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Minutes 08-22-06 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH ARTS COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2006 IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AT 6:30 P.M. Present: Richard Beau Lieu, Chair Suzette Urs, Vice Chair Angela Budano Cheryl Arflin Barbara Ready, Alt. Wilfred Hawkins, City Representative & Assistant City Manager Debby Coles-Dobay, Public Art Administrator Wally Majors, Director Recreation & Parks Absent: Jean Kashan Barbara Lentz Nubia Richman Christine Moeller, Alt. I. Call to Order Chair Beau Lieu called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. II. Roll Call of Members The board introduced themselves to each other and the Recording Secretary took note of attendance. III. Agenda Approval Ms. Coles-Dobay asked to add an item to the agenda about a new meeting place and date for the Arts Commission. Motion Ms. Arflin moved to accept the agenda as amended. Vice Chair Urs seconded the motion that passed 5-0. IV. Approval of Minutes Motion Ms. Arflin moved to accept the minutes of Juiy 25, 2006 as presented. Ms. Ready seconded the motion that passed 5-0. V. Business Items A. Announcements 1. Public Arts Position Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 Ms. Debby Coles-Dobay, former Chair of the Arts Commission, announced she had officially been hired as the Public Art Administrator. Her office is in the first floor of the West Wing, City Hall, and she is in the Community Improvement Department. Her email address at the City is colesdobavd(1i)ci.bovnton-beach.fI.us and her telephone is 561-742-6026. She will also provide some business cards for the use of the members when she receives them. Congratulations were proffered to Ms. Coles-Dobay. Ms. Coles-Dobay remarked she had received an initial, preliminary budget from the Finance Director for the fiscal year 2006-07, based on the projects that were in process and subject to the Public Arts fee. She did not know if there was any actual money in the budget yet. Ms. Coles-Dobay mentioned the 1% Public Arts fee, projected for a 5-year period, would be about $3M. The amount that would come into the Public Art Fund to run their programs would be $915K. They were projecting they might receive back about 20% of the developer's 70% commitment for public art on the completion of certain projects. However, the Arts Commission's mission was to have the developer put as much art as possible in their projects, and not to collect fees. Ms. Coles-Dobay will provide a copy of the estimated budget to the members. Mr. Hawkins indicated the estimated budget represented their "best guess." There would be some discussion at the City Commission meeting on September 6 about the arts fee: when it was collected and what it was used for. A Commissioner had asked for a side-by-side comparison of existing and proposed art fee payments for the Art in Public Places program. Ms. Coles-Dobay enumerated some of the things the 30% of the Art in Public Places program fee would be used to cover: .:. Administration of the program (personnel and equipment), management, record keeping, insurance, legal, and memberships .:. Marketing & Advertising the program (Web site development) .:. Purchase, placement, commission of Public Art in other areas of the City outside the required developments and City projects .:. Maintenance, decommissioning and relocation of Public Art .:. Public Art (visual art) events, exhibits and shows .:. Public Art Education Ms. Coles-Dobay reminded the board that while the monies expected were very large, that was because the City was in a high development and redevelopment growth stage. The funds they collected now would have to last throughout the entire existence of the Public Art program. At some point, development and redevelopment would slow down and they still had to have funds to manage the program for its life. They had spoken before of creating an endowment, a reserve from which they could draw at a later date to keep the program going. 2 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 Ms. Coles-Dobay had put together a list of the uses for public art fees. She had explained it all to Mayor Taylor, who was more satisfied after hearing all the background information she provided. Ms. Coles-Dobay would continue to meet with the Commissioners individually to explain the program to them in the same way. The members' understanding was the City Commission had granted them a year to let the program run before re-evaluating it. It was hoped this personal approach to educating the Commissioners about the program would help to reinforce the support they had given to the program when they originally approved it. Ms. Coles-Do bay mentioned the topic of putting a cap on the fee. The cap was not on the 1%, but on the totai art fee that would be assessed, regardless of the value of the project. The prevailing sentiment was to retain the fee as it was, with no cap, and as it was outlined in the ordinance. The stressed housing market was mentioned as one reason some developers seemed to be resistant to this arts fee. It seemed developers had not been required to spend very much in recent years on marketing and advertising, and due to the housing slowdown, were now having to do so. It was felt having public art was actually an incentive to purchase. Mention was made of the cyclical nature of the housing market and how in two or three years it would probably turn around. Some thought it might be better to wait it out and resume development when that turnaround occurred. In speaking of the estimated budget, Chair Beau Lieu indicated if the money for the various projects had been put in their "account," there would be no question of the Carolyn Sims Memorial project going forward right away. Ms. Budano commented that type of thing gave the citizens a sense of place, a sense of community. She recalled how the ball field project had pulled the community together. The members asked Ms. Coles-Dobay to keep them informed about this topic and to ask them if she needed their assistance in talking to the Commissioners. B. Proiects 1. Review projects in the City subject to Public Art a. Carolyn Sims Project Update Ms. Coles-Dobay introduced and welcomed Recreation & Park Director Wally Majors. They had expected to have Carolyn Sims' sons and daughter present, but a schedule misunderstanding had taken place and they would be invited to a subsequent meeting. Mr. Majors reported a bid opening for this project was scheduled for October 11 and they were hoping for a good result. He had participated in a bid opening today and the prices came in much higher than they projected. Things were costing more today. If all went well, they could award it and move forward. A consulting engineering firm was still saying this could be done in one year. If all went well, and bids came in the reasonable level, they could award it and move forward. 3 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 Mr. Majors informed the board staff had found a grant from Palm Beach County that seemed eminently suitable for this project. The various stipulations in the grant and associated point levels were read, and it seemed there would be no problem in meeting the requirements. It was, however, a matching grant and the board discussed various ways and means of raising the match. It was felt the 1% Public Arts fee for the Wilson Center could be used towards the match. A key item in the grant requirements was collaboration with the community and this would be an important item to satisfy. The board recalled the chosen artist had agreed to collaborate with the community already. The board's unanimous consensus was to pursue the County grant and initiate an application. The board discussed ways and means of raising the money for matching funds. Some of the money could come from in-kind donations. The City was also obligated to provide its 1% Public Art fee, which would be a real boost. All agreed it was important to discuss this with Ms. Sims' family members in order to obtain their permission for fund raising and hear their ideas about how they could help raise money for the project. Their connections in the churches and in the community would be invaluable in doing this. Eliciting their help would probably assure 100% community participation. Mr. Hawkins felt community participation was important from the standpoint of "buying in," but also for the awareness they were creating a legacy for an individual who played an important role in the community. This was about more than just a piece of art. Vice Chair Urs felt Publix would be a potential donor since they were interested in projects that had to do with kids and/or education. Ms. Budano felt it would be important in terms of the "fostering art in the community" requirement to include the information that this would be the "flagship" project for the Arts Commission. Establishing an endowment was one idea. Selling bricks was another idea. Using the fundraising powers of the Recreation & Parks Board was also mentioned and Mr. Majors was going to look at their ordinance and find out if that would be a possibility. The City could offer venues and resources for fund raiser tournaments. The annual Art Explosion at Hester Center, HeritageFest , Season of Peace, Holiday Parade, and Carolyn Sims Day were other events where funds could potentially be raised. Chair Beau Lieu envisioned gathering a list of the people whose lives had been touched by Carolyn Sims and doing a direct mailing to those people, soliciting tax- deductibie contributions through a trust or endowment. The family could provide assistance in developing the mailing list. Information could also be put in the City's newsletter. They also discussed advertising on the side of the City's bus. Ms. Arflin favored finding someone to write a story about Carolyn Sims, a story that could be read in the schools and at the Children's Museum to generate interest and awareness. Someone could also produce a play about the history of Boynton Beach, including a segment on Carolyn Sims. They could sell the book and use it as a source of funds. Mr. Hawkins added that many adults and young professionals considered Ms. Sims a mentor and could lend testimonials about her influence on their lives. Channel 12 television had also recognized Ms. Sims. Mr. Majors would be looking into Ms. Sims's accolades and so forth. 4 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 Motion Vice Chair Urs moved to give Debby Coles-Dobay approval to initiate an application for a County grant for the Carolyn Sims Memorial project. Ms. Budano seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Ms. Coles-Dobay was to contact the selected artist, Frank Varga, to give him a status update. b. Eternal Flame Update a. Review letter to City Commission and Veterans Commission Cheryl Arflin read a draft of letter to City Commission and CRA from Ms. Coles-Dobay on the Eternal Flame Memorial project and the changing of the site from Veterans Park to Bicentennial Park. In the letter, the position of the Arts Commission was that while they concurred with the Bicentennial site over the Veterans Park site, delay could jeopardize the chosen artist's schedule and reflect unfavorably on the Arts Commission. The Arts Commission asked the redevelopment of Bicentennial Park be done in phases, so Phase 1 could contain the Eternal Flame Memorial project on the land the City already had in its possession. Mr. Hawkins declared Mr. Majors had met with the CRA Director, who agreed to move forward with getting the CRA Board to endorse the Bicentennial site for the Eternal Flame Memorial and an urban park. Commissioner Ensler and the City had met with a potential developer of that site and the City also met with them and at the next Commission meeting that developer would make a presentation about developing that whole block of property. Mr. Hawkins recommended the letter be sent after that meeting. Ms. Budano asked if they intended to maintain the urban park and Mr. Hawkins said that would be part of the plan. The proposal would include more public use than just a park. In their initial conversations with the developer, the developer had agreed to talk with the chosen artist to help design the Eternal Flame Memorial. The letter needed to be changed to reflect that direction. c. Avenue of the Arts 1. Update 2. Review photos of possible sculpture sites 3. Timeline 4. Event planning The members worked on the invitation list, providing addresses for ones without them. It was agreed they should include the names of the artists they had invited to participate in the Eternal Flame project. There were 10 artists on the list and since they were targeting 12 sites, they needed to invite more artists. There was no change to the sites chosen. Ms. Coles-Dobay had to make sure the sites were appropriate and acceptable to the City, however. They discussed the timeline for the project based on a rough draft prepared by Ms. Coles- Dobay. The letter went out to the artists on August 18 and the requested date by which to have applications returned was September 1. Since they were going to re-issue the letter to 5 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 additional artists, they decided to push the deadline and review back. They discussed whether to piggyback on an existing event or be separate and distinct. Ms. Budano suggested combining the Avenue of the Arts opener with New Year's Eve. Or, the event could be held after the holidays. Ms. Coles-Dobay indicated they did not have to have an event concurrent with the public's viewing of the art. Signs should be set up ahead of time to get a "buzz" going. If they only wanted to have the art in place by November, they could keep the existing schedule. A show of hands for having the artwork up by December 2 and the event in January resulted in three persons in favor. They decided to allow the artists from November 4 through the 18th for setup of their art pieces. There had to be time for the City to inspect the art after it was up. They needed contracts through the Legal Department. There were permitting issues also. Getting sign permits required schematics of how the artwork would fit in the right-of-way, etc. The Engineering Department had to be brought on board. Chair Beau Lieu mentioned they had asked for pictures with dimensions and materials. Ms. Coles-Dobay can take photographs to Engineering. Ms. Budano noted wind load was a factor during hurricane season, so the artists should be asked to provide that. Mr. Hawkins mentioned West Palm Beach had experience with displaying public art and would probably have the required specifications. Ms. Budano mentioned Mark Fuller was a person in West Palm Beach who would know this information. How the pieces were anchored was also pertinent. They spoke of having a 4 x 4 foot area with a plaque on a post. Ms. Coles-Dobay thought the art should be selected as soon as possible. Motion Ms. Ready moved that the installation period for Avenue of the Arts will be from January 13 - 27, 2007. A kick-off event is targeted for Valentine's Day 2007. Vice Chair Urs seconded the motion that passed unanimously. By consensus, the board decided to review artwork submissions for Avenue of the Arts on September 12, 2006 at a special meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. VI. Boynton Beach Arts Marketing Materials Not addressed. VII. CRAI Art Update - Review letter to the CRA board 8r. staff Addressed earlier. VIII. New Business Items Chanoe of Meetino Location Ms. Coles-Dobay mentioned the Library Program Room would not be available starting in September and the Arts Commission would have to find a new location for their meetings. She would look into it. The Chambers at City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce Conference Room, and the Madsen Center were suggested, keeping the date the same as now. 6 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2006 Note: The meeting place for the special meeting on September 12 at 7:00 p.m. and the regular meeting on September 26 at 6:30 p.m. is the Chamber of Commerce conference room, Suite #108. Chair Beau Lieu mentioned the Arts Commission had judged the Arts Showcase that took place at the Arts Center summer program this year, and the art was on display in City Hall. A discussion transpired about moving Ms. Barbara Ready up from Alternate to Regular board member. The new people appointed after her should be Alternates. Mr. Hawkins stated this was up to the Commission. When a Regular position becomes available, a call to the City Clerk's office would provide the name of the Commissioner making the appointment at a specific meeting. The request to do this would be made of the Commissioner who makes the next Regular appointment to this board. IX. Adjournment Since there was no further business before the board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~~ Susan Collins Recording Secretary (090506) 7