressing that urbanism is a far greater power than the challenges and problems such as depression, war, and more recently the pandemic which have opposed it. She went on to cite the fact the River City Company has been involved in fifteen projects, which are either underway or recently completed. These include River Rock, Walnut Plaza, the MLK Corridor, Patten Square, and the Scramble. She also discussed the One River Front project, which seeks to reimagine, reposition and reactivate the river front for all Chattanoogans.

5. Old Business

(a) The June Board of Directors meeting will be in-person. The location is yet to be determined.

6. New Business

(a) On the issue of 2019 unpaid assessments, personal calls will be made to property owners. There will be further investigation to verify that the list of unpaid 2020 assessments furnished by the City of Chattanooga is accurate.

7. Executive Director Up-Date

S. Brookes reviewed the following matters:

(a) Pressure washing of sidewalks continues.

(b) Hospitality will be a particular focus on weekends.

(c) Work on Patten Parkway is almost complete. Art work will be installed by the end of June. Ground planters will be installed next week.

(d) A plan to address issues arising from activities and problems on the corner of Market St and 8th St (736 Market St) will be formulated.

(e) The Cash for Trash location has been moved to 11th Street. As of last week, $3528 had been redeemed.

(For a more extensive account of recent DCA activities, please see the report submitted by S. Brookes.)

The meeting was adjourned at 3:13.