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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />V. Report from Council Liaison <br />Councilmember Allen provided the EDC with an update from the City Council. He discussed the <br />Neighborhood Meetings that would be held on Thursday, February 21st at Hanson Park and <br />Thursday, March 21st at Freedom Park. It was noted both meetings would be held from 6:00 <br />p.m. to 8:00 p.m. He updated the Commission on the recommendations provided to the City <br />Council from the Inclusive Community Task Force. <br />VI. Business Items <br />(1) Open To Business 2018 Year in Review/2019 Next Steps <br />Gozola stated Rob Smolund, the City’s Open To Business representative, unfortunately could <br />not attend this meeting, but provided staff with materials highlighting their activities in 2018. <br />Staff reviewed the Open To Business activities with the Commission with the goal of <br />understanding where this program is currently at, and how we can make it better moving <br />forward. He explained nine people utilized the service in 2018, over half heard about the <br />service through the City. Open to Business directly facilitated one loan and leveraged capital in <br />the amount of $362,400 over the course of 2018. He reported 106 hours of service time were <br />put forward to serve New Brighton clients. It was noted staff would continue to work with the <br />County to see if there was interest on the County’s part to sponsor a County -wide Open To <br />Business program. <br />Discussion included: <br /> The office hours that were held by Open To Business was discussed along with the contract <br />number of hours that were provided. <br /> The Commission supported staff working to get the word out on this beneficial program. <br /> The Commission questioned if the name of the program should be changed so as not to <br />confuse business owners. <br />(2) New Brighton Exchange Website Updates and Market Materials <br />Gozola presented the commission with the DRAFT updated website created by Ryan Companies <br />and Colliers to market Block B within the New Brighton Exchange. The previous website was <br />significantly out of date, and these changes will hopefully spur interest in the site sometime in <br />2019. <br />Discussion included: <br /> It was noted there was a need for an extended stay type hotel for the area. <br /> <br /> <br />