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Minutes 05-27-08 MINUTES OF THE BOYNTON BEACH ARTS COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008, AT 6:30 P.M. AT THE GREATER BOYNTON BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONFERENCE ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Cheryl Arflin, Acting Chair Barbara Lentz Barbara Ready Nubia Richman Halena Wolf (arrived at 6:46 p.m.) Dana Cook, Alternate Anderson Slocombe, Alternate ABSENT: Angela Budano Christine Moeller I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:37 p.m. II. Roll Call of Members The Recording Secretary called the roll. A quorum was present. III. Agenda Approval The following changes were requested: . VIII B., Selection of new Avenue artwork for 2008/2009, be postponed to a future meeting . An item be added for future discussion to extend the on-loan exhibit to the library, and to feature Art in Public Places programming at the library. Jack Bowers, one of the artists who submitted artwork for Avenue of the Arts, was present. He was advised that although the selection of the new Avenue artwork was removed from the agenda, he was more than welcome to stay. Mr. Bowers opted to leave. 1 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27, 2008 Motion Ms. Ready moved to approve the amended agenda. Mr. Lentz seconded the motion that passed unanimously. IV. Approve Meeting Minutes A. Approval of April 22, 2008 meeting minutes The following corrections/clarifications were requested: . Page 3, paragraph 4, Ms. Budano and Ms. Ready would vote for themselves, rather than for each other. . Page 3, paragraph 4, the sentence pertaining to Ms. Arflin should read, "Ms. Arflin advised the board that it would be consistent with Robert's Rules of Order. II . Page 5, paragraph 2, third sentence, change Boynton Forum to Fort Pierce. . Page 6, Paragraph B, the third sentence should be clarified to read, "They noted most pieces on the Avenue of the Arts could be moved...". . The notation reflecting Ms. Arflin's late arrival should be deleted. Motion Ms. Ready moved to accept the minutes as amended. Ms. Richman seconded the motion that passed unanimously. V. Annual Election for Chair and Vice Chair Discussion ensued with regard to the election previously held, and it was believed the source of the difficulty pertained to the Sunshine Law. The members agreed to vote with a clean slate. Nominations were opened. Ms. Wolfe nominated Barbara Ready, and Ms. Lentz nominated Angela Budano to serve as Chair. 2 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27, 2008 Motion Ms. Wolf moved to close the nominations. Ms. Lentz seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Vote Ms. Arflin, Ms. Ready, Ms. Wolf and Mr. Cook voted for Barbara Ready, and Ms. Lentz, Ms. Richman and Mr. Slocombe voted for Ms. Budano. Ms. Ready was elected to serve as Chair. Chair Ready called for nominations for Vice Chair. Ms. Lentz nominated Angela Budano. Ms. Richman seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations, and Ms. Budano was elected to serve as Vice Chair. VI. Announcements Ms. Arflin expressed her gratitude for the expressions of sympathy received on the loss of her father. A. Artavox, Thursday, May 29, 2008 Ms. Lentz attended last year's Artavox, a wonderful event which featured live music and performers. Admission was free. This year's event was taking place in Abacoa, and was by invitation only. Artavox provided an excellent venue for networking and an opportunity for artists to showcase their talent. Members of the Palm Beach County Cultural Board attended the event each year. Board members could RSVP on line. Ms. Coles-Dobay announced artist Suzette Urs extended an invitation to graduating seniors from local high schools to exhibit their work at her gallery. The event was scheduled for Friday, May 30th, at 6:00 p.m., and would provide a wonderful opportunity for the teens to showcase their talent. Ms. Coles-Dobay encouraged all board members to attend. B. June 24, 2008 Regular Meeting Moved to Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Ms. Coles-Dobay requested the date of the regular meeting be changed to Wednesday, June 25th, as she would be out of town at a conference. The members felt Thursday, June 26th was more convenient. Ms. COles-Dobay would confirm the availability of the date with the City Clerk's office, and if there was no conflict, the meeting would be held on June 26, 2008. 3 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27,2008 VII. AIPP Budget Report Ms. Coles-Dobay noted the report provided an overview of the revenue and expenses from the beginning of the program up through 2008/2009. She discussed the ordinance which adopted the Art in Public Places (AIPP) program on October 5, 2005, prior to her employment with the City. The ordinance grandfathered development projects commenced prior to the adoption of the ordinance. New projects could take more than a year to reach the permitting phase, especially if a site plan extension had been granted. The Public Art fee was collected as a condition of the issuance of a building permit. Revenues and expenses for 2007/2008 were provided through April 29, 2008 and, overall, the program was in the red. It was anticipated expenses would be recouped in the second half of the year. The total budgeted expenses for this year included $50,000 designated for Avenue of the Arts. The amount budgeted for 2007/2008 was $212,500, and it was anticipated expenses would be approximately $164,000. The sum of $100,000 was budgeted for the acquisition of Public Art, $1,891 of which had been spent to date. The report also reflected the 2008/2009 budget, which provided approximately $50,000 less than the current year's budget for the acquisition of Public Art. The report provided an itemization of the budget, and included costs for personnel, operations and acquisition of Public Art. Some of the printing and binding expenses were incurred for brochures for the Avenue of the Arts and the Carolyn Sims projects. Ms. Coles-Dobay cut printing costs dramatically by utilizing Vista Print, an on-line vendor, and by preparing all the graphics. It is anticipated the program would become solvent next year based on development projects coming into the City. Last year, the operations portion of the budget totaled $67,852, most of which was spent on construction pads for Avenue of the Arts. The figures shown in the budget report for projects were based on Public Art fees of 1%, 70%, and 30%. The 30% disbursement was for the administration of the program. The 2007/2008 AIPP Plan itemized the expenses approved by the Arts Commission and the City Commission for the acquisition of Public Art. For the most part, expenses had already been utilized for brochures, website updates and structural engineering. Permitting and stipend expenses had not yet been utilized. No funds were earmarked last year for the Heritage Celebration; however, Ms. Coles-Dobay noted the board might wish to consider designating funds for the celebration this year. The question was raised as to the sources of funding for the program in the current year. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained projects forecast for this year and next year were reflected in the budget and would proVide a source of funding. Additionally, grants and fundraisers provided other options for funding. 4 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27, 2008 It was asked whether the percentage of fees for permits applied to residential as well as commercial development. Ms. Coles-Dobay advised the fees excluded single-family homes on infilllots. Ms. Coles-Dobay advised the 1% fee for Oceanfront Park was $21,000, rather than $2,100 as reflected in the report. The question was raised as to who would be responsible for leasing vacated buildings, and it was noted the owner of the building would be the individual who would lease the interior space. It was noted the members should be aware of the funding status prior to making recommendations, and that perhaps the reports prepared by Ms. COles-Dobay should be provided monthly. Most of the members agreed quarterly reports would be more suitable. Recommendations could be made to the City Commission once the funding status was established. When recommendations were made to the City Commission, an agenda cover sheet was provided reflecting the accounts from which the funds were generated, and the cover sheet was signed by the City Manager, Finance Department and Legal Department. VIII. Avenue of the Arts A. Recommendation to Purchase Avenue Artwork Items to be considered when making the recommendation included tax revenues, budget shortfalls, budget balancing and press reports. Public perception should also be considered. Residents were asked to vote for their favorite sculpture to assist the City in purchasing Avenue of the Arts artwork. Public perception was that taxpayer dollars were paying for the sculptures. Therefore, it was important the public be made aware that the Art Commission's funds were generated by the ordinance, and not the City's general fund. An article by Mitra Malek, staff writer for the Palm Beach Post, pointed out the development projects paid for the purchase of the artwork, and the City's Public Art ordinance required the collection of 1% on new construction, with 30% of those funds paid for programs such as Avenue of the Arts. Ms. Coles-Dobay noted one of the functions of the Avenue of the Arts program was to provide artwork on loan downtown which would generate visitors and stimulate revitalization. Artists participated in the Avenue of the Arts on-loan program, as they were aware the program would be purchasing some of the artwork. Knowing this, some of the artists reduced the price of their artwork. For example, Penny Collins reduced the price of Rings of Promise from $28,000 to $14,000. The artwork displayed on the avenue was also available for sale to the public, and 10% of the sales would be 5 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27, 2008 paid into the program. Ms. COles-Dobay provided a chart which included information relating to the artists, artwork, the public voting results and maintenance requirements. Other considerations included permanent placement of the artwork and the timing of the recommendations to the City Commission. It was noted the 2007/2008 budget reflected a negative balance of $27,000; however the $116,000 allotted for expenses included the $50,000 to purchase the artwork. The program was not required to spend the entire $50,000. It was stressed the City Commission was mindful that the program was new and as such, would not always reflect a negative balance, especially in light of the anticipated projects. Discussion ensued regarding the artwork submissions. Board members were impressed with Frank Varga's Seahorse Fountain, $20,000 (which included making the sculpture into a fountain), and felt it should be relocated in front of the library. Additional costs for plumbing and a concrete pad would be necessary to relocate Seahorse Fountain. Ms. Coles-Dobay would ascertain the additional costs and bring this information back to the board. She also noted if the members wished to go forward with the purchase and relocation, approval would be necessary from the Library Board. The members were also impressed with Penny Collins' Rings of Promise ($14,000), but believed the Seahorse Fountain was more in keeping with the Boynton Beach theme. Chair Ready noted the board could recommend the purchase of both pieces, which would total $34,000. If purchased, there was consensus for Rings of Promise to remain at its current location. It was suggested to include in the board's recommendation to the City Commission an acknowledgement that as the purchase fell within the budgeted amount but exceeded the amount currently in the AIPP account, the board would like to recommend the purchases if the Commission was willing to advance monies for the project. Motion Ms. Arflin moved that the board include in their recommendation to the City Commission the verbiage that the purchase falls within the budgeted amount but exceeds the money currently in the AIPP account, and if the Commission was going to advance monies for this project, the board would like to recommend the purchase of Seahorse Fountain and Rings of Promise. Ms. Wolf seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Motion Ms. Wolf moved that, as Rings of Promise was already in place, the members liked the piece, and received favorable reviews from residents, the board go ahead with the 6 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27, 2008 purchase of Rings of Promise and leave it in its current location. Ms. Lentz seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Motion Ms. Richman moved that negotiations be opened to acquire Seahorse Fountain and if possible, that it be moved to the Library area upon approval of the Library Board, and to find out what it would cost to move it, as well as the costs for the pad and installation. Mr. Slocombe seconded the motion that passed unanimously B. Selection of New Avenue Artwork for 2008/2009 This item was postponed to a future meeting. IX. AIPP Master Plan Detail Discussion A. Public Art Sectors Ms. COles-Dobay noted this item was continued from the last meeting. She prepared a chart identifying with an "X" Public Art opportunities in various sectors of the City that were designated at the last meeting. The checkmarks indicated areas where Public Art was planned or already existed. The Federal Highway corridor was identified as northern and southern City boundaries, and touched upon the different cultures, history, and hidden jewels. Jaycee Park would include interpretative Public Art markers which, through site interpretation and planning, would create a holistic experience that would inspire visitors to understand estuary ecology and its connection to the Gulf Stream ecosystem and Boynton Beach's fishing and cultural heritage. The information provided would set the stage for areas to be considered in the master planning. It was determined Seahorse Fountain and Rings of Promise were relevant to the Town Square sector. Members suggested focusing on identifying areas for specific locations for the pieces and then prioritizing, beginning with areas already established, such as the area in front of the Schoolhouse Children's Museum and Town Square. Chair Ready noted that Town Square was within reach, as RFPs and RFQs were going to be solicited. It was suggested something be done with the amphitheater, which could serve as a formal sculpture and tied into a cultural corridor recommended by EDAW. As part of the project, the developer would be required to pay a 1 % fee, which could help pay for the amphitheater and turn it into Public Art. The members agreed Town Center was within reach and the most logical place for development to begin. Ocean Avenue and the Federal Highway Corridor could also be 7 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida May 27,2008 considered. It was also suggested, in addition to Public Art, educational components and public events be considered. A kinetic art event would be suitable for the Federal Highway Corridor and possibly, the Renaissance. Further discussion would continue on this item. B. Plan Workshop date, Saturday, June 14, 2008, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. There was consensus to hold the meeting on Saturday, June 14, 2008 from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. X. Unfinished Business A. Opus 14 Maintenance and Purchase - June 26, 2008 Ms. Coles-Do bay distributed information provided by Rick Beau Lieu relating to the Opus 14 Sea Turtle sculpture, including maintenance requirements. Ms. Coles-Dobay would also obtain the opinion of a conservator regarding the proposed maintenance and provide this information at the next meeting. B. Arts Commission Duties and Responsibilities Update - June 26, 2008 This would be discussed at the June 26, 2008 meeting. XII. New Business None. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:42 p.m. ) . l&~, >/~ ~e D. Kahn Recording Secretary 061808 Q/ - 8