The light of the thing was like directly on the approach.

And are we good on this?

The magic sounds like a couple hi everyone.

Hi everyone.

Welcome to the June 8th, 2026 meeting of the Lafayette Downtown Development Authority.

The time.

Oh, I don't have to do the time to start, right?

No.

6 01, we're starting.

Executive Director Keating, may we have a roll call vote, please?

Director Barnes.

Good evening.

Chair Kagan.

Here.

Director Hardy.

Director Hubard.

Here.

Director Lako.

Here.

Director Mundy.

Here.

Here.

Okay.

First on the agenda is public input.

If any member of the public wishes to speak, you can state your name and you'll have five minutes.

Okay.

Seeing no members of the public who wish to speak, I'll now close public input.

Next, move on to the approval of the May 11th, 2026 meeting minutes.

Are there any corrections?

Would someone like to make a motion?

I'll make a motion to approve the May 11th, 2026 meeting minutes as written.

Is there a second?

Second.

Okay, all those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, that passes.

Moving on to regular business, the first agenda item is Second Fridays in Lafayette brand update and feedback.

Hand it over to executive director Key Dee.

Great.

Thanks, everyone.

I want to welcome Geely, Lynn, and Suzanne for coming back and giving us an update for the second Friday's promotion.

We're going to be looking at brand guidelines logo, and the team would love to get some feedback from y'all about a potential tagline.

So tonight's really a presentation of reporting out of the work that we've been doing, especially since the DDA is funding this partnership.

And then we'd love to hear some feedback.

So I'm going to just give a couple slides to refresh our memory, and then I'm going to hand it over to Geely.

So we're all very familiar with R Night Out.

It's held May through September on the second Fridays.

It has really become a marquee staple in our downtown with live music, artists, booths, local food, beer and wine, and we really see thousands of attendees each month.

It's a really quality event run by the city's arts and cultural resources department.

And it also helps our downtown through foot traffic, really gleans into our creative destination identity, and then also just provides a lot of opportunities for local artists and entrepreneurs to engage in a really impactful event.

And so Lynn and Suzanne have developed this idea of doing a second Fridays of what if we were to kind of continue this momentum on the off months of R Night Out.

And so really a grassroots business-led promotion where everyone knows that on the second Friday there's something happening in our downtown.

And so participating businesses can look at activities such as art demos or pop-ups, special menus or tasting live music, extended hours, just a lot of leaning into cross-collaboration.

And so by having that monthly rhythm, um, everyone knows that if you want to do something in October or February, check out Second Fridays in Lafayette.

Um I will say that you know we've originally thought of this as an old town, downtown led thing because we have a lot of businesses in our downtown.

Um but you'll see tonight that we're leaning into this phrase of um second Fridays in Lafayette rather than an old town to make sure that we're being inclusive.

And so if you are just outside our boundary and want to participate, we're not saying nope, this is just for us.

Um as the organizers, um, they'll be taking on business quarter eight coordination, so really being who it's on the ground of recruiting and organizing participating businesses and help shape the overall framework, themes, participation guidelines, and timing and be the champions for this.

At our November meeting, uh we approved a partnership uh through marketing assistance.

And so while they are the leaders, this is their uh child.

Um, we want to support them.

And so um we said that we would help by funding marketing assistance by creating a unified brand and digital assets, really creating a toolkit.

So if you're if you're a business that wants to participate, you'll understand what the logo is, you'll be able to make posters, um, calendar listing.

We'll do some coordinated social media and web promotion through our old town Lafayette website, um, and then also help with printed materials and then host a kick out kick off campaign to raise awareness and encourage participation.

We're thinking that that kickoff campaign could be at the August networking event, so it could be a good way to draw in a lot of people and also introduce ourselves again.

Um so with that, I'm gonna pass my computer over to Keely, and she'll go through where we're at.

Thank you.

Yeah.

All right, so hi.

Um I'm Gail Wolf.

I am part of the Alchemy Collective.

So we are Colorado-based basically marketing collective.

Um so we do strategy design and then the actual execution of marketing campaign.

So just to kind of give you, so there are two of us who are working on this project.

This is Diane Paulie, obviously she's not here.

Um she is on the brand strategy side, so I'm going to show you the background work that we've done up meeting up to the design so you understand where we where we came from.

Um, and then I am the art director and the designer.

Thank you.

Yeah, actually, just to give you the I actually live in Louisville, so I'm sneaking in over the border here.

But I do have a studio at Flightoscope, and I'm actually also in the uh Lafayette chamber.

So you guys have a lot more going on with your arts over.

So just to give you an idea of where we started.

So the brand strategy work was really to set the foundation for what the design would look like and what the verbiage and messaging would look like, and then at the end of this, there will be a marketing toolkit, as Bridget alluded to.

This step will help us then develop that step.

So we started with these, you know, four main points, which is the positioning of the event, the personality, and that includes the personality of Lafayette, the tone of voice, and then identifying the target audience.

So then this was the internal messaging.

So this is not necessarily an outward-facing message.

This is really for Second Fridays internally to be able to position themselves.

So when we develop messaging, we know what we're talking about.

Um feel free to read that.

I will not read it out loud.

Um, but the the bold text is really the part to focus on because this is the part that really helped inform where we went with the tagline, since that's what we're looking for feedback on today.

So this is where culture creativity and community collide as we explore ideas and imagine what's possible.

A big part of the conversation that we've had over the last several weeks is about what does Lafayette represent?

Like what is the vibe of this town specifically?

So that's really what we want to kind of nail with the tagline and then all the messaging that comes out of that.

So it feels a very uniquely Lafayette.

So then this was a list of defining characteristics that we came up with.

And again, the ones that are in bold are the ones that are really drove the tagline.

So again, there's the colorful creative and collaborative piece again and community.

Um, we see ourselves as open-minded and out-of-the-box thinkers, and we aim to create unique experiential and memorable experiences.

And then the tone of voice.

So these are kind of keywords that describe, you know, sort of the general vibe and that should come through the language of the marketing.

So, you know, collaborative, curious, engaging, enthusiastic, expressive, fun.

So that again, everything that's bold.

Exploratory was a big thing that came up, and you'll see that with the taglines.

Um fun, bold, playful, quirky, and not taking itself too seriously.

That really was kind of describing the town of Lafayette, I think, overall.

And then the audience.

So we've got two audiences, essentially, local businesses and the community members.

So the messaging kind of goes two ways, right?

We want to have messaging with the toolkit that helps local business owners get on board with participating in this so they can see the benefits of their business, and then the outward-facing marketing messaging to the community.

So that's a big piece with the tagline as well.

You'll see that again with language.

I'll kind of call some things to attention, that we really want community members to see that and feel like oh, this event is for me.

Like this is something I want to go to and you know, participate in my town.

Again, this is all just the nitty-gritty stuff with you know who is this audience.

The bolded pieces again, um, the psychographics being that the downtown Lafayette businesses are collaborative, community focused.

I'm sorry, collaborative, community focused and people-driven.

We want to promote small town authenticity, artistic expression, and the cultural diversity of Lafayette.

Um, the goal here is to grow, evolve, and thrive as part of and with the community.

So, this is really to help businesses be able to promote themselves to invite the community in, especially if they've never come in before, or maybe you're showing them something about your business that they hadn't really considered or haven't experienced.

Um this is also meant to be innovative and engaging, so getting creative with how you might engage the community, and then also we really want to encourage collaboration.

And then also we really want to encourage collaboration.

So there could be cross-business collaboration.

It could be inviting artists into the space, musicians into the space.

But basically cross-pollinating.

And then the messaging toward the community is that we want to encourage them to explore and experience Lafayette.

To feel creative energy, connect with people, be part of the place, be part of their town, find new things to do.

That's a big part of this, like coming into a business again, maybe someplace you've gone before, or maybe they're checking it out for the first time, but we want it to feel new.

And then showcase unique aspects of locally owned businesses.

So this is a chance for local business owners to show off a little bit.

And here we go.

So this is the logo.

So this is the first iteration.

This was the first tagline that we landed on.

So there were two that we developed, and then there were two that the Second Friday's team presented to us afterwards because of this issue that came up around including all businesses in Lafayette.

So initially it was discover something new in your old town.

Obviously, with the assumption that this was going to be Old Town.

So that was the starting point.

Now the problem, of course, is the old town part.

Sure.

The logo and how we got here.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So obviously, this was done with a lot of input from this team.

We wanted something.

So the color palette was already established.

We're working with an existing color palette from other events.

So all that will be tied together.

You know, it was meant to have this kind of fun explosive kind of like exciting feeling.

And then obviously there's all these little symbols that are in here in the in pink that are obviously meant to symbolize different kinds of experiences someone might have in with the local businesses.

I don't know, Suzanne, Lynn, anything you want to contribute since you were part of this conversation.

I think it's joyful.

Joyful, yeah.

And we thought it we like the shape of it for stickers and things like that.

Um there's also a sense of people in there with the shapes.

Um yeah, the explosive and just the yeah, it's alive.

We we thought it was a logo that has some life to it.

And it was also meant to play on the idea of discovery, right?

That there's something something new to see, something to kind of even looking through the logo itself, you can kind of go on.

Discover stuff.

You can discover stuff, exactly.

So these are all different versions that will be part of this logo suite.

Um, and this would potentially be a sticker.

So this is where we started the tagline.

So this is the other tagline we developed, which was where color creativity and collaboration collide.

Um obviously that corresponds very nicely with particular with the graphic.

And then the second Friday's crew came back with these other ideas because of wanting to be inclusive and not just mentioning Old Town, so discover something new in your town.

So the you the your significant because we do want the language to be outward facing, so that when a community member sees this, it's like it's your town, meaning it's their town, right?

So they they're reading it as oh, it's my town.

So that is intentional.

And then wander into something new, and this is directly related to an existing.

Yeah, old town has a brand where they play with the word wander to discover something wonderful.

And so I it's an interesting burb, right?

Um, and so this could be in their way to use it.

So those are our tags.

Yeah.

And so we Suzanne and Lynn and I and Keely kind of didn't know where to go from here, and thought this would be a great opportunity just to come back to the DDA since we started this back in November, just to report out on the great work that they've done.

Um, and also just get any feedback as far as the tagline goes.

Um, there's a couple options here, and would love to hear if anything is um resonating with y'all.

And part of what motivated even looking at that is that um we both were at a meeting that Rachel Hansen had, and it was at Arts Hub.

And so we were at this meeting with a bunch of other artists that are not in.

And part of what motivated even looking at that is that um we both were at a meeting that Rachel Hansen had, and it was at Arts Hub, and so we were at this meeting with a bunch of other artists that are not in old, and we were meeting the very next day to look at all of this, and she and I looked at each other and said, So we Lafayette really wants to honor the the inclusivity of Lafayette, and this isn't necessarily doing that, so do we need to rethink that?

Yeah, and so that's where we kind of took the rug out of where we were going and we really loved it.

We love the juxtaposition of new and old.

It's lovely, it's really lovely.

So, what do we do with that?

You know, how do we move forward and really make something that the DDA for long-term what you guys want to do here that we don't mess that up?

So and also just to kind of really emphasize that from our perspective from the marketing perspective, we didn't want it to be very much a lot like feel like Lafayette.

So that whatever the tagline is, you know, that you look at that and go, but yeah, that feels like our town.

Um versus it could be anywhere.

So I'll turn it back to Joanna to help we sure, yeah.

Yeah, um.

Sorry.

No, I was saying that based on everything you said, I think that first one makes a lot of sense just because it has a little more depth to it, and there's just collaboration just in what you're talking about with the old town or the new town.

Um Lafayette.

You get what I'm saying.

Um so I think it plays very well, and it's a little more exciting.

The others are both not nearly as exciting, like the your town feels like it could be you could just take it with groom feel, stuff something in your town, you know what I mean?

It could be very generic and could be used in a lot of different ways.

I like that.

But you say that was color creativity.

You know, it's interesting because it it I think it does become so important who the audience is for the um for the use of a tagline, and I know it from what you're describing, or in general, it's meant to incorporate or appeal to so many.

I think as uh um if I were and a participating artist, I think that tag tagline is really exciting.

What I so I hear what you're saying, and and I think it does pop the most, but I'm not sure if as a parent or as a passer by, if I saw that sign, I would know that that was something for me to go explore on a Friday night.

Like I'm not sure that it because I'm not collaboration I'm collaborating, but but I don't think of visiting a gallery or enjoying live music as collaborating with with my community in the same way that the artists might consider it.

So I worry about it I worry about it as an advertising tack to like it feels more like a statement of something happening rather than an invite to come and draw.

Yeah, yeah, I guess that's what it is.

That's right.

It's uh and it's a powerful statement, but that that would be my concern with that.

Can I just throw out a little twist?

What if it said community instead of collaboration?

Yeah.

Where color creativity and community collab to think about that.

Faith, were you starting to say some things?

Okay.

This is my least favorite one.

I don't like this one.

It's so wordy.

The first one is amazing, so I get why you guys are are like this is a bummer because this one's so perfect, it's really inviting, it's catchy, it's a tagline.

This one feels like more like we put extra words at the end.

I'm sorry.

But I I would what I'm pondering is I know that we have these like we have these DDA boundaries, and we have this like this is old town, like actual physical boundaries, but like do the people really feel that way?

Because when I think about Old Town, I think I just think about like Lafayette businesses and like being downtown, you know, like it doesn't have quite as many boundaries around it in my mind.

So I do wonder if old town is is exclusive as we think it is.

And I would just love to hear other people's thoughts about that.

Um thing Gilly and I thought about was whems we didn't capitalize old town.

Yeah.

And I was just saying like Lafayette's an old town.

Yeah, right.

It doesn't have to be so today, where you gonna add to that.

I'll just go one step further.

Like I also do not like one faith.

Um I think it's really wordy and very uh illiterative, and like I think people just get like get tangled up over it.

Yeah.

Like, do we have to include that in your town or in old town?

Like I feel like just discover something new is like very intriguing to people.

Um and the logo is doing like some hefty lifting there.

There's a lot going on.

But it also speaks like of course I hear like it's speaking to Lafayette, like we oh I mean the old town logo is like literally the craziest logo.

So like it's there's a lot of colors, a lot of vibrancy.

So I just like leaving something a little intriguing in that to me feels interesting.

And it also makes Second Friday and Lafayette sound out stand out.

It's like that's what your focus is on, and then you're like, wait, what am I?

What is what am I discovering?

Um so I think that that could be a benefit.

Oh yeah.

That's funny.

I mean, I think like people are kind of used to like when I think about like Denver and like First Friday.

Artwalks and stuff, like people are kind of used to that term already.

Second Friday, but still they're gonna be like I I do feel like that's gonna have the most memorable like appeal, right?

I'm gonna remember Second Friday in Lafayette more than the tagline.

You just want the tagline to be like a little bit of a nudge.

Yeah, totally.

Yeah.

I think too, it's like you know, art night out is so ubiquitous now in Lafayette.

Like everybody knows what that is.

Well, yeah, it's true.

But you know, like the the hundreds of people that show up every week that they know it is awesome.

And so I think like making Second Friday like its own catchphrase is like worth something.

I'm worth it.

But it does surprise me how many people come into our gallery and I say, sorry, you come to our night out.

What's our eye down?

I mean, I think all of the small business owners here can be like people walk in every day.

They're like, how long do you even know if you're like yeah, exactly?

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Can you show us what the other ones were now?

I can't, I already have forgotten.

Which is not a statement.

I just have no memory.

Yeah, so there's something new.

Oops, sorry.

What do you get that's go ahead to uh so thank you?

A lot of people have said those in my head.

So I'm gonna move on from there.

Uh this the graphic, the what are we calling the part that's above?

Icon.

Yeah, it's an icon, sure.

I I think that is an absolutely wonderful thought.

And um projection of the the concept because it's not angular, it's round, and it's not linearly round.

It's like always interesting, like what happened here?

I don't know how the 16th note resolved at the top, but that's pretty amazing that you did that.

Um I'm wondering, like, my big question is what does this translate to if you put it in other languages?

Spanish.

Oh, that's a good question.

You mean the tagline?

It's up.

Uh second Friday.

It was second Friday.

That's the dogs be on this.

Yeah, yeah.

Segundo.

What about the rest though?

Wander into something new.

Yeah, we haven't actually we have not gone there yet.

I don't know what the translation is.

Well, that just kind of spoiled it on one way.

Well, that's something new.

Yeah, it's very similar sounding would be translated, yeah.

I don't know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'll just throw into that too.

Like, I forgot about the wander, actually, in these conversation already.

Um, but I like discover much like I'm leaning towards that because wander is unintentional, whereas like I get it for Lafayette, like the thing we've done.

But I really like this intentionality of like discover it going to Second Friday.

It's more like action-oriented.

Yes.

Yeah, okay.

But yes, good to think about other languages.

Yeah.

Um, and it's gonna be real abstract, but that's um graphically it's really tame.

I mean, the flower looks like a flower uh that the people could be bottles of one, and I think there's different shapes of bottles of one.

I'm just wondering, is that since we've gone here?

Um I would like to see things that aren't so standard in there that are Lafayette.

In our icon?

In the icon.

Yeah.

Like what?

A sombrera.

Yeah.

And a Chinese characters are more diverse.

Something that's more I don't see any diversity in there.

I said diversity of shapes.

And do with I mean there's diversity of shapes, but I think the diversity of Lafayette is unbelievably dense.

Um I'm not getting it from all of the icons that are used.

I think there's a cup of coffee in there.

The guitar could be a obvious special kind of guitar.

But they look pretty standard.

Graphically there, which I'd love that idea and having one here like that.

Let's go all the way and put some a character in there though.

I love that idea.

Okay.

Is there so it sounds like a lot of people are leaning towards this idea of discover something new?

Or is there any other thoughts or feedback to leave the team with?

Do you feel like you've got um I know exactly I can live with discover something just fine.

Well, how do you think?

Yeah, I like it.

I mean, it certainly encompasses it all.

Um we do have Second Friday in Lafayette.

It's gonna be right in everybody's face.

So come and discover.

It does make your life easier for discovering to me.

Yes.

I like it better than one.

Yeah.

Wander kind of is sounds too casual.

And uh wander in.

I've lost.

So that's fine.

And that solves the problem then because we really did do it for old town, but it's because we were really pattering it um after Art Night Out.

And that's on South Public Road.

So I think the uh oh first.

I was gonna say the other thing I think that discover something new is really lovely in this scenario is that like most of the work that we do and most of the events are held in old town, and so if we are looking to like partner outside of Old Town, it really is new to a lot of people because that might not be.

Yeah, they're going to Atlas Valley and they don't know it's loved yet.

So yeah.

So and I do think that that's is how we're thinking of it now, is that it really does cover Dagney Road and our hub and you know, the knitting shop over in Atlas Valley.

So it does allow growth in all of it and not just wonderful old yeah.

Tim.

Uh I was so I'm thinking of a art night out as three words, and this is second Friday in Lafayette Discover something.

So we got a lot of syllables going on there, and I'm gonna throw if if we discover something new, if we drop something and say discover new.

I don't think that's grammatically correct.

Discover new what?

Well, discover something new is a sentence and there's no period.

So discover new is a phrase.

Discover new sounds more like you don't know English well.

I mean, um it d it just sounds broken.

It doesn't sound complex yep.

And that's but if you put it if you put discover something new in a different language, it would s it was sound complete, right?

What would it be in Spanish?

Discover new no discover something new.

Escurear con nuevo would be discover something new and be discover new it'll use it yeah, it feels like I'll depend on that.

It is non-grammatically but also like we can do of course people do all kinds of things in like taglines and branding.

Arts like that.

But I would say like if we think of this iteratively, like Second Fridays in Lafayette, we're introducing this concept of like there are Second Fridays in Lafayette.

We're discovering something new.

If you think about this five years down the road, maybe everyone's gonna know what this is.

It's just Second Fridays discovering.

Exactly.

You know, 17 years ago, nobody knew what our night out was.

Okay.

I'm just saying we don't do something.

But apparently it's pretty important.

So we would be sure to say we will be sure about for posterity to save these minutes and then we can look back and see how history treats all of these suggestive.

I did have a question for you about um Tim's earlier suggestion about adding, which I love about adding sort of symbols that represent some of Lafayette's um diversity within I I love the icon or the logo or whatever.

I think it's so festive and whimsical and um and I was like, oh, coffee, ice cream, like some of my favorite things.

Right.

Um and I think it does imply that that in um in this art celebration there's there's so much more than um than the visual arts, as amazing as the visual arts are.

But does that feel doable or attainable to to bring in some representations of some of the cultures that are bedrocks here?

I think so.

It'll be interesting to see visually because it could get incredibly I mean it's already quite busy.

As you can see.

Um so it kind of we'll have to probably figure out how do we work that in without losing what that is, right?

Because part of it too is right sizing.

So part of what we've looked at, part of the reason these shapes are so basic is because when you shrink it down, you need to still be able to interpret what you're looking at.

So if something is hard to interpret when it gets really small, you sort of lose it.

So yes, I'd say it's possible.

We just would have to see what works like and still make sense visually.

Okay.

Were you gonna add something damn?

Oh no, no.

I'm I've had it now for the so if discover something new is the tagline.

That's also gonna inform what we do with the marketing toolkit.

Because thematically we're gonna follow where the tag mistakes.

I just have one question.

Keep the piano work open a little bit.

Standing alone and discover something new in Mafia.

Hmm.

Boom.

I'm not sure it makes any difference.

Put a lowercase D three dots in front of it.

Like it's the end of a sentence, but it's not a sentence.

Get rid of it in Mafia.

I think it like my opinion on that is that I think both work.

I would defer to like looking at various designs and usages here.

Because if we're like a lengthening something versus shortening something like that, I think it's gonna impact that.

I personally feel like either can work.

And so I feel like maybe we let to you and designing, then we we can kind of see what's best.

There's that there's also the function of like you were saying if five degrees down the road, you want to be able to remove the tagline altogether when you're gonna need the in Lafayette.

Um you can always bring it back.

Um but that is just something to keep in mind in terms of how people refer to the event.

Like, are they gonna just say second Friday?

Or are they gonna say second Friday in Lafayette?

So I would just say in terms of the the shelf life of it, that's something to consider.

Okay.

I think people who live here will say second Friday, and people who don't live here will say second Friday.

Just because that's how they distinguish it.

If you're a living, you know what you talk about.

Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it.

Any other questions or comments?

This is great, guys.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Thank you for supporting it.

Yeah, we think it's gonna be wonderful.

But it's it's interesting having an idea and then trying to implement it.

So um we're almost there, thanks to Kaile and Diane and Bridget and unbelievably helpful.

And you all have been too.

Tim, thank you for all your ideas.

Yes, do all I mean, nothing.

Do you all envision once you know you get this done and fix when we're doing the events that businesses would have yard signs or something if they're participating that would tie it all together?

Well, we're people could go through town and say, Oh, there's something going on here because I see the look of it.

That's well, that is a that is our hope.

We um we have small businesses here.

You know, when we come and tell you all about it, we hope that you can jump on it and go to the old old town Mafayette website.

And we'll have all the um things that you can print out and decide how you're gonna have your events.

Is that the goal for the toolbox?

Yeah, it's a marketing toolbox that will be on the old uh old town mafia website.

Yeah, I'm imagining that like at the kickoff event that we have, we'll have a bunch of things.

So if you're participating in business, you can pick up your poster, your sticker that you want to put on your door.

Um and then also we'll have digital assets as well and kind of walk through like this is how you submit what you're doing, and we're also gonna include some like suggestions for businesses that might be struggling to figure out how they would participate, because if you're you know a real estate office or a skincare place where it's not super obvious, where you um we kind of want to make some suggestions to those businesses as well.

Like, oh, here's how you can utilize your space and bring people in.

So that will be part of the toolkit too.

Like window cleans would be good.

Yeah.

What was that?

Yeah, window cleans.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Better than stickers on windows.

Well, because you know the stickers like leave a lot of stuff, but the the window thing you can just like take and put on.

Yeah, yeah.

So I guess you do that.

I love the list.

Thank you all so much for getting really appreciated.

Like they do a lot of things.

Oh, so yeah, yeah.

It's not good.

Okay.

Just change next week about the screen.

Yeah, it did not go well.

Um the next item on the agenda is where agenda items.

Oh uh discussion of potential street closure policy for Harrison Avenue and Simpson Street.

Great.

Do you want to use two requests about Sampson's core?

No, I need you to see.

I was like, this is so pretty direct.

Um we're so lucky that we have three Harris.

We're anchoring this end of the meeting.

Yes.

I didn't even think about putting you guys in the end.

It just worked out that way.

Um great.

So I'm looking to get direction from y'all about whether we should consider developing another street closure policy for Harrison Avenue and Simpson Street.

We developed one for the parking lot that um we lease from the city for public parking, which is helpful about just how street c or you know how you can close a space for an event.

Um, and so wanted to open this up because there's another area in our town that we're seeing a lot of events and kind of get some feedback.

So this is just in an introduction to it.

If this is resonating with y'all, we'll develop you know a draft policy.

If this isn't, then we can talk about what that looks like.

Um so a little bit of background just to help set the table.

Um we all know that temporary street closures can really activate public spaces.

Um we see that with R Night Out, farmers market, um, they support local businesses and really enhance community events.

At the same time, um, these do impact how the downtown is used, and so it can impact parking, traffic circulation, business access deliveries, and just nearby property owners.

And so being able to have a clear and transparent framework really kind of balances both interest by being able to discover something new in your downtown.

Uh while at the same time being able to be respectful of these brick and mortar businesses and just um just have some predictability about how these spaces are being used.

Um and so a community event permit um through the city is required anytime there is a temporary closure or an event on public streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, facilities, or plazas owned by the city.

Um facilities also encompasses the parking lot.

And so um an applicant would submit uh a permit for the city, which details the event and the site plan, and then it gets circulated through the various uh city departments.

So these are just some examples.

You know, public works looks at traffic control, risk management, make sure you have the right insurance, fire, make sure that um if something were to happen, there's emergency planning.

Um police with public safety, and then your event has um beer and wine, you want to make sure that you have the right state liquor license, and so um this process makes sure that events really comply with local, state, and any federal laws.

And the way that these um permits work is that we're really leaning on event organizers to be able to run this event and tell the city this is how I'm going to do it, this is how I'm gonna comply, um, and then you're able to access um the public right-of-way or plaza or facility.

So this is our boundary map.

Um, and right now we have you know three main areas um where events can happen.

You can see that um baseline is not included.

That's a CDOT uh highway.

We're not really seeing anyone shut down baseline for obvious reasons.

And so where we're anchored right now is public road, the orange is the parking lot, and then the teal is Harrison and Simpson.

And so all of these are public um areas, and so they're all governed by the community event permit process.

For a public road, the city has a policy where only city manage or sponsored events, or the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce may close public road for an event.

And so this is really to make sure that there are just marquee things that are happening on public road.

Um this includes a Lafayette Farmers Market, R Night Out, Peach Festival, as far as predictable things that are happening on public road.

City also has a contract with the Chamber of Commerce for how they for what events they can close down public floor.

And in this most recent contract, we put in just more stipulations about how they're going to engage with businesses and notify them earlier in the year.

108 North Public Road again is governed by the community event permit process, and now we have our DDA policy.

And so that will be able to provide just a predictable framework for what we want to see there and how often.

Harrison and Simpson, we we don't have any sort of overlay as far as policy goes, and it's governed by the community event permit process.

Simpson way back, not even way back, used to have the farmers market, and so there has been a successful market that's been there.

We've also seen recently the Lafayette Harvest Festival that has happened a couple times.

And so, in again, balancing these district priorities, we want to be able to bring people through programming downtown, we want to help support the businesses that are there where it makes sense.

But wanting to make sure that there's parking availability and providing access and a framework, again, as we discussed in other situations, can just help articulate what you can anticipate from uh a brick and mortar business or a property owner.

And so Harrison is interesting and also Simpson in that it's um a mix of really different types of properties there.

You have cultural institutions like WoW, we have retail, we have services, food and beverage, and then a lot of residential.

And so it really isn't the same thing as like your main thoroughfare, it's it's a mix, it's really a mix of uses.

Um, and so we've seen the Lafayette Fall Harvest Festival happen.

Um, but now we're starting, um, we've seen that there has been interest in doing other events here, and so um a wine festival was interested in doing it, uh, an event on Harrison, they've since decided to pull out, and then also the Juneteenth event is gonna be there.

Um, and so you know, there it's an interesting layout in this area where it could handle a quieter or like you know, not a huge event like Peach Festival, right?

Um, but we don't have any parameters as far as um what can you expect here?

And so this is the slide that I had at for the 108 North Public Road as far as what a policy framework could look like, and so we could, as the DDA say, hey, it might make sense that we have a policy for what events could happen on Harrison and Simpson and where on these blocks it might make sense.

We can um share what some reasonable limits on frequency and duration are, you know, from May through October every Sundays at the Lafayette Farmers Market.

Do we want to say you cannot do an event on Sundays?

Obviously, during this time period.

Do we want to limit maybe you can only do you know a couple during this period?

Um we can protect peak days and high demand periods.

Um there's also an interesting mix of businesses there, and so do we want to encourage integration with those businesses, and then how is it aligns the community event permit?

Um so this is all to say, and I would love to have Joanna and Ty and Ian share any thoughts that they have.

Um we you know, we've we've heard that some of the businesses would um like more engagement as far as when an event is being thought of, um, how the layout is being thought of, and so we have two paths here and wanted to just kind of hear everyone's thoughts as far as we're the DDA, we're our champion.

Um, should we just continue utilizing the existing community event permit process and kind of let the cities, you know, just uh process permits, or does it make sense as the DDA?

Do we want to help develop a draft policy for these two areas just to have some more predictability?

Um and so tonight I'm just really trying to get a yay or nay, but also would love to just hear thoughts in general.

Um, what have you heard from businesses, what has worked well in having events here, what are things that we can do better and kind of just open it up for a discussion.

So I'm gonna pass it over to Joanna.

Tim, were you?

Um I just had a point of clarification.

Are when we looked at the map and all public road is it's possible.

Um ever closed from Spaulding down to the South Boulder Road.

Um I know that the Peach Festival has gone closer.

I don't remember exactly I know it's gone to Kim Bark I believe.

But in the Oatmill Fence used to do the other end of Moad Road or something.

It wasn't around for Old Mill days.

So I think that it the the point is it can all be closed.

I don't know that it all has been closed at one any given time.

Yeah.

But the city has the ability to close any or all sections of public they do you know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

We've never I don't think we've ever had an event from baseline to south boiler roads but closed but this is more to say there has been this is public road it's in our district and it's in segments it could be closed.

Yeah I guess my idea is that I was going to say the content I think more should focus should be going at lower area but why has it never been used the which area south spaulding south or if it has it was maybe you don't know festival but then that's that was like I mean maybe like I mean like spaulding to south that's like the city like that's like these office buildings so like if you're thinking of people coming like they get food and eat some suites they're going in a community like all like a friends all that's up there.

I don't know that the South part is is fully built out for what you would want to happen.

Right I guess I'm thinking as the DDA maybe we should look at building out further down and further over and not adding more to the concentrated area for getting and I think what's helpful to um remember with this is this is not necessarily saying that we are doing events in these areas but saying if uh if someone would like to do an event these are the rules that you should play by and so opening it up I think it's a great point especially as we think is character areas as far as like where do we want to see investment in areas that haven't seen a lot of love and so maybe we could plug that as something to talk about in our retreat and also our workshop as far as what are programs that we have and where do we want to kind of see more investment.

So it's a it's a good point I'll make a note of it to kind of kind of expand on that conversation.

But just to clarify as like a question like the blue areas we're not talking about making this similar to the red like the pink public road we are talking about just doing something else so that we can have input so because public road is a main thoroughfare the city has put this guidance as far as we're not looking to close this anytime someone wants to do like a barbecue on public road right we need to have some parameters as far as what warrants closing down our main thoroughfare and so that's why it's been limited to city manage or sponsored events and then the chamber um which the city has a partnership as far as putting on some of these marquee things.

And so what we're seeing is that a lot more community led events are popping up adjacent to our you know public road and um East Simpson has a great patio there we're seeing it it's it plays really well in some of the parking lot with the lumber yards um and so this is wow this kind of came up as far as we're starting to see more people wanting to do things here does it make sense as the DDA to kind of lay a framework just so we can make sure that we're supporting things that make sense in our downtown going through this process like right now as we speak having do the what did you call it what is it called community event permit that yes um it's pretty extensive and pretty detailed and there's a lot of it and you can't all the things that I feel like we would do like engaging with the businesses and the neighbors are kind of things you have to do in order to even be able to get to permit.

I mean it's part of the reason why the wine thing couldn't happen because there just wasn't enough agreement as to how things should happen and so if you know people are agreeing you're not gonna be allowed to shut down an area so I I know that it's just it's it's a pretty complex process as it is I would hope that if we decide to add something that it's not something that's adding another complex barrier to the process of getting it done because there are a lot of restrictions and things that you can and can't do and stuff that you have to have and permissions you have to get and you know it's not like a person it's like tons of people you know deciding on that process so that would be my only real feedback is I hope we would complicate the process.

We didn't want to like create a bunch of hoops but more just like hey like look at this checklist do you think that you meet this then you should submit you know move forward and submit your permit application.

And so in a way it is before it gets rotted around everyone it's like this is the concept do you continue on the process.

So it's a great point it's like once you start that process you need to go through everything and so this policy would make more sense as a beginning part of it.

Yeah.

It's interesting um as a tenant on that street to reflect on the difference of of things like the the upcoming Juneteenth festival which um the festival organizers have been very engaged with us as a as a not just a big tenant on the block but also an organization that for whom a festival like that makes a ton of sense right because of our um uh our efforts to really serve diverse families in um in the region right and so and we wanted to uh increase our outreach to black and African American community we've wanted to increase our cultural celebration so then to be approached like this fantastic when I reflect on something like the Fall Festival um we didn't find out about the fall fest but it may be in that um in the complexity of hoops that currently exists that businesses on the street are supposed to be approached we certainly were not um and so the fall festival is a really interesting I think example of how something can be very successful for some businesses and really difficult for others.

So that is an enormous money loss of a day for WOW which when I found out about the Fall Festival I brought that to the Fall Festival's organizers' attention um because it's our busiest day of the year Saturdays and we lost all parking I mean technically we had our back lot but you don't we don't want our staff arguing with people attending a fall festival or having to say no I know you brought kids but this is really just for wow um and we saw that as complicated like we love the block we love being part of all of this and so we we didn't refuse to participate in meetings once we were invited or anything like that but we raised this concern that as a nonprofit and a small business we were losing our busiest revenue day of the week you know busy revenue period.

And that was met with disbelief.

And it's very hard as a small business if other small businesses are saying to you no this is going to be great for you and you know your business and you know it's not and then a second consecutive year it happened this time we were informed in advance so maybe the process was followed better.

And we showed the receipts of how much money we had lost um and a mediocre solution was proposed and we got back eighty seven dollars from the two thousand that we lost.

So so things like street festivals have an enormous impact on a business that depends on walk-in business on members feeling comfortable knowing their routine when they have littles in tow um so that's like two contrasting you know like great communication so related to our mission easy for us to market versus really complicated with our mission.

I know like from conversations with you Ty and with um colleagues at the Red Queen that Fall Festival was a huge success for some.

So I think I like this idea of some somebody who's not an immediate I mean I'm on the DDA of course we three are and if it was we wouldn't be I think the decision maker you know you'd recuse yourself if it's your own project but I like the idea of a lens that's not I like uh the idea of a dispassionate lens added to a discussion around the usage because nothing's gonna make everyone happy and I know that and we ultimately with Fall Festival took the hit but we wanted it to be known because if there were too many fall festivals in a row that would be really hard on our on our budget.

So that's I agree.

I I didn't realize you could you know I it has been very complicated you know understanding like I I guess it's a direct person on the block like it's kind of why we adjusted how we shut the street down in the network you know shed it down at the alley so that you know Wow still has access to all their front uh lumber yards still has access to their parking lot they can decide how they use that but also gave everyone the ability to have involvement with the footprint or however it is that they feel um is best for so I mean I I think if we're doing something where we're forcing some engagement um that's probably not a bad thing to do because you do have to think through that process because I mean there are a couple of service businesses in the area that there's they're they're never going to have a good experience with it because it's always going to have an impact on their businesses but is there a strategic way to compromise that we're you can add to that Ty I just wanted to make sure top tie I mean I think having a see it's not just a race thing.

Were you gonna add to that tie?

I just wanted to make sure to have tie.

I mean, I think having a see it's not just a race thing.

I agree with Ty's point that it's already complex to do anything, so having you know, and then to Bridget's point, it's not it's it's more about making sure this is right before you start the process, which I think makes sense and save everybody a lot of headache.

I'd be curious how much it would impact the complexity of doing it and if it would discourage events.

Um, but I also totally agree that having like uh non-partisan agreement for how to use the space is fair and equitable and makes sense.

We could probably help with uh like understanding the flow in that because I will say that when you get all the information and you're like, oh, all right, well, let's get at it.

You know, you start clicking on all these links and you start having all these forms pop up, going to all these websites, and so you know, I'm just like filling out all the things and doing all the stuff and then not realizing that some of it was optional, all of it I didn't have to do.

Some of it I couldn't even, you know.

I just thought like I got all these links, this must be the stuff that so like I requested a banner, like not really requesting a bet, I just thought, oh, I guess I gotta have a better, you know.

So I mean going through the community processes, yeah.

That got a message back from them like we're really happy that you want a better high program, is very popular, and so we're not gonna, you know, it's like, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to send it to you.

I just thought I had to send it to you, you know.

So that's we could probably help in that process pretty intensely let people know, you know, it's intense, but you know, this is what you're gonna have to do versus not.

That's super helpful feedback, Ty, because if you think about like where a majority of our events have been, they're professional event organizers.

And so they do this event every single year.

They've already done this process, and so like the farmers market just like dust it off, you know.

They've went in, peach festival's like we're getting bigger, you know, but like they they do this every single year for this area, and also thinking about the parking lot, right?

Which is probably gonna be more community-led events, um, how do they engage with this process?

And as a DDA, can we help influence like flow charts or like an easy how-to guide or like what to expect?

Um, the city does they do like a pre-app meeting with event um applicants, but is there something easier to that's while you're filling it out is more digestible.

So that's a great point.

I think Janae was starting to say something earlier too.

Yeah, I was just gonna say, I think like the benefit of having some DDA like involvement or oversight is like to your point we can have this up front.

Um I just find clear expectations and understanding is so much easier than trying to play catch up later.

Um I also think like if we are thinking of this like five years from now, like what is the demand of these streets gonna be and how much is all of this gonna keep growing and events gonna be like popular in Lafayette.

And so I think having some involvement now where we're setting a precedent is a positive versus trying to catch up later when maybe like the wow has been like innovated and and you know, like individual businesses have like been juggling all of this, and so I I think you know that was my first concern as well.

Like, how much more paperwork is this gonna be?

But I think if it's like no having a clear understanding of like, is this a good fit, or do we need to look somewhere else?

Um, is it really positive net outcome?

I think for the businesses and potential people who are interested in doing events, and also the residents too, as far as like I know that this is what I'm gonna expect by living on Simpson areas, yeah.

Tom I just wondered if um doing a patchwork of policies is the right approach too, and then we've done a parking lot policy, and then we're talking about this these particular streets, but you know, over the years, there's gonna be other stuff happening in other places and not just public, or maybe the public road policy changes.

So I wonder if we should be thinking about it a little bit differently and thinking about writing a policy for things that happen in the DVA, the things that are important to us to manage, you know, whether it's you know, engaging with businesses or the types of events or whatever, we do it for the whole DDA, and if it's not relevant to public pro events because the signal happened, it doesn't matter, right?

And if it's not relevant to public road events because the signal went out, and it doesn't matter, right?

But then we're not coming up with a new policy for everyone intersectional town.

Yeah, I think we can look at what we did for 108 and then see what's the same and what's different, right?

Um there might we might want, I mean, it's a great point, right?

Do we want to just have a blanket?

These are the things that you can do in any of these places, or this is a quieter place, we want these types of events here, or these are the mix of uses here, we want these types of events here, but I appreciate the point as far as how do we make this not complicated without patchwork?

Um and also thinking about what maybe we need to go through an exercise.

Maybe there's not a one size fits all.

Yeah, and it's a it's a good point as far as I think the sentiment I'm here is like easy, clear.

Yeah, but to be clear, we're just saying yes or no tonight, and then we'll be able to review those policies.

Yeah, and I and I just want to get general like thoughts and feedback.

So when I'm putting pen to paper for us to react to something, if there's something that's glaring, um, things that have worked well or things that haven't worked well, feel free to give me that feedback too.

But overall, I'm kind of getting the sentiment of like, yeah, let's work on something and we'll consider it, and this might be a a good thing to add.

I think that like just to those ideas, like criteria around days days of week usage would be really important.

Um totally hear that.

Like if someone shut down public and there wasn't a thousand people at the farmer's market, like that would be really hard for public line.

Um so I think having criteria based like different criteria, it sounds like that might be really useful for like some of the businesses.

Yeah, so that you explore that.

Um you can close down a street for a block party and like let's say someone wants to have their like 40th birthday party, right?

And then it's just like what's up, right?

And so being able to be like this also warrants closing down this segment, and we can be like, are like this is the segment that you can close down, and like these are the types of events that make sense.

It's it's interesting to think about.

I definitely support having an event policy personally.

I feel like as a business on public road, I'm super grateful that we're getting more serious about like what can close down public road because it really impacts like similar things where it's like I rely on every single Saturday each month to be able to pay my rent.

Yeah.

And so I I've heard complaints from businesses about this area and it impacting them.

And I think that our main for me, the main thing about being on the sport is to support the small businesses.

So whatever feels like it makes the most sense for them in terms of what the policy looks like.

I feel really open to, but I think it's important to have a policy or create some sort of boundaries so that if somebody wants to close down, you know, for their birthday party, it could be like no, that doesn't feel right, you know.

Yeah, like the fences and everyone has access.

No, sorry.

It's a later conversation.

No, I was just gonna say, I think like I think we've all been focused on some some of the like potential impacts are negatives.

I think it also, if you've looked at creates opportunity for this to become a highlighted like DDA, like we can't we can't just go to the city and say we want to close down public, right?

But if we have an event that we're like, we really believe in this, I think it gives the DDA some like power to like work with individuals or other opportunities and view it as positive.

That's a great point, yeah.

Yeah, I don't think it's like I said, as long as they're not overly complicating the process bad thing.

Um especially considering we do like um I have to be open to it because I'm never negatively impacted, like as long as there are people that find stuff, you know, so I don't have the same kind of concerns, you know.

So I have to be open to the fact that like other businesses definitely are gonna be impacted differently.

Tim.

Uh just a another, so I understand because I'm not this is not my role I'm learning here.

Um closing down a road means people don't drive.

Like when public road is closed, people do not drive on that section of the road on that section of the road.

People still drive and are detoured.

Right.

And then they but they can't get to your store.

Well if it's closed.

If the road's closed.

Correct.

Yes.

But like someone's they have to park and walk to your store.

They can't drive to your store, but they can still get to your store.

They just can't park in front of your store.

And that they won't come.

I mean, there's a there's less of a likelihood they'll come if you're I think it's more of an issue with like when you have a or if you have a fenced out area and people have to work around or they have to get rid of something to get to you, or you know, it's just it complicates the process for people, and some people don't like complicated.

Like Art Night Out, they close the road now on Fridays at like starting around.

One?

Oh, yeah.

Because then they set up all the barriers, they close down the road.

So we have like very little sales from like one to six every Friday.

You know, one Friday a month.

And it's fine.

I love earning it out.

Like it's it's it's the thing where it's like it's not.

You know, we're in a town.

It's it's great.

Like I love the events that happen.

But if that happened every Friday, that would be really hard, you know.

So there has to be like some kind of thing.

Yeah, I think I guess one of the biggest hearing five years into the future, like I'm hoping that five years into the future, this isn't a thing.

Because there are other ways for people to get to your business.

Yeah, I mean, I think that's fair, but even you know, if you think of large events like Art Night Out or the farmers markets, like you're not riding your bike down that.

Oh no, no, run bikes, but I mean there are ways to move people that we we'll we'll talk about it at some point.

Drones and you just dropped the whole thing.

I see where you're going with this.

I think I think another lunch to look at this is um uh you know, like Page Festival, if you're not a participating vendor in it, it might be a hard day for you because everyone is just going up and down and they're not going on the side of the engage, right?

But the farmers market, for instance, has done a pretty good job as far as like making sure they're not blocking entrances, working with the businesses, and so like public wine is next to a bunch of vendors, and so like you can they have tastings and they participate, right?

And so it's it's also like creating a framework as far as like if this is a event that benefits you and there's a way to participate versus this is an event that doesn't have the same sort of access or participation once a quarter once a year versus every single week, those things matter.

Yeah.

And just an example, because it's not, I think just about I mean, obviously, we know in everything DDA and Lafayette that parking is is so huge and access via vehicle right now.

But also, for example, in the fall festival example, the first year of fall festival, when people would make it to WoW's front door, they were very frustrated to discover that they had to pay money to enter WoW because it was a festival.

And so but we did it didn't occur to us if to do, and when you do a free day, of course, again, you're losing all that revenue.

So we had we had volunteers, senior citizen volunteers at the front doing an easy activity and then being berated that they were so it's also the what which I think gets to what this lens could help with, what the expectation is for businesses on that block.

If it's a festival and you're not doing something special, you might hear it from a disgruntled consumer.

So how do you plan that all in advance?

Yeah, I that's not something I want to repeat.

And again, I love fall.

I love harvest festivals.

I'm not against it.

Yeah, so I guess what I was getting at.

You know what I mean?

Like it's shutting the road is not as is not doesn't have to be devastating.

Fair enough.

So as long as the we can make sure the businesses are engaged, even though the road is closed, then it I think that would be part of the policy.

Like, okay, if you want to close the road for your 40th birthday, you're you're bringing people in on a bus to go into that business as a like as a as a recognition that you messed them up, so you need to like figure something out.

Okay.

All right, I feel like I got some um support as far as let's see a draft and make it easy, make it transparent, provide some guidance and we'll take it.

I was worried when I saw this one thing.

I thought I'd fill it out as a paper for all.

Just try to get this perfectly.

You're just trying to pick the three of us against each other.

Um the next agenda item is the old town comprehensive wayfinding program.

Great.

Um so on our work plan is looking at wayfinding.

And so tonight is really just an introduction to what um this proposal project could look like.

It's talked a lot about in our action plan.

We have funding available to um with a strategy.

This is definitely a multi-phase project, but kind of wanted to introduce this, throw it out there, see if everyone is driving with what this approach could be, and then yeah, just talk about what some next steps could be.

So I'm gonna go through our DDA goals and our work plan, what a project approach could be, what's some scope could look like, timeline for a request for proposals, and just questions and feedback.

So in our plan in the place keeping category, um, we have a goal to establish a cohesive district identity by incorporating consistent streetscape elements, dark sky lighting, wayfinding systems, and gateway signage.

Um, one of the strategies, which is a little redundant, but it is to develop a comprehensive and inclusive wayfinding program, um, really thinking about like user-friendly digital tools, detailed maps, interactive art installations, and other mediums to help residents and visitors navigate and explore Old Town.

I think this map is super interesting because during the development and outreach, we talked to a lot of just residents and visitors and constituents as far as how do you get to Old Town.

And we have some clear major gateways as far as 287 and baseline, um, baseline in public, and South Water Road and Public, but there's also so many other ways where people enter into this area, whether by walking or cycling or using the bus.

Um, and because we're surrounded by residential neighborhoods, they're almost like mini gateways, whether you're coming in from Emma or you're coming down from Simpson.

Um, and lots of times we've heard people say, I didn't know that was there.

And so being able to have a wayfinding system that is much more than just direct directional signage can really help move people throughout a district and also know that you've arrived, you're here, and you should discover something more.

Um, and so our current district wayfinding is very standard.

If you think about it, we're just using the old town logo in different ways.

Um, to the left, we have an arrow showing where our historic East Simpson Street is.

We have some monument signs that have been done in different ways.

Um the sign that's lit up, I think is a really interesting way to look at our logo.

Um, but it also doesn't help you move throughout the district.

We have parking signs, we have a sign on 2d7.

Um so wayfinding has been something that the Urban Renewal Authority has been really interested in for a number of years.

And when we did our work planning exercise last year, when we were thinking about small, medium, and big things, wayfinding was a consistent thing that we were interested in, and so in our work plan, we talk about developing a strategy for how we can implement new district wayfinding.

Umwayfinding and placemaking can be super cool.

Um, I wanted to throw out some examples of how you can use wayfinding that's not the typical just directional sign of like city halls this way, right?

Um, and so pulled a bunch of different things.

You can see to the left, there's a cool like art installation, like art mural as far as what an area could look like.

You could have different kind of big uh industrial elements to kind of show that you're in a place.

Um, I think that street sign of the guy at the top with a map and just different arrows is interesting for, I mean, we have many different blocks in Old Town.

Um, you could use pavement as far as an enhanced intersection, um, especially for cultural institutions, and then lighting.

Um, I think consistently we've heard that people want Old Town to have more of a nightlife, and so by being able to play to a user after dark is also important just for safety, but also something cool to think about.

Um, and so this was something that was um just brought up a lot when there was development of our action plan, and then something that you all um it resonated with you as far as yeah, this is something that could be really impactful to work on.

So, in a project like this, you are engaging with a lot of individuals to make sure that you get it right.

While we are the DDA and can fund this and be a champion of it, there's so many people who interact in sort of moving through downtown.

If you're installing a sign in the right-of-way, you're engaging with public works.

Planning needs to make sure that it hits different setbacks, parks, communications, arts and cultural resources, IT, PD fire, city council, typical city partners in this, right?

So I think that this would be a really collaborative thing where while we might be the champion in it, we are working with each of those individuals to make sure that this meets all the standards that we need to.

Also major employers.

I mean, we have a ton of employment down near the hospital, and when they come up here, we want to make sure that they know where to go.

Engage with different boards and commissions, historical society event organizers, thinking about residents and visitors, you know, not only those in Old Town, but Lafayette, our mobile home park, visitors that are arriving by bike, foot transit, car, Spanish speakers, and then also regional partners.

Wayfinding is also a transit thing, right?

So CDOT, RTD, Bright Free Lafayette, Come Solutions, Boulder County.

There's a lot of different partners.

And so I think that this is going to be a super collaborative project to implement something new as far as how to get people throughout your district.

So I'm thinking of this.

So the first one would be to just come up with what your program is your strategy.

So looking at is this existing conditions, doing community engagement envisioning, create that strategy and create conceptual design.

So what's the look and feel of this?

And then what are some priority elements in a roadmap?

Wayfinding can get really expensive, especially if we're thinking about art and lighting.

But are there you know the quick wins and then are there like small, medium, large things that you could implement?

If you want us to do a giant archway, is that the phase three implementation versus we just want to get you signage downtown?

Um and so that phase one could give you that whole suite of everything in a digital sense, and then really start um budgeting and planning how do you want to implement it.

So phase two is like after you figure out what that is, actually getting a designer or fabricator to create construction ready documents and specs, um, and then phase three would actually be installed so concept, design, install.

So for this, um what I what we put into our budget and what I think that we can accomplish is creating that phase one comprehensive wayfinding and placemaking strategy.

So out of this, we would have a framework for this old town area and the signage with the goal of again approving just how people navigate throughout.

Um we can highlight key destinations, gateway, parking, community assets, so like the typical things that you get from wayfinding.

You want to know that East Simpson, there's something more to do.

Um, you want to know how to get to Bob Burger Rec Center or the Collective or City Hall or Festival Plaza, the Yard of Entry, and then actually develop what that's kind of suite of packages look like.

These are all examples.

Um, and then again, that roadmap for how to how to get it done.

So, as far as how we could implement this first phase, um, spend the next couple months drafting a request for proposals.

I have a framework for it, but would love to share it with maybe a subcommittee from the DDA, but then also just different city departments to make sure that we are thinking about this with the lens of public works or planning or parts, comms, making sure it's accessible.

Um, so then hoping to release or RFP for a design consultant in September, spend a couple months going through that process and awarding it in November.

Since there's holidays, just thinking let's kick this off in the beginning of 27.

And so thinking that this first phase is a year-long process, so January through winter, where um first they're looking at existing conditions, spring would be a good time for engagement and visit visioning, having a draft framework in the summer for individuals to react to, um, develop that draft plan in fall, and then final approval in winter with the huge caveat of this would all change dependent on the consultant.

Some consultants might say I can do this in 10 months, others might say I need 18 months and um wanting to make sure that we are open to whatever they propose.

So short and sweet, but I wanted to at least kind of we have it on our we had it on our work plan as far as how do we create a strategy to implement this, and um wanted to introduce this as far as getting feedback or answer any questions.

Um we have budget for it, and yeah, I'm gonna turn it over to Joanna.

Feedback for Bridget or questions for maybe you said this and I missed it.

What is the budget for it?

So I believe we have a hundred and eighty thousand for this first page.

Is that enough?

We'll see.

You know, um I've actually talked to a couple consultants about it, and yeah, yeah, yeah.

I've talked to a couple consultants as far as this is the strategy part, the first part not actually doing the specs and everything.

Um they said that seems like about right.

Um, but I mean we have a lot in here, and so I'm sure we'll get a range of some cheaper, some more expensive, and we can always adjust the budget based on what's the most qualified right fit for us.

And I think it's important also to put it in phases, right?

Because if out of that strategy we have some ridiculous cool things, and we know that the design is to actually do the you know, shop drawings for it are gonna be a lot.

Um it's good to kind of put that as a well, we don't know what we're gonna get, so this is just for that first part.

It's exciting.

Yeah, I think it's super exciting.

I feel like we just need to get started.

I'm so excited for this to be in, and so getting the ball going feels really good.

Seems untouchable, which I really like.

Cool.

Is it something you need from us you can just do?

Just this is how I'm gonna this is my plan to implement this, and if this sounds good, we'll rock and roll.

If you have any questions about it, or do we feel like we're missing something?

But overall, it's a very like standard approach as far as first thing we need to do is come up with strategy.

Yeah, yeah.

Uh so I'm wondering, I see a lot of visual um wayfinding.

And other you know, whoever it is will create more ways.

Um, and I we just where I work, we just did an accessibility app for the location, but it was really for people lower no vision, um it's impossible to you know to try to implement over the city.

But what kind of accessibility how would an accessibility be addressed?

It needs to be you know, like I think thinking about this both not both accessibility for like different users, whether mobility accessibility or different disabilities, being able to interact with our downtown is important.

I'm not an expert in any of that, but I think it's gonna be something that we should highlight as far as like through this program, we need to be able to make sure that users of all ages and all abilities will be able to engage in our downtown.

Um, and then also the bilingual, totally separate from accessibility, but like making sure that everyone feels like they can navigate it will be important.

So it's a it's a great thing to highlight to do we is there enough money we have to consider those other aspects of it with 180,000 as part of the cool.

So that was what I was gonna jump in with is that like I've worked on projects like this, and this like what she's specifying is that we are going to be putting out an RFP to find the right people to be working on this, and then they're gonna help us design it in the way that we want it to be.

Um and I feel like that that budget is then separate from this strategy.

We're really looking to say, like, what do we want out of this?

What do we want it to look like?

We want it to be accessible.

And there's a lot of designers uh that are experts in that.

Like they specifically bring that skill set into this.

Um, and so that's something like it's a great flag because we can highlight that as like we can put that in RFP.

Like we want an accessible um strategy.

So I I view them as like that's like phase two almost like thinking through like how do we implement this and then what is the costs.

Yeah, like um how large is the sign, is it the right colors?

Um if I'm in a wheelchair, can I see it?

Like that all would come in when you actually like physically design the shop drawings for everything.

But this is more of like the guidelines and suites as far as like these are the different types of signage, um yeah, like incorporating braille, like stuff like that is all part of that, like design process versus like Yeah, I guess and then because we had to start over on some of the projects, so a universal design from the beginning is what would be super important.

We don't want to have one to fall in love with something and then be like this.

So like you have to like change colors or yeah, it's important to just be like starting point, yeah.

It needs to meet this level.

But these people children trying to navigate and they children can't see the signage or they can't see around the bush and they walk out the street and stuff.

So I think that's what we're saying.

It's important that in our choosing process that we're making what's most important or the things that are very important.

So when they're presenting stuff, you can tell.

I mean, like when we went through the marketing process, you know, like very similar to that.

And I'll do, you know, I'll reach out to public works and comms because they engage with accessibility in a different way than I would and figure out are there standards that we want to write into this.

And so they if they need to go to subconsultant that is can meet the standard, they're bringing that up in part as part of their proposal, and we understand what that costs is.

Yeah.

Any other thoughts be that?

Cool.

Thumbs up.

Rock and roll.

Do you sleep ever?

Just curious.

Yeah.

Because I have a toddler and it's time to sleep.

I am good.

Great.

Next up on the agenda is staff updates.

Great.

So I just have a couple things.

I sent out a survey about doing an off-site retreat with the Longmont DDA, which I think would be super fun just to see another DDA nearby that's been around for over 30 years and seeing like where they're at and kind of allowing us to see dream big.

Right now, it looks like July 20th would be a great day.

So I will follow up with both of them to see if that works.

I'm also gonna invite a couple city members to attend because I think that from a city perspective would be interesting how they partner with the DDA.

So right now I'll just you know I'll confirm some other people, but let's hold the 20th.

That'll be good because I think especially for Tim, you've heard me say that's a great idea.

Let's let's program for our our work planning workshop.

So we're gonna do it.

Yeah, so August I think will be good to really reflect back on like, all right, we've done you know a lot of work since um our first meeting in April 2025.

We learned a lot through these different programs.

What do we want next year to look like and excess and also look back at our living work plan to see like what did we accomplish?

Like what were things that we thought were gonna go this way and it turned out this way.

Um so that will be a fun um workshop, and I'll feed you all.

Um and then that will lead us into introducing a budget.

So if this is our work plan, what's the funding that's gonna go with it?

So those are some big things.

Um I also wanted to highlight that um we have agency off record on contract.

We're in this transition period, so Cone is winding down at by the end of June.

And AOR, agency off record, AOR is winding up.

Um, and so we're gonna have an internal discovery workshop at the end of June.

And so I was gonna follow up with Faith and Janae to see if they wanted to participate.

If not, no worries.

Um, but that will be a good time for them to just get up to speed about everything that's been going on, but also just like whole town in general and um some insights, and I think having two small business owners would be helpful.

Um that's happening, which is exciting.

Uh wanted to provide some updates on the creativity culture microcran.

Did he send that to you?

Yeah.

Um have you not seen this?

He sent it to me today, too.

Yeah.

I got it like an hour before we meet him.

Like, I gotta drop it in.

Um, so some really cool things are happening.

Um the first is this is the design for the community paint by numbers project, and so they're looking to attend some farmers market dates and have this be a giant community paint by design, so that will be really cool.

I think it's super vibrant and seems really accessible as far as different ages being able to do something on it.

Um how do you paint by number gradient like up there?

We're gonna find out.

I'll see you there.

Um the second one is the mural for the little herbal apothecary um cross in process.

Uh Chris sent Faith and I an update on that.

Um he's sketched, I believe he sketched it all out, so now he's starting to put um color to it, so it's really exciting.

And then summer concert series.

So this Thursday is the first one at the yard at Ventry.

It's gonna go through August.

Free music.

Um, we're helping sponsor Intuitorial Live is putting that on at the yard.

So um, and that looks like a lot of different collaborations with nearby businesses, so it should be really fun.

And who, Bridget, who's doing the community paint by numbers?

Julia Ben Asher.

Okay.

Yeah.

The next update is just a dig award that we just did.

So this is for tangerine.

Um Alec is the owner of Tangerine and also the owner of the building.

Um fun fact, he's told me that this is the most successful tangerine, which makes me really happy.

Wow.

Um, and so there is an upstairs that um was has been used to be um in the past as office space.

Um it's been hard to fill it.

Um, and so he's got some potential tenants, and so applied for a dig award to demise it into two or three different units, and so there'd be some um walls that would need to go up, some HVAC and electrical.

Um, and I think that this is a really cool example of um business attraction and being able to fill vacant a vacant space through a DV8 grant.

Um so really excited that he reached out um and he we awarded it.

And so we have about $14,000 left for the year.

Um there's another business owner on Simpson that's reached out interested in doing a facade program, so I pinged him again just to say if you're interested, apply.

Um, and if we um allocate all the funds and want to put more towards it, we can have that discussion.

But so far it's been super successful, and it's really exciting to see just different um individuals use it for different scope.

And those are my updates.

Uh great.

We move on to new business and uh directors' reports.

Do any directors have any updates?

Uh June take this happening.

Uh we put up file that's happened so fast we got all the collateral posters and stuff out for the uh performers and events, some adds some there.

Um I also bridged it send the multi-d stuff so around you can if anyone would like an actual like poster poster, have some of those printed.

So these are different pieces of collateral I just have so there's not all the same.

You're all taking a different piece of all the poetry.

Yeah, yeah, these look the same, but that's because they do look similar.

They were designed the same.

Um but the one here is gonna be from four to eight.

We have a pre-event at the uh collective, not collective for thirty the day of the poetry thing.

Um the collateral that's not here, and it's partly because uh we're waiting for you know sundance to to do their part.

Um but they have a woman that's local that won a sundance away for short that they want to put as part as to work building around that.

So I'm waiting to get that information so that we can put the collateral together for the film test defeats on the 19th, but they should cover everything else.

So we don't want to be vendors and definitely some volunteers, uh, please let me know all the information.

And wow, we'll be free.

But we're very happily, so and open that night.

So um we'll do special story times for doing an arts and crafts activity, and families can just come in at no cost.

And it's still open like four to eight.

Yeah.

We're doing the event, so they're gonna stay open for the related bullshit.

It's exciting.

Any other directors have updates?

I was gonna mention we talked about the street closers events, but um weekend I went down at the chalk art festival in Denver.

I don't know if you guys know that, but what was it?

Shocked art festivals where you know they it's like picture, small page photo of the farmers market or something that they've allocated a space for artists to do their mural art mural.

And each one is sponsored by a local business.

It's really cool.

I just couldn't help but think how perfect to fit that kind of event would be for us.

Yeah.

I love that.

Yeah, yeah.

And also somebody wants to incorporate kids in that different cultures and different and just like a pendant for some time.

Maybe not for us to run, but maybe there's somebody in the community and must run that kind of event.

That would be super.

Especially thinking like creating a culture microgram, but then also if we have a lens of like different areas that we want to activate that normally don't see a lot of the traffic.

Yeah, um, it's a really cool idea.

That's a piggyback.

That's how they was it two years ago.

They they painted the front of uh the city building in Denver.

But it was all done with like I was messed with a fair shooting down there because they actually had someone come and do the drawing on the ground, and then they had people come out and they do your colors and people were out there painting all their parts.

So it is a good activity.

Any other yeah.

I just have a question about that because uh I just happened to find out that Louisville painted a pride flag in one of their intersections of the street and it didn't fade off fast enough for one of the residents.

Um but it was designed to like fade over time, weather off.

And it lasted apparently too long.

Um lasted long.

Um and with chalk art, do is it intentionally removed or does it weather away?

Does anybody know?

Yeah.

They leave it out there for a little while, but it it just it we'll if it rains, it would it'll wall away pretty quickly.

Maybe less of an issue.

Yeah, Jonathan keeps going up and down the street.

Yeah.

So I do up and down.

It's a tool of choice parents give their children it goes away.

Uh I wanted to say that I attended a few of the Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival events.

Um they were great.

And I I it was one of those things where I just kind of saw at the last minute that they were happening, and I feel like they could have like I I think that people would have gone to them if they had known about it, like they could have been more well attended.

You said electronic arts.

Yeah, the Leaf Lafayette Electro Electronic Arts Festival was the whole month of May.

Yeah, this would have that's was my point.

Yeah, is I think that I would love for us to help support them better next year with like um agency off record and stuff, just to like get the word out because I think a lot of times people in Lafayette want something to do, especially something interesting and different.

Yeah, discover something new.

Discover new?

But they just they don't know what's happening.

Like we we need like more you know, cohesiveness around like informing people about our events.

So uh we should really try to like help them out next year with like getting the word out.

Um because it was really cool.

It was fun.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I have to go next.

Well, also I wanted to say we're hoping when Chris does hang the mural to have like an unveiling inside of the apothecary.

Um and so we will have like some music and invite everybody.

Great, yeah, cool.

Um especially since that one is one of the few, I think it's the only one that is a physical thing that's going to last, not an event for the CCM.

Um Faith and I talked about getting a plaque installed next to it that said like sponsor, like explaining the artist, yeah, mural, but then also having our logo that said funded by um which would be cool just to do for some of our projects that are really public facing.

Yeah, make it big enough so people can read it while we're sitting in Tangerine.

There you go.

Tim, did you have something?

I did Yeah, right.

Um maybe not.

But so I went to Wikity Split today.

And uh I went to the old town website and it's listed.

And it says go go to the website, there's a button.

And then went to their Instagram page, and they didn't have a link to the well, no, didn't have a link to the menu.

Uh they didn't have a web page.

Um I'm just wondering if they're if it would be overreaching to put some requirements if you're part of the DDA and part of Old Town to at some point submit basic information where we are when we're open, yeah.

Those things.

Maybe a link to a menu, but that's not super critical.

But where you are and what times you're open.

And I'm throwing it out to y'all.

Is that something that's a little bit?

I actually think that's a great point because I think it's very frustrating for consumers to see something marketed, be excited, go, and then it's a it's not the information you're looking for.

Like I don't know that we want to be associated with mediocre information.

Not wanting to create a big burden for a small business with no social media or website team, but we could probably support that creation in some way.

But I I do think it's almost like our seal of approval or something.

Like we want to, you know, we don't want to we don't want people to be frustrated with something they got to from us.

Yeah.

I know that with the directory, um we cone and just the the team has really tried to make sure that things are as evergreen as possible.

Because it they do an audit every single year of the entire website and see like everybody being correct.

Sorry.

This evergreen mean correct you said evergreen.

Evergreen mean like it doesn't change constantly.

Yeah, like through the seasons, evergreen.

Like the tree.

Yeah.

Okay.

Never heard the term I'd like to show it, but you discovered new.

Telling you.

I feel like I've hung around enough planning and marketing consultants that I'm just like taking their phrases now, and I'm like, you don't know this?

But there was probably two years ago I'm like evergreen one.

Yeah.

Um, but having it just be where you don't have to update it a lot.

And so like if a menu changes or hours change, it would be really a huge lift to be able to do that constantly.

Um and so the main website is I think what they've tried to go towards.

I'm not I know that they had a Facebook page, and so for this particular instance, it might be that they don't have a full website up, but um it is they it is important.

Um I know that in past businesses submit it to the website and then we put it up there.

Um so it's not the right thing.

Um we can be intentional as far as giving them advice as far as it's important for your consumers to have this as the link or something, so it's gonna be fun.

Yeah, and it's not the only place that I found that that's the situation.

And a surprising number of places that for me are closed on Mondays.

Yeah, so most places doing it on every but when we do the wayfinding, that would be a thing that you could put into your you know, like plan my trip kind of thing.

I'm going off the yet, I'm gonna go this and this because these are open or closed on Mondays.

So yeah, attached to the wayfinding.

Yeah, that's a good point.

I seem to always my hungry as on Mondays because it feels like a chick-filling Sunday.

Any other uh new business or updates?

Okay.

Well, the time, now I get to say the time is 742, and we are at turn.

Okay, so it's real.