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Approved April 19, 2017 MINUTES Chapel Hill /Orange County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors Meeting March 15, 2017 The Chapel Hill /Orange County Visitors Bureau met at The Hampton Inn, Carrboro, NC Board Members Present: George Cianciolo, Andrew Strickland, Tim Hoke, Rosemary Waldorf- Chair, Kayla Austin, Aaron Bachenheimer, Mark Sherburne, Meg McGurk, Penny Rich, Lydia Lavelle, Annette Lafferty Not Present: Jeffery Strickler, Allison Nichols- Clapper, Lee Pavao, Nitin Khanna, Mark Bell, Shannan Campbell, Lee Storrow Staff attendance: Laurie Paolicelli, Marlene Barbera, Allison Chambers, Steve Brantley Also present: None Call to Order Chair Rosemary Waldorf called the meeting to order at 8:10 am. Introductions were given by all. Approval of Minutes Chair Waldorf requested a motion to approve the February 15, 2017 minutes. George Cianciolo so moved and Tim Hoke seconded. With all members in favor, the minutes were approved as submitted. Host Introduction Mayor Lydia Lavelle welcomed the board to Carrboro. In doing so she talked about the addition of the Hampton Inn as Carrboro's first hotel, and that during its first year it was one of the Hampton Inn's best performers. People like the way it is situated on the property, set back from Main St. and that it is unique for the brand and somewhat jazzy. Corner suits are available as is event space around the rooftop pool. A second hotel is scheduled to be built on the same property, a Hilton Garden Inn. Groundbreaking will be late 2017 or early 2018. The addition of a second hotel will add to available conference space in Carrboro. The mayor offered a brief history of Carrboro which grew up around the railroad tracks and was originally called West End. In the late 1800s several mills were built around the tracks, with Carr Mill being the only one remaining. Carrboro was incorporated in 1911 as Venable. Under the direction of then Mayor, Ellie Kinnard, an effort was made to save Carr Mill and reinvent Carrboro as an arts destination. The Carrboro Farmers Market will soon celebrate its 40th anniversary. Carrboro is a small, compact town, encompassing only 6.4 square miles with a population of over 21,000 people, making it the densest town in NC. Carrboro has established a reputation as a walkable, bikeable, transit friendly town. Every decision made by town leaders hinges on "how will people get there ?" As an arts destination they have established annual events such as a music festival, poet's festival and film festival. Many road races are held in Carrboro as there are inviting start and finish areas, as well as an inviting topography. They also have two of the best entertainment destinations in the Arts Center and the Cat's Cradle. Mayor Lavelle paused in her presentation to recognize our hosts from the Hampton Inn, General Manager Patrick Dewberry, and Catering Manager, Allison West who extended a welcome from the hotel, shared information about their services and offered tours of the property at the end of our meeting. The mayor shared that there are currently several development projects underway in Carrboro. Shelton Station is being built just north of Southern States on Greensboro St. and will include affordable workforce housing. A water main at the bottom of South Greensboro St. is being replaced by