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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Powell Operations Committee Meeting - November 18, 2025

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, November 18, 2025

BodyPowell, Ohio

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateTuesday, November 18, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 56:18

Transcript — VerbatimClick a line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Okay, I will call to order the uh Powell Operations Committee for Tuesday, November 18th.

0:06

Please call the roll.

0:08

Taylor Brown is absent.

0:11

Counts.

0:11

Here we are card.

0:13

Here.

0:13

Miller.

0:15

Tyler Horn is absent.

0:17

Okay, the minutes were included in your materials.

0:21

Does anybody have any additions or corrections?

0:24

No.

0:24

Okay.

0:25

Then the minutes will be approved by consensus.

0:28

The next item on our agenda is a discussion of the Powell Fest 26th.

0:34

Andy?

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

I'd like to recognize Park Mercreation Manager.

0:41

Well sign up to discuss the topic of you.

0:46

Good evening.

0:47

Good evening.

0:48

For having me tonight.

0:49

We wanted to, as we're it's hard to believe we're entering the planning season for Powell Festival, and we just wanted to go over this year was the first year that we have done a couple surveys.

1:03

We did a community survey and a business survey.

1:06

So we wanted to go over those results with you and get some feedback on any changes or alterations that you would like to see for the 2020 festival.

1:16

The first is the community survey.

1:19

The one thing I want to recognize you can see that the questions have a very wide response rate.

1:25

So for the first one, we had 33 responses, and for the second we had 75.

1:30

So when it comes to the numbers, I would kind of check how many responses because they vary quite in a quite probably wide margin.

1:40

And was this taken at the Powell festival?

1:42

This was after.

1:43

Afterwards by we put it out on Facebook, we put it on the web page, it would and then advertise and anybody could take it.

1:52

So as you can see from the first response, about 85% told us that they lived in the city of Powell.

1:59

That could mean the zip code.

2:01

Sometimes it's hard to differentiate.

2:03

So the second question, which had the most responses, the evenings, Saturday and Sunday were the most popular.

2:14

How did you hear about Powell Festival?

2:17

The majority of people had attended before.

2:20

So as we know it's a true community festival.

2:24

A lot of the residents of our community come year after year.

2:42

How did you get to Village Green Park?

2:44

The majority of people either drove or walked.

2:47

We had some bikers.

2:50

To my surprise, only three percent of the people who took the survey used the shuttle.

2:57

We did have a post-meeting with the Delaware Transit, and they said it was used.

3:06

So I still think it's a very viable resource.

3:12

And if you drove, where did you park?

3:15

Um local business parking, public parking, and then 22% use the shuttle service on this question.

3:27

Um at the festival, what did you purchase or participate in?

3:31

34% purchased food, and 25% purchased alcoholic beverages, 19% uh purchased non-alcoholic beverages, and 10% bought a kid's own wristband.

3:46

Um we just did a you know, how did you like the alcoholic beverages, the non-alcoholic beverages, food, in your own the vendor area?

4:01

Uh we had some varied feedback.

4:03

Um some people feel like we offer too much alcohol, some would like to see more varied alcohol choices, um food trucks.

4:13

Uh we tried this year to kind of jury the food trucks to make sure that we had a wide variety of offerings, um, but still we we tend to get feedback that they would like to see other things.

4:25

Um you watch the fireworks show, 56%.

4:31

Yes, but from a location outside of the festival.

4:35

What we found was that people were walking to their cars because they want to get out and not get stuck in traffic, so they kind of watch them as they're getting from point A to point B.

4:48

Um, did you enjoy the live music performances?

4:51

42%, yes, mostly, 23%, yes, I love them, and 16% did not pay attention at all.

5:00

So just some some comments, comments to highlight.

5:06

Um a lot of people would like to see a two-day kid's owristband option if because they're coming to Pope days of the festival.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Facilities Management█████████████████████████████████████████████45%

Parks and Recreation██████████████████████████26%

Public Engagement██████████████████████22%

Procedural█████5%

Budget Review██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Powell Operations Committee Meeting - November 18, 2025

The Powell Operations Committee met on November 18, 2025, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered two main agenda items: a review of the 2025 Powell Fest survey results and planning for 2026, and an update on the Facilities Master Plan. No formal votes were taken; the committee provided feedback to guide staff.

Consent Calendar

Minutes from the Operations Committee meeting on October 21, 2025, were approved by consensus with no additions or corrections.

Discussion Items

Powell Fest 2026

Park and Recreation Manager Mitzi presented results from two post-festival surveys. The community survey (33–75 responses) showed 85% of respondents lived in the city of Powell. Of those, 42% enjoyed the live music performances, 56% watched fireworks from outside the festival, 34% purchased food, and 25% purchased alcoholic beverages. Only 3% used the shuttle, though 22% reported parking via shuttle in a separate question. Key comments included a desire for two-day kids' wristband options, more handcraft vendors over business vendors, longer fireworks, and local bands on Friday.
The business survey (8 responses) indicated mixed impacts: 38% reported somewhat negative financial impact, 25% somewhat positive. 50% saw no change in sales; 63% saw no change in foot traffic. 75% took no special actions for the festival. Traffic congestion was rated as somewhat or significantly congested.
Financial data: $42,000 loss in 2024 and $39,000 loss in 2025. Attendance estimated between 6,000 and 8,000 over two days.
Committee discussion included positions on several options:
- Some members expressed support for switching from a national headliner to all local bands to reduce costs and refocus on community.
- Support for opening South Liberty Street for traffic flow, as Faith Life Church lot reduced parking demand.
- Preference for local craft beer vendors over Heidelberg, though concern about price parity with nearby businesses.
- Interest in offering a single two-day kids' wristband.
- Several members suggested reducing the festival to one day (Saturday) citing low Friday attendance.
- A member noted the festival currently lacks programming for older adults (ages 60+) and suggested a different Friday atmosphere.
Staff asked for guidance on 2026 direction, including budget implications.

Facilities Master Plan Update

Public Service Director Jeff introduced consultant Mike Murphy of Champlin Architects, who presented a draft Facilities Master Plan. The plan assessed three buildings: City Hall (22,000 sq ft), the Adventure Park public service/parks building, and the Leckler storage building.
Key findings:
- City Hall’s location within Village Green Park is not ideal; the Village Green Master Plan also suggests moving it.
- Police and city hall functions should be separated; police need a more central location.
- Public service (public works) and parks/recreation should remain co-located due to operational synergies.
- Deferred maintenance is needed on building exteriors to prevent water infiltration.
Bubble diagrams were shown for three potential new buildings:
- City Hall (~13,000 sq ft) with public front and staff back.
- Police station with public lobby and secure operational zones.
- Combined public service and recreation center (~83,000 sq ft) with separate entrances for public works and recreation users.
The planning assumes single-story but two-story options are possible. Parking and land requirements will be developed in the next phase.
Committee members praised the work and had no further questions. Next steps: finalize draft, move to schematic design.

Other Business

The committee discussed whether to hold a December meeting; consensus was to cancel it.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken. Committee provided informal direction for Powell Fest 2026: lean toward local bands, a one-day format, local craft beer, improved parking (keep South Liberty open), and a two-day kids' wristband option. Staff will use this feedback for planning.
The Facilities Master Plan draft was accepted as a starting point; staff will continue refining the document and begin schematic design. No decisions on property acquisition or construction were made.
The December Operations Committee meeting will be canceled.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, I will call to order the uh Powell Operations Committee for Tuesday, November 18th. Please call the roll. Taylor Brown is absent. Counts. Here we are card. Here. Miller. Tyler Horn is absent. Okay, the minutes were included in your materials. Does anybody have any additions or corrections? No. Okay. Then the minutes will be approved by consensus. The next item on our agenda is a discussion of the Powell Fest 26th. Andy? Thank you. I'd like to recognize Park Mercreation Manager. Well sign up to discuss the topic of you. Good evening. Good evening. For having me tonight. We wanted to, as we're it's hard to believe we're entering the planning season for Powell Festival, and we just wanted to go over this year was the first year that we have done a couple surveys. We did a community survey and a business survey. So we wanted to go over those results with you and get some feedback on any changes or alterations that you would like to see for the 2020 festival. The first is the community survey. The one thing I want to recognize you can see that the questions have a very wide response rate. So for the first one, we had 33 responses, and for the second we had 75. So when it comes to the numbers, I would kind of check how many responses because they vary quite in a quite probably wide margin. And was this taken at the Powell festival? This was after. Afterwards by we put it out on Facebook, we put it on the web page, it would and then advertise and anybody could take it. So as you can see from the first response, about 85% told us that they lived in the city of Powell. That could mean the zip code. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate. So the second question, which had the most responses, the evenings, Saturday and Sunday were the most popular. How did you hear about Powell Festival? The majority of people had attended before. So as we know it's a true community festival. A lot of the residents of our community come year after year. How did you get to Village Green Park? The majority of people either drove or walked. We had some bikers. To my surprise, only three percent of the people who took the survey used the shuttle. We did have a post-meeting with the Delaware Transit, and they said it was used. So I still think it's a very viable resource. And if you drove, where did you park? Um local business parking, public parking, and then 22% use the shuttle service on this question. Um at the festival, what did you purchase or participate in? 34% purchased food, and 25% purchased alcoholic beverages, 19% uh purchased non-alcoholic beverages, and 10% bought a kid's own wristband. Um we just did a you know, how did you like the alcoholic beverages, the non-alcoholic beverages, food, in your own the vendor area?

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