Chairman Chas Stevens called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm on October 13, 2025.
Kevin Sluka conducted roll call and the following Board Members were present:
Board Members Present: Chas Stevens, Natalia Kleyman, Kevin Sluka, Rick St. Pierre, Tania Althoff, RanD Pitts, Andrianna Popowych
Board Members Virtual: Beth Akkaway, Chris Edwards, Conlyn Chan
Board Members Absent: N/A
Professional Staff Present: Becky Pollard, Dana Kessel
CHAIRPERSON REMARKS
Chas welcomed everyone to the meeting and remarked on upcoming events.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
Minutes from September meetings were approved.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Finance
i. Routine updates; no major changes reported.
ii.2026 Budget formally approved unanimously (previously reviewed in executive session).
iii.Strong response via See My Legacy platform; easier purchasing and social media shout-outs. RWJ meeting postponed due to emergency; ongoing outreach for 2026 title sponsors.Future revisions planned for 2026 event sponsorship tiers.
b. Design/Infrastructure
i. Merchant meeting with PSE&G tentatively set for Dec 2 at Somerville Civic Center (awaiting confirmation).
iii. Dog-Friendly District Initiative – Transitioning away from canine turf due to feedback.Installing branded waste stations using existing poles; coordination with borough for placement. Somerset Patriots confirmed as title sponsor for both the initiative and April 26 event. Exploring free rabies clinic in partnership with borough.
b. Promotions
i. Social media KPIs (August 2025): Presented by Becky Pollard
- Instagram reached 14.5K accounts; 281K views (84%of views from followers, 16% of views from non-followers); 2.3K interactions (95.4% interactions from followers, 4.6% interactions from non-followers); Total Followers: 18,867; 244 follows, 120 unfollows (+124) with biggest day for follows: September 14th (Jazz Fest)
- Facebook reached 73K accounts; 222K views; 59.7% of all views from followers, 40.3% of all views from non-followers; 1.7K interactions (71% interactions from followers,29% interactions from non-followers); Total Followers: 22,170 (+.6%)
- Email open rates: ~40%; click rate 2.7% (+30%); very low unsubscribe rate.
- Placer Data
- Visits (The extrapolated number of visits to the property): 269.1k
- Visits / sq ft (The number of visits to the property by its size (square footage)): .08
- Size / sq ft (The property’s square footage is based on the polygon’s size when individual properties are analyzed, and Gross Leasable Areas (GLA) when shopping centers are examined): 3.3M
- Visitors (The extrapolated number of individual visitors, or people in your selected audience group, who visited the property): 141.4k
- Visit Frequency (The average number of visits per person in the selected audience group in the selected date range. This helps you understand how often people are returning to a location): 1.9
- Avg. Dwell Time (The average amount of time spent by people in your selected audience group at the property during a visit): 72 Mins
- Panel Visits (The number of visits generated by panel devices (the unique number of mobile devices that visited the location examined)): 16.2k
- YoY (The percent change in visits during the report’s date range relative to the same period in the previous year): +3.8%
- YoY2 (The percent change in visits during the report’s date range relative to the same period two years ago): +3.4%
- Yo3Y (The percent change in visits during the report’s date range relative to the same period three years ago): -7.5%
- Peak Visiting Time (The average time the most amount of visitors were in Downtown Somerville): 7:00pm
- Upcoming Events and Volunteer Need
- Haunted History
- Spooktacular
- Small Business Saturday
- Jubilee
- September metrics typical; minor dip following strong August engagement.
- Successful “Social Media 101” class held for merchants; future training planned. Survey open for additional class topics (interest in ads and graphic design).
ii. Concern raised over poor communication from StreetFairs.org about the fall fair. Board agreed DSA should improve proactive communication about outside events that affect downtown (e.g., Firemen’s Parade). Coordination with borough to ensure future notices shared in weekly business emails.
iii. Upcoming Events
- Haunted History Tours: Oct 18, ticket sales slower than 2024; continued promotion underway.
- Halloween Spooktacular: 44 business stops (↑ from 35 in 2024); pumpkin deliveries coordinated.
- Small Business Saturday (Nov 29): Live music, heated tent, shopping bingo raffles, gift-wrapping by Civic League.
- Holiday Jubilee: Plans finalized – music by the Sharps, photos with Santa, free cocoa, etc.
- Candlelight Concerts (Jan 24 & Feb 14, 2026): Fundraiser with Fever; United Reform Church venue.
- Next Mixer: Nov 18 at Mannion’s, 6–8 PM.
c. Economic Vitality
i. Closings: Yoga Odyssey, Aerial Studio; Division Street space available.
ii. Openings: Yoga Six (Grand Opening Nov 7), Stretch Lab (Jan 2026 expected), Progressive Therapy, Moka& Co., Milkshake Factory, Pilates Studio in progress.
iii.County to provide monthly property availability reports via CoStar database.
d. Director’s Report
i. Focus on reimagining 2026 events as experiential attractions.
ii. Partnerships with MakerSpace and Fever finalized.
iii. Gift Card Program: 25 businesses enrolled; merchant webinar planned.
iv. Grants:Somerset County Local Arts Grant ($20K) for public mural, T-Mobile Placemaking Grant ($50K) for “Glow-in-the-Dark Walkway” project, NJ Main Street Transformation Grant revision pending approval.
v. Ongoing sponsorship outreach to PSE&G, Provident, Unity, Wakefern, and NJ American Water.
vi. Planned signage and code enforcement seminar (mid-Nov) to include updates on alfresco dining ordinance.
vii. Board Recruitment
- Two open seats; only one qualified applicant to date.
- Application deadline extended; post to Facebook and update website.
- Aim to confirm new members by December meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
- Technology & Communications
- Presentation of merchant communication mobile app proposal. Vendor: InfoGrow (selected after nine interviews).
- App will sync with DSA website and email tools, eliminating double entry; push notifications for events and alerts included.
- Broad board support for implementation in 2026 budget.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
- None
EXECUTIVE SESSION
N/A
ACTION ITEMS
- Confirms the date for the annual meeting as January 12, 2026, but the location is still to be determined
FINAL REMARKS AND ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm. Next meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2025, at 6:00 PM.