WG business association has a new 'attitude'

Board approves budget to include office manager

By Kate Carter

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association initiated an "attitude shift" by focusing on specific business district needs at its March 26 meeting to approve a plan of action and an approximately $200,000 budget for its fiscal year, June 30, 2002, to July 1, 2003.

Incorporated in the approved budget was a provision for a full- or part-time manager/administrative assistant for the association.

Association President Cara Finn said the association wants to promote Willow Glen's business district, Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe avenues, as "the premier business district in the South Bay Area." She added that, while the association wants to work with other organizations like the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, it exists first and foremost to support the businesses and will prioritize their needs and concerns.

An enthusiastic Steve Hanleigh, who owns the Adobe Hall building and operates Realty Center there, emphasized that the association aims not to serve just the local community but to attract people from throughout the region.

"This business association is not here to fulfill the desires of the rest of the community," he said. "The whole community needs to be involved."

The March 26 meeting was held to present the association's action plan and budget for the year 2002-'03. The association, which oversees the use of Business Improvement District fees paid by business and property owners within the district to the city, must present its budget to the city for approval.

"The business association has to show the city that what we're doing with the money is important," Finn said.

She said the proposed budget would dovetail with the action plan and be flexible to change as needs change.

"This is how we intend to use our time and money, and the budget flows out of the workplan," she said.

The action plan listed improved communication with business and property owners as the association's top priority. That would be done with the association's new website, as well as through direct mail and face-to-face contact, but "with a strong emphasis on electronic communication," Finn said.

Hanleigh noted that the association needs to improve its membership database, and the board informed him that it is working on a business census, to be conducted next month, which will help it identify those businesses not paying their BID fees and learn what things business owners want from the association.

The action plan also includes the objective of continuing to work with a consultant working on a city redevelopment agency master plan for the business district. The WGBPA will make special efforts to promote the district as well as develop better relationships between businesses and with the city.

The WGBPA also will continue to sponsor the annual Dancing on the Avenue street festival, scheduled this year for June 15, and again in 2003, and use funds from the event to continue to promote the district.

'We need additional support to do the things that I think we want to do,' Finn said. 'Dancing on the Avenue is just a means to an end-- it gives us the money to do these other things.'

"We need additional support to do the things that I think we want to do," Finn said. "Dancing on the Avenue is just a means to an end--it gives us the money to do these other things."

Finally, the association plans to develop a better accounting, record-keeping and operating strategy that can help guide it in future years and with future boards.

Finn then presented a draft budget that itemized the association's expenses, anticipated at $210,300, and income, anticipated at $213,500, for making the action plan happen. One of the itemized expenses was $50,000 for an office manager. The association membership has debated the need for an assistant in recent months, but Finn, who had distributed the draft budget to 300 people via email and announced the meeting in advance, said she had received no comments on the budget.

The WGBPA proposed to spend $26,000 on member services, $78,300 on administrative operating expenses, $80,500 on promotional activities and special events and $25,500 on community services.

The budget projected receiving $60,000 in BID fees from its approximately 500 members next year. It also listed income from the June 15 Dancing on the Avenue event as $45,000 and the 2003 event as $60,000.

"The rest of the money has to come from somewhere," Finn said.

The board has been researching possible corporate and other sponsorships to help with the costs of some events and activities and has already secured $25,000 in sponsorships for Dancing on the Avenue.

"If we truly are the best business area in the South Bay area, then people are going to want to be associated with us," Finn said.

"There is vulnerability," Hanleigh said, cautioning the board against using money it doesn't have, particularly when it comes to hiring an administrative assistant. "The last thing I think this organization needs is more bad press."

"A lot of our plans are based on how well Dancing on the Avenue does," Finn said and assured Hanleigh that the association wouldn't hire an assistant until after July 1, or the start of the next fiscal year.

Finn also said anyone is welcome to view the budget, email her at wgbpaprez@hotmail.com or comment on it at a public city meeting.

One of the tools the association hopes to use to generate funds is a future website, which could include corporate logos and other sponsorship features. Valerie Onorato, who is working with Linda Waltrip on the association's website, gave the group a brief outline of their plans for the site. It will include two sections: one for merchant promotions and one for association members, and both will be open to the public.

The promotions section will include a business directory and search, a map and parking diagram, an events calendar, merchant highlights and other possible features, she said. The association portion will include meeting minutes and agendas, the newsletter, a calendar, a contact list of board members and a place for comments.

Others also asked that the association, either on the website or in some other fashion, inform business owners of the different police officers who handle calls in downtown Willow Glen and other people to call when they have an emergency.

Jacie Datnow, who runs the consulting firm Willow Glen Web Design, said her company has secured the rights to the www.willowglenonline.com domain name and would be willing to work with the association to develop a website. The board, which at its last meeting approved securing the www.downtownwillowglen.org domain name, approved a two-week period, ending April 9, for comment on its plans for a website, and subsequently an additional two weeks, ending April 23, to receive bids from web design companies. The board encouraged Datnow, and anyone else, to submit bids. To be added to the association's email distribution list, receive a copy of the preliminary website design or comment on it, email Finn at wgbpaprez@hotmail.com. She added that comments from business association members will receive more attention than from others.

Cathy Adkins, the association's secretary, presented a draft of the census form that will be used to gather information from business owners next month.

Finn received the board's approval to change the association's storage company to Lincoln Avenue Self-Storage and begin the process of transferring its stored items from its current "grungy" storage place and other private storage areas to the cleaner location. She added that the new storage company is offering the association a cheaper rate in exchange for inclusion in the association's business directory. Finn said she will begin the transfer in April.

The business association's next meeting is April 30 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Bay View Bank, 1099 Lincoln Ave.

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