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New WGBPA's first meeting organized, focused on many goals
Association plans to make business district stronger
By Kate Carter
The new Willow Glen Business and Professional Association board members showed they could elicit enthusiasm from participants and make organized plans at their first general meeting Feb. 26. Now it remains to be seen if they can get results.
The approximately 10 people who were present discussed the June Dancing on the Avenue street festival as well as new plans to engage more of the avenue's business owners by establishing a website and conducting a census.
The business association is recovering from several years of struggle to build membership participation and continue its well-established community activities, culminating last August with its last-minute cancellation of the Founders' Day street festival. The association's membership includes business and property owners along Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe avenues. They all must contribute Business Improvement District taxes to the city, which the association then uses to make the avenue more commercially attractive and viable.
"We're kind of rebuilding the association," secretary Cathy Adkins said. "As that happens, interest is rejuvenated with the merchants. We're trying to rebuild something that's been asleep for a couple of years."
The association is participating in a city-led study to identify ways to improve and expand the avenue. Consultant Jeffrey Eichenfeld and Associates will work directly with the association to identify ways it can improve. In March, the firm will be interviewing business owners, customers, residents and other community members, as well as the business association board, to draft a list of suggestions for how to improve the business district, President Cara Finn said. Eichenfeld plans to report on the association's funding procedures at the next association general meeting to explain in more detail how the BID funds work, she said.
She also said the association expects to move into a rent-free cubicle located at Peak Travel, 1221 Lincoln Ave., this month. The location will be visible from the street and give the association's office assistant and board members a place from which to work.
Finn began the meeting at Bay View Bank by asking people to hold most "heavy" discussion items for outside the meetings and keep questions until the end, in order to stay on time and on task. She also asked that members interested in having items included on meeting agendas email the item and background information to her at wgbpaprez@hotmail.com, at least a week before the general meeting.
Adkins reported on the Feb. 21 social mixer at Adobe Hall which was, attended by about 40 people. She informed board members of people who volunteered at the event for various association committees, including working on an association website, fundraising, the newsletter, advertising, capital improvements and beautification, civic and community relations, public relations and publicity, promotions and events, membership, and programs and agenda.
She also said several signed up to help with this year's Dancing on the Avenue and Founders' Day festivals, as well as on the holiday committee. This year's Founders' Day effort is being led by the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, but the business association has agreed to actively participate.
Adkins said the association would follow up with those who signed up to volunteer as well as track down others to involve. The board decided to hold socials every quarter, with the next in May to coincide with a last-minute push for Dancing on the Avenue volunteers.
Third vice president Valerie Onorato said that this year's Dancing on the Avenue event will be held on Lincoln Avenue June 15 from 6 to 10 p.m., and the street will be closed at 3 p.m. The association has signed special-event company TEC and event consultant Read Zaro to coordinate the event, and the Joe Sharino Band has signed on to perform. The association will sell beer, wine, soda and water as well as logo glassware, and is looking for sponsors of those items. Onorato is still looking for volunteers to chair the volunteer committee and the sponsorships committee, and she needs about 100 volunteers to help pour beverages, sell tickets and move ice at the event. Interested individuals should contact her by email: qadssj@pacbell.net.
Onorato said she is hoping for 45,000 people to attend the event; 37,000 attended last year.
She also told the group that its grant application for the 2003 Dancing on the Avenue event was submitted to the city. The association will undergo a review by the city April 6 or 7 as part of the grant process, she said.
The group discussed other programs the association could develop for its merchants, including shoplifting prevention and store security, store window design and business website design. These would be programs to show businesses that the association is working for them, which could attract more participants and make the association stronger and more beneficial.
"The more we have to offer, the more they'll want to be members," Second Vice President Linda Waltrip said.
The board discussed conducting an avenue-wide census to update the association's roster of businesses and contact information in order to establish better communication with the businesses. Goforth said she would take on that responsibility, as well as share information with Waltrip, who is working on an online business directory.
Waltrip said the business association's website is still at the "idea stage," and the board voted to secure the www.downtownwillowglen.org web address. She said the website would help promote both the businesses on Lincoln Avenue as well as serve as a source of information about the business association.
Waltrip said she wanted to include a business directory to allow all members to be listed online and be categorized. The website could also provide links to businesses' own websites as well as possible additional information about and photos of the businesses. In addition, she said, the website could offer an events calendar with listings from all members and other association activities, and possibly a parking diagram to inform customers of where parking is available along the avenue.
The business association's meetings, agenda, minutes and newsletter would also be on the website.
The online business directory would be printable, and Waltrip said she would work with Onorato to decide whether a separate printed directory would be necessary. Some suggested the possibility of asking local real estate agents to help sponsor a printed business directory, as it could be used to welcome new Willow Glen residents to the community.
The business association is looking for volunteers to help with the web design and maintenance. To offer services, contact Waltrip by email: rretropark@cs.com.
Goforth responded to a Willow Glen resident present at the meeting who expressed concern about litter and lack of cleanliness along the avenue. Goforth agreed that cleanliness is important, and agreed to take that issue on and work to encourage other business owners to clean up the exteriors of their businesses. The group discussed the idea of honoring a "business of the month" to positively reinforce those businesses that are clean.
The group also brainstormed about possible cleanup activities that the neighborhood association, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and Willow Glen middle and high school service clubs could help with.
Treasurer Gina Granada announced that the association's new operating account at the Bay View Bank has about $9,000 of funds. She said there are three signers on the account: Finn, herself and First Vice President Katie Goforth, and fund dispersal requires two signatures.
Finn later said that the association's existing accounts at Washington Mutual Bank will be closed and consolidated into the one at Bay View Bank. She also said the association will use the accounting computer software program Quick Books to track its income and outgo and earmark funds for specific items.
The business association meets the last Tuesday of each month at Bay View Bank, 1099 Lincoln Ave., from 8 to 9 a.m. The next meeting will be March 26.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
