Board and staff members discussed how to accelerate downtown improvements and increase participation in the paddock’s grant programs. Raelyn (finance/administrative staff) and other board members proposed opening a time-limited grant window — for example a 90-day application period — to concentrate outreach, raise awareness and encourage higher-quality submissions for facade and downtown grants.

Raelyn summarized funding context: recent audited figures were cited as a baseline (audited beginning balance from 2023 and a reported beginning-of-year balance in 2024 of about $2.2 million), and annual revenue was described as roughly $1.1 million. Staff said fiscal-year-26 budget planning will begin with those baseline numbers and that the paddock currently has unspent cash that could be allocated to prioritized projects. Raelyn emphasized figures were placeholders tied to audited reports and that staff would provide an updated cash balance in advance of the paddock’s May meeting.

On short-term activation of public lots, staff proposed producing summer events — a music series and food-truck events — that can use the Adelaide parcel and other public lots with temporary closures and no permanent capital investment. Several board members also urged more permanent downtown improvements where feasible: turfed parklets, string lighting, seating, a playscape and better night-time lighting were suggested as near-term capital priorities for the Adelaide and Rockwall/Moore lots. Staff cautioned the Adelaide lot is currently leased, so any permanent investments must await lease termination or other lease changes; staff said temporary events could proceed in many locations without permanent infrastructure.

On larger downtown redevelopment, staff said they have drafted a developer RFP for the city-owned Chapman Building that would invite proposals to take ownership, stabilize exteriors (façade work) and complete interior buildout under a timeline and developer obligations. The RFP would require a developer to invest in the exterior, bring the structure to code and commit to first-floor retail or other specified uses within a defined period. The paddock and municipal staff said the RFP draft is under legal review and would be released to solicit proposals, with the intent of returning at least one active renovation project to downtown.

Board members also discussed actionable, lower-cost improvements: repainting and awnings, targeted façade work guided by architect Mark Thacker, planter rearrangements and holiday lighting. Staff proposed an awning incentive program (renderings provided by Mark Thacker) with a defined maximum contribution per storefront (example figures mentioned: $3,500–$5,000 as a possible awning contribution, and up to $50,000 caps for larger grants depending on matching rules) and clarified that facade grant applications currently require matching funds and performance agreements.

Why it matters: the paddock has fiscal capacity and several competing priorities (downtown aesthetics, events, park capital and irrigation). The board asked staff to return with a refined FY26 funding-by-category proposal, updated cash balances, a proposed grant-window timeline and the Chapman Building RFP for consideration.