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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2024 1120 CCSA REG ITEM 09C SUPPLEMENTAL MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: PJ Gagajena, Assistant City Manager DATE: 11/20/2024 Regular Meeting SUBJECT: Receive Information on Moorpark Chamber of Commerce Programs and Services Under Terms of Lease Agreement, and Consider 1) Short-Term Options for the Building and Parcel at 18 East High Street and 2) Identify Process to Determine its Long-Term Use CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED Subsequent to the publication of the staff report, the attached correspondence was received from members of the public. Attachment: Email dated November 16, 2024 (Kaufman) Email dated November 19, 2024 (Van Dam) Correspondence (undated) (Borzone) Correspondence (undated) (Barrett) Item: 9.C. SUPPLEMENTAL 1 PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK 2 From:ELLIS KAUFMAN To:City Council & City Manager Subject:Chamber of Commerce Building Date:Saturday, November 16, 2024 12:52:22 PM Dear City Council Members, Please tear down the Chamber of Commerce building that is a blight on High Street. It is poor fiscal planning to put more money into a building that earns NOTHING for the city each year. It is ugly, old, and dilapidated, and I see no reason for you to put more money into such a building. Why would you ever consider doing that? The Chamber of Commerce can be moved to some offices in your “new” City Hall for the duration of its contract with the city. Most sincerely, Ellis and Mary Kaufman Moorpark, CA 93021 3 From:Mark Van Dam To:City Council & City Manager Subject:chamber future Date:Tuesday, November 19, 2024 4:46:59 PM Dear City Council, The Chamber of Commerce is an important part of Moorpark. They have supported numerous events over the years. However, the current building on High Street, with the sewage issues and high cost of repair, make investing in that location unwise. Spending any substantial amount of money on a building that old, with ongoing issues, makes no sense financially. That building needs to be removed, but it is important that the City assist in locating an acceptable place for relocation, if needed. That brings up another question: Does the Chamber require a full-time brick-and-mortar location in order to support the businesses in Moorpark? So much of what the world does now is via computer. I would think that the majority of Chamber business could also be accomplished in that same manner. Respectfully submitted, Mark and Ute Van Dam , Moorpark 4 Good evening, my name is Donna Borzone, and I am the current CEO for the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce. I’d like to start out by reading to you the exact wording that I got from Google when I asked the question “What is the importance of a Chamber of Commerce in a growing City?”: “A Chamber of Commerce pays a crucial role in a growing city by acting as a central hub for local businesses, advocating for their interests, promoting economic development, facilitating networking opportunities, and influencing policies that support a favorable business environment, ultimately… contributing to the city’s overall prosperity and economic growth”. In the over two years that I have been with the Chamber, this is what the Moorpark Chamber been engaged in doing and more. In September of 2022 I answered a Facebook ad regarding a part time job to help with Country Days. What was originally a part time job, soon turned into a full-time Office Manager position. Before I knew it, I was asked to take over the position as CEO of the Moorpark Chamber. I had spent over 25 years in Corporate Sales, so I was confident with my ability to gain members. However, I wasn’t as knowledgeable on the exact running of a Chamber and how and what we could do to improve the Moorpark Chamber. Hence, I set out to meet with surrounding Chamber Executives, attended their networking events and subscribed to their weekly newsletters. This was a necessary step to gather information and better educate myself on the changes that needed to be made at the Moorpark Chamber. During this process, I have worked very hard alongside our board, our 2023 Chairman Mark Richardson and our 2024 Chairman, Chris Barrett, to increase our presence and bring value to the Moorpark business community. Our area of focus in the past two years has been funding programs that are pro-business and local business centric. Some of the additional programs that we have created are: • Shop Local Summer & Holiday Campaign • Summer & Fall Job Fairs • Restaurant Week • Corporate Games event – New for 2025 • Community Awards Dinner – it was a breakfast in prior years In addition, through a Corporate sponsorship from Life Tech Resources here in Moorpark, we were able to join the Tri-County Chamber Alliance. For those of you who are not familiar with the Tri- County Chamber Alliance. The Chamber Alliance is made up of Chambers from Ventura, Santa Barbara & San Luiso Obispo counties. The Tri-County Chamber Alliance serves as a useful resource and effective advocacy partner for regional chambers that are interested in strengthening their business climate through better policy making. The Alliance prides itself for its regular presence in the State Capitol and its influence on a variety of state, local and federal issues. The goal is to support legislative efforts that improve the region’s 5 business climate and to oppose proposals that will likely cause job losses. The Alliance is funded through non-public sources, and all proceeds are invested directly into Alliance operations with priority given to advocacy. Being a member of the Alliance has given our members representation at the Local, State and Federal levels that they never had prior to us joining in January of 2024. Again, I learned about the Tri -County Chamber Alliance by meeting with the CEO of the Conejo Chamber. As the representative to the Chamber Alliance from the Moorpark Chamber, I have worked alongside Hugh Riley, the Executive Director of the Ventura County Council of Governments to align the Chamber’s views on certain ballot measures and legislation that would benefit local Moorpark business. The Moorpark Chamber has always enjoyed a great working relationship with the City of Moorpark, and we have aligned ourselves with the City, for the greater good of the business community in Moorpark. We would like to see this continue considering the growth of the city in the next few years. We strongly believe that our Chamber is today performing at the highest level in its’ history. The City’s trajectory is one of growth and momentum. We want to be there to support it all. Losing our beloved office site, which we recently upgraded, feels counter to everything that is happening in our community. It would reduce us to a remote, invisible operation, out of the public domain, just at the time when Moorpark is about to enter its’ greatest new chapter. The incident that caused the office sewer line to be damaged was an unfortunate, unintentional occurrence. We hope that Moorpark, as a whole, can overcome such an incident to support a long-standing, trusted partner like the Chamber to continue to operate. Thank you for your time today. 6 Dear Mayor Enegren and Councilmembers, Over the past two weeks, the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce has been actively working to provide solutions to support the Council’s decision tonight. We would like to highlight some key considerations: 1.Business Incubator and Community Room The space at 18 High Street serves not only as the Chamber’s office but also as a valuable community resource. It hosts team meetings, seminars, and regular gatherings for clubs and HOAs. This space could be further opened to the community, potentially becoming part of the city’s rentable facilities. The Chamber had previously developed plans to install double glass doors to separate the conference room from the office space, enhancing the building’s usability. With a commitment to the building’s future, we can move forward with these plans. 2.Parking Lot Preserving the building also retains the associated parking lot. Removing the building entirely to create additional parking would yield only a marginal increase in spaces once a drive loop is factored in. Maintaining the building allows us to balance both parking needs and the community’s use of the space. 3.Future Goals Investing in the building provides a window of time to assess the true parking and community needs that may arise from the fully rented High Street Depot project. This ensures any long-term decisions are based on the actual impact of ongoing developments. If the Council decides to move forward with repairing the sewer line and parking lot and commits to at least a five-year occupancy agreement for the Chamber, we are prepared to invest in cosmetic improvements to the building’s exterior. These enhancements include: ● Repairing wood siding along the top of the building. ● Painting and adding historic charm. ● Upgrading signage and enhancing landscaping. We have provided a rendering that showcases one potential concept for these upgrades, demonstrating how we can elevate the building’s appearance and transform it into an asset the community can take pride in. I urge the Council to consider the lasting value this building offers to the community, both now and in the future. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. Sincerely, Chris Barrett Chairman, Moorpark Chamber of Commerce 7 8