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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/09/2017 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting MinutesMARANA AZ E STAB LISHEO 1977 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN WORKING GROUP MEETING 11555 W. Civic Center Dr. Marana, AZ 85653 Board Room, Marana Municipal Complex February 9, 2017 3:00 p.m. Ed Honea, Mayor Jon Post, Vice Mayor Herb Kai, Council Member Patti Comerford, Council Member David Bowen, Council Member Carol McGorray, Council Member Roxanne Ziegler, Council Member MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Ed Honea called the meeting to order at 3:04 p.m. Council Member David Bowen, Council Member Carol McGorray, and Council Member Patti Comerford were present. Vice Mayor Jon Post, Council Member Roxanne Ziegler, and Council Member Herb Kai were absent. There was a quorum of listed council members. DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION Relating to Strategic Planning; presentations and discussion regarding the following topics: Discussion facilitated by Town Clerk Jocelyn Bronson. 1. Strategic Plan III status update for the Heritage focus area: Ms. Bronson introduced the idea of Heritage by defining it for the council members. She provided the council members a handout with the following statement, "Heritage is the history, cultural artifacts, and traditions that shape our present and influence our future." She explained that the discussion's main focus is to create new initiatives. Ms. Bronson briefly reviewed the progression of current heritage projects identified as priorities from the previous strategic plan. ® The heritage River Park master plan and business pian is currently in development between the Parks department and the Town Manager's Office. • The Land Development Code revision committee is incorporating preservation incentive codes that protect historical areas in Marana. Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017 • The Communications department is working to grow the Cotton Festival as part of the Town's signature events series. • The Economic Development department is working to increase tourism to Marana by incorporating "Farm to Table" and other unique food type tours into its marketing strategy. • The Economic Development department is also working to engage universities and other private interests to further agricultural research in Marana. • The Planning department is working to identify architectural design standards for infrastructure projects reflecting key attributes and images of Marana's history. Council Member Comerford asked that staff provide previously created documents for reference when presenting council members new items, projects, ideas, or other topics for consideration or discussion. Ms. Bronson redirected the council members to consider the proposed definition of Heritage and provide any additions or modifications. Council Member Bowen asked for clarification on the meaning of "cultural artifacts," such as physical objects connected to Marana. 'town Manager Gilbert Davidson stated that cultural heritage could also include actual sites within the Town that have petroglyphs or other areas with historic significance like private cemeteries from the "pioneer" days. Mayor Honea observed that most of the historic areas are located on private property and the Town does not have direct control over those sites. He stressed that the Town can make restrictions for developers to protect artifacts if discovered at a development location. Council Member Comerford stated that perhaps the Marana Heritage Conservancy could work with private landowners to preserve artifacts and sites. Council Member Bowen indicated that the definition should also include reference to historic cemeteries. Ms. Bronson asked if the other council members had any other suggestions for the definition before moving on to create new initiatives. Mayor Honea added that cultural heritage includes more than simply the Native American influence, but should be also include heritage from the turn of the 20th century. He noted that the grown has not done a great job of protecting Marana's more modern historical artifacts, e.g. homestead foundations. Council Member Comerford mentioned that some heritage initiatives would always be an ongoing process as development continues to happen in the area. Mr. Davidson offered the inclusion of resources into the definition to cement a border view, which includes efforts by the Town to execute agreements that help to preserve local wildlife and protect environmentally sensitive areas. Mayor Honea affirmed that the Town always has great ideas related to heritage, but those initiatives fall short when executed. He indicated that the Town's efforts to protect its heritage and preserve sites of importance lack follow through. 2. Action plans, projects, programs and priorities for the Heritage focus area for Strategic Plan IV; 2 Strategic Flan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017 Building on the mayor's comments regarding lack of preservation, Ms. Bronson introduced the first of four broad focus areas to help generate new strategic initiatives. She asked the council members what is the Town's role or responsibility to preserve heritage, Ms. Bronson also asked the council members if there should be a policy regarding preservation. All the council members generally agreed that the "Town needs a policy and the Town should play a role in preserving Marana's heritage. Council Member Comerford replied that the Town talks a great deal about creating some type of display documenting the heritage of Marana, but there is currently nothing in place related to heritage. She cited the painted mural in the Marana Health Center lobby as an example. Council Member Comerford further offered the need to create a preservation policy and an executable plan to help identify preservation opportunities when encountered during development. Council Member Comerford acknowledged that she is worried that once the Town misses a preservation opportunity it is gone forever and cannot be replaced. She is concerned that the intent to preserve the past is fleeting and needs defined action on the Town's part to ensure future generations can access its history. Council Member McGorray agreed that documenting the changes in Marana is important especially its visual landscape because its changes with development activities. She added that there is value to this information because it is the Town's history. Mayor Honea asked if history and heritage were interchangeable, Ms. Bronson indicated that staff determined that history and heritage were two distinct concepts. She asked Communications Specialist Chris Saunders to elaborate on that distinction. Mr. Saunders explained that history is the record of the past, whereas heritage shapes the present and influences the future. Ms. Bronson reminded the council members that any actions taken by the Town to implement a preservation plan requires funding. The decision then becomes where does funding come from and how should the Town use that funding to support of the initiative. Mayor Honea asked if the Town has any personnel assigned to heritage preservation. Mr. Davidson responded that the Marana Heritage Conservancy has had the primary responsibility of curating the physical artifacts of the Town, gathering oral histories of longtime residents, and documenting significate events in the community. Mayor Honea replied that the Town has missed several opportunities to acquire artifacts related to the Town's history, such as newspapers and photographs, but Marana was unable to take the items because it lacked the proper facilities to store and protect them. As an example, the Town was offered original copies of the newspaper that circulated during Marana's early years of incorporation. The mayor further criticized the Town's lack of a sustained system to identify artifacts and lack of proper facilities to protect artifacts. Council Member Comerford voiced her concerns that preserving Marana's heritage requires funding. She advocated increasing the Town's partnership with the Marana Heritage Conservancy to encourage preservation efforts of items the Town is unable to manage. Mr. Davidson stated that the Town takes great effort to ensure the Marana Heritage Conservancy is given prime locations at all signature events and encourages it to develop partnerships with other local historical organizations. Strategic flan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017 Mr. Davidson also commented that staff could develop a preservation policy and have the Council review and adopt it. He also mentioned that art is often a way to express history. Mr. Davidson also suggested that the Town could impound funds from development projects to help create public art displays related to the Towns history. He stressed the importance of maintaining the relationship with the Marana Heritage Conservancy as a way to investigate preservation opportunities when needed. Council Member Bowen remarked that not only does a preservation policy need to address how to keep things, but the policy should also define what to keep for future generations. He emphasized the need to identify partnerships with professional preservation organizations to help determine the types of documents, items, and other artifacts retained for posterity. Mr. Davidson sated that a new initiative could include developing a preservation partnership with the University of Arizona and Arizona State Museum to help guide the Town's development of a preservation plan. Ms. Bronson also mentioned the Arizona State Library is another professional resource to investigate for preservation assistance. Council Member Bowen reiterated that it is the Town's responsibility to take the lead in preservation efforts of artifacts and Marana must establish strong working relationships with preservation professionals. All the council members agreed the Town must create a structured policy regarding preservation. Ms. Bronson pivoted the discussion over to the second focus area, agri-tourism, by introducing the Tourism and Marketing Manager Laura Cortelyou. Ms. Cortelyou defined agri-tourism as a new tourist attraction based around unique agricultural experiences with food offerings. She cited Schnepf Farms and Queen Creek Olive Mill in the Phoenix metro area as examples of the developing agri-tourism industry. Ms. Cortelyou stated that the focus of an agri-tourist experience is a picturesque farm setting with activities. Building on the agri-tourism concept, Ms. Cortelyou described her current project of creating a "Made in Marana" program to provide local growers and other food purveyors a poster or sticker indicating the origin of a food or an ingredient sold to the public. She cited Whiskey del Bac produced by Hamilton Distillers as using Marana grown wheat. Ms. Cortelyou indicated that she also wants to highlight the "the farm to table" concept used by many local restaurants that incorporate locally grown farm foods. Ms. Cortelyou's other agri-tourism endeavors build off the City of Tucson's recent international designation as a world heritage food city. She stated the Town has a unique opportunity to market itself as part of the region's heritage food basket mentioning the development of the "Marana Gastronomy "Four" concept. Ms. Cortelyou explained the tour would provide participants a dual experience visiting archeological food spots and then concluding with tasting at local eateries using the items grown in Marana. Mr. Davidson reminded the council members that the Town has been showcasing its farming heritage by giving away samples of the many products grown in Marana at the annual League of Arizona Cities and Towns conference. Council Member Comerford stated agri-tourism is an interesting concept for Marana. She thought it would provide a distinctive experience for winter visitors to the area and would help encourage tourism to the Town. Ms. Bronson asked if the council members want to include agri-tourism as a new initiative in the revised strategic plan. Council I Strategic Flan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017 Member Bowen clarified that when discussing agri-tourism that concept includes both farm tours and restaurant tours. Ms. Cortelyou stated that those tours are part of the whole "Made in Marana" program she is currently developing that will include advertising and other marketing strategies. Council Member Bowen also really liked the idea of introducing Marana as the bread basket of the area fostering local interest in. Marana's farming heritage and encouraging restaurant development in the Town. Building on the council member's enthusiasm for the agri-tourism concept, Ms. Bronson directed the council members to the third focus area relating to goal development. She specifically asked the council members what strategic investments could be made in the Heritage River Park to complement the Town's heritage goals. Council Member Comerford commented that funding limitations always get in the way when planning uses for the Heritage Park. Ms. Bronson responded that the Heritage River Park is certainly able to accommodate development like a Queen Creek ®live Mill concept or some other food inspired destination. Council Member Comerford added that the Town owns the land, but development in that area needs private sector investment. Mayor Honea agreed that encouraging investment in the area is important, but how the Town does that is always the question. He wondered what those investments should be and what the best way to allocate those investment resources is. Ms. Bronson cautioned the council members not to restrict their creativity due to possible budget limitations, but to take the discussion time as an opportunity to investigate any possibility for the Heritage River Park. By reviewing all the creative ideas it will make it easier to identify the more practical and fundable projects but will still reflect the council member's creative intent. Council Member Comerford raised the idea of boarding their scope to include new private sector partnerships as a solution to fund development of the Heritage River Park. She explained that private industry partnerships could help to achieve the Town's goals regarding the Heritage River Park. Council Member Bowen agreed that attracting private development to the park is necessary to create a destination atmosphere because of the Heritage River Park's distance from people and other activities. Mayor Honea indicated that the Town originally intended to use the Heritage River Park as a demonstration growing area. He stressed that using that area for demonstration farming would continue to provide a physical display of Marana's agricultural heritage. Mayor Honea observed that the small number of fruit bearing trees currently growing at the park would not yield a crop because the Town did not provide an adequate irrigation system. Council Member McCorray suggested that the park would be an ideal place for a farmer's market, but it needs to have more variety available for sale and not rely just on the items grown in the community plots. Council Member Comerford liked the idea of a farmer's market, but noted that its success is dependent on seasonal constraints related to growing. Mr. Davidson reminded the council members that the Town has achieved a great deal with the park malting it a community asset. He acknowledged that the park's community garden is very popular and since the installation of the bathrooms and sidewalks the area is much more user friendly. Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Nemeth-Briehn noted that the park has installed trellises for grape vines and there is a heritage orchard 5 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Suminary 02/09/2017 with pomegranates and citrus trees. Council Member Comerford stated that some of the ideas for attractions at the Heritage River Park could translate into the downtown area, like potted cotton plants. Mr. Davidson stated that if the council members want to expand on the park's community garden adding more plots would be possible. Ms. Bronson transitioned the discussion to the fourth and final focus area of promotion by asking the council members what more could be done to represent and promote Marana's heritage. Council Member Comerford liked the idea of incorporating more regionally specific plants into the downtown development area. Mayor flonea indicated that the best way to promote the community is to encourage tours of the Town and its cultural heritage sites. Council Member Comerford noted that people need more awareness of what Marana has to offer. Mayor Honea circled back to the idea of expanding the Heritage River Park's garden section and creating a themed farmers market around what crops are ripe in the garden. Ms. Nemeth-Briehn responded that the Parks department is working on creating a $1.00 pick your fruit initiative to allow residents to harvest the various fruits that grown on trees owned by the Town. The council members expressed excitement for using the Heritage River Park as a venue for a. farmers market. Mr. Davidson stated he thought this could be a new initiative for the strategic plan and the Town can partner with other organizations to help establish it. Mayor Honea commented that the discussion covered a variety of topics, but did the council members identify anything concrete. Council Member Comerford recited the following ideas agreed upon by the group as new initiatives for the strategic plan's revision: a. Develop a policy regarding preservation of heritage and preserving history with a focus on developer projects b. Identify professionals to partner with to assist with preservation efforts helping the Town decide what should be kept and how it should be kept c. Expand programs that encourage agri-tourism d. Develop a farmers market at the Heritage River Park e. Review the Heritage River Park masterplan and determine what areas are eligible for expansion that address the heritage initiative Council Member Comerford remarked that reviewing the Heritage River Park plan will always be on-going because things change due to funding availability, but it is important to keep this resource in active discussion to meet the community's needs. Mayor Honea said it would be nice to have a strategy from staff to implement the ideas discussed by the council members. He wants to have defined parameters to focus development activities with a structured implementation plan. Council Member Comerford countered that the area still needs an attraction to bring people to Marana. Mr. Davidson pointed out that the Town hosts the annual Cotton festival which has increased traffic to the park and continues to grow every year. Mayor Honea agreed that the Cotton Festival is a great event showcasing the region's heritage. Council Member Comerford said that would be a good time to have a farmers market as well. 6 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017 ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Honea adjourned the meeting at 4:42 p.m. CERTIFICATION: I hereby certify that the foregoing is the true and correct minutes of the public session of the Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting held on February 9, 2017. I further certify that a quorum of the listed council members was present at this meeting. Hilary h. His , Deputy Town Clerk 46) MAK4,14A AZ ES7AULISHED 1977 7 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 02/09/2017