March CAB Meeting Agenda
Opening Statement
Secretary Report – Heather Newman
a. Review and approval of January Meeting minutes
Treasurer’s Report – Beverly Russell
a. Report
Event/Committee Chair Reports
a.Membership Committee – Cristina Forsyth (Bustle and Grow 207-370-5038), Bev Russell (706-714- 5113) & Teresa Drown, (Bangor Savings 625-0950) Chairs
i. Report ii.Membership drive iii.Elevator Pitch – what CAB offers business owners and the community
b.Strawberry Festival – Bev Russell, Chair (714-5113)
i. Report
c. Apple Festival – Heather & David Newman, Co-chairs (207-625-9400)
i. Report
d. Christmas In Cornish – Candace Gooch, Chair (At Once All Agog candace@onceallagog.com)
i. Report
e. Marketing & Social Media Committee – Cristina Forsyth (Bustle & Grow) Heather Newman (The Local Gear) Chairs
i. Report
ii. New website and member sign up options f. Scholarship Committee – Brad Perkins, Chair (The Maine Real Estate Network 650-3551)
i. Report g. Kiosk Marketing Committee (Previously Community Committee) – Heather Newman, Chair (The Local Gear dave@thelocalgear.com)
i. Report h. Crosswalk Painting – NEEDS A CHAIR
i. Report
Open Discussion
Next Meeting – April 9, 2019 6:00PM at the church
Adjourn
Meeting notes for regular business meeting on March 12, 2019
Members present:
Shannon Surette of Full Circle Gallery, Ethel Phinney of the Cornish UCC, Laura Carr of Your Weekly Shopping Guide, Teresa Drown of Bangor Savings Bank, Beverly Russell of Sacopee Valley Veterinary Clinic, Gloria Bougie of Kezar Falls Safe Storage, Janice Maves of Cornish Pie Company, Cristina Forsyth of Bustle & Grow, Brad Perkins of Finlay’s Fine Firs, Jeff Gilliland of Sacopee Veterinary Clinic, Heather Newman of The Local Gear.
Meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Cristina Forsyth. A quorum was established.
Secretary Report: The January minutes were sent out to the members through email. Beverly Russell motioned to accept the minutes, Theresa Drown seconded the motion. The motion was approved. There were no minutes for the February meeting as a quorum was not established and the meeting was cancelled.
Treasurer Report: Beverly Russel reported CAB accounts amounts as follows: Bangor $3,499:74 PayPal $10.84 Membership renewals are down from this time last year and this was addressed by the Membership Committee.
Theresa Drown motioned to accept the report, Laura Carr seconded the motion. The motion was approved.
Events/Committee Chairs:
Membership Committee: There are 42 current members, some at full membership cost, some as a second business with the same owner. When the new website is up there will be a push to contact members to renew with an email link to the renewal page. Emails will be followed up with phone calls. We are seeking input from members to create an “elevator pitch” as a means to easily and clearly explain the benefits of CAB to businesses and the community. Please send any ideas to Cristina Forsyth, Beverly Russell, or Theresa Drown.
Strawberry and Apple Festivals: (These were discussed simultaneously during the meeting so they are combined in the minutes)
Beverly Russell and Heather Newman met with the Cornish Selectmen on March 6thto discuss the Selectmen’s concerns over the increase in traffic and potential safety problems around the festivals, in particular the Apple Festival. Solutions for 2019 include using certified flaggers to manage the flow of cars and people at crosswalks (Maine requires anyone directing traffic to be certified), offering a second parking area and shuttle on the East side of Cornish, and using vehicles instead of sawhorses to offer a sturdier barrier for the protection of pedestrians. There was discussion about moving the festivals out of Thompson Park if they have outgrown the space. It was a positive, productive meeting with clear requests in order to hold the events in the park in 2019.
Members at the March 12thmeeting discussed these requests. Options for the East side parking were presented and owners of the properties will be approached to see if CAB can use the space for the Apple Festival shuttle. This will be announced when finalized and any suggestions may be sent to Heather or David Newman, co-chairs of the Apple Festival. Laura Carr requested an adjustment to the placement of barrier vehicles to better accommodate the bands’ need to set up for entertainment and this modification will be brought back to the Selectmen when the application for permission to use Thompson Park is submitted for the Apple Festival. There was a suggestion to see if the state has a list of certified flaggers in order to find people in the area who may help. If any members have information or resources about finding certified flaggers, please contact Heather or David Newman or Cristina Forsyth.
There was an extended discussion about the best way to handle the growth of the festivals, including the possibility of moving one or both of the events to the Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds. Several members feel strongly that the success of the events is due to the unique location of Thompson Park. There was discussion about the added cost of parking and shuttles versus the cost of renting the fairground space, what happens if the attendance continues to grow and efforts to mitigate traffic do not solve the congestion downtown, the pros and cons of staying versus moving, and ways to meet the rising cost/increased attendance of events such as Christmas in Cornish. There were ideas for increasing revenue such as increasing vendor booth fees and a 50/50 raffle. It was suggested that we invite the Fire Chief and Selectmen to a CAB meeting to discuss concerns about traffic and safety. All viewpoints were expressed and debated in a positive manner.
A survey will be created and sent out to the members to gain feedback.
NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT MOVING EITHER THE STRAWBERRY OR APPLE FESTIVAL.This is an ongoing conversation and members are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings to share ideas and solutions.
Christmas in Cornish: Candace Gooch of At Once All Agog has agreed to chair this event.
Marketing and Social Media Committee: The budget has been increased to include digital advertisements. CAB’s brochure has been redesigned for 2019 and starting in 2020, small ads will no longer be free. Moving forward any business that volunteers for an event will have their business listed on the website as an event sponsor. There will still be monetary sponsorships available. It was suggested that CAB have a welcome packet for new businesses in the area with information about CAB along with sign up forms and a list of businesses giving a discount to CAB members.
The new website will have opportunities for CAB members to pay for additional advertisements on the site. Member businesses will continue to have listings on the website as part of their annual membership. The new site will be able to accept mobile payments to make it easier for members to renew and pay their fees. It will be streamlined and easier to use and maintain. There will be improved listings for each business with easier access to information. Suggestions for the new website include having a featured business of the month (possibly tied to the Business After Hours event), a space to list community events and what is going on with area businesses, and a link to the scholarship and volunteer forms. The new website should be up in mid-April.
Scholarship Committee: Brad Perkins reviewed the methods used for picking the student awarded the scholarship, a process that has been streamlined over the past couple of years. The committee rotates applications, each member choosing their top three applicants. Members of the committee then meet to discuss their choices. There was a discussion about what criteria is used to choose applicants and whether or not it should be altered. It was agreed to continue this year as it has in the past, there will be an updated application next year. Brad Perkins, Beverly Russell, and Shannon Surette are on the committee this year.
Kiosk Marketing Committee: Nothing to report at this time.
Crosswalk Painting: THIS COMMITTEE NEEDS A CHAIR. Painting takes place in May. It was suggested that CAB look into buying paint locally rather than driving into Portland. Local businesses may or may not be able to get the paint required by the DOT.
Open Discussion: There was discussion about the difficulty in signing up volunteers for various CAB events and projects. Gloria Bougie and Janice Maves volunteered to contact members when CAB needs assistance. Janice Maves recommended bringing back the Business After Hours events to foster a strong business community. She has volunteered to chair this committee and is looking for businesses to sign up to host a casual gathering for area business owners. Beverly Russell brought up the fact that there is nothing in writing clarifying who is responsible for the bathrooms if there is damage or vandalism. CAB has liability coverage only. The selectmen do not know if their policy covers damage (it is a town owned property) and they agree it needs to be looked into and an agreement in writing is needed for clarity.
Brad Perkins made a motion to adjourn. Beverly Russell seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 7:45pm.
Next regular business meeting is April 9, 2019 at 6:00pm at the Cornish UCC.
Respectfully submitted,
Heather Newman
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