Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of June 2023:
  
  
  • Tollgate Inn – The applicant has decided that he would like to rebid the project due to the fact that the winning bidder added 42% to the overall materials and labor cost after winning the bid.  Staff and design professionals agree with applicant and will put this project out to bid again in July.
• All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
  • Three applicants from the first round of this program have already completely satisfied the financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of their project.

• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Round 2 of the Covered Structures Program was completed in March of 2023.
  
• Sandy Comprehensive Plan:  The next events to occur for this project are as follows:
  • Tabling at the Sandy Mtn Festival:  Sandy’s Ec Dev Manager will be assisting representatives from 3J Consulting on Saturday, July 8^th (11a-2p) in the City Hall parking lot. 
  
  
  • CAC Meeting #7: 3J Consulting will be holding the 7^th Community Advisory Committee in Council Chambers at 6:30 PM on July 13th with staff assistance.
    
• Economic Development Strategic Plan:  The plan is now complete and under review by the Economic Development Advisory Board.  After taking an initial look at the plan and analyzing starting points, it appears that the Board is most interested in starting with the action items listed below in the Ec Dev Advisory Board section of this report.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, reports, etc.):

• New business – 38888 Pioneer Boulevard:  This building was recently purchased by Marlin Good, an Estacada businessman.  Marlin is looking to rehab this building and then turn it into a commercial rental property.  In June, we heard from a couple of businesses that may be interested in leasing this space – one was a day care center.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• Flower baskets:  They seem to be holding steady again this year.  AntFarm has had some minor staff shakeups recently, but this has not seemed to affect the crews that do work for the City of Sandy (flower basket watering, downtown maintenance, homeless encampment removal, etc.) in any way. 
• AF Downtown Maintenance:  Work on the first tranche is still in process and has progressed in fits and starts, but this is acceptable as the high visibility work has been completed already.  As always, if you have any general downtown maintenance issues you would like to see addressed this season, please let us know.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

EDAB Meeting — June 7^th, 2023:  At the June 7^th meeting of the Economic Development Advisory Board, the board welcomed new member Marcel Brache of AEC, who was selected to fill one of our two board vacancies.  New member Robbie Walters will join us at the next scheduled meeting.

The primary focus of this meeting was to dive into the newly completed Economic Development Strategic Plan and start to identify places to start making headway.  The board suggested looking at the 12 action items that CAI labeled as “high priority” and start with these items.  Specific items discussed include:

• Action 6.1.2 (retail market survey):  Chair – clarification on whole city vs. areas of focus (whole city); “this has to get done” à board members strongly agree with this; this is a high priority à funding needed; do we need to go through the RFP process for this?
• Action 2.2.2 (SandyNet marketing):  Identify partnerships with economic development partners…and distribute marketing collateral communicating the benefits of SandyNet to remote workers and other target audiences à new construction in West Sandy; what are home businesses looking for?; multi-gig connections now offered…is there a market for this?
• Action 5.3.4 (downtown park):  This just went through City Council recently and was approved to move forward
• Action 5.1.1 (new hotel):  Now is the time for us to start looking for this (Hans); Loge Hotels suggested by Elliot and looks super cool (?); are there other opportunities like Loge out there?; (Hans) lodging lobbying groups out there (ClackCo Tourism (Samara, a few hoteliers on the county tourism board), Travel Oregon (Scott Bricker))
• Action 5.2.4 (outdoor recreation marketing):  The ClackCo CPP grant program is gone, but being replaced by the SIP grant; we have a project concept ready for Vision Around the Mountain.
• Action 1.1.4 (child care):  Mayton emphasizes how important this point is; Khrys, Jeremy agree à we are still significantly underserved in this capacity; there is a lot of money available out there for this topic right now

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

There were no conferences or training opportunities for Economic Development in the month of June. 

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures Program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of April 2023:
  
  • Tollgate Inn – We are currently waiting for some updated quotes for the false façade that eliminate the knee wall for cost cutting purposes.  These quotes will come back in 1-2 weeks.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
  • Three applicants from the first round of this program have already completely satisfied the financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of their project.
    
    
  • Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of April 2023:
    
    
    • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.
    
    
    • The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd , 2022.
    
    
    • Thai Home – This restaurant was recently sold.  Since the Covered Structures contract was with the previous owners, we have decided not to move forward on this one.  This project is now cancelled.
    
    
    • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Completed February 15^th, 2023.
    
    
    • One applicant from the second round of the program has already completely satisfied the financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of their project.
    
    
    • Round 2 of the Covered Structures Program is now complete!

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, reports, etc.):

• New business – 38888 Pioneer Boulevard:  This building was recently purchased by Marlin Good, an Estacada businessman.  Marlin is looking to rehab this building and then turn it into a commercial rental property.  He has had preliminary meetings with Development Services already and is having regular discussions with that department and the Ec Dev Department regarding his near future development plans.  Watch this space.
  

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• Flower baskets:  They’re up!  And they look great as always.  Once again, major kudos to our friends over at Cedarglen Floral as well as our AntFarm nightly watering crew.
• AF Downtown Maintenance:  Work on the first tranche has begun with the crew cleaning up the grounds of Joe’s Donuts (and their parking lot, which is owned by the City of Sandy) and in front of the Sandy Public Library.  The rest of the first tranche is mostly work in the planter strips on Proctor.  As always, if you have any general downtown maintenance issues you would like to see addressed this season, please let us know.
  

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

There was no EDAB meeting in May.  Next meeting:  June 7^th, 2023

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

In May, we saw the culmination of the work completed by the Highway 26 Steering Committee end in a day-long workshop in both Welches and Sandy.  The goals of the committee, which was hosted by members of Travel Oregon and Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory, was to identify and develop strategies through projects and events to get more outdoor recreation travel to the corridor and to encourage visitors to get out of their cars.  While this kind of work is needed much more in the Villages than it is here, it is important to both Sandy and Welches as outdoor rec traffic is an important part of the economy in both communities.

The Sandy portion of the workshop was well attended by Sandy’s Ec Dev Manager, the Chamber Director and staff, the Chamber Board President and several local businesses, and included a walking tour of downtown Sandy tourism assets led by City staff. The Welches portion of the workshop was not well attended (no local Chamber representation, several members failed to show even after RSVPing) for reasons unknown. 

This exercise really highlighted for me how the business community in Sandy has changed for the better over the years – our representatives were engaged in the process and had fantastic input (more downtown walkability is needed; plans for the Sandy Community Campus and park are intriguing; invest in Winterfest!!!!, etc.) for our friends from the County and State to incorporate into their findings. 

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of April 2023:
  
• Tollgate Inn – The general contractor selected for this project (Rick’s Custom Fencing) has identified some design flaws and is working with our architect and their engineer to modify the plans for this project accordingly – Rick’s has literally built hundreds of these structures and has more experience working with these metal and acrylic structures than our architect does.  We are expecting these modifications to be completed in the next few weeks and permits for this project to be pulled in June.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
  • Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.
    
• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of April 2023:
  
  • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.
  • The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd , 2022.
  • Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.  We checked in on the applicant again in January; still undergoing treatment, will check back with applicant in the summer of 2023.
    • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Completed February 15^th, 2023.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, reports, etc.):

• New business – Shop Girl Consignment (Grand opening – May 5^th through May 7^th):  Theya Enos now has a 2023 Sandy business license and has passed her fire/life safety inspection with the Building Department.  Please stop by the grand opening and show your support for Sandy’s first new downtown retail shop in years!
  

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• Flower baskets:  Sandy’s downtown flower baskets are almost here – I spoke with our friends at Cedarglen Floral recently and the baskets and planters are looking fantastic and will be installed on or around May 15^th this year.  AntFarm’s watering crew is ready to go.
• AF Downtown Maintenance:  I had my first 2023 conversation with AntFarm Outdoor Programs Manager Neal Hatley in preparation for downtown maintenance work this spring.  The crew is fully staffed and ready to go.  If you have any general downtown maintenance issues you would like to see addressed this season, please let us know.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

At the April 5^th meeting of the Economic Development Advisory Board, our contractor (Elliot Weiss of Community Attributes, Inc) and the board completed the final board review of the economic development strategic plan (EDSP) for Sandy and approved forwarding the plan on to the Sandy City Council for its final review and revision before adoption.  The edited plan will now be presented to the full City Council for their review and potential adoption at the Council meeting on May 15^th.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism (April 3^rd through April 5^th):  This tourism-focused conference was held at the Portland Convention Center and was well attended by Clackamas County economic development and tourism professionals – Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Clackamas County Business Recovery Centers and several Clackamas County cities also had contingents present. 

The highlight of the conference for me was to watch one of our own citizens receive an award from Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism agency.  The winner of the 2022 Oregon Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Award for Stewardship was none other than AntFarm’s founding father: Nunpa! 

From the award announcement: “For over 25 years, Two Foxes Singing has dedicated his time and energy to helping youth who are houseless or otherwise at risk overcome challenges by providing culturally aware and responsive learning experiences. The center and hub of activity for AntFarm is a large community space in Sandy that houses a café and bakery where youth interns gain valuable hospitality skills and training that they can use to gain future employment in the industry. AntFarm employees work in outdoor recreation and manage the Mount Hood Farmers Market as well as a community garden where they educate youth, locals and visitors about food insecurity. Nunpa radiates genuine care and concern for the youth he works with and for the stewardship of his community.”

I have included the introduction video that Travel Oregon made for the presentation of this award below for your viewing pleasure — this is how the tourism community from around the state was introduced to AntFarm Youth Services. It really puts the organization and our fair city in a great light. Enjoy…

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of February 2023:
  
  • Tollgate Inn – Staff is currently working on developing a scope of work for this project.  Staff has accepted a bid from Rick’s Custom Fencing for the aluminum frame and acrylic roof – they are currently looking for a subcontractor to do the rest of the work for this project.  We hope to get construction work underway by the end of May.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
• Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.
  
  
• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of February 2023:
  
  
  • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.
  • The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd , 2022.
  • Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.  We checked in on the applicant again in January; still undergoing treatment, will check back with applicant in April of 2023.
• Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Completed February 15^th, 2023.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, reports, etc.):

• New business – Shop Girl Consignment Sandy (Grand opening in May 2023):  Business owner Thea Enos informed me that the remodeling of her new space (the old Sandy Bicycle suite at the corner of Proctor and Smith) is now complete, and she is currently planning her grand opening/ribbon cutting event for the weekend of May 5-7.   Thea met with Khrys Jones and Shannon Givins of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce last week and joined as a member business and has expressed interest in possibly joining the Chamber board in the future.  This store will be her second location – her original boutique is going strong in downtown Gresham. 
  
• Clackamas Cities Dinner (March 23rd, 6-8 PM): In March, it was Sandy’s turn to host the CCA Dinner. We selected the Smoky Hearth as the venue, and were planning on sitting under the brand new covered structure to highlight the City’s Covered Structures program for our friends throughout the county. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we had to take over the restaurant on short order to accommodate our guests. Restaurant owner Kevin Nilson was very amenable to everything and was a fantastic host, while staffers Kayla and Brandon (Kevin’s daughter (service staff lead) and son-in-law (kitchen lead)) made the change effortlessly. Featured speakers of the evening were Mayor Pulliam and Oregon Senator Daniel Bonham, and it appeared that a good time was had by all.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  I had my first 2023 conversation with AntFarm Outdoor Programs Manager Neal Hatley in preparation for downtown maintenance work this spring.  The crew is fully staffed and ready to go.  If you have any general downtown maintenance issues you would like to see addressed this season, please let us know.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

At the April 5^th meeting of the Economic Development Advisory Board, our contractor (Elliot Weiss of Community Attributes, Inc) and the board completed the final board review of the economic development strategic plan (EDSP) for Sandy and approved forwarding the plan on to the Sandy City Council for it’s final review and revision before adoption.  Staff anticipates this plan being presented to the City Council at either the final meeting in May or the first meeting in June depending on the availability of space on the agendas of those meetings.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Highway 26 Steering Committee (February 14^th) #2:  The committee will meet for a full day on May 30^th and 31^st.  We will have a studio including an asset tour in Welches at the end of the day on the 30^th at Mount Hood Oregon Resort (Resort at the Mountain).  This will be followed by a morning studio/asset tour in Welches in the morning, and an afternoon studio in Sandy hosted by the Axis Learning Center @ AntFarm Youth Services which will be punctuated by a walking tour of downtown Sandy.   During these studios, the group will look at concepts and case studies and try to develop an action plan for each area.
  
  This committee was arranged by Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (Mt. Hood Territory) to discuss tourism related topics on the south side of the mountain and how to increase visitors in the area.  The committee is comprised of several area business owners including the owners of the Skyway Bar and Grill, the Dragonfly Café, the Zigzag Mountain Store and the Chicali Cantina, as well as tourism promotion related organizations like Travel Oregon, the Sandy Ec Dev Office and the Mount Hood and Sandy Area Chambers of Commerce. 

Internal projects: 

Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of February 2023:

• Tollgate Inn — Staff is currently working on developing a scope of work for this project. We will be going out to bid for this project in March.
• All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
• Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.

Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of February 2023:

• La Bamba Mexican Restaurant — Completed July 21st, 2022.
• The Smoky Hearth — Completed August 2nd, 2022.
• Wippersnapper’s Kids Play Place — Completed February 15th, 2023 — see below.
• Thai Home — Project on hold due to applicant medical situation. We checked in on the applicant again in November; still undergoing treatment, will check back with applicant later at beginning of Q2 of 2023.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, reports, etc.):

• Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) – current status:  Sandy’s first economic development strategic plan is entering into its final review phase.  The Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) will review the final working draft of this document in two meetings, with the first of these meetings occurring at the inaugural EDAB meeting for 2023 on March 1^st.  Once the second review meeting is complete, our contractor (Community Attributes, Inc) will synthesize all of the EDAB’s comments and consolidating them into the final draft of the document before presenting it to the Sandy City Council for final adjustments and approval.

• New business – Sandbar BBQ (coming in March 2023):  This new business could literally open any day now.  Restaurant owner Clint Melville purchased the building from the Newberrys as part of the deal and is currently finishing up putting his personal touch on the interior prior to his grand opening.  Mr. Melville has a wildly popular food cart in Portland called Rip City Grill and comes with a reputation for excellent barbecue. 

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  The Downtown Maintenance program is shut down for the season and will focus on specific individual maintenance items as they arise until we start the program back up again in the spring of 2023. 
• Street tree lighting:  Holiday street tree lighting was taken down by the AntFarm Downtown Maintenance crew on February 27^th and 28^th.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

The EDAB has now approved bylaw amendments and the reappointment of Board Members Jones, Pietzold, Schwartz and Wipper at the regular Council meeting on February 6^th.  The inaugural 2023 EDAB meeting is now scheduled for March 1^st.

The primary agenda item for the next meeting will be for the board to review and mark up a final draft of the Economic Development Strategic Plan prior to the plan receiving a final review by the Urban Renewal Board.  UPDATE: This has now been split into two meetings so the board can dive deep on this version of the report.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Highway 26 Steering Committee (February 14^th) #2:  This committee was arranged by Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (Mt. Hood Territory) to discuss tourism related topics on the south side of the mountain and how to increase visitors in the area.  The committee is comprised of several area business owners including the owners of the Skyway Bar and Grill, the Dragonfly Café, the Zigzag Mountain Store and the Chicali Cantina, as well as tourism promotion related organizations like Travel Oregon, the Sandy Ec Dev Office and the Mount Hood and Sandy Area Chambers of Commerce.  The committee met for this second meeting at Le Happy Creperie & Bar.  Topics of discussion included the development of a studio event to bring in stakeholders to discuss needed improvements for tourism, which will be held up in Welches later in 2023, and logistics surrounding that event.

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of July 2022:
  
• Tollgate Inn – Keystone Architecture forwarded the full plan set to us in January.  We will be going out to bid for this project in February 2023.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
• Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.
  
  
• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of September 2022:
  
• La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.
• The Smoky Hearth — Completed August 2^nd, 2022.
• Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.  We checked in on the applicant again in November; still undergoing treatment, will check back with applicant later in Q1 of 2023.
  • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Basic structure completed; contractor is now working on the semi-circle concrete pad.  Remaining to complete: install concrete pad and railing, gutters & downspouts, install stone wrap at base of support pillars, electrical work (central light).  Estimated project completion date: 2/30/2023.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• New business – Nya’s Cakes:  This business is now operating.  Speaking with Nya on 2/2, she tells me that business has ramped up sharply since her grand opening on January 7^th, and she is doing great!  Nya is open every day from 8am to 6pm except for Mondays, so if you happen to find yourself over by the cinema anytime soon,  stop by, grab a Valentine’s Day treat and welcome Ms. Dahrens to town!
  

• New business – Shop Girl Consignment:  This business has signed a lease for the space formerly occupied by Sandy Bicycle.  If you are not familiar with Thea Enos’ shop in downtown Gresham, it is a high-end women’s retail clothing boutique that also sells local jewelry, candles, soap and upcycled purses.  Women’s clothing has been one of the most desired business types by Sandy residents according to our last two retail market surveys, so Thea has high hopes for her second store.  Coming in March…

• New business – Sandbar BBQ (coming in March 2023):  This new business is currently working with the building owners to make alterations to the interior of the restaurant and is currently planning to open in March.  The owner has a wildly popular food cart in Portland called Rip Cit Grill and comes with a reputation for excellent barbecue.  Stay tuned…

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  The Downtown Maintenance program is shut down for the season and will focus on specific individual maintenance items as they arise until we start the program back up again in the spring of 2023.  They also removed one highly visible homeless encampment at the Smith Building for us in January and did so very quickly – they had completed the cleanup less than 24 hours after we called them.
• Street tree lighting:  The holiday lighting for our street trees are going to remain up just a little bit longer this year.  We received very positive feedback about the street tree lighting from multiple citizens during the Comp Plan process.  We would normally take down this lighting at the end of January but due to the positive comments we received, we have decided to leave the lighting up for another month – the strands will be removed at the end of February

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

The EDAB is currently awaiting City Council approval for some bylaw amendments and the reappointment of Board Members Jones, Pietzold, Schwartz and Wipper – this is scheduled for the regular Council meeting to be held on February 6^th.  Once new members and a chair are officially appointed, we will schedule the next EDAB meeting. 

The primary agenda item for the next meeting will be for the board to review and mark up a final draft of the Economic Development Strategic Plan prior to the plan receiving a final review by the Urban Renewal Board.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Mt. Hood Territory FAM Tour (February 1^st):  I attended another rural Clackamas County Familiarization Tour with Mt. Hood Territory covering the Happy Valley/North Clackamas/Milwaukie area.  FAM Tours are to familiarize people involved in the tourism industry with the different tourism draws around the county and how they are being marketed.  Stops included Elka Bee’s tea house, MindTrix Escape Rooms,. Happy Valley Station, the RECS pickleball facility in North Clackamas, Broken Arrow Archery and 12 Bridges Cidery. 

[The pickleball facility pictured below would make for a great recreation business opportunity for the Sandy area if someone were interested in investing the time and money in creating something similar – this facility was absolutely packed and booked out for days!]

• Highway 26 Steering Committee (January 10^th):  This committee was arranged by Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (Mt. Hood Territory) to discuss tourism related topics on the south side of the mountain and how to increase visitors in the area.  The committee is comprised of several area business owners including the owners of the Skyway Bar and Grill, the Dragonfly Café, the Zigzag Mountain Store and the Chicali Cantina, as well as tourism promotion related organizations like Travel Oregon, the Sandy Ec Dev Office and the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce.  The committee met at the new Chicali Cantina in Welches.  Topics of discussion included a SWOT analysis of the Villages, an identification of small projects we could conceivably get started on soon vs. large projects that will require planning and organization of funding and how to get more pass through traffic to stop.

Internal projects: 

Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of July 2022:

• Tollgate Inn – Keystone Architecture has now provided everything except the full sized plan sets with wet stamps needed for design review by the Planning Department.  Those are scheduled to be here by January 5^th.  We are hoping to have this project out to bid by the end of January 2023.
• All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
• Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.
  

Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of September 2022:

• La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.
• The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd , 2022.
• Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.  We checked in on the applicant again in November; still undergoing treatment, will check back with applicant later in January 2023.
  • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Building owner has completed the removal of siding in preparation for this project.  Footings are completely installed; waiting until 2^nd week of January to complete construction per applicant.  Estimated project completion date: 1/30/2023.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• New business – Nya’s Cakes:  The new specialty bakery featuring wedding cakes and other specialty baked goods mentioned earlier in the year in this report will be holding her grand opening on January 7^th, 2023.  This brand new business offering from Nya Dahrens (located in the old Paris Café site) already has a solid following, and staff is looking forward to watching this business grow over the next several years.  The Ec Dev and Building Departments have been assisting Nya with getting her doors open for several months now – special thanks to our Building Official for his help here; he has really gone above and beyond to help Ms. Dahrens get her certificate of occupancy in a timely manner.

• New businesses on the horizon?:  The Economic Development Office has recently seen an uptick in the number of businesses that are interested in locating in Sandy in the 4^th quarter of 2022.  I currently have active conversations going with a daycare operator, a retail candy shop and an upscale boutique consignment clothing store for women that are looking to site here.  I have never had conversations going with three businesses simultaneously.  I believe this bodes well for the new land opening up on the west side of the city for development in 2023 and 2024…
  
• Hood Street Daycare/Grandma’s House:  The grand re-opening of Grandma’s House Daycare at its new location at 38422 Hood Street happened without much fanfare on December 19^th.  Julie Littlepage is delighted to be in a brand new building with additional space and is looking to sign up new clients right now. 

Thanks for this project belong to the Sandy City Council for agreeing to address the current childcare business shortage by expanding the Tenant Improvement grant program to include childcare businesses.  This is the first project to fully utilize the TI program for this purpose.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AntFarm Downtown Maintenance:  The Downtown Maintenance program is shut down for the season and will focus on specific individual maintenance items as they arise until we start the program back up again in the spring of 2023. While we are quite happy with the way the street tree lighting turned out this year, staff is currently reaching out to one of our professional contractors that specializes in this kind of thing to pursue a quote for lighting our street trees professionally (meaning with a bucket truck and professional installers) starting in 2023. 
• Holiday Lights at Meinig Park:   The first year of holiday lights in Meinig Park was a tremendous success.  Below is a picture of the Shortest Day Walkway event held on December 21^st and sponsored by the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce – turnout was fantastic considering the temperature was in the 20s for most of the event!

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

As a general “thank you”, the Chair of the Economic Development Advisory Board was sent off at Boring Brewing to much fanfare, a few tears and a lifetime of free gig service from SandyNet on the evening of December 20^th.  I would like to thank everyone that came out to see Jeremy off, and it certainly seemed that a good time was had by all. 

The next step for this board will be for the application review committee to meet to review applications for the coming year for those board members who wish to return (Wipper, Jones, Schwartz), and to discuss changes to the makeup of the board for 2023, which is due to happen in January.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

The only economic development or tourism based conferences or training offered during the month of December was the initial meeting of the Highway 26 Steering Committee.  This committee was arranged by Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (Mt. Hood Territory) to discuss tourism related topics on the south side of the mountain and how to increase visitors in the area.  The committee is comprised of several area business owners including the owners of the Skyway Bar and Grill, the Dragonfly Café, the Zigzag Mountain Store and the Chicali Café, as well as tourism promotion related organizations like Travel Oregon, the Sandy Ec Dev Office and the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce.

The next meeting of the Highway 26 Steering Committee is on December 10^th.  I will also be attending another rural Clackamas County Familiarization Tour with Mt. Hood Territory on December 18th.  FAM Tours are to familiarize people involved in the tourism industry with the different tourism draws around the county and how they are being marketed.  (this particular tour will be in the Wilsonville/Tualatin area)

Economic Development items:

Internal projects: 

Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of July 2022:

• Tollgate Inn – Keystone Architecture provided the final design and engineering calculations for the covered structure at the Tollgate Inn on November 29th.  Staff is now reviewing the design with the Planning and Building departments prior to putting the project out to bid sometime in late December.

• All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.

• Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.

Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of September 2022:

• La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st, 2022.

• The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd , 2022.

• Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.We checked in on the applicant at the end of November; still undergoing treatment, check back again after the start of 2023.

• Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Building owner has completed the removal of siding in preparation for this project.  Contractor started digging out footings on 11/30.  Estimated project completion date: 12/31/2022.

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• New business – Nya’s Cakes:  The new specialty bakery business featuring wedding cakes and other specialty baked goods mentioned earlier in the year in this report is now on site and preparing for her grand opening sometime in December.  Nya Dahrens has been planning this bakery for years now and already has a following on social media and in the community.  Staff is duly impressed by how well she has researched this business concept and looks forward to seeing this business grow.  The Ec Dev and Building Departments have been assisting Nya as needed for several months now.
  

• Public Infrastructure project – City Hall ADA door electrification:  This project to make all entrances and public restroom entrances at Sandy City Hall ADA compliant by adding electric push-button openers is now complete.  Total project cost was $39,000.  The City of Sandy’s portion was $10,200; the rest was paid for by federal CDBG funds available through Clackamas County.
  
  
• Public Infrastructure project – Mountain Moka deck refresh:  This project to replace the old, rotting wooden deck in front of Mountain Moka is now tentatively complete.  This new concrete deck has been constructed so that stormwater runoff is routed underneath the sidewalk to a weephole in the curb, and the area around the deck has also been cleaned up significantly.  Staff is waiting on the applicant to provide necessary paperwork prior to providing reimbursement, but the SURA will ultimately provide $14,613 in reimbursement on a $26,225 project.
  

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  The Downtown Maintenance program is once again shutting down for the season and will focus on specific individual maintenance items as they arise until we start the program back up again in the spring of 2023.

AntFarm Youth Services has completed the installation of our holiday street tree lighting and we have given them approval to go ahead and light them for the holiday season.  This is a transition year for street tree lighting as our regular contractor (Cedarglen Floral, our flower basket provider) is attempting to get out of this business altogether. 

Staff has requested a quote from Commercial Holiday Decorators (our Xmas Tree decorator, who also does this type of work) to see what it would cost the City to engage in a more robust street tree lighting effort (i.e. bucket trucks and professional installers) going forward – we will provide this information to the budget committee upon receipt.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

The final EDAB meeting of 2022 took place on Wednesday, November 30^th in Council Chambers.  The agenda started with an update by Elliot Weiss of CAI on the current status of our strategic plan – we received information about the SWOT analysis for our community looks and how some of the recommendations about targeted businesses will start to take shape.  We also agreed that there should be one more meeting between Elliot and the board to review and discuss the final draft of the report, including incorporating board feedback into the final draft that will be provided for the City Council workshop reviewing this report – this final meeting will take place at the EDAB’s regular meeting for January.  Chair Pietzold convened the final 2022 meeting a bit early so we could meet socially at Board Member Schwartz’s business to end the year on a festive note. 

Also, a final “thank you” from the board to our esteemed Chair, Councilor Jeremy Pietzold for his service, both to this body and to the City Council.  Fare thee well, Jeremy, and enjoy all the free time you will now have on your hands.  And who knows….maybe if we’re lucky, we will see you again sometime soon.  😊  (Also, a special thanks to former Mayor Bill King who came out to send Jeremy off and celebrate with us at Boring Brewing on the 30^th.) 

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

There were no economic development or tourism based conferences or training offered during the month of November.  While economic development staff was scheduled to attend the 2022 Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit in Welches at the end of October, this was unfortunately cancelled due to staff coming down with COVID at that time.

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of July 2022:
  • Tollgate Inn – Keystone Architecture is currently drafting a final design for the covered structure and will include a list of qualified installers for this product.  Staff expects to see this final design before the end of 2022.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
  • Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for the applicant portion of the covered structure project.

• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of September 2022:
  • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st
  • Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.
  • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place – Construction contract awarded to low bidder (Mt. View Contracting of Sandy) on 10/12.  Construction to begin (and hopefully completed) in November.
  • The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Façade project – Paola’s Pizza Barn:  On September 20, our Building Official approved the final inspection of the Paola’s Pizza Barn project that was begun way back in 2019. Two custom metal fire stairwells were installed behind the building to provide emergency egress for the mezzanines, the interior stairwell was modified to incorporate a uniform rise and run, and the water heater was moved out from underneath an interior stairwell as a safety precaution.  Many thanks to Pizza Barn owner Denise Overton for staying on task over the years to get this project completed.
  
• Façade & TI project – Hood Street Daycare:  This new daycare facility in downtown Sandy was the brainchild of Rick Minor, co-owner of Gartner’s Meats in Portland.  Initially looking to build a triplex on this site, Mr. Minor asked what Sandy needed upon learning that residential development is not allowed in downtown Sandy due to zoning designations.  When told that daycares were in short supply everywhere in Oregon, but especially in Sandy after the pandemic, he switched gears and created a brand new facility for this purpose.  This building will be the new home of Grandma’s House in 2023 after that business was forced to move out of their last location on Pioneer Blvd earlier this year.  Not only is this facility newer, but this building is also significantly larger than the old one, allowing the business to take on more capacity than before.
  
• Façade project – Clackamas County’s Sandy Health Clinic:  The clinic had a soft grand opening for the building on October 13^th to show off the new building, even as they continue to complete items on the final punchlist for project completion.  Several City of Sandy elected officials and staff members were invited to the official ribbon cutting at the building prior to the opening of the building, and Mayor Pulliam said a few words on behalf of the City prior to the big scissors coming out.
  

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  The Downtown Maintenance program is once again shutting down for the season and will focus on specific individual maintenance items as they arise until we start the program back up again in the spring of 2023.

The crew is now working on thinning street trees on Proctor and Pioneer in preparation for the installation of our annual holiday lighting for 2022.  AntFarm Youth Services will        provide our holiday street tree lighting this year as we transition away from Cedarglen   Floral and (hopefully) towards something more robust for future years.  Stay tuned…

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

There was no EDAB meeting in October.  Stay tuned for the next and final EDAB meeting of 2022, which will take place on November 30^th in Council Chambers.  The agenda will include a year-end review of development in Sandy as well as a follow up discussion with Elliot Weiss of CAI.

I would also like to take this moment to thank Councilor Pietzold on behalf of the Board (and myself) for serving as our Chair during the last term and to wish him well in his future endeavors.  Thanks for getting this board off of to a great start, Jeremy.  You will be missed, and we hope to see you around these parts again sometime in the future…

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

Staff attended the Oregon Economic Development Association (OEDA) Annual Conference in Coos Bay from October 9^th through the 11^th.  This was the first in-person OEDA conference to take place since 2019, and it was wonderful to reconnect with economic developers throughout the state in person once again. 

Much of the programming at this conference was focused on workforce development, which is still the most important issue to businesses everywhere, regardless of size.  Unfortunately, businesses around the state still seem to be struggling with “the Great Resignation” as much today as they were a year ago.  The most effective strategy to deal with current labor shortages, especially in the categories of business that are somewhat prominent in Sandy (retail, tourism, restaurant), still seems to be to pay increases, particularly at entry level positions. 

Internal projects: 

• Permanent Outdoor Covered Structures grant program:  The status of the first round of this program is reviewed semi-monthly at the City of Sandy Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting – here is the status of the program as of July 2022:
  
  • Tollgate Inn – Now that the City Building Official, the Fire Marshal, the applicant and the architect are all on the same page, Keystone Architecture is currently moving forward with a final design for the covered structure.  We expect to see this final design before the end of 2022.
  • All other projects are now structurally complete and under contract.
  • Three applicants from the first round of this program have already satisfied their financial responsibilities for their portion of the covered structure project.
    
• Covered Structures Round 2:  Designs for the second round of the City of Sandy Covered Structures grant program were reviewed at the SURA and City Council meetings on January 3^rd, 2022.  Here is the status for this round of the program as of September 2022:
  
  • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant – Completed July 21^st
  • Thai Home – Project on hold due to applicant medical situation.
  • Wippersnappers Kid’s Play Place –2^nd round of bids due on October 12^th at 3:00 PM and should include a contractor recommended by the business owner and one recommended by the building owner.
  • The Smoky Hearth – Completed August 2^nd
    

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Façade project – Alan Fleischman church entry:  Railings and handrails have now been installed.  This project is completed, and final reimbursement has been issued to the applicant.  Many thanks to Mr. Fleischman for his efforts to rehab this historical old building – the improvements to the façade and the building entry were badly needed, and the City was able to replace 35 linear feet of damaged sidewalk and remove an ADA trip hazard from the pedestrian right-of-way in the process. 

• Public Infrastructure project – Heritage Square driveway apron replacement:  This driveway apron was not only disintegrating but was also out of compliance with current ADA regulations and had issues with vehicles bottoming out.  Rebuilt by Seifert Concrete of Colton; concrete has fully cured and entrance is now open.
  
  

• Public Infrastructure project – City Hall ADA door electrification:  This project to make all entrances and public restroom entrances at Sandy City Hall ADA compliant by adding electric push-button openers is now complete pending final inspection and payment.  The vast majority (6/7^ths) of this project was paid for with federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
  
• Façade project – Clackamas County’s Sandy Health Clinic:  Although the work on this project is not yet complete, the Planning Desk is expecting Clackamas County Health, Housing & Human Services to be ready for a temporary certificate of occupancy before the end of October.  The clinic has scheduled a soft grand opening for the building on October 13^th and have invited several City of Sandy staff members and elected officials to attend.
  
  

• Contractor change – street tree holiday lighting:  Recently the City of Sandy received a notice from our flower basket contractor (Cedarglen Floral) stating that they are having trouble finding a crew that is willing to do this work in 2022 – and even if they do find enough workers, the cost of this service is about to see a 65% increase in cost.  The reasons for this significant cost increase are (a) labor is difficult to find right now, (b) our street trees are overgrown and difficult to work on, and (c) this work is physically difficult to do and quite dangerous (working on ladders around moving traffic). 

               Fortunately, we have a Sandy-centric solution to this problem.  Neal Hatley from AntFarm is currently in the process of developing a quote for us to take over this task for us for future holiday seasons.  We are also looking at the possibility of purchasing timers for each of these tree wells and potentially leaving the tree lighting up all year long.  More to come…

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• AF Downtown Maintenance:  AntFarm Outdoor Programs Manager Neal Hatley and his downtown maintenance crew have completed the second tranche of summer maintenance work, which was mostly spot weeding and planter strip overhauls at the following locations: the Smith Building, Sandy Smoke Shop/Sandy Auto Body, the Coin-op Car Wash, the old La Bamba site, the Heritage Square public parking lot, the Sandy Public Library, Brady’s Brats & Burgers, the old Sandy Clinic next to the cleaners and the Edward Jones Building (removal of an old 1970’s metal railing).

The crew is now working on thinning street trees on Proctor and Pioneer in preparation for the installation of our annual holiday lighting for 2022.  See above for additional information on holiday street tree lighting.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Advisory Board:

The EDAB meeting on September 27^th was the final continuation of the discussion started at our regular meeting on May 18^th, in which Elliot Weiss of CAI asked the board about their community vision and how they would like to see Sandy develop in the future.  Mr. Weiss also started a discussion about some of the decisions about which direction the community should go with regard to business recruitment and the differences between downtown commercial development and development in West Sandy.

The board also heard a 30 minute presentation from Clackamas Workforce Partnership executive director Bridget Dazey about the County’s Child Care for All Initiative and what we can do in Sandy (including what we’ve done already) to help.  Clackamas County has already formed a task force for addressing this issue and is currently putting together some organizational structure to surround it.  We will likely see a lot more activity coming from Clackamas County on this issue in the near future…

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

There were no training opportunities for Economic Development in the month of September, but I will be attending the Oregon Economic Development Association conference in Coos Bay from October 9^th through the 11^th.  This is the in-person OEDA conference to take place since before the pandemic.