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Meeting date/time:
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1/12/2017
9:00 AM
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Minutes status:
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Final
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Meeting location:
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Room 301-B, Third Floor, City Hall
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| | 1. | | Call to Order.
Minutes note: Meeting called to order at 9:07 a.m. | | | |
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| | 2. | | Roll Call. | | | |
Roll call
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| | 3. | | Review and Approval of the Previous Meeting Minutes from December 15, 2016.
Minutes note: Ms. Montgomery Baker moved approval, seconded by Ms. Garrison, of the meeting minutes from December 15, 2016. There were no objections from those members present. | | | |
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| | 4. | | Discussion on the First Stage "Welcome to Bronzeville" Play.
Minutes note: Individuals appearing:
Lucia Lozano, First Stage
Julie Barrot De Brito, Ziedler Center
Ms. Lozano gave an overview on the upcoming play and related activities and events. The play, first of a triology, will premier from January 13 through February 5, 2017. The play is relevant to the Bronzeville African American community and history both past and present. The second play called “Christmas in Bronzeville” will be presented three years from now set in 1959 revolving around music, culture, and community. The third play will be presented four years from now set in 1961 revolving around the freeway installation and the community issues resulting from the new freeway. Attendees to the play will exclusively get to see special Bronzeville historical exhibits and obtain special Bronzeville informational materials, such as a guide with a map showing assets and activities to do in Bronzeville. A goal of the play is to produce curiosity for Bronzeville.
Much events and activities, both public and private, are being organized around the play consisting of an African American art exhibit at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, gallery night and artist market, good neighbor day event for children, Martin Luther King Jr. Day performance and talkback, jazz music panel conversation, Jewish relations talkback, and a talkback for seniors. Additionally, there will be a youth forum, partnering with the Fire and Police Commission, with 200 teenagers from the Boys and Girls about police and community relations.
Ms. Barrot De Brito added remarks. The youth forum will occur on February 3, 2017 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. The forum will consist of multiple listening circles consisting of 20 youths and one officer in each circle. Reflective structured dialogue will be used in the circles. A more open dialogue will be used at the end. Facilitators in each circle will take anonymous notes resulting in a final report regarding themes discussed.
Mr. Crump made comments. Perhaps a few committee members can participate in the youth forum by being in one of these circles. The final report can perhaps be brought to the committee for review. The upcoming youth forum was modeled after a similar panel conducted during Bronzeville Week last year. The play and related events information should be included on the City’s website.
Mr. Hollmon said that interested members for the youth forum contact clerk staff who will forward information to Mr. Crump.
Ms. Lozano said that assistance is needed from committee members to attend, participate in, or help promote the play and related events. Of importance is to reach out to and bring family members, children, and seniors from the community.
Members discussed supporting and coordinating an appropriate proclamation, with possibly individually or jointly signed letters from multiple parties, celebrating Bronzeville day while not conflicting with Bronzeville Week.
Mr. Crump moved that the committee support the efforts of First Stage, with its play and related events, to accordingly bring awareness or celebrate a Bronzeville Day, while remaining cognizant of Bronzeville Week. Coordination of such a proclamation is to be led by Ms. Manuel, the office of Ald. Milele Coggs, and Mayor Tom Barrett’s office. Ms. Garrison seconded. There were no objections from those members present.
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| | 5. | | Update on the Garfield School Redevelopment Project.
Minutes note: Ms. Manuel gave a brief update. The sale of the Garfield school building has closed. Efforts are to close the sale of the Griot building, formerly the Black Holocaust Museum building.
Ms. Montgomery Baker said an update on a private artist design tour of the school building cannot be given today due to the tour not being given yet. Paperwork for ownership of the building has just finalized, and now the tour can commence. The tour has been postponed to February. A more comprehensive update can hopefully be given in a subsequent meeting.
Mr. Hollmon said staff and Ms. Manuel will check to see the appropriateness of rescheduling another update on the project. | | | |
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| | 6. | | Discussion on RFP Review Process.
Minutes note: Mr. Hollmon said that the initial approach determined from the last meeting was to ask Ms. Manuel and DCD staff to present a process outline and recommendations to the committee to review. Additionally, the committee was to gain direct input from Ald. Coggs. The end goal is to have the committee’s RFP review process be consistent and inclusive, which will take multiple meetings to achieve.
Ms. Manuel said that she had met with DCD real estate staff, and they are here to discuss the primary basis for RFPs and its process.
Ms. Turim gave a brief overview of a handout, which was distributed to members, regarding real estate sales and RFP proposal processes both for city-owned properties and RACM-owned properties, which are governed by separate laws. The handout outlines the process and promotion of real estate through RFPs according to the city code. DCD has discretion to sell real estate through open listings or RFPs. Promotion of both is done the same way, such as through social media, e-notification, BID listings, and aldermanic newsletters. DCD concurs with the preference of Ald. Coggs that the most appropriate way to handle city-owned real estate within Bronzeville is through RFPs as opposed through open listings.
Ald. Coggs commented. The original intent for the committee was to solely focus on RFPs where people would have the fairest chance to acquire most, if not all, city-owned properties in Bronzeville. The committee was formed to be another layer of unique inquiry from the communal perspective with each member offering a unique stakeholder perspective. Although RFP review had been lacking, more RFP reviews are anticipated soon. It is critically appropriate for the committee to think outside the box to now shore up and establish a consistent review process, especially after conducting the review of two RFPs differently thus far.
Ald. Coggs made suggestions.
There should be the creation and use of a review sheet to produce focus, relevant questioning of presenters, and a universal method of measurement for any proposal that comes before the committee. The review sheet should contain elements focused on Bronzeville holistically and the amenities needed. The most recent review of the old Ja’Staceys RFP resulted in different recommendations based on different criteria. Having a review sheet as a guide and asset would make it easier for the committee to not lose sight of important elements and be misguided by the spectacle of presentations.
There should be public release of the vote and recommendation made by the committee, whether done by the committee or DCD, to prevent confusion and inaccurate reporting by the media, which occurred from the most recent RFP review.
The line of questioning for presenters should be directed at the appropriate source - the developers or buyer. The focus should not be on the other team members, such as the architect or contractor, who are subject to change. The developer team should be accurately introduced during presentations.
The committee should be open to reject all proposals if they are not good enough, request for additional information, and delay decisions to produce the best outcomes. RFPs can always be reissued. The committee should not feel pressed to make decisions right away.
The committee should be involved with RFPs ahead of time at the frontend, especially to review them prior to being released. DCD staff should present RFPs to the committee to gain unique input from members prior to their release. A benefit to members would be a more widen scope of understanding of an RFP and its submittals.
Only the committee and presenters should be present at the meeting table during applicant presentations to ensure that decisions made are those from the committee without bias. DCD staff or other outside input can be gained prior to or after these presentations.
The committee may want to solicit community input and hold communal meetings for certain RFPs that would warrant such input to assist the committee to make recommendations. The Garfield school RFP process had communal meetings and input.
Mr. Crump commented. The Bronzeville redevelopment plan should be updated to help the committee come to better conclusions. The plan has outdated land use classifications. When reviewing proposals, information or referral letters should be made available to show the land use classification of a proposal. Determining land use classification of past applicants has been challenging.
Mr. Crump questioned the vetting of general buyer requirements.
Ms. Turim replied. DCD staff does check for general buyer policies fulfillment. There are opportunities to recommend a proposal that does not meet general buyer policies. The practice for such cases would be to solicit support and positive feedback from the local aldermanic office and significant community contacts. The DCD commissioner ultimately reviews these general buyer requirements and makes the final decisions on supporting forward such proposals.
Ms. Montgomery Baker commented. An updated redevelopment plan will help members have a shared vision. The committee should review all RFP submittals, as opposed to vetted submittals, prior to selecting top candidates for making presentations. A timeline should be developed for the committee to follow to effectively work towards a standard RFP review process.
Ald. Coggs further commented. She has talked with DCD and does intend to have the plan revisited; however, each member offers a differing perspective. The plan is useful, but it is one tool out of many for the committee to use. There are some RFP exceptions that will come before the committee and will not be under the RFP process. Some include locations that are under consideration for ACRE class students to possibly acquire as part of a city program. There is a location being offered to one of the respondents from the old Ja’Staceys RFP review process. Although the committee is an advisory body, formal decisions made have been reflective of the committee’s recommendations.
Ms. Manuel said that many items from the redevelopment plan and the extension of the district boundaries are being addressed through a TOD planning grant.
Mr. Hollmon said that the committee will be asked to consider a variety of things other than a formal RFP. The committee did like some of the other proposals from the RFP process for the old Ja’Staceys restaurant and directed that those proposers work with DCD staff to identify alternative sites.
Members discussed proceeding forward.
With unanimous consent, the committee requested that Ms. Manuel and DCD staff assist in formulating a RFP review procedure outline for the committee to review at its next meeting. DCD should build off on its current handout of its current processes and interject the committee’s engagement wherever appropriate. Incorporated in the outline should be the committee’s review of an RFP before being released, clarity on land use classifications for submittals during review of submittals by the committee, and the process used for the Garfield school RFP. The goal would be to achieve a final document on the committee’s RFP review process by April 2016.
Ms. Turim further commented. When presenting an RFP to the committee prior to it being release, her office would also bring someone from its planning division to address land use classifications and the zoning code. Significant and less significant parcels will be taken into account on developing a procedure process.
Mr. Hollmon added remarks. DCD staff assistance is needed to develop the committee’s RFP review procedure. The committee has the task to determine its own judgement standards irrespective of procedure. The committee and DCD staff will have to continue to work together to enhance the process going forward. There are other resources that can assist, such as assistance from Deshea Agee from the Historic King Drive BID.
Ms. Montgomery Baker said that the committee’s two RFP processes were very different from one another but was necessary to be conducted in their respective manners. | | | |
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| | 7. | | Agenda Items for the Next Meeting.
Minutes note: -Discussion on RFP review proceess
-Possible update on Garfield School redevelopment project
-Possible discussion on CROP program project in Bronzeville
Staff will work with the chair and vice-chair to confirm next meeting's agenda items. | | | |
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| | 8. | | Set Next Meeting Date and Time.
Minutes note: Wednesday, February 15 or Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 9 a.m. based on the majority of members attending. | | | |
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| | 9. | | Adjournment.
Minutes note: Meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.
Chris Lee, Staff Assistant | | | |
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