HomeMy WebLinkAboutDAC - 2015-03-26
DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
March 26, 2015 City of Kitchener
The Downtown Action & Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:10 p.m.
Chair: Melissa Bowman
Present: Erin Atchison, Tyson Bond, Andre Chin, Councillor Frank Etherington, David
Harmes, Zenia Horton, Linda Jutzi, Dean Knipfel, Jessica Kropf, Councillor
Sarah Marsh, Kevin Muir, Brian Santos, Scott Thomson, George Trihenea, Brad
Watson, Mallory Weldon and Linda Zensner
Staff: Cory Bluhm, Monika Grau, Janette MacDonald and Eric Rumble
1. Information Items/Unfinished Business
1.1. Development Updates
The group provided f
than just food shots. Work the products and downtown texture angles more (ie capture
an interesting chandelier reflecting light in a business). Use it to relay visual messages
about LRT construction perhaps a photo of a busy patio with a back hoe behind it.
1.2. Arts & Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) Update provided by L. Zensner
ACAC had a presentation from eyeGO, a youth engagement organization that is in its
third year of operations funded by a three-year Trillium Foundation grant. They have
an upcoming event at Waterloo Town Square in May.
J. Young , an online tool to inform community members
event. The toolkit is set to launch in April 2015.
Two reports were presented to Council on March 9th: 1] approval of a touring version
of Dwig
Insight into the Music Industry series has been going really well.
Canada 150 grant application deadlines are coming up in April. The three themes that
proposals should respond to are Proud, Strong and Free.
Downtown Action & Advisory Committee March 26, 2015
DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
March 26, 2015 City of Kitchener
2. New Business
2.1. Kitchener Economic Development Strategy (KEDS), provided by J. MacDonald
In order to capture citizen input, CoK wanted to do something more inspiring and flexible
than what other cities do, to create a strategic document through stakeholder consul-
tations and by working with community partners to develop a plan that is exciting and
relevant. Feedback so far is that the direction KEDS was going was appropriate, but that
a refresh would be a good idea.
The KEDS team is engaging in stakeholder consultation in April and May. A symposium
will be held to gather 150 ideas in 150 minutes (the last iteration of a similar symposium
wielded 300+ ideas that became the foundation of KEDS). The team is also facilitating
150 conversations (based on the concept of 1000 dinners during the last Toronto
municipal election) because they want to encourage self-guided discussion and priority-
making without necessarily having City staff involvedhoping for a mix of
community conversations that are arranged by staff, council members and citizens
themselves (guided by a toolkit and/or a format to identify ideas, roadblocks, etc.).
Question for the DAAC group: What community groups and/or networks should be
included?
There are 1400 realtors in the region, many of whom should be included
Effort should be made to get beyond just tech/startup manufacturing sector; there are
stakeholders in the traditional manufacturing sector and the medical field as well
(Centre for Family Medicine)
Include stakeholders that are involved in various stages of food production
The Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance should be part of it
Perhaps leaders from the different ethnocultural groups
be participants rather than reporters/observers (a journalist being present could
dampen some discussions), but maybe they could also initiate or lead some of the
discussion via a recurring talk radio format.
3. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. followed by DAAC members splitting into their working
groups for further discussion
Downtown Action & Advisory Committee March 26, 2015