10-21-2020 (WEDC) Minutes Minutes
Wylie Economic Development Corporation
Board of Directors Meeting
October 21, 2020— 8:30 A.M.
300 Country Club Road, Building#100
Wylie, TX 75098
CALL TO ORDER
Announce the presence of a Quorum
President Demond Dawkins called the regular meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Board Members present were
John Yeager, Gino Mulliqi,Melisa Whitehead,and Tim Gilchrist.
Ex-officio member City Manager Chris Hoisted was present.
WEDC staff present included Executive Director Jason Greiner, BRE Director Angel Wygant, and Senior
Assistant Rachael Hermes.
City of Wylie Project Engineer Wes Lawson and Randy Helmberger of Helmberger Associates, Inc. were
present.
INVOCATION& PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Board Member Yeager gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
With no citizen participation, President Dawkins moved to Consent Agenda.
CONSENT AGENDA
All matters listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine by the WEDC Board of Directors
and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is
desired, that item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered separately.
A. Consider and act upon approval of the September 16, 2020 Minutes of the WEDC Board of
Directors Meeting.
B. Consider and act upon approval of the September 2020 WEDC Treasurer's Report.
Board Action
A motion was made by Gino Mulliqi, seconded by John Yeager, to approve the Consent Agenda
as presented.A vote was taken, and the motion passed 5-0.
ACTION ITEMS
1. Consider and act upon a Performance Agreement between the WEDC and GDA Investments,
LLC.—Series 53.
Staff Comments
Staff noted that this project had been previously presented to the Board and the Real Estate Contract
with GDA/Mintrex had been approved by Council. Staff explained changes made to the site plan
due to drainage issues and noted that these issues had also been discussed with Council. The
preliminary plat for this project has already been submitted and the site plan will be submitted next
week. The Agreement outlines a $30,500 infrastructure reimbursement, payable over a two-year
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October 21, 2020
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period.The Economic Impact Analysis(ETA)indicates that the project will generate approximately
$195,000 in tax revenue over a ten-year period and the estimated payback period is less than one
year.
Board Action
A motion was made by Tim Gilchrist, seconded by Melisa Whitehead,to approve a Performance
Agreement between the WEDC and GDA Investments,LLC.—Series 53.Providing for a maximum
infrastructure reimbursement incentive of$30,500 and further authorizing the WEDC Executive
Director to execute said Agreement.A vote was taken,and the motion passed 5-0.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
2. Staff report: WEDC Property Update,Engineering Report,Downtown Parking, Upcoming
Events,WEDC Activities and Programs
Staff began discussion regarding WEDC Property Updates and Engineering Reports, noting that
City of Wylie Project Engineer Wes Lawson and Civil Engineer Randy Helmberger of Helmberger
Associates,Inc.were present for discussion purposes.
Related to Hwy 78&Brown,NTMWD is currently working on the design stage of the water line
relocation process. Mr. Helmberger discussed the field work already in process related to this
project and will provide the information to NTMWD to avoid redundancy of work.The alignment
of the median cut was discussed,with more information to come with the completion of field work
and direction from TxDOT. City Manager Chris Hoisted said that plans had been approved in the
past for alignment at 5th Street and noted that the streets dictate the openings. Staff noted the cost
estimates from NTMWD and explained that necessary environmental work had already been
initiated by staff and various consultant work had already taken place. Staff will work to ensure
that there is no unnecessary duplication of expenses. Drainage issues have been discussed with
Public Works and will be reviewed as the process moves forward.
Related to Cooper, redevelopment efforts were discussed at Cooper& FM 544. Mr. Helmberger
discussed the resolution of drainage issues by installing 685' of channel from culvert to culvert.
This project would bring the nearby properties out of flood plain and make them usable for
development. Once design is complete,Mr. Helmberger will provide the information to Staff and
bids can be sent out for cost estimates. Staff noted the possible rebidding of the looped water line
at Cooper&FM 544,adding that the requirements near the railroad increase cost estimates for this
project. Staff discussed the option and benefits of getting this area ready for development
proactively. Mr. Helmberger discussed possible price savings per foot by combining projects
simultaneously and will provide additional cost estimates when available. Staff discussed the
shared costs between WEDC and the City of Wylie related to the road construction. Board Member
Mulliqi discussed moving forward with the overall project to benefit from cost-savings and
discussed the potential cost recuperation. President Dawkins discussed the goal of unlocking this
location for development. President Dawkins expressed interest in seeing estimates related to the
return on this investment to further show the potential positive impact and justification for this
project.
Related to Alanis, Staff noted that excess dirt/fill had previously been brought on site that could
potentially be used at this location or Hwy 78&Brown.Mr.Helmberger said that completion of a
grading plan and topographical report will provide the information needed for potential projects on
this site.Staff noted that we are waiting until later in the Fall to order field work to get an accurate
topographic study.
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October 21, 2020
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Related to Steel Road/Hooper Drive, Staff noted that there are drainage issues that will need to be
reviewed that could impact GDA/Mintrex and future development. While this area is not in the
flood plain, the railroad tracks and FM 544 create funneling downstream that have impacted the
area. Staff believes that correcting this issue will help unlock nearby tracts of land.
Rent payments for WEDC-owned properties are current with the exception of two renters. One
renter has applied for the Payment Protection Program and the Board will be informed of any
updates if necessary. Staff discussed the area of Kirby/Commerce and noted that demolition quotes
for those properties have been obtained.The quotes will be plugged into a spreadsheet to show the
complete scope of cost estimates. Code concerns related to parking on Cooper Drive have been
mitigated with the addition of "No Parking" signs. Staff will tour existing commercial rental
properties to ensure that leases are up to date and address/discuss possible expansions,if applicable.
The property on Alanis will be brush-hogged and cleaned up in the Fall.
Staff noted that there is an existing local company looking to store a large piece of equipment and
WEDC may be able to provide a location for them.
Regarding Downtown Parking, Staff has not heard back yet from Union Pacific but will continue
to explore any options for parking on Birmingham.
Staff noted that Manufacturing Day activities continue and will include a Legacy Manufacturing
Award presentation at the Chamber Workforce Webinar on October 27t. An overview and recap
of Manufacturing Day 2020 will be presented at the next Board Meeting.
Staff discussed the opportunities that the partnerships with Collin College, Workforce Solutions,
Wylie ISD, and local industry have provided. Collin College has contacted Staff regarding local
programs that could be offered for the community. There will be an upcoming tour with Collin
College Campus and Allen Technical Campus to discuss capabilities for training in our community.
Staff encouraged the Board to let them know if they are interested in attending and tours can be set
up to accommodate.
Sales Tax Workshops are available through TEDC for the Board and/or City Council. Staff noted
that the Texas Downtown Association Annual Conference is next month. Staff noted a potential
joint meeting with City Council at the beginning of the new year. Open Records Requests have
been fulfilled and website updates are moving forward.
Staff presented options for updates to the logo and discussed the concept of presenting a clean
image that could be paired with more specific branding or an icon at a later date, if needed. Staff
noted that the recent color options relate to a business-friendly/professional environment. Staff
explained that the examples without the "W" icon remain complementary with the City of Wylie
logo yet can serve to distinguish WEDC as a separate entity. Staff discussed the option for inclusion
of additional colors within the design of the website. Staff explained that the various logos
presented are all part of the same branding strategy, with each logo being responsive and capable
of being used interchangeably based on the format needed. President Dawkins inquired about the
possibility of the City of Wylie changing their logo and expressed concern should WEDC move
toward more consistency with the City of Wylie and they opt to change their logo. City Manager
Holsted stated that he had not heard of any discussion regarding logo changes for the City of Wylie.
After further discussion regarding preferences related to color choices, overall design, and layout,
the Board reiterated that they would like the logo to be independent from the City of Wylie logo
with emphasis on both autonomy and synergy.Board Members were open to seeing other creative
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October 21, 2020
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options as well. The Board expressed interest in moving forward with the blue/grey sample
presented for the purposes of completion of the website design while staying open to the inclusion
of an icon/image in the future.
Staff discussed upcoming video production for downtown and will provide information to the
Board when filming is scheduled.The process for annual staff reviews has been put into place and
final changes to the Employee Handbook will be made.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Recessed into Closed Session at 9:40 a.m. in compliance with Section 551.001, et. seq. Texas Government
Code, to wit:
Section 551.072 (Real Estate) of the Local Government Code, Vernon's Texas Code Annotated (Open
Meetings Act). Consider the sale or acquisition of properties located at:
• State Highway 78&Alanis
• State Highway 78&Ballard.
• State Highway 78&Birmingham
• State Highway 78&Brown
• State Highway 78&F.M. 544
• Regency&Steel
Section 551.087 (Economic Development) of the Local Government Code, Vernon's Texas Code
Annotated (Open Meetings Act). Deliberation regarding commercial or financial information that the
WEDC has received from a business prospect and to discuss the offer of incentives for:
• Project 2018-9b
• Project 2018-1Oc
• Project 2019-3a
• Project 2020-7a
RECONVENE INTO OPEN MEETING
Take any action as a result from Executive Session
President Demond Dawkins reconvened into Open Session at 10:54 a.m.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, President Dawkins adjourned the WEDC Board meeting at 10:54 a.m.
Demond Dawkins,President
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