MINUTES OF A BLUE RIBBON CORE COMMITTEE MEETING
FOR THE CITY OF FENNIMORE, GRANT COUNTY, WISCONSIN
ELD ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2006, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Hardees

Present were: John Murphy, Pam Kreul, Linda Parrish, Margaret Sprague, Correne Morgan, Denise Tolzman and Dick Rogers.

The minutes of the July 20th meeting were reviewed. No changes were made.

The committee reviewed the update from the Fundraising Committee, who last met on September 5th. A variety show is being planned for early 2007. A plan for wider distribution of the Hardees coupons was discussed including making them available at the High School and Southwest Tech. A story of the coupons will be included in the Fennimore Times and a poster is being designed. The coupon fundraiser ends in December.

Much discussion was held on the Fennimore Gold Cards that will be available around the end of October. 700 cards have been ordered and will be sold for $10 each. 23 local businesses are offering specials on the card. Committee members hope to do a door-to-door sales blitz on November 8th with a rain date of November 15th. Volunteers are needed for this project.

Margaret Sprague reported on the meeting with Rodney Kreunen, State Commissioner of Railroads, regarding possible funding for "railroad theme" banners. Contact information for the Union Pacific Railroad and National Railroad Historical Society were provided. They will be contacted concerning assistance they can provide to make the banner project a reality.

Downtown business surveys-Pam Kreul reported that most business owners have been upbeat about the project. There will be street lighting issues to work out to keep the area lighted for security reasons. There were also some concerns raised about the noise levels during the construction project and possible foundation damage when sidewalks are removed.

Flea market-Denise will get the name of the man who organizes them in the area to see if he would organize one or two for the City during 2007.

Off-street parking during the construction project-St. Mary's Church Council has agreed to allow the use of their parking lot and the Fennimore Elementary School lot will also be available. The City will need to add the two locations on their insurance policy and provide a certificate of insurance to both entities. We should look into the Fire Station north parking area also. Special signage will be needed for these parking areas.

• The August 7, 2007, Chicken BBQ may need to be relocated due to the construction project. The Chamber will be looking at holding it in/near Marsden Park.
• The Street Dance should be held the weekend after the 4th of July It will be held in front of the 700 block of Lincoln Avenue.
• The DOT/general contractor for the project will work with the businesses to accommodate special circumstances. Communication of special needs will be critical.
• The walkway for rear access in the 1100 block will be installed this fall by the SWTC bricklaying class.
• John Murphy is working with Canterbury Gardens to schedule a wine and cheese tasting event. She is willing to work with the committee. Event must be outside so weather is an issue. John expects it will be a spring or summer event in 2007.

The meeting was adjourned at approx. 12:45 p.m.

The next meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 10th.