FREDA Ponders Ways to Expand Existing Business Survey Response, are Enthusiastic on Blue Ridge Tech Center Visit

The Front Royal Economic Development Authority (FREDA), also doing business as the Town of Front Royal’s Business Development Board (BDB), held its regular monthly meeting Monday, July 1, at the Town Hall second-floor meeting room. Absent were Chairman Rick Novak and David Gedney. Staff present included Town Manager Joe Waltz, Director of Community Development and Tourism Elizabeth “Lizi” Lewis, and Admin Assistant Hillary Wilfong. With a quorum of Vice-Chairman Nick Bass, Treasurer Tom Eshelman, and Directors Frank Stankiewicz, Aiden Miller, and Robert Elliott in place the meeting began within a minute of its scheduled noon start.

Opening the meeting under “New Business” Town Manager Waltz informed the board he was still developing a rather detailed “Review of Town Projects” as they could apply to the FREDA/BDB mission of facilitating new business recruitment and existing business preservation and expansion. Waltz expressed confidence that report would be ready for review at the board’s next meeting on August 5.

There was then a three-pronged presentation under “Old Business” for projects underway. They included the Existing Business Survey, the board’s tour of the Blue Ridge Technical Center, and the search for independent legal counsel for FREDA.

Readers may recall that at the first Monday of June meeting, Lewis reported 26 initial responses to the Existing Business Survey in the first phase of distribution, with Chamber of Commerce circulation on the horizon. The Town and FREDA are seeking maximum participation of as many respondent business owners as possible to help guide their efforts moving forward on facilitating business retention and expansion inside the town limits.

Town Manager Joe Waltz and Director of Community Development and Tourism Elizabeth “Lizi” Lewis provided staff input on a variety of old and new business fronts, as well as responding to questions from FREDA Board members on the status of a number of projects crucial to FREDA’s future. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Lewis opened by telling the board that in the wake of the Chamber of Commerce membership circulation there were 27 responses now. — Not 27 more, just one more totaling 27, up one from 26 a month ago. With that disappointing news, board members and staff discussed extending any planned deadline for responses and methods, including door-to-door visits by BDB members or staff, to encourage an expanded response. Lewis noted that she had kept potential deadlines vague and extendable to accommodate just such a need to facilitate an expanded response.

Attention Town & County Business Owners!

Other methods included expanded news coverage in local media — SO, Heads UP out there business owners: If you’ve gotten the survey, please check it out and respond or call (540 635-8007) or visit Town Hall to get a new copy to fill out and turn in on your perspective on what exists or needs to exist to facilitate your company’s full potential and/or future growth.

The board also discussed adding contact with business owners outisde the town limits, including the northside shopping centers over the bridges — “They’re still part of our community. I don’t think their feedback hurts,” Lewis observed of what could evolve into an across town/county boundary lines effort to facilitate community business retention and expansion efforts.

Blue Ridge Tech Center

There was a general consensus of enthusiasm for what the Blue Ridge Tech Center was achieving educationally and operationally through the public school system for students focusing on post-high school trade careers not requiring a traditional college curriculum education.

“I had no idea there was a criminal justice system (aspect), that was a first for me,” Tom Eschelman told his colleagues, adding, “The electrical department, I was incredibly impressed with that, and the cullinary program, the nursing program. To me they’re right on the money, right on track with what they’re doing. I’m not sure how we could assist them financially to cover any additional instructors or additional space or anything like that, since it’s not in our wheel house,” Eshelman noted of a public schools operation under County government oversight and local funding parameters.

Lewis noted Tech Center personnel’s reference to the potential of initiating increased partnerships with local businesses for internships for students and expanding facility uses outside of school hours. However, she observed it appeared those could be future plans not yet in place procedurally through the public school system.

“It’s great to see what’s there. It’s great to know that it’s there. And it’s almost like an outreach to the local business community to get more involved,” Eschelman observed of any role FREDA/BDB might have at this juncture. It was also observed that the FREDA/BDB visit was initiated as an aspect of future work force development within the community, which the Blue Ridge Tech Center program fits nicely into. Encouraging various local trade companies awareness of and opportunities for engagement with the public schools program was cited as a potential ongoing role for FREDA.

Five up, two down at its July meeting, with three support staffers triangulating the far end of the meeting room table, the FREDA Board was enthusiastic about its visit to the Warren County Public Schools Blue Ridge Tech Center. And they look forward to a role speading the word of the range of trades being trained for there as approaching high school graduates contemplate becoming future members of the community’s trades work force.

“One of the things I took away from our visit to Laurel Ridge and Blue Ridge Technical Center was — I didn’t know these things were out there,” Town Manager Waltz observed. “And I think that is probably one of the biggest obstacles that Blue Ridge Technical Center has, is getting the word out they’ve got these resources. So, I think for us, for me what I took away was that we need to help facilitate letting the businesses know that these resources are out there. And I think that’s where we immediately can come in and start to facilitate that conversation of what’s available out there,” Waltz told the FREDA board members.

The town manager noted the existing relationship they were informed the Blue Ridge Technical Center has with Marlow Motors auto-repair shop, then wondered whether other local automotive mechanical repair businesses were also aware of the Tech Center’s program in that regard. “It was enlightening for me, because it’s not a common thing out there knowledge-wise. And so that is where I see us in the beginning as facilitating that, letting the businesses in our community know that the County is acutally doing something really good out here preparing students who decided not to go to traditional colleges get some tech background to pursue something outside of schools,” Waltz concluded.

The town manager’s perspective drew some comments of agreement from the board, whose members noted their discovery on the visit that there were welding and electrical instructional departments at the Blue Ridge Tech Center. It was observed that such training can lead to additional post-high school training opportunities in the Norfolk and Newport News shipyards in southeastern Virginia.

FREDA legal counsel search

Town Manager Waltz then briefed the FREDA Board of Directors on the final “Old Business” topic, the search for independent legal counsel for them. “It’s a little bit challenging to find somebody with a little expertise in local government, as well as economic development, who is not intertwined in any other development project,” Waltz observed, adding hopefully, “I will say that I am engaged (in conversation) with an attorney right now that may be fruitful. But the goal is to get us somebody on staff or at least retained by our next meeting.” That meeting is scheduled for August 6, the first Monday of the coming month. As has been previously reported, while created by municipal governments or municipal governmental partnerships, by state law EDAs are considered “quasi-governmental” at least semi-independent entities.

FREDA funding

During Open Discussion following a question from FREDA Board Treasurer Tom Eschelman it was established that Town Council has yet to establish a funding budget for its unilaterally overseen Economic Development Authority. “I attended the council meeting last week and I noticed the Consent Agenda had approval for funding. So, I know we were talked about possibly receiving at least some of those discretionary funds that were left over. My assumption is that none were allocatted to us,” Eschelman told Waltz.

“That is correct,” the town manager replied, explaining, “There was roughly about $600,000 that were re-allocated, five-hundred-and-some of that went to the West Crizer sidewalk project. And $30,000 or $40,000 went to an internal project. But you are correct, no money was allocated for FREDA. I will tell you that is still a big topic of conversation with counsel … and hopefully we’ll get something resolved in the next couple of months. But it is one of their goals to fund FREDA,” Waltz assured Eshelman and his fellow board members.

“It’s difficult for us to be able to take any kind of action obviously without some sort of funding,” Eschelman observed in response.

FREDA Board of Directors Treasurer Tom Eshelman, partially obscured third one down on left side of meeting room table, wondered at the ongoing lack of funding being authorized by the town’s elected officials. No, or even minimal funding will limit what level of proactive economic development initiatives the Town’s EDA will be able to undertake some two years into its existence.

“I agree, and I’ll tell you what, I’ll get you a better answer at the next board meeting. Because like I said, it has been a topic of conversation with council. They just have not made any formal action,” Waltz noted, to which the FREDA treasurer observed, “Well, I think with our group ultimately that will determine what our next project is, is how much money we’re allocated. I mean if it’s $20,000 we’re obviously not getting too involved in things. But depending on what that level is will determine what type of project we can get involved in. And there’s a lot of them out there,” Eshelman concluded of potential economic development initiatives within the town limits.

Baymont Inn redevelopment

As the Open Discussion wound down, it was noted that the Baymont Inn rezoning, which Eschelman observed a majority of the FREDA board supported, had gone through the Planning Commission review process and garnered what he observed was “the unanimous” support of the town council as well.

“Basically, you’re going to go from a hundred-and-some odd (motel) rooms, down to 39 apartments,” Eschelman said of the project, noting the potential of that number being further reduced to 36 under certain redevelopment parameters. “But yea, it’s pretty exciting. What they’ll be doing is taking the property and it’s going to be redeveloped. And there’s proven models across the state of Virginia and elsewhere to do that,” the BDB treasurer observed of what the owner has essentially presented as an economic re-development project.

And following that discussion the meeting adjourned at 12:26 p.m.