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Minutes 01-24-02MINUTES OF THE HeritageFest 2002 COMMITTEE MEETING EZELL HESTER CENTER, 1901 N. SEACREST BOULEVARD JANUARY 24, 2002 AT 6:00 P.M. Members Staff Stephanie Mingo-McKoy, Chairperson Patricia Credit Sandy Hoggins Carl McKoy Sabine Lamisere Eddie Mitchell Pearl Norfus Diane Pereira Terry Pereira Dorothy Walker Oris Walker Carolyn Yeager Charles Yeager Mary DeGraffenreidit, Recreation Manager Todd Johnson, Recreation Specialist Also Present Rita Simmons Dr. Walter Cornnell I. Introduction ~ Welcome Chairperson Mingo-McKoy called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. Minutes of the January 17, 2002 meeting were distributed, as well as the Agenda for tonight's meeting. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy welcomed everyone to the meeting. I1. HeritageFest Action Items ~ L.B. Limited & Associates Contract Chairperson Mingo-McKoy distributed a copy of the contract to members for their review. L.B. Limited had been hired as consultants by the City of Boynton Beach to develop a five-year strategic plan for the Black Awareness Events. Part of their responsibility was to provide the HeritageFest Committee with guidance on becoming self-sufficient. The contract also calls for L.B. Limited to receive 10% of money that they may have garnered on behalf of HeritageFest. To date, L.B. Limited has garnered $3,000 from BankUnited. Ms. DeGraffenreidit said that the money has not yet been received. Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January 24, 2002 Chairperson Mingo-McKoy did consult with L.B. Limited on occasion, but did not make any agreements on behalf of the HeritageFest Committee. She noted that she initiated contact with County Commissioner Addie Green's Office who contributed $15,000. Chairperson Mingo-McCoy pointed out that she initiated contact with Office Depot and secured $10,000 from that corporation. She did point out that she asked Mr. Lewis of L.B. Limited to speak with someone that he knew at Office Depot, but this was after she had established the contact. Mr. Lewis has informed Chairperson Mingo-McKoy that he feels they are entitled to 10% of the money contributed by Commissioner Green's Office and Office Depot. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy stated that she did not participate in any talks with BankUnited and that L.B. Limited is entitled to 10% of those funds. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy inquired how members felt about this request. Mr. McKoy pointed out that the meeting with Commissioner Greene had already been arranged and the contribution by her office had already been discussed prior to Mr. Lewis joining the meeting. Mr. Lewis feels he is entitled to the monies because he attended the meeting. A representative from L.B. Limited was invited to attend tonight's meeting, but no one was present. With regard to the contribution from Office Depot, Mr. Lewis feels he is entitled to his fee because he had informed Chairperson Mingo-McKoy last year about Office Depot being a source for funds. Further, she stated that Mr. Lewis did not finalize any of the sources that she initiated. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy said that she never entered into any contract with L.B. Limited. The date of the contract being presented today is dated November 30, 2001, which was after the contacts had been made. Ms. Walker inquired what the City is committed to paying L.B. Limited. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy said that L.B. Limited received a grant from the Community Foundation. Members expressed their views on whether L.B. Limited was entitled to any commissions emanating from these donations. Mr. Pereira noted that the contract submitted by L.B. Limited calls for them to receive 15% of any funds they may garner in 2002-2003. Mr. Pereira was against paying them 15% for any money collected. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy requested that only 2001-2002 be addressed tonight. Motion Ms. Mingo-McKoy moved that L.B. Limited & Associates be entitled to 10% of dollars that they have garnered only and not from any interim activity that someone else initiated. Mr. Pereira requested that the motion be amended to state that the monies must be actually received by the end of HeritageFest in order for L.B. Limited to be 2 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January 24, 2002 entitled to 10%. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy amended her motion to include this additional language. Motion seconded by Ms. Pereira. Mr. Walker suggested that the contract be returned and not signed. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy will ask L.B. Limited to revise the contract. Motion unanimously carried. Battle of the Bands - Location (addressed out of order) Mr. Johnson reported that he spoke with Dr. Cornnell regarding several issues and most of them can be worked out. Dr. Cornnell is present tonight. They identified an area near the outer fence for egress and ingress. The vendors can be placed at this location. Also, Portalets are necessary, because there are only two bathrooms that would be available and there is a problem with the locks. Ms. DeGraffenreidit stated that Portalets have been ordered and will be delivered on Friday morning. Dr. Cornnell stated that there is no PA system in the stadium and the elevator to the press box does not work, which could be a liability. Dr. Cornnell said that there were approximately 475 parking spaces in the student parking lot and 275 in the faculty parking lot, which should be sufficient. He reported that the stadium has not been released to him yet, but should be within the next two weeks. The stadium has a total seating capacity of approximately 3,550. If the City wants to bring in more seating, this could be accommodated on the west side of the field. Dr. Cornnell said he could not guarantee that none of the youth would try to jump the fence and get in free. The HeritageFest will have to provide its own security and Ms. DeGraffenreidit noted that the City was aware of this. He requested that no alcoholic beverages be sold. He also did not think they had enough trash receptacles and questioned who would be doing the clean up. Even though there is no PA system, there is electrical power available that could be hooked up to a portable PA system. Ms. DeGraffenreidit inquired if the lights needed to be off by 11:00 p.m. Dr. Cornnell would be contacting Quantum Park to determine their policy on lights. Dr. Cornnell noted that the Boynton Beach High School Band would be participating even though they don't have uniforms. He asked if some of the profit derived from the event could be donated to the Band for their uniform program. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy suggested that the Committee could donate $400 towards the School's uniform fund. 3 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January24,2002 Ms. DeGraffenreidit pointed out that a large portable speaker system could be rented to accommodate the bands. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy noted that the Committee already has a lighting and sound contract with TM Sounds for $2,900. Mr. McKoy noted that there are audio companies that could supply enough equipment for this type of an event. Members agreed that this would now result in additional costs. Ms. Credit said that the cost for TM Sounds would be less than $2,900. Mr. Pereira suggested speaking with them to determine if they could accommodate the Battle of the Bands as well. Ms. Credit will contact them to determine if they could do Friday night as well and find out what the costs would be. Ms. Simmons suggested offering the High School a free vending spot that could be utilized to raise money. Dr. Cornnell will follow through on this with the School's Booster Club. The Committee will get back to Dr. Cornnell regarding a contribution to the band uniform fund. Dr. Cornnell thanked the Committee for their time and left the meeting. Discussion took place on whether the Committee wanted to commit to a specific amount to donate to the band uniform fund or wait until after the event to determine how much profit was made. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy pointed out that to outfit the band with uniforms would cost approximately $30,000. Mr. Pereira suggested giving more than $400. Motion Mr. McKoy moved that the HeritageFest Committee give a donation to the Boynton Beach High School towards their Band Uniform Fund and allow them free vendor space on the day of the Battle of the Bands. The amount would be at least $400. Motion seconded by Mr. Pereira and unanimously carried. Coronation Ms. Simmons informed the participants in the coronation that the Committee voted to charge an entry fee of $100 per participant. When they heard this, they stated they could not afford to pay and one girl dropped out. Ms. Simmons spoke with the parents and they requested that they be allowed to only pay for the costs of the trophies, flowers and decorations. The participants requested to forego the luncheon, the tee shirts and the video of their performance to save money. Ms. Simmons pointed out that during previous years there had been sponsors for the participants and she is trying to locate sponsors for this year. Ms. Pereira felt that the participants should attend the youth luncheon. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy pointed out that at the last meeting the Committee made a decision that there would be an entry fee of $100 per participant and the coronation is only two weeks away. Ms. Simmons noted that she took over the event in December and was not aware that there was a fee. The coronation has 4 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January 24, 2002 always been a part of the event and the parents asked her to bring this request back to the Committee. Ms. Pereira requested that the coronation take place to honor Ms. Carolyn Sims who is very ill and suggested approaching the Church for sponsorships. Mr. McKoy suggested adjusting the cost to keep the coronation. Ms. Pereira did not think that the fee could be adjusted enough to keep the costs down. Ms. Simmons said that the gids have been working very hard every Monday and Wednesday at the Wilson Center practicing their routines and felt that the coronation could move forward as schedule. The only thing that needed adjustment was the costs. To date, none of the girls has paid anything, pending the decision of this Committee. A very lengthy discussion took place on how the costs could be decreased. Some members felt that cutting back on the event would cause the coronation to lose its purpose. Ms. Pereira did not think it was fair that the girls had to give up going to the luncheon in order to move forward with the coronation. This is a very special day for the girls and it would be a big disappointment to them if the event were cancelled. Motion Ms. Walker moved that this Committee do whatever is necessary to make the coronation work. The coronation is an event that boasts the self-esteem of the participants and is a positive event for the youth. Ms. Walker offered to make a contribution and would like to see other members do the same. Mr. McKoy suggested coming up with a dollar amount that the Committee could commit in order to keep the coronation. Currently there are 15 girls participating. Mr. Pereira said that if the event did move forward, he would like to see it done right and not to skimp just to have a coronation. Members agreed to this. Mr. Pereira stated that a dollar amount needs to be set. Motion Ms. Pereira moved to set the entry fee at $50. Ms. Lamisere inquired if there were any funds available for the coronation. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy responded that no funds had been set aside for the coronation and there always was an entry fee charged. Chairperson Mingo- McKoy suggested setting the fee at $75. Ms. Simmons said that $75 was too high. 5 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January 24, 2002 Motion Ms. Mingo-McKoy moved that the coronation for HeritageFest 2002 be nixed. Motion seconded by Mr. Pereira. The roll was called and the vote was six ayes and six nays. Ms. Mingo-McKoy voted nay, which was the deciding vote and the motion carried. Spelling Bee and Oratorical Contest There was no one present tonight to represent the spelling bee and oratorical contest. Motion Chairperson Mingo-McKoy moved to cancel these two events for HeritageFest 2002. Motion seconded by Ms. Credit and unanimously carried. Identifying Ms. HeritageFest Chairperson Mingo-McKoy noted that Theresa Floyd is the current Ms. Boynton Beach and she would like to have a Ms. HeritageFest. Ms. Floyd could ride the float as Ms. HeritageFest or as the former Ms. Boynton Beach. She also suggested that some of the girls that were going to participate in the coronation could ride the float with Ms. HeritageFest. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy suggested that a new Ms. HeritageFest could be selected. Mr. McKoy recommended that there be a Mr. and Ms. HeritageFest. Mr. Pereira suggested choosing a Ms. HeritageFest from the coronation participants. Ms. Simmons will discuss this alternative with the former coronation participants. Motion Mr. McKoy moved that the Committee identify a male and female in the community as Mr. and Ms. HeritageFest 2002. Motion seconded by Ms. Mingo- McKoy and carried, with Ms. Walker abstaining. The Committee will develop criteria in selecting Mr. and Ms. HeritageFest 2002. Mr. Pereira suggested holding a contest for Mr. and Ms. HeritageFest during the basketball tournaments. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy suggested that members bring ideas with them to the next meeting. III. HeritageFest Update ~ Transportation/Shuttle Issues 6 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January24,2002 Ms. DeGraffenreidit reported on the following: Transportation will be provided on February 23rd, which is HeritageFest Day. Two vehicles will be utilized beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Hester Center to take people back and forth to the Boynton Beach Mall for parking purposes. 200 luncheon tickets will be ready for pick up on Wednesday. SignArama has been contracted with to prepare the signs. Letters for the parade were hand delivered to the City Manager, the Mayor and Commissioners. The cars have been confirmed. Mr. Johnson will secure an additional car for the dignitaries. The carnival will be setting up on February 18th. The paperwork for the FP&L check has been completed. Mr. Pereira and Ms. DeGraffenreidit need to meet with Sgt. Sheridan to go over the parade route. Eight officers will be requested for each event. Chairperson Mingo-McKoy has spoken with the Sheriff's Office and they will be providing deputies as well. A final support meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th at 1:00 p.m. at the Hester Center. Paying Homage to Local Leaders Past and Present (Heritage Park) Ms. Dorothy Walker recommended honoring past and present local leaders. The following are being suggested: William Miller, Blanche Girtman, Juanita Meeks, Samuel Lemar Wright, Reverend Lee, Clyde Harris, Leroy Harris, Sr., Carolyn Sims, Lena Rahming, Ezell Hester, Jr. and Sarah Williams. Margaret Newton will be preparing a program. Ms. Walker anticipates having a draft of the program for the next meeting. The program will consist of a 15 to 20 minute ceremony at Heritage Park prior to the parade. Mr. Pereira stated this was not possible because the roads will be shut down at 9:00 a.m. for the parade. It was suggested having the ceremony on February 24th, prior to the Sunday festivities. IV. Comments/Questions None V. Volunteers are needed for the following positions: Parking Attendants (20) Carnival Ticket Sales (20) Concessions (10) Corporate & Entertainment Hospitality (10) 7 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Meeting Boynton Beach, FL January 24, 2002 > Gate & Event Security (25) > Pedestrian Traffic Controllers (15) Vendor applications are still available. Next Scheduled HeritageFest Meeting: January 31, 2002 VI. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (two tapes) (January 28, 2002) 8