* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. OUR, UH, [00:00:01] SEPTEMBER 9TH, [Economic Development Authority on September 9, 2024.] UH, MEETING OF, UH, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BOARD TO ORDER, UH, HILLARY, CAN WE HAVE A ROLL CALL? YES. CHRIS . HERE. TAKE THAT HERE. HOW MUCH ONE? HERE, DAVID? HERE. THANK AIDEN MILLER HERE FROM ELLIOT HERE. UH, CAN WE HAVE AN APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING? THE OFFICE MEETING? YOU GOT THAT OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THEM? MM-HMM. , IF WE COULD HAVE A, A MOTION AND A SECOND AND WE CAN HAVE SOME DISCUSSION IF . I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I'LL STRIKE THAT. OKAY. SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE MINUTES? ALL RIGHT, SO HEARING NONE, UH, ALL IN FAVOR OF PASSING THAT MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FILED SAYING AYE. A OPPOSED? OKAY. NEW BUSINESS RETAIL RECRUITMENT PROPOSAL. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, TODAY WE HAVE SARAH BETH STEWART WITH RETAIL STRATEGY. SHE IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. UH, SHE'S GONNA GO OVER A PROPOSAL THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US FOR A RETAIL RECRUITMENT. UH, AND, UH, I WILL GIVE THE FLOOR TO SARAH. SHE HAS A, A PLANNED PRESENTATION TO GO OVER THIS PROPOSAL WITH YOU AND BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. CAN YOU HEAR US, SARAH? ALRIGHT. YES. LOUD AND CLEAR. CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? HEAR YOU? YES. YES. MM-HMM, . AWESOME. WELL, HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE. HOW'S EVERYONE DOING? WE'RE GOOD. MONDAY . OKAY. AWESOME. DID EVERYBODY'S FOOTBALL TEAM WIN OVER THE WEEKEND? YES. MOSTLY HALF AND HALF. . HALF AND HALF. THERE IT IS, . WELL, GOOD DEAL. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO PRESENT, UH, RETAIL STRATEGIES RECRUITMENT SERVICE TEAM. I AM JOINED BY LIZZIE SANDERS. HELLO. UM, I AM ABOUT TO GO ONTO MATERNITY LEAVE IN NOVEMBER. UM, SO LIZZIE IS GOING TO BE THE STANDARD VERSION OF ME WHILE I'M GONE. SO I WANTED TO INCLUDE HER, UM, IN THIS, AND SO YOU GUYS CAN SEE HER FAITH, UH, AS WELL AS MINE. SO, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO CHAT WITH YOU. UM, I HAVE ACTUALLY VISITED FRONT ROYAL AND WARREN COUNTY MANY TIMES THROUGH MY TENURE AT RETAIL STRATEGIES, UM, AND HAVE PRESENTED AT THE FREEDOM BOARD BEFORE A FEW YEARS AGO. UM, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE HAD SOME TRANSITIONS, SO REALLY EXCITED. THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK UP. UM, SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER US FROM LAST TIME OR FROM PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS, SO HOPEFULLY I CAN ADD SOME CLARIFICATION TO OUR SERVICE, UM, AND GIVE YOU GUYS SOME WARM AND FUZZIES. SO WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN AND MY PRESENTATION IF I CAN REMEMBER HOW TO DO THAT. OKAY. DO YOU GUYS SEE MY, UH, PRESENTATION PULLED UP? YEAH. YES. OKAY, AWESOME. UM, SO AS I, UH, WAS INTRODUCED, I'M SARAH STEWART AND THE VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RETAIL STRATEGIES. I'VE BEEN WITH THE COMPANY FOR ALMOST EIGHT YEARS, UM, AND I'VE BEEN WORKING THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, UH, FOR JUST AS LONG. AND SO I HAVE A, A VERY SPECIAL PLACE. I'VE GOT FAMILIES, UM, UH, THAT'S FROM THE STATE ALL OVER THE STATE, SO VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT. UM, I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE WITH YOU GUYS TODAY FROM BEFORE. UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RETAIL STRATEGIES. WE WERE ACTUALLY BORN OUT OF A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FIRM. SO OUR SISTER COMPANY IS A FULL SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER THAT'S LOOKING AT MAJOR LIFESTYLE DEVELOPMENT TO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, TO TENANT REPRESENTATION. AND WE FORMED ARGUMENTABLE CONSULTING SIDE REALLY TO BE THAT MISSING LINK BETWEEN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AND MUNICIPALITIES. TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IS VERY FOCUSED ON INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING, BIG TIME JOBS AND BIG TIME WAGES THAT SOMETIMES RETAIL JUST FALLS TO THE WAYSIDE. UM, AND WE HAVE SEEN THAT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ACROSS THE BOARD, THAT COMMUNITIES AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS, YOUR RESIDENTS, YOUR CONSUMERS WANT MORE RETAIL. THEY WANT MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOP, TO GO AND VISIT OTHER PLACES, UM, AND TO REALLY HAVE A DESTINATION. AND SO THAT IS WHAT RETAIL REALLY PROVIDES TO COMMUNITIES. UM, SO WE'RE HERE TO ACT AS THE EXTENSION OF CITY AND COUNTY STAFF TO TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO BRINGING IN RETAIL. WE'VE WORKED WITH WELL OVER 800 COMMUNITIES, UH, SINCE 2011. UM, UH, OUR REAL ESTATE IS HOW WE LOOK AT COMMUNITIES. SINCE WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR PROCESS. UM, AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA ALMOST SINCE OUR INCEPTION. UM, THESE ARE SOME OF OUR CURRENT PARTNERS. UM, [00:05:01] AND AGAIN, WE ARE VERY WELL CONNECTED, THE STATE WITH DIFFERENT BROKERAGE AND DIFFERENT OTHER TYPES OF REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY, UH, REAL ESTATE GROUPS IN THE STATE. AND AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE HERE TO PROVIDE YOU GUYS WITH A NETWORK, BE GIVE YOU GUYS MORE TIME, RESOURCES AND EXPERIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO TAKING ON THIS APPROACH TO RETAIL DEVELOPMENT. AND THIS IS GOING TO THUS CREATE TAX REVENUE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE MEALS TAX. EVEN ONE RESTAURANT IS GOING TO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. UH, THIS IS ALSO JOBS, EVEN IF IT'S A PART-TIME JOB TO A 18-YEAR-OLD OR YOU KNOW, A WORKING MOM, WORKING TWO JOBS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO, UM, THOSE TYPE OF, UH, PEOPLE WHO NEED THOSE JOBS. UM, AND ALSO QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF COURSE NEW BUSINESS WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY. SO, JUMPING RIGHT IN. THE FIRST PART OF OUR PROCESS IS REALLY STUDYING THE CONSUMERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY. SO NOT JUST YOUR CONSTITUENTS, NOT JUST YOUR RESIDENTS, BUT WHO'S COMING IN AND OUT OF THE AREA TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THEIR BUYING HABITS AND SPENDING PATTERNS. UH, SO THE FIRST 30 DAYS IS ALL ABOUT DISCOVERING YOUR CONSUMERS. SO THIS IS HOW YOU WOULD SEE YOUR COMMUNITY. HERE IS WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED IN THE COMMONWEALTH, AND HERE'S YOUR MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. IF YOU WERE TRYING TO CALL ON CHICK-FIL-A OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF RETAILER, YOU MIGHT SAY, HEY, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY 15,000 RESIDENTS. WE'VE GOT THESE REALLY COOL FESTIVALS, UH, HERE'S OUR DOWNTOWN. WHY, WHY WON'T YOU BE HERE? UH, WHY DON'T YOU COME, UH, OPEN A BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY? BUT IN REALITY, RE UH, RETAILERS AREN'T LOOKING AT MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT GERMAN'S BOUNDARIES. THEY DON'T CARE, UM, THAT THIS IS WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED. THEY'RE LOOKING AT A MUCH DIFFERENT PICTURE. SO THIS IS WHAT A RETAILER SEES WHEN THEY LOOK UP FRONT ROYAL. THEY'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT DAYTIME POPULATION, NIGHTTIME POPULATION. THEY'RE LOOKING AT THREE MILE AND FIVE MILE RADIUSS AS WELL AS 10 MINUTE DRIVE TIMES, 15 MINUTE DRIVE TIMES. AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT DIFFERENT LAYERING OF THOSE CONSUMERS AND THAT HOUSEHOLD INCOME. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR CONSUMERS JUST SAYING 15,000 RESIDENTS IS NOT GIVING A FULL PICTURE OF WHAT FRONT ROYAL HAS TO OFFER TO THESE RETAILERS AND HOW THAT RETAILER CAN MAKE MONEY IN YOUR COMMUNITY. SO WE LIKE TO PULL WHAT WE CALL A, UH, MOBILE DATA STUDY FOR A CUSTOMIZED TRADE AREA. UM, SO THIS IS ACTUALLY DRAWN OFF OF THE TARGET. UM, SO IF YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE IN WHICH MANY OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE ONE IF NOT TWO SMARTPHONES, UM, AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY HAS THEM, UH, IT IS DEFINITELY TRACKING WHERE YOU'RE COMING AND GOING FROM. IT IS VERY BIG BROTHER, IT'S A LITTLE CREEPY, BUT OKAY. IT IS ALLOWING US TO COLLECT A LOT OF INFORMATION ON CONSUMERS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BUYING HABITS AND SPENDING PATTERNS. SO AROUND THAT GEO FITTS ON THE WALMART AND THE TARGETED SHOPPING CENTERS, WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THOSE CONSUMERS AND HOW FAR THEY'RE PULLING. AND SO, UH, UH, ON THE MAP, UH, THE DARKER SHADED AREAS IS GONNA BE A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE COMING INTO THAT SHOPPING CENTER. WHEREAS THE LIGHTER SHADE IS A LOWER CONCENTRATION OF CONSUMERS COMING OUT. GOTCHA. THE COMPUTER DID SPIT OUT THIS SPECIFIC TRADE AREA, BUT WHEN WE PARTNER WITH YOU GUYS, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO REALLY STUDY WHAT IS THE BEST APPROACH. YOU MIGHT SAY TO US, HEY, GUESS WHAT, UH, WOODSTOCK, THEY, THEY PROBABLY ARE STILL COMING INTO OUR COMMUNITY. OR YOU MIGHT SAY, HEY, THIS AREA OVER HERE, UM, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO INCLUDE THEM. OR YOU MIGHT SAY DIFFERENT AREAS SOUTH. UH, THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT COMING INTO FOR ROYAL TO SHOP. SO WE'LL REALLY WORK WITH YOU GUYS TO UNDERSTAND THAT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, PAIR IT WITH THE DATA THAT WE SEE AND DRAW A TRUE TRADE AREA. BUT FOR OUR, UH, BASIC ANALYSIS FOR TODAY, UH, WE CAME UP WITH A 74,000 POPULATION TRADE AREAS. SO THAT'S MUCH DIFFERENT THAN YOUR MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES AND A MUCH DIFFERENT PICTURE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THESE RETAILERS HERE ARE THE CONSUMERS THAT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR BRAND SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE MONEY IN FRONT OIL. FROM THERE, WE'RE ABLE TO PULL A RETAIL LEAKAGE REPORT, AND IT'S BASICALLY SHOWING THE GAP OF RETAIL AMENITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. UH, IT'S BASICALLY A SUPPLY VERSUS DEMAND. UM, THIS IS JUST ONE OF OUR OTHER BASIC REPORTS. UM, I PICKED OUT THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES TO REALLY TALK ABOUT FOR SPECIFIC REASONS. UM, BUT OVERALL IT'S SHOWING ABOUT $335 MILLION LEAVING YOUR COMMUNITY TO SHOP ELSEWHERE. SO THAT'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO CAPTURE THOSE DOLLARS, TO STAY LOCAL, INCREASE YOUR TAX REVENUES, AND AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CONSUMERS DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE TOO FAR TO GET WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY WANT, MAKING FRONT ROW THAT DESTINATION. UM, SOME CATEGORIES THAT WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY IS HOME AND GARDEN, FOOD SERVICES AND CLOTHING. UM, HOME AND GARDEN. UM, WE, WE ALL DID, UH, UH, DIFFERENT PROJECTS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND WE CONTINUE TO DO DIFFERENT PROJECTS ON OUR HOUSES, ESPECIALLY SINCE INTEREST RATES ARE SO HIGH. AND HOUSING IS SUCH A, A PROBLEM NATIONWIDE. UH, INSTEAD OF MOVING, WE ARE DOING DIFFERENT PROJECTS IN OUR HOUSES. UM, MYSELF INCLUDED, I'M KIND OF NESTING, SO I'M A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANOMALY, BUT MY ENTIRE HOUSE IS GETTING REDONE RIGHT NOW. UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF HOME IMPROVEMENT [00:10:01] PROJECTS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THIS IS A CATEGORY THAT I THINK IS A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE DIFFERENT BRANDS, DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR YOUR CONSUMERS TO STAY LOCALLY. SAME THING WITH CLOTHING. THERE'S DEFINITELY, UM, A LITTLE BIT PART OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH CLOTHING BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT IS DONE ONLINE, BUT WE AS CONSUMERS STILL LOVE TO TOUCH AND FEEL AND TRY ON DIFFERENT THINGS. SPECIFICALLY, IF WE DO ORDER SOMETHING ONLINE AND WE HAVE TO RETURN IT, WELL, WE STILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA WEAR. UM, SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT BRANDS OUT THERE THAT ARE EXPANDING REALLY AND DOING REALLY WELL. THE TJ MAXXS OF THE WORLD, THE ROSSES, THE MARSHALLS, THEY'RE DOING REALLY, REALLY WELL. 'CAUSE WE AS CONSUMERS LIKE TO BE PRETTY THRIFTY. UM, AND THEN HIGHER END BRANDS ARE DOING REALLY WELL, UM, UH, IN ADDITION. SO, UH, DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY TO CAPTURE SOME DOLLARS THERE. UH, LOOKING AT VERY SPECIFIC BRANDS, UM, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE MARKET. AND THEN FOOD SERVICES, IT ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A SURPLUS OF FOOD, UH, AND BEVERAGE STORES, UH, WHICH IS GREAT. WE, WE LOVE TO SEE A SURPLUS IN THESE RESTAURANTS. UM, BUT WE WANNA SEE AN EVEN BIGGER SURPLUS AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO BE THAT DESTINATION. NOW ALL THAT DATA IS GREAT, AND AS I MENTIONED, WE SPENT THE FIRST 30 DAYS REALLY STUDYING ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT DATA POINTS. UM, I CAN TELL YOU HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON APPLES IN YOUR COMMUNITY. I CAN TELL YOU HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON MEN'S UNDERWEAR IN YOUR COMMUNITY. THAT'S HOW GRANULAR THIS DATA REALLY DOES GET. UM, AND ALL THAT DATA'S GREAT, BUT TRUTHFULLY, THE DATA IS JUST WHAT IT IS. EVERYONE HAS INFORMATION, EVERYONE HAS DATA. SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT NOW? WHAT IS THAT NEXT STEP? WELL, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION IS THE REAL ESTATE. SO WE ACTUALLY SENT A TEAM DOWN TO, OR UP TO FRONT ROYAL TO CATALOG YOUR REAL ESTATE ASSETS. AGAIN, BORN OF A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FIRM. SO THAT'S THE LENS THAT WE LOOK THROUGH. WE'RE GONNA SAY, UH, DRIVE THE MARKETPLACE AS WHAT WOULD STARBUCKS SEE? WHAT WOULD WHOLE FOODS, WHOLE FOODS SEE IF THEY WERE DRIVING THROUGH THE MARKET. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE UNIVERSAL SITE METRICS OF REAL ESTATE. UH, LOOKING AT THE PARKING OPPORTUNITIES, THE TRAFFIC FLOW, THE CO-TENANCY OF THESE DIFFERENT BRANDS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. UH, WE KNOW THAT LOWE'S AND HOME DEPOT LOVE TO BE REALLY CLOSE TO THE WALMART. ALL THREE OF THEM OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF HAMMER, BUT GUESS WHAT? THEY ALL FEED OFF OF EACH OTHER AND THEY WANT TO HAVE THAT CO-TENANCY TOGETHER. UM, SIGNAGE OF COURSE, IS A BIG THING FOR ALL THESE RETAILERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THE CONSUMER KNOWS WHERE THEY ARE, AS WELL AS THE INGRESS EGRESS OF THE DIFFERENT TRAFFIC PATTERNS. UM, WE ALWAYS SAY THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO INTO REAL ESTATE. AND SO, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE DIFFERENT REAL ESTATE ASSETS, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING, OKAY, IS THIS ON THE, A SIDE OF THE ROAD OR THE PM SIDE OF THE ROAD? AND THAT'S BASICALLY SAYING, HEY, ON, ON, ON A SOMEONE'S MORNING COMMUTE, THE A M COMMUTE PATTERN, THEY'RE GONNA TAKE ONE RIGHT TURN INTO WHATEVER IT IS, WHETHER IT'S A COFFEE USER OR BREAKFAST USER. THEY'RE TAKE ONE RIGHT TURN IN ONE RIGHT TURN OUT SO THEY CAN GET BACK ONTO, UH, THE MAJOR ROAD TO GO WHEREVER THEY'RE GONNA WORK, WHERE ON THE PM SIDE OF THE ROAD, THEY'RE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. SO THE GROCERY STORES TYPICALLY LIKE TO BE ON THE PM SIDE ROAD. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THOSE DIFFERENT METRICS TO COVER THOSE REAL ESTATE ASSETS. WE'RE THEN GONNA CATALOG THEM INTO OUR COMPUTER PROGRAM. UM, THIS IS ONE OF OUR, UH, COMMUNITIES, LASKI COUNTY, JUST A LITTLE BIT FURTHER SOUTH IN YOU GUYS. AND YOU SEE THESE LITTLE GREEN DOTS, ALL THE DIFFERENT REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE SPOTTED. AND THERE'S DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO NOTE ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT SITES, WHETHER IT IS SOMETHING FOR REDEVELOPMENT TO, UH, OR MAYBE IT IS, UM, ALREADY A PERFECTLY, UH, FULLY LEASED SHOPPING CENTER, OR MAYBE IT'S VACANT LAND. WE WANNA LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSETS, LOG THEM SO THAT WE CAN SAY WHATEVER RETAILER WE DEEM APPROPRIATE HERE IS THOSE, UM, THAT REAL ESTATE ASSET THAT MATCHES THAT CLIENT SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THAT RETAILER. SO FROM THERE, UM, ONCE WE'VE GOT OUR DATA ANALYSIS, OUR REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS, WE PUT TOGETHER A RETAIL RECRUITMENT PLAN. SO BASED OFF WHO'S ACTUALLY EXPANDING IN VIRGINIA RIGHT NOW, HERE'S WHO WE SHOULD BE TARGETING FOR GROWTH BASED OFF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'VE UNCOVERED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, THAT RETAIL RECRUITMENT PLAN IS PRESENTED TO YOU GUYS AND YOU GET THE FINAL APPROVAL. SAY, YEAH, WE LOVE ALL THOSE BRANDS. IT'D BE GREAT TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, CHICK-FIL-A OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT, THAT WE DEEM APPROPRIATE. OR YOU MIGHT SAY TO US, HEY, WE'VE GOT A REALLY GREAT LOCAL PIZZA SHOP. WE'RE REALLY NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING ANY MORE PIZZA SHOPS IN OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? WE'LL JUST PROCESS OFF OUR LIST, UM, AND BACK IT WITH A DIFFERENT PROSPECT THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU GUYS. OR YOU MIGHT SAY TO US, HEY, THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE BRAND OUR COMMUNITY IS ALWAYS ASKING US FOR. CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE PROSPECT LIST? AND ABSOLUTELY WE WILL MAKE SURE, UH, TO GET THOSE ANSWERS FOR YOU FOR WHATEVER BRAND THAT IS. WE ALSO DEVELOP A MARKETING GUIDE THAT YOU CAN USE LOCALLY AS WELL AS WE USE, UH, WHEN GO TO DIFFERENT TRADE SHOWS AND REPRESENTING YOU ON, UH, ON YOUR BEHALF. AND AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS REALLY LOOKING AT [00:15:01] THE DIFFERENT BRANDS. AND THIS IS JUST, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, DUNKIN DONUTS. THEY HAVE VERY SPECIFIC SITE SELECTION CRITERIA THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE GOING THROUGH AND LOOKING FOR. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO MATCH THAT REAL ESTATE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS TO WHAT THEY NEED TO REALLY UNCOVER WHAT IS THE RIGHT RETAILER FOR YOU. WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE LOOKING AT JUST DIFFERENT BRANDS, UH, NOT JUST, UH, UH, FOOD SERVICES AND CLOTHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, BUT WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED, WHETHER THAT'S, UM, HEALTHCARE, HOSPITALITY, ENTERTAINMENT. WE REALLY DO SEE, UH, RETAIL AS A MUCH BROADER, UH, CATEGORY THAN JUST THAT FOOD SERVICES AND CLOTHING. AND SO THIS IS THE TEAM THAT TAKES THAT RETAIL RECRUITMENT PLAN AND KICKS IN THE HIGH GEAR. THEY WILL ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THAT RETAIL RECRUITMENT PLAN ON YOUR BEHALF. SO INSTEAD OF JUST HANDING YOU A PLAN SAYING, GOOD LUCK, WE'LL WE'LL SEE YOU IN A YEAR, LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES. UM, WE WILL ACTUALLY DEDICATE A TEAM, DEDICATED TEAM WHO WILL CALL ON THE BROKERS, DEVELOPERS, THE RETAILERS, THE TENANT REPS, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND CONVINCING THEM THAT THEY NEED TO MOVE THEIR NEXT LOCATION INTO FRONT ROYAL. AND THEN WE REPORT BACK TO YOU ON WHAT IS SAID, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. SO IF IT'S A YES, GREAT, LET'S MOVE FORWARD. WHAT ARE THOSE NEXT STEPS? IT'S A NO. WHY IS IT A NO? IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO TURN IT INTO A YES OR IS THERE A INCENTIVE THAT WE NEED TO PUT TOGETHER OR IS THERE JUST A DIFFERENT SITE? OR MAYBE IT'S JUST NOT THE RIGHT TIMING. SO WE'LL GET ALL THIS INFORMATION, UH, AND SEND IT BACK TO YOU TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT YOU CAN ALSO ANSWER TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS SAYING, HEY, THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME, OR, HEY, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY AND WE'RE CHASING IT DOWN. SO IT GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF POLITICAL COVERAGE AS WELL. SO YOUR PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR IS MICHAEL WAROFF, AND HIS WHOLE JOB IS TO BE YOUR POINT OF CONTACT, UM, WHETHER YOU NEED A SPECIFIC REPORT OR IF YOU NEED ANYTHING. UM, HE IS THERE TO BE YOUR PERSON. UH, JOHN MARKS IS OUR RETAIL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR THE COMMONWEALTH. UM, AND HE IS AGAIN, CALLING ON THE BROKERS, DEVELOPERS, THE RETAILERS, THE FRANCHISEES, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RETAILERS TO SHOW THEM THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, BACKED BY OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM, OUR MARKETING TEAM, AND OUR DATA TEAM. SO WE'RE ALL HERE TO REALLY SUPPORT THE OVERALL TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT FRONT ROW IS GETTING THE BEST FOOT FORWARD. ANOTHER MAJOR PART OF OUR PARTNERSHIP IS TO REPRESENT YOU GUYS AT CONFERENCES. SO ICSE IS THE BIG RETAIL TRADE SHOW. UM, THERE'S SEVERAL CONFERENCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAPPEN EACH YEAR. UM, THERE'S A BIG ONE THAT HAPPENS IN, UM, VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND AREA, UM, IN A FEW WEEKS. SO OUR TEAM WILL ATTEND THAT CONFERENCE. IT'S THE MID-ATLANTIC ICSC CONFERENCE. SO WE ATTEND THAT REPRESENTING OUR CLIENT COMMUNITY, AND AGAIN, REPORTING BACK TO YOU ON WHAT IS SAID FROM THOSE DIFFERENT CONFERENCES. ANOTHER BRAND IS THE, UH, RETAIL LIFE, UH, VERY SIMILAR RETAIL NETWORKING GROUP. UM, SO WE'RE THERE TO JUST BE YOUR BILLBOARD BASICALLY. AND THIS IS JUST HOW RETAIL IS SO IMPACTFUL FOR YOUR COMMUNITY. JUST TO RECAP JUST HOW MUCH THIS REALLY DOES MEAN FOR YOUR CONSUMERS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, AND IT'S, YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE. SO YOU START HERE ON THIS LOWER LEVEL, UM, SOME OF THESE BRANDS, AND THEN YOU MOVE UP TO THE HIGHER, HIGHER AND HIGHER LEVELS. AND SO WE'RE HERE TO JUST REALLY BUILD UPON WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE, FIND THE RIGHT RETAILER FOR YOUR CONSUMER AND CONTINUE TO BUILD, UH, AND AGAIN, BRING IN MORE JOBS AND MORE TO YOUR TAX BASE. SO I KNOW I TALK REALLY FAST AND I HAVE MY SOUTHERN ACCENT, AND I'M A LITTLE WINDED BECAUSE AGAIN, I'M PREGNANT, SO I CAN ONLY GET OUT SO MANY WORDS BEFORE I HAVE TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH. BUT WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU GUYS HAVE FOR US? SO THE BRANDS THAT YOU JUST SHOWED ON THE LAST SLIDE, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE PROBABLY 40 OR 50% OF THOSE ALREADY. YEAH, EXACTLY. UM, THAT'S HOW YOU ARE BUILDING UP TO THAT RETAIL BASE. SO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS GONNA BE VERY CUSTOMIZED TO WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE. THAT'S JUST A GRAPHIC THAT WE USE TO SHOWCASE HERE'S HOW RETAIL DOES EXPAND UP. UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE AND FINDING WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE AND WHAT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR YOU AS A COMMUNITY. I NOTICED THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY GROCERY STORES AS YOUR BRANDS. IS THAT JUST, UM, I I DIDN'T SEE ONE THERE AT LEAST. OH, PUBLIX WAS, WAS PUBLIX THERE? OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. KROGER. KROGER, OKAY. YEAH. UH, GROCERY IS DEFINITELY A PART OF THE CONVERSATION. UM, I KNOW THERE IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A, A GAP THERE. UM, I KNOW ONE OF THE STORES HAD LEFT AND TRYING TO BACKFILL THAT AND MAKING SURE YOU FIND THE RIGHT GROCERY SPACE AND, UM, ESPECIALLY AFFORDABLE GROCERY. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR CONSUMERS. SO, UM, THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING WE WOULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME STUDYING. WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE, UH, GROCER FOR THE COMMUNITY AND WHERE SHOULD THAT GO IN YOUR COMMUNITY? MORE QUESTION. ONE MORE. HOW WOULD YOU, IF THERE WAS A, A BOX THAT STORE THAT'S [00:20:01] IN TROUBLE FINANCIALLY AND THEY COULD GO AWAY, UM, WE HAVE THAT POSSIBILITY LOOMING ON US RIGHT NOW. UH, HOW DO YOU ALL REACT TO THAT? ARE, ARE YOU, IS THERE A PROACTIVE APPROACH FROM TRYING TO FIND SOMEBODY TO TAKE A PLACE THERE OR HOW, HOW'S THAT HANDLED? MAN, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION AND YOU'RE SPOT ON. UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY IN TUNE WITH. UH, WE KNOW THAT RETAILER IS ALWAYS EBBING AND FLOWING. THERE'S BRANDS THAT ARE IN JEOPARDY. THERE'S BRANDS THAT ARE EXPANDING. AND SO WHEN WE DRIVE THE MARKETPLACE, WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING FOR THOSE BRANDS THAT ARE ON OUR WATCH LIST. UM, AND YOU MIGHT SAY TO US, HEY, THIS IS A LOCAL CONCEPT THAT WE THINK IS, IS IN JEOPARDY OR IN SOME TROUBLE, LETTING US KNOW THAT. SO WE CAN LOOK AT THAT REAL ESTATE ASSET AND START TO HAVE A PLAN EVEN BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO CLOSE. AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THEY STAY OPEN. THAT'S ALWAYS IDEAL, BUT IT SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN. WE DO WANNA HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. WE DO WANNA WORK WITH THAT PROPERTY OWNER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THEY WILLING TO DO WITH THAT PROPERTY. UM, IS THERE ANY KIND OF IMPROVEMENT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO THE BUILDING OR THE PARKING LOT, THE LIGHTING, WHATEVER IT IS, WE'RE GONNA REALLY STUDY THAT, UNDERSTAND IT, WORK WITH YOU GUYS TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE BACKUP PLAN. UM, AND IF WE START TO SEE, HEY, THIS IS, THIS IS GOING TO CLOSE. WE ARE, WE ARE, WE'RE VERY MUCH WATCHING IT. WE'LL GET AHEAD OF IT AND START CALLING ON THE APPROPRIATE RETAILERS TO BACKFILL THAT SPACE SAYING, HEY, THIS LEASE IS COMING UP AVAILABLE HERE IN A FEW MONTHS. IS THIS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT? AND SO REALLY TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF IT IS A BIG, BIG PART OF THE PARTNERSHIP. GREAT QUESTION. I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED THAT. SO, UM, ASIDE FROM THE, UH, YOU KNOW, INITIAL ANALYSIS AND THEN THE QUARTERLY, UH, BUSINESS REVIEWS, JUST GOING OVER THE SCOPE OF THE SCOPE OF WORK, UM, WHAT IS TYPICALLY THE REPORTING CADENCE AND LIKE ADDITIONAL DELIVERABLES THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE CONTRACT AS WELL AS THE, IS THERE A TYPICAL LIKE MEETING CADENCE AS WELL IN TERMS OF WORKING TOGETHER? SO WE REALLY, UH, DETERMINE THAT ON THE FRONT END, ON OUR KICKOFF CALL, TYPICALLY HAPPENS WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF OUR PARTNERSHIP. THAT'S WHEN WE REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY THAT YOU GUYS NEED COMMUNICATION. UH, WE DON'T REALLY WANNA FIT THAT NEED. UM, WE KNOW EACH COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT ON HOW THEY WANT TO GET THEIR INFORMATION. UH, SO WE TRY TO MATCH THAT. UM, SO THAT USUALLY HAPPENS ON OUR KICKOFF CALL. THOSE QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEWS ARE IN THE CONTRACT STANDARD, JUST SO THAT YOU GUYS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS COMING UP. UM, BUT THAT COMMUNICATION DOES HAPPEN MORE REGULAR. THOSE ARE JUST ONE OF THOSE REPORTS THAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER. UM, AND JUST FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE AS A BOARD FOR YOU GUYS TO SHARE WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY, WE WILL HAVE SOME THAT ARE REDACTED REPORTS. SO, UM, UH, LOOSE LIPS DO SINK SHIPS. SO IF WE FIND OUT A REALLY GREAT RETAILER IS WANTING TO OPEN THEIR DOORS, WE WANNA KEEP SOME OF THAT HUSH HUSH, UM, JUST BECAUSE SOMETIMES IF IT GETS OUT, IT CAN KILL THE DEAL. WE DON'T WANNA DO THAT. SO THERE WILL BE SOME REDACTED REPORTS THAT WE'LL HAVE. AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME THAT YOU CAN DEFINITELY SHARE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY. AND AS WINDS HAPPEN, AS ANYTHING CHANGES, WE DO WANNA REPORT THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN. SO WE ARE IN REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH OUR DIRECT POINT OF CONTACT. AND SO IT'S, IT IS REALLY UP TO YOU GUYS HOW YOU WANNA RECEIVE INFORMATION AS WELL AS YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST ANY KIND OF REPORT, UM, ANY KIND OF INFORMATION, WE ARE YOUR DATA CONCIERGE, JUST GIVE US A HEADS UP, WE'LL PUT THAT TOGETHER, THAT REPORT TOGETHER WITHIN 24 48 HOURS USUALLY. UH, AND SEND THAT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU. MM-HMM, . SO YOU'RE RECOMMENDING A THREE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I GUESS OF THE LEAD TIME FOR REAL ESTATE AND WHATNOT. UH, SO YOU GO AHEAD. SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU. GO AHEAD. UH, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. SO, UM, SO, UH, THE THREE, THE $55,000, IS THAT DUE ANNUALLY OR HOW DO, HOW DO WE PAY THAT? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. UM, AND YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. UM, UH, RETAIL DOES TAKE TIME. UH, A DUNKIN DONUTS OR A COPY USER TYPICALLY TAKES NINE TO 12 MONTHS, WHEREAS SOME OF THE BIGGER BOXES GROCERY STORES CAN TAKE THREE, FIVE, SOMETIMES EVEN 10 YEARS. UM, SO WE JUST WANNA SET THAT EXPECTATION. WE DO ASK FOR THREE YEARS, BUT YOU CAN EXIT OUT OF THAT, UH, OUT OF THAT AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME WITH NO PENALTY. JUST GIVE US A 30 DAY NOTICE. UM, WE JUST WANNA SET ALL OF US UP FOR SUCCESS, AND WE ASKED FOR THAT THREE YEAR. UM, AND, AND THEN IT'S 55 ANNUALLY. UM, THAT IS BASED OFF OF AN RFP CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE WITH STAFFORD COUNTY. THEY WENT OUT FOR BID EARLIER IN THE YEAR. THERE IS PIGGYBACK LANGUAGE WRITTEN INTO THE RFP, SO IT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER ON THE PROCUREMENT. AGAIN, IT'S ALREADY BEEN BID, IT'S ALREADY BEEN, UH, COOPERATIVELY, YOU KNOW, AGREED UPON. SO, UM, MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU GUYS. UM, BUT YES, IT IS 55,000 PER YEAR. UH, AND AGAIN, THERE'S NO PENALTY TO EXAMINE AT ANY TIME. IS THERE ANY FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY? I MEAN, IS THERE A FEE ATTACHED TO THEM? OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE HELPING FILL [00:25:01] THEIR SPACE, OR WHAT'S THE THOUGHT ON THAT? YEAH, SO WE TAKE ZERO COMMISSION FROM ANY DEAL WE WORK. UM, WE DO NOT WANT TO KICK OUT ANY KIND OF LOCAL BROKER, OR MAYBE THEY'RE NOT LOCAL. WE ARE HERE TO BE FREE HELP TO THEM. A LOT OF TIMES THOSE LOCAL BROKERS, OR EVEN NOT EVEN LOCAL BROKERS, THEY'RE THERE TO JUST BE VERY SELFISHLY WHATEVER THEY WANNA DO FOR THEIR PROPERTY. SO THEY'RE GONNA TAKE WHATEVER LEASE COMES IN FIRST, WHETHER IT'S ANOTHER MATTRESS STORE, A VAPE SHOP, A DOLLAR GENERAL, WHATEVER IT IS, THEY JUST WANNA LEASE THEIR PROPERTY AND GET THEIR MONEY. WE'RE HERE TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE HERE TO ACT ON THE EXTENSION OF YOUR STAFF TO SAY, HEY, PROPERTY OWNER, WE KNOW THIS IS ABOUT TO COME. YOUR LEASE IS ABOUT TO COME UP. WE THINK IT'LL BE BEST SUITED FOR THIS TYPE OF USER, THIS TYPE OF RETAILER. UM, WE ARE GOING TO WORK TO GET THAT RETAILER INTO YOUR SPACE AGAIN, HOPEFULLY INCREASING YOUR RENT, THE PROPERTY VALUE. UM, AND, AND AGAIN, WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE ANY DEAL, ANY COMMISSION OFF YOUR DEAL. SO PLEASE DON'T KICK US OUT OF, OF THE COMMUNICATION. WE'RE HERE TO JUST REALLY DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO WE WORK REALLY WELL WITH THOSE LOCAL, LOCAL GUYS. THANK YOU. SO, UH, THIS IS A, A AN ASIDE, BUT, SO, UH, I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS BEHIND THE PROLIFERATION OF VAPE SHOPS? ? UM, GOSH, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF THOUGHT BEHIND THERE. UM, I THINK SOME OF THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE REALLY PUSHING THAT. UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THE CANNABIS, UM, MOVEMENT IS REALLY STRONG, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY PUSHING THAT. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S ALSO PRETTY CHEAP TO RUN THOSE TYPE OF STORES. SO IS THIS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM OR A SMALL TOWN PROBLEM? SO THE PROLIFERATION OF VAPE SHOPS IN FRONT, ROYAL IS A COMMON THING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. YEP. IT REALLY IS. UM, IT REALLY, REALLY IS. AND, AND I, I DO SEE IT SOMETIMES MORE IN SMALLER COMMUNITIES, UH, JUST BECAUSE IT'S LITTLE BIT MORE NOTICEABLE. UM, BUT YEAH, IT'S, IT IS A NATIONWIDE THING. SO WHAT DOES THE KICKOFF CALL LOOK LIKE? LIKE WHAT, HOW'S THAT GONNA GO? CAN YOU RUN US THROUGH THAT? SO, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO ONCE THEY, THAT AGREEMENT IS SIGNED, TYPICALLY WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK, DEPENDING ON SCHEDULES, OF COURSE, WE HAVE OUR KICKOFF CALL. UM, THAT IS WHERE YOUR TEAM AND OUR TEAM GET TOGETHER ON THE CALL. WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR OF THE PARTNERSHIP, THE NEXT PHASE WE WALK YOU THROUGH, OKAY, HERE, HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. HERE'S OUR DISCOVERY PHASE, HERE'S OUR REAL ESTATE PHASE, HERE IS OUR RETAIL RECRUITMENT PLAN. HERE'S WHERE WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO DELIVER ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. HERE ARE THE DIFFERENT CONFERENCES. KIND OF JUST LAYING OUT THAT TIMELINE, UM, TO SET EXPECTATIONS UP. IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO TELL US, HEY, WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO X RETAILER FOR YEARS. WE'D LOVE TO SEE THEM. THEY HAVEN'T MOVED IN YET, OR WE'VE HEARD RUMORS ABOUT THIS. UM, UH, WE, WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT, BUT WE KEEP HEARING THIS RUMOR DOING SPREAD IN THE COMMUNITY. OKAY, GREAT. GIVING US THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT, THAT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IS REALLY HELPFUL IN OUR DISCOVERY PHASE. UM, THIS IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHO WE REALLY WANT. HERE'S WHO WE DON'T WANT. SO NO MORE VAPE SHOPS. OKAY, GREAT. WE, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE SET THAT UP ON THE FRONT END. UM, AND AGAIN, THAT YOU GET TO MEET THE TEAM AS WELL. AND THEN WE LAY OUT THE, THAT TIMELINE FOR THE NEXT YEAR USUALLY LASTS ABOUT 45 MINUTES, SOMETIMES LONGER, SOMETIMES SHORTER, JUST DEPENDING ON QUESTIONS AND WHATNOT. UM, AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE GET YOU GUYS LOADED INTO BASECAMP, WHICH IS OUR COMMUNICATION PORTAL. UM, THERE'S DIFFERENT, UM, UH, UH, SURVEYS THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU GUYS, AS WELL AS SURVEY FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WE GET THAT SET UP ON THE FRONT END, AND THEN WE START WORKING ON OUR DATA ANALYSIS. WE START TO PLAN OUT OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND, OUR REAL ESTATE VISIT AND, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT GOES INTO PARTNERSHIP. OKAY. AND SO, UM, LET'S SAY THAT, UH, TODAY WE DECIDE, YOU KNOW, TO MOVE FORWARD. HOW QUICKLY CAN WE GET THAT GOING? IS IT, I MEAN, COULD WE MEET NEXT MONTH OR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW, OR WHAT? OH, WE MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY. WE, WE'RE NOT HERE TO WASTE TIME. UM, SO ONCE THAT AGREEMENT IS SIGNED, UM, I MEAN, WE MOVE WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK, WE HAVE THAT PART, THAT KICKOFF CALL, AND WE START THAT PARTNERSHIP IMMEDIATELY. WE, WE, WE DON'T WASTE ANY TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. ESPECIALLY WITH, SO SORRY. ESPECIALLY WITH THE, UM, MID-ATLANTIC SHOW COMING UP SO SOON. SO IF YOU GUYS DID APPROVE TODAY, SAY, HEY, LET'S, LET'S GET THIS ROCK AND ROLLING. UM, WE WANNA MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN INCLUDE YOU ON THAT CONFERENCE. WHEN DID YOU SAY THAT WAS? IT WAS, OH, I MESSED UP. IT WAS LAST WEEK. I APOLOGIZE. I GOT MY CALENDAR ALL KINDS OF MIXED UP. ALL RIGHT. I SEE A APRIL, SO I APOLOGIZE. SO IN ANY CASE, UM, [00:30:01] WE CAN STILL GET YOU GUYS INCLUDED IN THAT OUTREACH. UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF FOLLOW UPS, SO HOW THOSE CONFERENCES TYPICALLY RUN. UM, WE GO TO THE SHOW, WE MEET WITH OUR DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS, AND THEN THE BACK END IS WHEN A LOT OF THINGS REALLY DO HAPPEN. SO IT'S THE FOLLOW-UPS, HEY, I KNOW WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION AT MIDATLANTIC OR AT VEGAS OR WHATEVER CONFERENCE IT IS. UM, CAN WE NOW MEET WITHIN THE CITY? CAN WE NOW MEET ON THAT SPECIFIC SITE? UH, WHAT, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED FROM US? SO THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT HAPPENS ON THE FOLLOW. SO WE CAN ALWAYS INCLUDE YOU GUYS IN THAT AS WELL. LIZ, YOU HAD A QUESTION? I DID. UM, SARAH BETH, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOUR HOTEL AND LODGING PARTNERS SPACE? I KNOW WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT BIG BOX RETAIL. I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU GUYS. YEAH, HOTEL IS A BIG PART OF THE CONVERSATION. WE DEFINITELY INCLUDE THAT IN WHAT WE THINK IS WHAT RETAIL. UM, AND SO DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TOO. UM, SO HOTELS, THEY WANNA HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIFIC TYPE OF STUDY. UM, THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT GOES INTO A HOTEL STUDY VERSUS JUST A RETAIL STUDY. WE DO HAVE A REALLY UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP WITH A HOTEL FEASIBILITY GROUP. THEY GIVE ALL OF OUR, UM, CLIENTS DISCOUNTS. AND IT IS A THREE TIERED APPROACH. SO THEY START OFF WITH THE FIRST ROUND OF, OF STUDY AND THEY DELIVERED THAT REPORT AND IT BASICALLY SAYS, OKAY, WE THINK THERE IS ENOUGH HERE TO MOVE ON TO THE SECOND PHASE OF THAT REPORT. AND THEN YOU WOULD MOVE ON TO THE SECOND AND THIRD PHASE. SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WHOLE STUDY. IF, IF WE GET TO THE FIRST PHASE OF THAT STUDY AND SAYS, HEY, THIS IS NOT FEASIBLE RIGHT NOW, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH OR PAY FOR THE SECOND AND THIRD PHASE. BUT, UM, WE TYPICALLY CAN LOOK AT THAT ON THE FRONT AND BE LIKE, HEY, WE DO THINK THIS IS VERY MUCH FEASIBLE, BUT WE DO NEED TO HAVE THIS SPECIFIC STUDY TO SHOW THOSE RETAIL PARTNERS. UM, AND THEN FROM THERE, WE WILL AGAIN RECRUIT THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF USERS TO THE COMMUNITY BASED OFF OF THAT, UH, HOTEL FEASIBILITY STUDY. THANK YOU. ANYBODY, ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT, GREAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR TIME. UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY. UH, I KNOW SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT GO, UM, AS WELL AS YOU ALWAYS WANT IT TO. YOU'RE PROBABLY A VERY THANKLESS JOB. BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY. IT, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. YES, JOE? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP. UM, FIRST OF ALL, UM, I REALLY TRULY BELIEVE THIS IS THE NEXT STEP FOR THIS BOARD IS TO TRY TO GET SOMEBODY OUT THERE TO DO SOME RETAIL STRATEGY RECRUITMENT FOR US. SO REALLY, I GUESS THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION IS DOES THE BOARD, UH, HAVE A PLEASURE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION? AND IF THEY DO, THEN WE REALLY HAVE TWO OPTIONS. UH, AS, UH, SARAH BETH HAD MENTIONED, UH, THEY HAVE RECENTLY GOT A CONTRACT WITH STAFFORD COUNTY AND AS PART OF THAT CONTRACT, PART OF THEIR RFP PROCESS, THERE'S A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WHICH ALLOWS ANY OTHER LOCALITIES TO LATCH ONTO THAT SAME CONTRACT. SO WE REALLY, IF, IF, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO GO DOWN THIS ROAD, WE HAVE TWO, TWO OPTIONS. EITHER GO WITH THE PROPOSAL WITH, WITH RETAIL STRATEGIES OR ISSUE OUR OWN RFP AND SCOPE, OUR SCOPE OF WORK AND WHAT WE REALLY ARE LOOKING FOR, AND THEN GO OUT AND EVALUATE THAT. SO WE REALLY HAVE TWO OPTIONS. ONE ALLOWS YOU TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING TODAY. THE OTHER ONE'S GONNA PROBABLY BE, UH, A 90 DAY, UH, POTENTIALLY MAYBE A LITTLE LONGER TURNAROUND PROJECT. ALRIGHT. I KIND OF HAVE TO ASK. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD WE HAD ANY MONEY IN OUR BUDGET. WE DO HAVE MONEY IN THE BUDGET. I, I DON'T, I COULDN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW MUCH IS THERE, BUT THERE'S OVER, I WANNA SAY THERE'S OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN THERE TO BE USED FOR EDA. DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT, BUT I, WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THIS. SO, UH, JUST TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER, IF THIS BOARD DECIDED TODAY THAT THEY WANTED TO SECURE THIS CONTRACT, WHAT WE WOULD DO IS PUT THIS ON A WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEM FOR COUNCIL, AND THEN COUNCIL WOULD APPROVE IT AND ALLOCATE THE FUNDS FOR THAT. OKAY. AN RFP, WHAT OTHER COMPANIES EXIST OUT THERE THAT DO WHAT EXACTLY WHAT RETAIL STRATEGY SAYS? I DO BELIEVE THERE'S PROBABLY WHAT I'M AWARE OF, MAYBE THREE OTHER COMPANIES KIND OF IN THAT SAME FASHION. MM-HMM. , UH, I DON'T KNOW, UH, WHEN STAFFORD COUNTY WENT OUT FOR THEIR RFP, HOW MANY RESPONDENTS, I HAVEN'T GOT DOWN THE WEEDS ON THEIR RFP, BUT I JUST WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE THOSE ARE OPTIONS THAT WE CAN PURSUE AS WELL. I'M JUST WONDER IF OUR NEEDS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN FREDERICKSBURG'S. I DON'T, NO. STAFFORD COUNTY, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE GIST OF THEIR RFP WOULD'VE BEEN, WHAT THEY WOULD'VE WANTED TO FOCUS ON. [00:35:01] UM, MY FEAR WOULD BE THEY WOULD, THEY DIDN'T FOCUS ON DOWNTOWN OR THE SMALLER NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY FOCUSED ON THE CORRIDORS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF EMPTY BOX STORES OUT ON ROUTE 17. I, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE LAST 30, 60 DAYS EVALUATING THIS COMPANY AND EVALUATING A FEW OTHERS IS THAT REALLY THE, THE, THE, THE, THE CRITICAL POINT IS AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT IS TAKING AN INVENTORY OF WHAT OUR ASSETS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE CAN OFFER ANOTHER BOX TO WORK OR WHATEVER. 'CAUSE WE MAY HAVE BIGGER DREAMS OF WHAT OUR ASSETS CAN PROVIDE. AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE CRITICAL WITH ANY COMPANY COMING IN, IS TAKING A LOOK AT OUR ASSETS, TAKING A LOOK AT OUR CODE AS WELL, AND MAKING SURE WHAT IS APPLICABLE AND HOW WE CAN FACILITATE, UH, GROWTH. TO THAT POINT THOUGH, I MEAN, WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS WITH LAUREN, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE MAPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THERE, THERE, THERE ISN'T A LOT FOR US TO WORK WITH. UM, THERE'S, THERE'S THE STUFF OUT, YOU KNOW, OFF OF LEACH RUN THERE. AND, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL EVER HAPPEN THERE? I, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, BUT, BUT THEN IN LOOKING AT ALL THE OTHER PARCELS, I MEAN, THIS GROUP THE LAST TIME, AND RICK WILL RECALL, I I WASN'T IMPRESSED WITH THIS PARTICULAR GROUP WE HAD AS, AS HE BROUGHT UP, ONE OF MY MAIN POINTS BEFORE WAS THAT ABOUT 60% OF THEIR PORTFOLIO OF PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH, WE ALREADY HAVE HERE. AND THOSE COMPANIES CAME HERE ORGANICALLY. THEY DIDN'T COME HERE THROUGH A GROUP LIKE THIS. UM, I BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR AND I, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THESE FRANCHISES KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ALREADY AND THEY'RE DOING IT THEMSELVES. UM, AND, AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH FOOD AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT, BUT, UM, AND ONE OF MY OTHER POINTS WAS WHAT DO WE WANT FRONT ROYAL TO LOOK? WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF FRONT ROYAL? WHAT, WHAT DOES FRONT ROYAL WANT TO LOOK LIKE? DOES IT WANNA LOOK LIKE A SHOPPING MALL OF ALL THE RETAIL BRANDS OR DOES IT WANNA BE A UNIQUE DESTINATION WHERE, WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE OFFERING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE UNIQUE AND CREATIVE. I MEAN, AT, AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER, THE WORLD BECOMES, DO YOU, DO YOU VISIT THE SAME STORE IN EVERYWHERE YOU GO? OR DO YOU, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AND, AND YES, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT GO TO MCDONALD'S, SO CLEARLY NO MATTER WHERE IN THE WORLD THEY ARE, THEY'RE GONNA GO TO MCDONALD'S. BUT THEN THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY COME TO A COMMUNITY LIKE THIS AND, AND THEY LIKE, WHAT'S DIFFERENT? NOT WHAT'S THE SAME. AND SO THAT'S SORT OF ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH DEALING WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS THAT, 'CAUSE IT'S MORE COOKIE CUTTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. I, I DO THINK I, I AGREE WITH YOU 100% IN TERMS OF WE NEED TO KNOW OUR, WHAT OUR INVENTORY IS, AND WE NEED TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT THERE FOR US. BUT I I, I THINK THESE FOLKS ARE, ARE WORKING IN, YOU KNOW, THEY GO TO A, A CONVENTION AND HOW MANY COMMUNITIES THEY REPRESENT. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PORTFOLIO OF THAT, YOU KNOW, OUT THERE FOR A POPEYE'S OR, OR WHATEVER. SO IT, IT IS JUST MY CONCERN IS LIKE, HOW MANY DUNKIN DONUTS ARE WE GONNA GET? HOW MANY, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW MUCH MORE OF THAT DO WE ACTUALLY NEED HERE? UM, THERE, THERE'S FOLKS THAT THINK WE NEED A, YOU KNOW, A THIRD GROCERY STORE MAY MAYBE, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THEN, THEN THERE'S THE CLOTHING STORES AND ALL OF THAT. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT IS JUST A VERY TOUGH GO FOR ANYONE TO BEAT THE AMAZON MODEL. AND THE, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TRADING UNFORTUNATELY ARE LIKE THOSE, THE, THE ESCAPE SHOP ISSUE. IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, THAT'S A 15, $20 PURCHASE. IT'S A, IT'S A IMPULSE BUY. AND THE, THE MARKET IS CREATING THE, THE, I MEAN, THERE'S NO WAY A VAPE SHOP CAN PAY LIGHTS, UTILITY TAXES AND ALL OF THAT WITHOUT A CUSTOMER. SO THE PROLIFERATION, I BELIEVE IS OUR FAULT. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN A LOW INCOME AREA. IT'S LIKE IF YOU LIVE, IF YOU LIVE IN AN INNER CITY, ON EVERY CORNER, THERE'S A PLACE TO BUY ALCOHOL BECAUSE THEY PREY IN A, IN A, IN A LOW INCOME, LOW LOW EDUCATION KIND OF AREA. AND THAT, THAT IS, IS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE, UM, YOU KNOW, RESULT. BUT AGAIN, THAT, THAT THERE'S NOBODY BRINGING THE VAPE SHOPS HERE. THERE'S NO COLLECTIVE LIKE, RETAIL STRATEGIES GOING OUT AND MARKETING FRONT ROYAL AS A VAPE SHOP DESTINATION. YOU KNOW? SO THAT, THAT'S JUST MY, I HAVE TO PUT IT OUT THERE 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE MY ARGUMENT THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS. SURE. I BELIEVE ANOTHER RFP WOULD BE A BETTER [00:40:01] IDEA BECAUSE LIKE TOM SAID, WE CAN SORT OF IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND THEN HAVE THAT GROUP DO THAT WORK. WELL, MY, MY BIGGEST FEAR IS HOTEL RECRUITMENT. ANY HOTEL RECRUITMENT'S GOING ON, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY CHOOSING THE CORRIDOR. IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S GOTTA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIALIZED. WE WANT A BOUTIQUE HOTEL THAT DOESN'T WANT TO BE 180 ROOMS. MAYBE IT WANTS TO BE 60 OR 70 OR 80, AND THEY DON'T MIND BEING IN A TOUR, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A HISTORICAL AREA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ATTRACT, UH, STATES FROM TOURISM. I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT EXISTS, BUT I MEAN, I LOOK AT OUR MODEL, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY SITES. UM, I SEE. I MEAN, TO SIT THERE AND DROP, I, I LOVE THE PRESENTATION. YOU KNOW, I, I WASN'T HERE BEFORE, BUT I'M SITTING THERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND. I MEAN, RIGHT NOW WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE THAT I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY ONLY ONE EMPTY STORE ON ALL OF MAIN STREET. UM, THAT'S UNHEARD OF. AND THEN ULTIMATELY, UH, I LOOK AT THE, THE, THE TWO SHOPPING CENTERS, YOU KNOW, THE ONE THE BIG LOTS IS IN WHICH THERE'S A PAD SITE THERE. AND, UH, AND THEN I LOOK AT THE OTHER ONE, WHICH IS RUN BY HEIMER. AND I DON'T SEE, I MEAN, I KNOW THAT IN BEHIND HIM, THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN THAT SHOPPING CENTER AND CRE ROAD MM-HMM. NOW THAT I COULD SEE. BUT WHAT IS GEORGE STUCKEY'S AND HEIMER, WHAT WOULD BE THEIR PLAN DOWN THE ROAD TO, TO WANT TO DEVELOP THAT? IT'S BEEN EMPTY FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON THAT? I MEAN, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF WE REALLY HAVE THAT MUCH OF A REAL ESTATE, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVENTORY TO GO THIS ROUTE. I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. WELL, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE BIG, BIG BOX RETAILERS WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE OUT IN THE CORRIDOR. SO THEY'RE REALLY NOT IN THE CORPORATE LIMITS. SO WHILE WE DO GET A PILOT FEES FROM THEM, WE STILL DON'T GET THE DIRECT BENEFIT. SO THERE IS BENEFIT OF BEING IN OUR CORPORATE LIMITS. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT LODGING TAX, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR LODGING TAX IS ONLY ABOUT 300,000 BECAUSE REALLY WE DON'T, MOST OF THE HOTELS ARE LOCATED OUT IN THE CORRIDOR, SO WE DON'T REAP THAT BENEFIT. SO WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE GETTING ONE TO $2 MILLION FOR MEALS AND SALES TAX, BUT LODGING IS AROUND 300,000 BECAUSE DOESN'T HAVE THAT INVENTORY. I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK THE CROSS, THE, THE, THE CRITICAL PIECE HERE IS ASSET INVENTORY AND WHAT WE CAN DO WITH IT. BUT THE COMMON THINGS THAT WE HEAR OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS WE NEED ANOTHER GROCERY STORE, WE NEED ANOTHER HOTEL. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN SUPPORT THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR CUSTOMER BASE AND THAT, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA NEED SOME OF THAT EXPERTISE TO GET US BACK TO REALITY, IS IF WE CANNOT SUPPORT ANOTHER GROCERY STORE, THEN WE NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN SUPPORT. BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERTISE TO DO THAT. AND THAT'S WHAT I FEEL IS WHAT THE NEXT STEP FOR THIS BOARD IS, IS TO GET SOMEBODY OUT THERE TO ADVOCATE WHAT WE NEED AND ACTUALLY BRING SOME BUSINESS IN. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY THAT THEY THINK THERE'S $335 MILLION WORTH OF LEAKAGE AND PEOPLE GOING OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY AND SPENDING MONEY. IS THAT RIGHT? IS THAT, WELL, SHE IDENTIFIED THAT AS PEOPLE COMING THROUGH AND STILL SPENDING THEIR MONEY ELSEWHERE. SO THAT'S A PARK VISITOR OR SOMETHING THAT MIGHT NOT GET SOMETHING TO EAT OR MIGHT NOT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I LOOK AT THIS TWO WAYS. I LOOK AT IT FROM A TOURISM STANDPOINT, RIGHT, RIGHT. BUT MORE THAN THAT, I LOOK AT IT FOR SERVING, YOU KNOW, OUR CONSTITUENTS. I MEAN, I I I WOULD BET THAT THEY TOOK DATA AND, AND APPLIED A VERY, YOU KNOW, AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD WITHIN THAT RADIUS AND, AND HOW MUCH THOSE PEOPLE WOULD TYPICALLY SPEND. AND THAT'S WHERE THEY CAME UP WITH THE 330. WELL, BECAUSE I MEAN, I RAN IT. IT'S, IT'S 11,600 AND SOME DOLLARS PER RESIDENT. IF YOU JUST TAKE WARREN COUNTY. I MEAN, ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS, WHICH I THINK WE ALL KNOW THIS ALREADY, BUT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, CONSUMERS DON'T, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND THEIR CLIENTS OR, YOU KNOW, UH, DO NOT SEE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. UM, AND SO, I MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE IN FREDERICK COUNTY OR WARREN COUNTY OR CLARK COUNTY, YOU JUST KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR DESTINATION. RIGHT, EXACTLY. I MEAN, SO, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM SOME OF YOU OTHER GUYS YET, BUT, UM, I FEEL LIKE $55,000 TO GET A BETTER HANDLE ON, UH, WHAT OUR SITUATION IS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY DEFINED, UH, THE AREA INVOLVED, IT'S NOT JUST THE TOWN. IT'S GONNA BE THE TOWN AND [00:45:01] THE COUNTY AND, AND OTHER COUNTIES. SO, SO I WOULD HOPE THAT WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS AND THEN IF WE'RE NOT HAPPY WITH WHAT THEY'RE PRODUCING AND YOU KNOW, PARTWAY THROUGH THE SECOND YEAR OR PARTWAY THROUGH THE FIRST YEAR, WE DECIDE TO DO AN RFP WITH SOMEBODY ELSE. BUT, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO, WHAT DO YOU THREE THINK? UH, I'M, I'M IN FAVOR OF DOING IT. I THINK ONE THING I WANT THEM TO FOCUS ON IS MORE OF THE BOUTIQUE CHECKS AND LIKE HAVING A DOWNTOWN SPECIALIST, LAST TIME THEY HAD WRITTEN AN RFP OR WRITTEN A PROPOSAL TO US, WE HAD A DOWNTOWN SPECIALIST THAT WAS, UH, PUT ON THEIR TEAM. I DIDN'T SEE THAT THIS TIME IT'S A SEPARATE PROPOSAL RECALL STATUS. SO I, YEAH. OKAY. I CAN FORWARD THAT TO YOU AS WELL. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE THE APPETITE TO EXPEND BOTH, BOTH OF THOSE. OKAY. BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THIS ONE'S MORE FOCUSED ON BOX STORES, CHAIN STORES, LARGE FRANCHISEES, AND RATHER THAN BRINGING IN SMALLER, LIKE SHOPS IS CLOTHING OR, OR HALF PAYS OR DELIS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, I THINK BE A BETTER FIT WITHIN THE . SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE ONE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF. AND THAT'S MORE ALONG THE HEAD OF WHERE DAVE IS GOING. LIKE WE ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF WHAT THEY'RE ADVERTISING AS THE COMPANIES THAT THEY BRING IN. IT IS JUST TOUGH BECAUSE THAT TYPE OF CLIENT, YOU KNOW, I I, I THINK OF IT IN TERMS OF MYSELF, YOU KNOW, IF, IF I'M THAT UNIQUE PLACE, IF I'M THE UNIQUE CLOTHING OR WHATEVER, I'M KIND OF WORKING BY MYSELF. I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, A FRANCHISEE. THEY, THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENT OR A FRANCHISE DOES THINGS DIFFERENTLY. THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE THESE FEELERS OUT THERE AND THEY KNOW AS SOON AS, AS SOON AS THIS AREA REACHES A CERTAIN INCOME OR, OR POPULATION DENSITY, THEY'RE BOOM, THEY'RE ON, WE'RE ON THE RADIO RADAR OF THAT GROUP. AND THEN THEY JUST START LOOKING AT SITE SPECIFICS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, AND, AND SO THAT, THAT TO ME IS ONE OF THESE THINGS WHERE I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS, THIS KIND OF GROUP, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY FIND SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME GOOGLE DATA, WHATEVER, THAT, THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL BETTER, UM, CONTENT MAYBE THAN, THAN WHAT WE HAVE HERE OR, OR WHAT, WHAT THIS GROUP CAN DO. BUT, BUT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO, YOU KNOW, LURE THAT SMALL OR UNIQUE. THEY, THEY'RE OUT THERE, BUT IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO THAT HAVE PLACES HERE, THEY KIND OF DISCOVERED FLINT ROYAL ON A TRIP FOR IN SOME OTHER WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. AND THEN THERE'S A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO, A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE, HAVE BEEN HERE FOREVER AND THEY JUST KEEP GROWING BUSINESSES. LIKE SHELLY COOK FOR INSTANCE, SHE'S GREW UP HERE AND NOW SHE'S JUST SEEING HOW OH, THERE'S NOT THIS, THERE'S NOT THIS. AND SHE HAS A WHEREWITHAL AND, YOU KNOW, TO DO IT. UM, AND SO SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO, TO, YOU KNOW, UM, GROW IN, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS. UM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE SHE'S NOT JUST ON ONE PLANE, SHE'S WORKING ON LIKE SIX DIFFERENT, UH, YOU KNOW, LEVELS, WHICH IS, IS INTERESTING. BUT ONE DYNAMIC THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THINGS IS THE GROWTH OUT ON THE HAPPY CREEK CORRIDOR. I MEAN, THE LEASH IS RUN PARKWAY. I MEAN, ALL OF A SUDDEN GROCERY STORES, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NO ONE WENT INTO WHERE THE FOOD LINE WAS AS A GROCERY STORE, BUT SAY, YOU KNOW, BIG LOTS WENT IN THERE. BUT TO ATTRACT A GROCERY STORE, THEY'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE POPULATION DYNAMICS. YEAH. AND WHEN THAT GROWTH STARTS HAPPENING, WHICH I GUESS IT'S BEGINNING TO, UM, OUT AND A HALF CREEK CORRIDOR THAT BUY RIGHT GROWTH AND BECAUSE YOU'RE A VALDI, WALMART AND TARGET KIND OF WENT UP THERE BECAUSE THEY, THEY SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON JUST NORTH OF US. WELL, AND DEPEND ON WHO YOU TALK TO. YOU GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN LINDON, THEY STOP AT THE FOOD LION IN MARSHALL. YOU GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE LIVE OUT IN THE WATER LICK AND, AND, AND ROUTE 55 AREA, UH, PAST AS RED SCHOOL. THEY'RE GOING TO STRASSBURG. AND I'M AMAZED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE IN ROCKLAND THERE ARE GOING TO STEPHEN CITY. IT, IT'S PRETTY DYNAMIC OF PEOPLE FIND THAT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, A, A PRETTY CHUNK, GOOD CHUNK OF THE NUMBER THAT'S GOING OUT OF TOWN. MM-HMM. . SO NOW WHETHER A GROCERY STORE LOCATED ON THIS SIDE OF TOWN IS GONNA CHANGE THAT, THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN. BUT THE POPULATION IS GOING TO CHANGE THAT AS THAT GROWTH HAPPENS. BUT IT GETS BACK TO NONE OF US IN THIS ROOM REALLY KNOW. AND I, AND SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, AN EDUCATED OBJECTIVE THIRD PARTY TO GIVE US, YOU KNOW, AN OPINION. UM, SO WE CAN MAYBE TARGET SOME OF OUR EFFORTS. HAYTON, DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS? WELL, THE, THE ONE THING I THINK THAT, THAT, I MIGHT BE WRONG ABOUT THIS, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE, UM, WITH THE FOOD LINE LEAVING, I'M [00:50:01] FAIRLY CERTAIN IT WOULD FOLLOW THE INTERNATIONAL MERGER OF THE GIANT CORPORATION AND THE NETHERLANDS HOLDING COMPANY. SO LIKE, THEY CONSOLIDATED THEIR PORTFOLIO 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT THE MARTINS TO COMPETE WITH THE FOOD LINE. SO IN MY MIND, THAT'S NOT A RESPONSE TO LIKE, OH, WE'RE NOT DOING AS WELL SALES, LET'S CLOSE IT DOWN. THAT'S LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T NEED BOTH OF THESE HERE. RIGHT? OH, I AGREE. RIGHT NOW WE DIDN'T. YEAH. BUT AS THE POPULATION CHANGES, I THINK THAT DYNAMIC WILL CHANGE. NO, BUT I I I, THERE'S SUCH A, THERE'S SUCH AN ANECDOTAL DESIRE FOR ANOTHER GROCERY STORE. SO I'M SAYING EVEN THE INITIAL CLOSURE I DON'T THINK WAS IN RESPONSE TO PARTICULARLY THAT PERFORMANCE. I THINK IT WAS FINANCIAL CONSOLIDATION BECAUSE OF A NEW PARENT COMPANY. LIKE IF YOU HAVE TWO OF YOUR STORES IN THE SAME TOWN, YOU ONLY NEED ONE OF 'EM. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BIG LOTS MOVES IN BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WORKS WITH THE BOXES. SO LIKE, IT WASN'T LIKE EVERYONE WAS FENDING TO GET A GROCERY STORE. WELL, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT WOULDN'T BE PROFITABLE OR THAT IT WOULDN'T BE A GOOD CHOICE IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET IT HERE. UM, SO THAT'S, I MEAN, I, IN TERMS OF THIS, I DO THINK I WOULD LEAN MORE TOWARDS, UH, RFP JUST TO MEET OUR NEEDS RATHER THAN GOING FORWARD WITH THE STAFFORD COUNTY PROPOSAL. UM, BUT THAT, IN, IN MY MIND, THAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION IS TRYING TO GET BETTER DATA ON WHETHER, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE GROCERY STORE IS FRONT OF MIND FOR MOST PEOPLE. OR A BOUTIQUE HOTEL. OR A BOUTIQUE HOTEL. YEAH, DEFINITELY BELIEVE IT. I, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL. I MEAN, A FEW MONTHS BACK TALKING ABOUT THE BAYMONT AND HOW HE'S SUFFERING, BUT THEN NOW THERE'S A NEED FOR ANOTHER HOTEL. I'M SORT OF CURIOUS AS HOW THAT'S HAPPENED. THAT'S KIND A TRADE OFF. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A NEED. THERE'S WELL, I, I, HE SAID THAT THERE ARE TWO THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY IS GROCERY STORE. AND NOW WHO JOE WAS SAYING THAT THERE'S, IN TALKING TO PEOPLE OR IN THE COMMUNITY THAT'S, THAT'S THE DESIRE ARE IDENTIFIED OR A HOTEL IN A SUPERMARKET. WELL, I THINK IT'LL BE ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE THAN WHAT BAYMONT IS. I MEAN, YOU GO INTO SOME OF THESE OTHER TOWNS AND YOU KNOW, THEY ONLY HAVE FOUR OR 50 ROOMS OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT'S UP TO THE ENTREPRENEUR THEMSELVES. RIGHT, RIGHT. NO, I'M JUST, I WAS CURIOUS BECAUSE YOU LIKE, TO ME, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. BUT I WANT TO KNOW. SURE. WELL, , BUT I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT, I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING, NOT JUST HOTELS. YEAH. BOUTIQUE HOTELS, UH, UH, GROCERY STORES, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE ANECDOTALLY A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, YES, WE WANT, YOU KNOW, A GROCERY STORE. I, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF I GAVE YOU GUYS A COPY, BUT WINCHESTER WENT AFTER SEVERAL, UM, BIG GROCERY STORES. GOT SOME OF 'EM, SOME OF 'EM LEFT. AND, AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE JUST, THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS WEREN'T RIGHT FOR SOME OF THE STORES. AND, AND IF WINCHESTER CAN'T GET SOME OF THOSE STORES, WE LIKELY ARE NOT GONNA GET ONE. I THINK IT'S A MATTER OF PEOPLE WANTING MORE CHOICE, NOT NECESSARILY A NEED FOR MORE GROCERY STORE. IT'S NOT LIKE THE MARKET'S IS COMPLETELY PACKED EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK AND THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF STOCK ALL THE TIME. I THINK PEOPLE ARE JUST LIKE, WELL, I REALLY ONLY HAVE, BECAUSE I LIVE HERE, HERE'S WHERE I SHOP. I JUST WANT MORE CHOICE CLOSE TO WHERE I LIVE. AND I THINK THAT'S, A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM THE WAY I SEE IT AND THE WAY MY BUSINESS E FLOWS. AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN LOOK AT IT, IS, IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY INTERESTING. THINGS ARE BUSY WHEN, WHEN THE TOWN IS BUSY AND IT'S FLUSH WITH TOURISTS WHEN THINGS SETTLE BACK DOWN AND IT'S JUST US. IT, IT, YOU, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE MOVING ABOUT AND DOING THOSE THINGS. AND THEN THERE'S THIS NUMBER OF BUSINESSES WITHIN THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SAY, SUPERMARKET, HOTEL, WHATEVER. THERE'S ONLY SO MANY OF THE, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SO THEY HAVE THE, THE, THE REAL PROBLEM OF HAVING TO GET DO IT, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR VERSUS THE THREE OR, OR SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY SEE A PROLIFERATION OF VISITORS. YEAH. UM, AND SO IT, IT'S, IT'S HARD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, , THERE'S TIMES WHERE WE'RE NOT, LIKE, I KNOW IN MY BUSINESS, WE'RE NOT READY WHEN ALL THOSE PEOPLE COME. MM-HMM. . BUT THEN, BUT WE'RE READY FOR WHAT IS HERE RIGHT NOW, . IT'S SORT OF, IT'S AN INTERESTING, UH, YOU KNOW, ROB. YEAH, YEAH. UM, SO QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS. UH, SO MEAN A COUPLE OF YOU GUYS HAVE SAID, HEY, MAYBE WE NEED TO GO OUT WITH THE, YOU KNOW, AN RFP OF OUR OWN. SO WHAT IS, WHAT IS NOT IN THIS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO PUT IN AN RFP OF OUR, OF OUR OWN, RIGHT? SO WHERE ARE THE HOLES IN THIS? I JUST THINK THAT WE GOING, I THINK WE NEED TO RETURN THOSE STEPS A LITTLE BIT AND SAY, OKAY, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO WORK WITH? WHAT IS ACTUALLY OPEN OR WHAT COULD BE OPEN, [00:55:01] UM, IN TERMS OF, OKAY, SO LIKE WHERE WOULD, FOR INSTANCE, WHERE, WHERE WOULD THIS THIRD GROCERY STORE GO? OH, OKAY. IT'S, IT'S THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT FUTURE'S GONNA HOLD, BUT RIGHT. THERE IS SOME GRIM NEWS ABOUT BIG LOTS OUT THERE, AND I, I, I JUST THINK THAT THESE FOLKS ARE GONNA BE WORKING FROM A COMPUTER AND THEY'RE GONNA BE PULLING LISTINGS AND GOING, OKAY, THIS IS YOU. AND, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA GET SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, HERE THAT, THAT LAST TIME THE PROPOSAL WAS ONE WEEK THAT THERE WOULD BE SOMEBODY HERE FOR ONE WEEK. AND THAT I JUST DON'T BELIEVE YOU COULD COLLECT THE DATA YOU NEED, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU CAN DRIVE THROUGH THIS TOWN AND, AND MAKE ALL SORTS OF ASSUMPTIONS. UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE INVESTED IN THIS COMMUNITY, THAT HAVE THAT FEEL AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SO I, I DON'T KNOW THAT GOING OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA REALLY IS GONNA HELP US ALL THAT MUCH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO, YOU KNOW, WITH WARREN AND SAY, OKAY, WHAT, WHERE, WHAT IS HERE AND WHAT, WHAT WILL, OR WHAT COULD WE LOOK AT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, CURRENT ZONING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND WHERE WOULD THIS THIRD GROCERY STORE GO? YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I'M JUST SAYING, WHERE WOULD THIS FOOD OR WHERE COULD WE DO WE GO, I WANNA FIND OUT IF WE NEED IT. RIGHT. WELL, NO, THAT, BUT I'M, I'M JUST SAYING IT'S LIKE, I THINK THAT BECAUSE OF, THERE'S NOT A GIANT, YOU KNOW, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THESE, THESE LARGE TRACKS TO DEAL WITH, UM, FOR SOME OF THESE BIGGER RETAIL, YOU KNOW, ESTABLISHMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. OR DO WE LOOK AT THE FUTURE AND SAY LIKE, A LONG LEHOR, WHAT WILL, WHAT WILL BE RIGHT THERE? WHAT WILL BE AT THAT CORNER? SO DAVID, YOU'RE DYNAMIC LIFE IS SITTING IN THE OTHER, YOU'RE THINKING IN TERMS OF THE TOWN LIMITS AND, AND SHE SAID THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS. BUT THE, WHERE DOES THE REVENUE FOR THE TOWN, WHERE DOES THE BENEFIT TO THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL HAPPEN IF IT'S, I THINK WE'RE ALL BETTER OFF. I THINK, I THINK WE'RE ALL BETTER OFF IF, I MEAN, WE CANNOT JUST DO THIS. WE CAN'T SAY WE'RE ONLY INTERESTED, THIS IS MY OPINION, RIGHT? NO, I, WE, WE ARE JUST THE TOWN LIMITS AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE 15,000 PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE TOWN LIMITS. UM, SHE SHOWS THIS BIG, BIGGER DRAWING. I UNDERSTAND. SURE. YEAH. SO, YEAH. AND IT'S EVEN BEYOND THAT BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT COME HERE FROM THE DC MARYLAND AREA IS, IS HUGE, ESPECIALLY WITH PARK VISITS AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT I, I'M NOT SAYING WE, I'M JUST SAYING, BUT IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY DIFFICULT FOR THESE BIG, YOU KNOW, RETAIL PLACES TO SET UP ON THE THREE MONTHS A YEAR THAT WE HAVE. I MEAN, AT THE END OF, AT YOUR BUSINESS, MY BUSINESS, MOST BUSINESS, WE RELY ON THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE, UM, WARREN COUNTY AND, AND MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE, BUT I THINK IT'S MOSTLY WARREN COUNTY FRONT ROYAL, THAT, THAT FREQUENT US DAY TO DAY, YOU KNOW, OTHERWISE WE'D ONLY OPEN IN OCTOBER. GO AHEAD. SORRY. I'M SORRY. . I THINK THAT 74,000 POPULATION NUMBER THAT WAS ON SLIDE TWO OR THREE, I THINK THAT'S WHERE THAT, THAT RADIUS COMES FROM. RIGHT? I KNOW THE ME OF SHENANDOAH COUNTY LIKES TO COME HERE FOR THAI FOOD BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY IN WOOD SOCKS. SO THAT, THAT'S ANECDOTALLY THAT TYPE OF VIBE. RIGHT. SO THOSE FOLKS IN THAT OUTER LINE COMMUNITY, UM, AGAIN, THE ONES THAT ARE GOING TO STEVENS DRIVE FOR THE WALMART OR, YOU KNOW, BUT THEY'RE COMING INTO TOWN BECAUSE THEY LIVE WELL, WHY DO YOU REPRESENT THAT MAP LOSING IT WAS, UH, WITHIN 15, THE LAST TIER WAS WITHIN 15 WITH THAT 15 MINUTE DRIVE, RIGHT? YEAH. SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE AS THIS BODY, YOU AS THIS BODY ARE CHARGED WITH DEVELOPING INSIDE THAT 10 AND A HALF SQUARE MILES, THAT 10 AND A HALF SQUARE MILE SERVES THAT GREATER AREA. SO I THINK YOU CAN LOOK AT IT FROM A HIGHER LEVEL, BUT AGAIN, SO WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF THAT 10 AND A HALF SQUARE MILES, UM, I DO AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH WHATEVER GROWTH IS POTENTIALLY COMING DOWN THE PIKE WITH THESE AREAS THAT WE KNOW ARE MARKED FOR, FOR POPULATION GROWTH, FOR RESIDENTS GROWTH, THAT WILL DEFINITELY ADJUST SOME OF THOSE POPULATION NUMBERS AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE MAY APPEAL TO MORE BRANDS IN A YEAR THAT I, I COULD ALMOST GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL APPEAR TO APPEAL TO DIFFERENT BRANDS IN A YEAR THAN WE WILL RIGHT NOW. BUT I FEEL REALLY STRONGLY THAT JOE IS RIGHT, THAT WE, WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN THIS ROOM TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS INTELLIGENTLY. AND SO I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NECESSARILY HAVE THAT HERE LOCALLY IN OUR COMMUNITY. IF WE DO, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THAT PERSON. BUT I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE TO DECIDE HOW YOU, HOW WE WORD, I THINK WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE AN RFP IS [01:00:01] WHAT IS THE BEST NEXT STEP. SO WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN PUT IN THAT RFP TO WRITE IT IN A WAY THAT WE ARE GONNA GET THE RESPONSES YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? AM I CLOSE? YOU'RE CLOSE, YEAH. OKAY. YEAH. SO DOWN, I HEARD DOWNTOWN SPECIALIST. I WAS NOT A PART OF THIS RODEO THE FIRST TIME AROUND, BUT I, I, I DO HAVE A, A VAGUE RECOLLECTION OF YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT AT OUR LAST MEETING. UM, SO HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, OF SOMEONE WHO DEVELOPS DOWNTOWN ASSETS. I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT PIECE TO BE LOOKING FOR. WHAT ELSE? THAT, THAT FALLS IN LINE WITH THE SAME PIECE THAT I DID. I MEAN, I, I AGREE. GETTING THE KNOWLEDGE IS GREAT. I JUST DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT MUCH COMMERCIAL INVENTORY. UM, UH, I THINK THE SCOPE OF IT IS MAYBE THERE'S 25 OR 30 PROPERTIES, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I AGREE WITH SOMETHING FOCUSED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT US. MM-HMM. . SO IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T, ON YOUR DRIVE, YOU, YOU FOUND, WHAT WAS IT, ABOUT EIGHT OR 10 OPEN SPACES? OH, LORD, I DON'T REMEMBER HOW MANY THERE WERE, BUT THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT, DAVID. UM, I HAVE IT ON A FOLDER SOMEWHERE, BUT IT'S NOT HERE. I, I JUST REMEMBER IT WAS ABOUT EIGHT OR 10 OPEN OPEN SPACES. ONE WAS THE PAD NEXT TO THAT I COULD SEE FROM THE STREET ADVANCE AUTO AND, AND ALL OF THAT. YEAH. WITHOUT ANY SORT OF INSIDE KNOWLEDGE. YES. THAT WAS WHAT WAS KIND OF FLASHY AVAILABLE. YEAH. UM, BUT IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE MOOD OF THE ROOM IS THAT WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT'S A, WHAT'S A REALISTIC MOVE FORWARD. WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN THE RECRUITMENT PIECE OF WHAT RETAIL STRATEGIES DOES AT THIS TIME. AM I CLOSE, JOE? DID YOU READ THE RFP THE ONE THAT WE WOULD TAG ONTO FROM STAFFORD? YEAH. NO, I HAVEN'T YET. I HAVEN'T. SO WE REALLY DUNNO WHAT, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE FIRST STEP IS GONNA BE THE MOST CRITICAL, AND THAT'S THE VALUATION OF WHAT WE GOT HERE IN TOWN, WHAT WE CAN GO AFTER. YEAH. UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE CAN GO DOWN AND WE CAN DEVELOP AN RP, WE CAN PUT IT OUT ON THE STREET, AND RETAIL STRATEGIES MAY STILL BE IN THAT MIX. JUST FYI, UM, WELL, AND HOW THEY, HOW THEY ASSESS THE AVAILABILITY IN STAFFORD COUNTY WOULD BE THE SAME WAY THAT THEY WOULD ASSESS THE AVAILABILITY HERE. THEY JUST MAY BE GOING AFTER RECRUITING DIFFERENT BRANDS OR BOXES THAN WE WOULD WANT HERE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE OUTSIDE MY HEAD? SO IF, IF, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO GO OUT WITH AN RFP, UM, STAFF WILL, WILL WORK DILIGENTLY TO GET YOU A DRAFT RFP BY THE NEXT BOARD MEETING BE OCTOBER 7TH. WELL, I MEAN, I, I WAS GOING WAY BACK, GOING WAY, WAY BACK. I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED INITIALLY THAT THE TOWN DOES NOT HAVE THE DATA AVAILABLE THAT THEY, THAT, THAT I WOULD THINK THEY HAVE. UM, OR AT LEAST IT WASN'T TO BE MADE AVAILABLE. I DISCUSSED WE NEED, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THERE'S WAY MORE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY IN THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL AND OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL THAN, THAN WHAT WE'RE THINKING OF. WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AT VACANCIES. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IF A MUCH BIGGER DEVELOPER WAS TO LOOK AT SOMETHING AND GO, THERE'S THESE THREE PARCELS. IF I OFFER THESE THREE PEOPLE $17 MILLION AND THEY SELL OUT, NOW I'VE GOT THIS BIG THING AND I CAN DO, DO THIS WITH THAT PROVIDED THAT IT, IT MEETS OUR ZONING AND, AND ALL OF THAT. UM, SO I STARTED THIS A LONG TIME AGO AND I, I KIND OF HAVE ABANDONED IT, BUT I STARTED GOING THROUGH ALL OF OUR GIS DATA, PULLING EVERY COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OUT OF IT, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO OWNS IT CURRENTLY, WHAT IT IS IN TERMS OF VACANTS, VACANT LOTS, SQUARE FOOTAGE WISE, AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING. WHO THAT KEY PERSON, OR AT LEAST WHO THE LISTED PERSON WAS THROUGH THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION. UM, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT, THAT THAT WOULD TAKE EVEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE LONGER THAN A WEEK. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I, LIKE I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. WE NEED TO KNOW INVENTORY. I'VE SAID THAT, THANK YOU. YEAH, SURE. FROM THE VERY, VERY BEGINNING OF THIS BOARD ACTUALLY DEVOTED YOUR OWN PERSONAL TIME TO IT. AND, AND IT, I MEAN, IT IS SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO PULL THAT DATA DOWN AND GO, OKAY, THIS IS, AND, AND LAUREN KNOWS WHAT, WHAT IS COMMERCIAL, AND SHE COULD PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, SIMPLIFY THAT A LITTLE BIT FOR US. BUT THAT, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN BJ WAS IN THE ROOM, I SAID, I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT, YOU KNOW, HE COULDN'T PROVIDE US WITH, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT MAYBE HE, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT ORGANIZED THAT WAY, BUT I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT GIVEN SALES TAX REVENUE AND, AND, AND ALL THAT, I MEAN, HE KNOWS WHO HE IS, NOT. HE, THEY, THE COMPUTERS KNOW WHO [01:05:01] THEY'RE MAILING THESE BILLS TO AND, AND, AND THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION. IT'S, UM, YOU SEE MY POINT, I I, SO I, WHAT I'LL SAY IS THAT, UM, PERHAPS WE COULD PULL IT OUT, BUT WOULD IT BE RECEIVED BY, UM, POTENTIAL, YOU KNOW, CLIENTS AS AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF INFORMATION? LIKE I, I FEEL LIKE RETAIL STRATEGIES OR SOME OTHER GROUP, LIKE RETAIL STRATEGIES IS GONNA PACKAGE IT UP AND GIVE IT TO THE CLIENT, THE, YOU KNOW, THE POTENTIAL CLIENTS FOR US, RIGHT? IF THAT'S, IF THEY COLLECT IN A MANNER THAT, YOU KNOW, I I, THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH A, A GROUP OF THAT TYPE. I JUST DON'T THINK THAT THIS GROUP I'M NOT SEEING, I GET, MAYBE I DON'T KNOW WHY. I'M JUST NOT SEEING THE VALUE ON IT. UM, I, I JUST THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE'S MORE DATA THAT, THAT NEEDS TO BE COLLECTED. I DON'T KNOW HOW, I KNOW THAT IT TAKES A LONG TIME JUST BEING ME. I HAD ASKED THAT WE, YOU KNOW, DO WE ORGANIZE OUR TIME HERE MORE? AND WE, WE KIND OF GO BACK TO OUR FIVE TENANTS OF WHAT WE DECIDED WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING, AND THEN WE EACH MONTH SAY, THIS IS THE MONTH WE'RE GONNA WORK ON THAT. AND IT'S EITHER A WORK SESSION OR IT'S SOMEBODY COMING IN AND, AND, AND DOING THAT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD TO DO THIS STUFF OUTSIDE OF HERE AND I DON'T MIND DOING IT. IT'S JUST THAT I, I EVEN, ALL THE OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE , I CAN'T STAY ON IT ALL THE TIME. BUT IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT'S BASICALLY, I WAS REFERENCING THREE DIFFERENT WEBSITES TRYING TO PULL DATA DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO SIT, LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE AND NOT JUST AVAILABLE. BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S THE ONLY DATA THAT REALLY YOU CAN PULL ON ON, YOU KNOW, UNLESS YOU REALLY POUR THROUGH THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, OR GO PARCEL BY PARCEL, UM, IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT. , I DON'T THINK IT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CREATE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN, SO LIKE WHERE OUR INITIAL IDEA OF LIKE CREATING OUR OWN DATABASE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ON OUR OWN SEEING WHAT THE NEEDS WERE. THIS IS MORE OF OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, GETTING A THIRD PARTY, DO THE LEGWORK FOR US. AND WITH THAT, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL GONNA BE CORPORATE, THEIR PARTNERSHIPS WITH CORPORATIONS BRINGING IN CORPORATE BUSINESSES, NOT SO MUCH OUR LOCAL, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING THE DOTS LOCALLY. IT WOULD JUST BE THEM BRINGING IN, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER CORPORATE CONNECTIONS THEY HAVE, WHICH ISN'T TERRIBLE. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S, I THINK WE'D BE MISSING THE LEAN ON THE LOCAL ASPECT OF WHAT'S HERE AND MIGHT BE AVAILABLE. UM, BUT MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO SEPARATELY ON OUR OWN TO FILL THAT GAP. 'CAUSE IT, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE NECESSARILY A BAD THING, YOU KNOW, TO, I LIKE, YOU KNOW, SAY THAT THERE'S TWO, AND I ALWAYS THINK IT'S INTERESTING TOO. I MEAN, LOOK AT THE MOVEMENT OF THE BANKS. SO IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE STILL HAVE TWO WELLS FARGOS, BUT WE'VE LOST I THINK TWO BB AND TS. SO NOW WE'RE DOWN, OR TRUIST, EXCUSE ME. SO NOW WE'RE DOWN TO ONE, AND NOW WE HAVE TWO VACANT BB AND T BUILDINGS. ONE, THERE'S DEFINITELY BEEN SOME MOVEMENT ON, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING THERE. HEARD RAMBLING, THAT'S A VAPE SHOP. UM, BUT THEN THE ONE THAT WAS AT THE PIZZA HUT CAN'T STAY OPEN. SO IT MIGHT BE MOVING. I, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. WHO KNOWS? I, I DON'T KNOW. UM, BUT, BUT THAT, THAT SPOT SAT VACANT FOR I WANNA SAY ALMOST TWO YEARS. UM, AND YOU KNOW, AT ONE TIME THAT USED TO BE, WHAT WAS IT? THE VIRGINIA GENTLEMAN RESTAURANT. ALL RIGHT. SO, SO LOOK, UM, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO GO FORWARD HERE SOMEHOW. ALL RIGHT. SO, UM, I ASKED THOSE THAT ARE SAYING, HEY, LET'S GET OUR, OUR OWN RFP TOGETHER, OUR OWN RFP TOGETHER, WHAT WOULD BE IN IT THAT ISN'T IN THIS? AND, AND SO CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION? MAYBE YOU GO AHEAD AND JUST VOTE ON THIS. MM-HMM. , BECAUSE WE, I, I, I'M A LITTLE, I DON'T KNOW, I, I HEAR SOME POSITIVES, BUT I HEAR SOME NEGATIVES. MAYBE WE VOTE ON IT EITHER. YEAH. MAYBEOR SAYS, LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THIS FOR A YEAR. OR MAYBE WE'RE NOT, I'M JUST MAKING THAT SUGGESTION. I, WELL, IN THE CONVERSATION OF LAST MONTH'S MEETING, WE ACTUALLY DID SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE MUL, THERE WOULD BE SEVERAL THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT. OKAY. AND NOW WE'RE DOWN TO ONE. I, I THINK SAYING YAY OR NAY ON THIS ONE WITHOUT LOOKING AT ANOTHER ONE IS SORT OF, I, I DON'T KNOW. LIKE IT COULD, LIKE JOE SAID, WE COULD HAVE TO CIRCLE RIGHT BACK AND BE RIGHT WHERE WE ARE TODAY. OH, I'M NOT SAYING SAY YAY OR NAY ON THE PROCESS. I'M JUST SO THAT WE CAN MOVE ALONG. WELL, [01:10:01] WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION TODAY. AND SO IF THERE'S NOT ANYTHING NEW, JOE, DID YOU NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THE ONLY REASON I BROUGHT THIS COMPANY FORTH IS BECAUSE OF THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT. MAKES IT CLEANER, MAKES IT A FASTER, UH, ENGAGEMENT. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I BROUGHT IT. HOPEFULLY IF SOME ECONOMIES OF SCALE. BUT, UM, SO, UH, IF SOMEBODY COULD MAKE A MOTION AND WE CAN FIND OUT IF THIS IS GONNA PASS OR FAIL, AND A SECOND, UM, MAKE A MOTION TO VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT WE DO, UH, DATA ANALYTICS ON OUR TOWN FOR RETAIL. HOW ABOUT ENGAGE RETAIL STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE RETAIL STRATEGIES FOR, FOR ONE TO THREE YEARS? SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YEAH. I MAKE A MOTION TO ENGAGE RETAIL STRATEGIES FOR ONE TO THREE YEARS GIVEN THEIR PROPOSAL. I SECOND, I'LL SECOND. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANY MORE DISCUSSION? I THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD, I WOULD GO WITH THE MAJORITY, BUT IF EVERY, I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY'S LIKING THE IDEA OF MAYBE HAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE CUSTOMIZED RFP. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE WERE TO GO WITH THIS, IT CAN HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY. MM-HMM, , WE COULD GET OUR DATA FOR THE FIRST YEAR. I WOULD JUST WEIGH THAT. UM, I'M, YOU KNOW, SITTING THERE TRYING TO WEIGH IT MYSELF. SO, YEAH. AND I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR, I'M FINE WITH WHAT THEY PUT TOGETHER, IS JUST THE, THE DOWNTOWN PORTION OF IT ALL. THEY'RE TRY AND KEEP THE CHARACTER OF THE TOWN AND MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT JUST FILLING EVERYTHING WITH THE SAME, YOU KNOW, MIDDLE AMERICA STRIP MALL THAT YOU SEE EVERYWHERE ELSE. SO WE COULD EXPLORE THAT AS A LA CARTE ITEM. IF, IF THIS PASSES, IF THIS PASSES. SO ANYBODY ELSE ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY SAYING AYE. AYE. BEFORE, UH, OPPOSED, WE HAVE FOUR TO TWO VOTE. UM, SO THE MOTION PASSES. AND SO JOE, THEN THE NEXT THING WOULD BE TO TAKE IT TO THE TOWN. CORRECT. WHAT I WILL DO WITH THIS, UH, WITH THIS APPROVAL, I WILL, I WILL GET IT SLATED TO GO TO THE WORK SESSION ON OCTOBER 7TH, WHICH IS THE NEXT WORK SESSION. IS THERE A WAY, JOE, THAT WE CAN ENGAGE WITH HER OR ENGAGE WITH THE RFP TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOME SORT OF ELEMENT FOCUSING ON HISTORICAL FREDERICKSBURG OR THE DOWNTOWN AREA? RIGHT, RIGHT. THERE IS ANOTHER, THERE IS ANOTHER SEPARATE PROPOSAL FOR THE MAIN STREET. LET ME CONTACT BETH. I WILL SHOOT Y'ALL AN EMAIL WITH THAT. OKAY. AND SEE WHAT THAT ADDER PART OF THAT IS AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY. GREAT. ANYWAY, GREAT DISCUSSION GUYS. SO, UM, ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, OLD BUSINESS EXISTING BUSINESS SURVEY LAUNCH. ALRIGHT. JUST TO BE BRIEF IN FRONT OF YOU, THESE ARE THE FEW VERY FEW QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONS WE ASKED IN THIS SURVEY. THE REST OF WHICH WERE A BROAD, BROAD SPECTRUM COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. UM, I GOTTA BE HONEST WITH YOU, WITH 31 RESPONDENTS, I DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF A SAMPLING TO MAKE ANY REAL HEADWAY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. SO AS WE'VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED, UM, I THINK THAT IF YOU WANNA CONTINUE WITH THE SURVEY, WHICH OF COURSE IS STILL OPEN, UM, WE NEED TO CHANGE UP OUR APPROACH ON HOW WE GET RESPONSES TO SAID SURVEY. UM, WE'VE DISCUSSED DOING A MAILER. WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE DID THE VIDEO, WE CAN DO ANOTHER ONE. I'M SURE MIKE WOULD LET US COME BACK. I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THE LAST ELECTRIC BILL. IT WASN'T IN THE LAST, IN THE, OH, THE NEWSLETTER. WHAT IS IT? NEWSLETTER, WHAT IS THE NEWSLETTER'S ONLY QUARTERLY? THE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE ROYAL CHARTER NEWSLETTER? YES. THERE, IT'S, YES. SO THAT'S ONLY QUARTERLY. SO YOU WOULD'VE JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED ONE, RIGHT? I DID. AND IT'S NOT IN THERE. UM, THAT WAS THE SUMMER ONE, SO IT WON'T BE UNTIL THE FALL. SO, OKAY. SO I KNOW IT WAS IN THE SPRING ONE, MAYBE. I'M NOT SURE, BUT THAT'S OKAY. WE'LL MAKE SURE IT GOES, IT HASN'T BEEN IN THE LAST TWO. OKAY. SO THAT'S THE, WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S GONNA CHANGE ANYTHING, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M JUST SAYING IT WASN'T IN THERE. I, BECAUSE I HAVE LOOKED, BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS OF, WE'LL CERTAINLY HAVE IT IN THE FALL ONE THAT'S UPCOMING. OKAY. I THINK THAT'LL, THAT'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. OKAY. WE CAN DO A, A POSTCARD MAILER OR SOMETHING IF YOU'D LIKE TO DO THAT. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE WILLING TO TAKE THAT ON. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED A VOTE ON CONTINUING IT OR IF IT'S JUST VERBAL. I MEAN, IF YOU NEED A MOTION, JOE MAY HAVE THAT. SO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT STAFF IS LOOKING FOR IS DIRECTION. SO IT, AS MY OPINION, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SAMPLING. I AGREE. ON THE SURVEY. SO THE QUESTION IS, ARE YOU STILL, ARE WE, DO YOU STILL WANNA ADVOCATE THIS? SO IF YOU STILL WANT TO PURSUE [01:15:01] THIS SURVEY, THEN WE DO A DIRECT MAILER. WE TO BUSINESSES. TO THE BUSINESSES. RIGHT. WE REACH OUT AND, AND THEN TRY TO GET A BETTER SAMPLING. BUT WE JUST, BEFORE WE EXPENSE THAT, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU WANT. RIGHT? I, I THINK RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE, LIKE EVERYBODY SAYS ENOUGH RESPONSES. YEAH, DO. AND I HONESTLY, I KNOW THAT I HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH TIME TO GET OUT AND DO DO VERY MUCH OF THIS. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A FEW, BUT, AND WHETHER, YOU KNOW, AND I'M ACTUALLY QUESTIONING WHETHER MY FIRST RESPONSE, 'CAUSE I ANSWERED THIS SURVEY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I'M IN THERE. YOU ARE. YES. . SEE, SO, I MEAN, IT WAS JUST INTERESTING 'CAUSE I DON'T REM YOU KNOW, THERE WAS THE REVAMP. I, I GUESS AND, AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF MY STUFF JUST GOT KICKED OUT OR, OR WHATEVER. I WOULD, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED TO VOTE ON IT OR NOT. I WOULD ENCOURAGE IT. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S JUST A VERBAL FROM ALL OF US OR WHAT. YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO GET, MAKE SURE EVERYBODY WAS STILL COMMITTED TO THIS. WE WILL, STAFF WILL MAKE PROVISIONS AND, UH, FROM THIS MEETING TO TRY TO DO A DIRECT REACH OUT TO OUR BUSINESS. I JUST WISH THERE WAS OTHER WAY. THANK ENGAGEMENT. ALL PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. TRAINING. YEP. JUST WANTED TO REMIND BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE REQUIRED TRAINING FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS. IT'S SEQUOIA AND FOIA. COYA STANDS FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST ACT. FOIA IS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. QUITE A FEW MEMBERS STILL NEED TO DO THEIR TRAINING OR NEVER DO OR, OR, OR GET ESTABLISHED. UH, HILLARY WILL BE SENDING OUT AN EMAIL, UM, LATER THIS WEEK WITH HOW YOU CAN GET THAT TRAINING. IT'S ONLINE. UH, DON'T KNOW OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I WANT TO SAY IT MAY BE A 15 MINUTE COMMITMENT, BUT I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE ON THAT. THAT'S NOT RIGHT. IT NOT, IT'S NOT VERY LONG. FEBRUARY. OKAY. UM, I'LL CAP IT. TINA. IT WAS PART OF THE PAPERWORK THAT I HAD TO SIGN, I THOUGHT, BUT, UM, I REMEMBER LOGGING ON AND DOING IT, SO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL YEAH, LET US KNOW IF WE HAVE AN INCORRECT DATE HERE FOR YOUR TRAINING, BUT, UH, HILLARY WILL SEND OUT AN EMAIL. JUST WANTED TO LET THE BOARD KNOW TO EXPECT IT THIS WEEK AND WHAT WE CAN GET. DID THEY, DID THEY LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE BEHIND ON THIS? 'CAUSE I DIDN'T GET AN EMAIL AND IT'S SORT OF ODD THAT THEY WOULDN'T. RIGHT. IT IS OUR CLERK, OUR CLERK. CLERK OF COUNCIL. CLERK OF COUNCIL. SHE MANAGES ALL THE FOIA AND FOIA TRAINING. SO SHE SENT ME A LITTLE REMINDER A COUPLE WEEKS AGO SAYING THIS. I WAS JUST AWARE OF THE TIMELINE, BUT THAT'S GREAT. I'LL GET, SO DID WE PROVIDE SOMETHING OR IS IT REPORTED THROUGH? IT'S REPORTED THROUGH THE FOIA. COY. THAT'S INTERESTING. OKAY. UH, WE WILL, WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT YOURS, TOM, AND SEE IF BY SOME PART, CHANCE THERE'S A MISTAKE. I'M HAPPY TO DO IT AGAIN IF I HAVE TO. NO PROBLEM. ALRIGHT. OUTSTANDING. WELL THAT WAS IT. JUST A REMINDER, I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU'LL BE RECEIVING AN EMAIL LATER THIS WEEK FOR THOSE THAT NEED TO ATTEND. THANK YOU. ON ME. UH, ALRIGHT. ANY, ANY UH, OPEN DISCUSSION? ANYBODY WANT TO TALK ABOUT? ANYTHING THAT AGENDA? I, I WOULD ASK IF WE COULD HAVE A BUDGET NUMBER BY THE NEXT MEETING. EXACTLY HOW MUCH WE HAVE. I WILL SEND THAT TO YOU BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY. OKAY. IT IS IN THE BUDGET LINE. I JUST DIDN'T, HONESTLY, I, I, I THINK I KNOW THE FIGURE, BUT I'M NOT GONNA MISQUOTE A NUMBER SO I WILL SHOOT YOU AN EMAIL 'CAUSE IT IS, MONEY'S ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED IN THE BUDGET. OKAY. OUR NEXT MEETING IS OCTOBER 7TH. I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND. I SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY A. AYE A AYE. OPPOSED? GREAT. AND THANK YOU. EVERYBODY STILL GOT THE FULL ONE? * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.