Beautification Commission Work Session on Matching Grant Program – August 18, 2025
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Beautification Commission Work Session on Matching Grant Program – August 18, 2025
The Beautification Commission held an informal work session on August 18, 2025, to evaluate the future of the Beautification Matching Grant Program and explore outreach strategies. Commissioners discussed program limitations, potential revisions, and ways to increase participation, with no formal votes taken.
Discussion Items
- Grant Program Challenges: Commissioners noted low application numbers (3–4 in 2025) and concerns about projects that are removable (e.g., flower pots, food truck improvements) or considered maintenance (e.g., roof replacement, same-sign replacement). Non‑completion by applicants without penalty was highlighted as a problem.
- Proposed Changes: Ideas included moving the application period to early fall (rather than March), introducing rolling applications, conducting direct phone outreach to businesses, and sending a survey (via Google Forms) to gather input. A strong preference emerged for funding only permanent installations (fixed landscaping, permanent structures) and excluding mobile businesses or itinerant vendors.
- Mural Funding: Commissioners discussed creating a separate mural category with a higher matching percentage (e.g., 75/25 split) to encourage murals as a marketing tool. Concerns about artist availability, maintenance, and quality control were raised; referencing successful programs in other communities (e.g., Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, Anchorage) was suggested.
- Outreach Strategies: Plans to mail postcards and physical applications to all core‑area businesses in early fall, followed by phone calls to non‑participants. A community‑wide flash vote or survey was also proposed.
- Other Topics: The discussion touched on city‑owned lots (e.g., former Three Bears lot), derelict properties and code enforcement, the town plaza concept for Fairbanks Drive, potential art installations at Mills Hill (e.g., movable wood carvings), and upcoming grant opportunities (T‑Mobile community grant, Our Town grant).
Key Outcomes
- Staff will draft a revised grant application for the September meeting, incorporating the following direction: focus on permanent/fixed installations (no movable planters, furniture, or mobile food trucks); consider a separate mural category with a higher match; include penalties for non‑completion.
- Outreach materials (postcards/letters) will be sent to all core‑area businesses in early fall 2025, with a follow‑up phone call campaign.
- Commissioners agreed to explore a community survey to gauge interest and collect ideas.
- Quorum for the September meeting was uncertain (two commissioners likely absent); remote participation would not count toward quorum per council rules.
Meeting Transcript
Remember that. She, because I do every Ryan would bring his crew in the middle of the video. Tonight's a work session. It's more informal. It gives you all a chance to have a more informal discussion and not have to abide by the rules of procedure quite as carefully for regular meetings. We're up here at the dais. Um, but for work sessions. When you have your regular meetings, do you does it public is there private public? There really isn't. We've we record it, we publish the agendas just like with council meetings and all the other commissions, but we haven't had a lot of public. Um just for the meeting. I thought he was coming in here just to see us. Um, but as I was walking over, I was noticing just how abysmal Fairbanks Drive is looking. The reason I'm looking at Meg is because we we have a long-term project that's been on the shelf that some of us keep bringing back. And it is when they do redo Fairbanks Drive. Um we should look at the um town plaza concept again. And I was hoping he was coming in, so I could ask him. We can snag him. Though he walked by my office and he said, Do I have to be there? I said, No, it's okay. No, it's like asking that. That is that's Nate Deval, he's the city manager. Okay. I haven't had him yet. He's such a nice man. He is a longtime capital facilities director. He was in that job for just over five years, six years, I think. Well, that's before I trip before I retired, and I'm going on eight years. Okay. Yeah, because he was years ago. Original discussion happened before the fire station. And I think he was a project. Did he come in as capital facilities director? Yeah, because he was across the day before that. Oh, yeah. Yeah, but some of us want the town plaza. That's a controversial thing. Oh, city center, like the sign says at 22 miles before you get here. Yeah. So it it's it we need it. There's a we'll talk about it at some point because it's not on our agenda tonight. But we we have the drawings that a architect drew up for consultant that came in and helped us with the Egan Street improvements and had some other ideas for us. It's a really good idea. So okay, I'm just gonna take note. So on that Fairbanks Street one, I mean, and I don't know because I'm just new to this and stuff, but you know, and I don't know how all this works yet, and I'll we'll get more familiar with it. But I think I spoke, you know, to you a little bit when I asked before I even you know did the application is just you know, when all these improvements happen, they're all beautiful. I see them all over town, but then it's like putting lipstick on a pig if nobody gets in on board and just kind of you don't even have to hang one basket, you don't even have to do but just to clean up your property like Mo and Weed Whack and just keep so that way it just kind of it looks clean because we have a lot of natural beauty, you know. But I just kind that's how I feel. I don't know how you guys feel. You may have a lot of people.
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