Albany Convention Center Authority
Meeting Minutes
Cahill Room, Albany County Office Building
April 27, 2006 – 8:30 am

[PDF* 43KB]

ATTENDEES:
Gavin Donohue, John Harris, George Leveille, Hon. John McEneny, Brad Rosenstein, Suzanne Morris, Joseph Pennisi, Michele Vennard. Lloyd Stewart was absent

CALL TO ORDER:
Meeting was called to order at 8.34 am and a roll call was taken by Chairman Leveille.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES:
Minutes from the March 24, 2006 meeting were approved on a motion by Ms. Vennard and seconded by Mr. McEneny. All agreed .

ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES:

•  Web Site Launch
Ms. Vennard advised that the website was progressing. Reports are being uploaded now and the site should be up and running by next week. There will be a “contact us” button for the public to submit comments and suggestions. Ms. Vennard offered to monitor this portion of the website until staff has been hired. Mr. Pennisi advised that the website will continually be updated and that a press release will be done to let the public know when the site is available.

•  ALDC Services Agreement
The ALDC is preparing a Memorandum of Agreement for services, space and funding. Albany County is also willing to advance funds for services and staffing.

•  Public Participation
A proposed policy was developed to describe the rules and guidelines of public participation at the Convention Center Authority meetings.

1. Public Comment at Meetings

• Mr. Leveille outlined the proposed public comment rules to govern public comments during the regular meetings of the ACCA:
• At the beginning of each regular meeting, up to the first thirty minutes of the meeting will be set aside for receipt of public comment
• Those wishing to speak will be required to enter their name and relevant contact information on a sign-in sheet provided by the ACCA
• Each speaker will be limited to one (1) three (3) to five (5) minute period
• Speakers may not question the members of the ACCA, however, the members of the ACCA may question the speakers for purposes of clarification
• Upon the motion and a majority vote of the Board, the public comment period may be suspended and/or extended, or the rules waived
• The ACCA will accept written comments at the meeting as well as any comments received at least 24 hours prior to the meeting
• The ACCA will enter all written comments as a part of the meeting record and will make a reasonable effort to document verbal comments. It is the intent of the ACCA to record the comments including name of speaker and area of comment for future reference if needed.

Mr. Leveille encouraged written comments. A motion to adopt the rules governing public comment at ACCA meetings policy was put forward by Joe Pennisi and seconded by Gavin Donohue. All present voted in favor of the motion. This policy will be posted to the website.

•  Procurement Policy Resolution

Mr. Harris explained the Procurement Policy as developed by the Board. Mr. McEneny asked if it would be geographic bias to accept bids from only local companies and individuals and Mr. Harris explained that all procurements will be sent statewide and possibly nationwide, not only locally. It was also decided that this resolution would be labeled “interim” until outside legal counsel is hired. This resolution will be revisited periodically to make sure the authority is in compliance with the law. A motion to adopt this resolution was made by Mr. McEneny and seconded by Mr. Rosenstein. All present voted in favor.

SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT :

•  Approval of Interim Executive Director Announcement

Mr. Leveille reviewed the Interim Executive Director job announcement. It was suggested by Mr. Pennisi that an addition be made to the Experience and Training portion of the job announcement to include graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Master's Degree and 8 years of experience. With this change included a motion to adopt this job description was put forth by John Harris and seconded by Gavin Donohue. All present voted in favor.

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT: 

•  Outside Counsel RFP

The RFP was approved at the March meeting and should be distributed during May.

•  Resolution Requiring Economic Inclusion

Mr. Stewart worked with Mr. Leveille and Mr. Harris to develop a resolution indicating the intent of the Authority to ensure that local businesses and residents are given the opportunity to obtain contracts or employment as a result of the Authority's operations. For purposes of this Resolution the following definitions are applicable

Geographic Area means:

1. the city and county of Albany ; and
2. the surrounding Capital District Region area.

Minority Or Women-Owned Business Enterprise
( MWBE ) means firms that are at least 51% owned and controlled by minority members and/or women; and,

1. the minority and/or women ownership interest, is real, substantial and continuing; and
2. the minority and/or women ownership has and exercises the authority to independently control the day-to-day business decisions; and
3. independently owned, operated and authorized to do business in New York State

Minority Group Member means a United States citizen or permanent resident alien who has and can demonstrate membership in one of the following groups:

1. African Descendant persons having origins in any of the Black African racial groups;
2. Hispanic persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Central or South American descent of either Indian or Hispanic origin, regardless of race;
3. Native American or Alaskan native persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America ; or
4. Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the Far East countries, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the Pacific Islands.

•  Report on Meeting with the Dormitory Authority of New York State (DASNY)

John Harris and Joe Pennisi met with the DASNY in early April. Mr. Harris advised that the meeting was very informative and that DASNY has a number of assets that may be available to ACCA in terms of expertise, knowledge base, RFP's, and contracting services. There is a threshold issue, however, which is whether or not DASNY has the legislative authority to assist ACCA. Mr. Harris expected a response from DASNY in the near future and Mr. McEneny advised that if DASNY needs legislation he is sure the Legislature would be more than happy to oblige.

SITE-SELECTION SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT:

Ms. Vennard advised that the site selection criteria which were put before the Authority at the March meeting should be put on the website along with the map of the area in discussion. It was suggested by Brad Rosenstein that we select a site as soon as possible to give the community and the legislature a message that the Convention Center is definitely a “go”. Mr. Leveille asked the Site Selection sub-committee to look at ways to accelerate the decision and also asked that a public meeting be held to discuss site alternatives. This will be planned for the month of June.

•  Environmental Consultant RFP Status

The Environmental Analysis Consultant RFP should be completed during the month of May.

BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: 

•  New York State Budget

Mr. McEneny spoke about the 19-A (payment in lieu of taxes) aid to the City of Albany that has not yet been approved by the Legislature. Governor Pataki has proposed a substantial increase in the City's 19-A aid with the caveat that the aid would be used to provide credit enhancement on the bonds sold by the Authority for the hotel component of the project. This is a form of insurance policy for anyone purchasing the bonds. The Legislature has approved $75 million dollars for the convention center component so we should continue to move forward with selecting a site and hiring staff. :

•  Report on Meeting Professionals Presentation

Mr. Leveille and Ms. Vennard attended the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) meeting on Tuesday April 18, 2006 at the Crowne Plaza in Albany . This meeting was held to update the meeting professionals on the status of the Convention Center and to offer a Q&A period. There were approximately 50-60 attendees. ACCA will continue to meet with MPI again in the future as the project proceeds

•  “Official” Media Outlets

A motion was put forth by Joe Pennisi and seconded by George Leveille that for purposes of advertising the ACCA shall utilize at least 2 of the following 3 publications:

The Albany Times Union
The Evangelist
The Capital District Business Review

All present voted in favor.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD:

The following is the list of speakers who made public comments at this meeting. The entire meeting is on audio tape and the public comments are available to anyone requesting to hear them.

Comm. Joseph Rabito – Albany Local Development Corp. (ALDC)
John Schnebly - Wynantskill , New York
Tom McPheeters - ARISE-Mansion Hill Neighborhood
Dominick Calsolaro – Albany Common Council
Albert Paolucci – Constituent (John J. McEneny)
Father William Pape – Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Pamela Tobin – Downtown Albany Business Improvement District

MEETING ADJOURNED:

The meeting was adjourned at 9:52 on a motion made by Jack McEneny and seconded by Joe Pennisi.

NEXT MEETING
Thursday May 18, 2006 - 8:30 a.m.
Albany County Office Building, Cahill Room
112 State Street

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