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Minutes 09-04-13 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 04, 2013, AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Elliott Williams, Chair Brad Sevaldson James Guilbeault, Vice Chair (arrived at 6 37 p m ) Michele Costantino, Alternate Absent: Wyn Yelin I. Call to order The meeting was called to order at 6;33 p.m. II. Welcome Chair Williams welcomed all to the meeting. III. Approval Agenda, Additions or Deletions Ms. Costantino asked the following item be added under New Business; the open market at the Woman's Club. Chair Williams preferred to put this item under Announcements, item "A ". Ms. Costantino also requested to add the issue of absentee CRA representative, Kathy Biscuiti, under New Business item "D ". Having no other items to add by other members, Ms. Costantino moved to approve the agenda as amended and was seconded by Mr. Sevaldson. The motion was unanimously passed IV. Approval of August 7, 2013 Minutes Ms. Costantino moved to approve the minutes and was seconded by Mr. Sevaldson. The motion was passed unanimously. 1 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 V. Old /New Business Matters A The International Pepper Festival March 08 and 09, 2014 Ocean Avenue 1000 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Chair Williams stated that this item was unanimously passed by all members at the last meeting. Another item discussed at the meeting with the Chamber of Commerce was the CRA giving a $10,000.00 sponsorship. Chair Williams continued saying that since this Committee was established, Special Events Ad Hoc Committee was told there were no funds available from the CRA or the City for events. Mr. Sevaldson asked if this was for a specific event and Chair Williams replied that it was for the same events as last year; car show, Hot Blues Cruise, Pepper Festival and blues music. The only objection now is the Chamber of Commerce wants to run the entire event without the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee. The Pepper Festival is an idea that came from the Committee. Chair Williams also commented that the Chamber of Commerce is having meetings that members of the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee are not invited to attend. The Chamber of Commerce will run the event and receive the benefits. Mr. Sevaldson asked if the Committee could request Ms. Biscuiti to attend the next meeting at which time the Committee could request funding from the CRA. There was no comment to this suggestion. B. Report on Chamber of Commerce Meeting by James Guilbeault, Vice Chair Mr. Guilbeault reported on the August Chamber of Commerce Board meeting and stated that Mr Buck Buchanan was not in attendance, but Jonathan Porges was present. It was confirmed that the Chamber of Commerce is going forward with the Blues Cruise as they did last year, and have committed to it being a two day event. They also confirmed that the CRA was committed to help fund the event. How this will impact Special Events Ad Hoc Committee is not yet known. However, it is not a good idea to have an event that competes with the Chamber of Commerce and CRA. The dates of the event have been changed from March 8 th and 9 th to March 22 and 23 rd . Ms. Costantino asked if Mr. Buchanan sits on the board of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Guilbeault responded that Mr. Buchanan is a past Chairman and continues to sit on the Chamber of Commerce board as well as the CRA. Ms. Costantino commented that this might be seen as a conflict of interest. The CRA falls under the Ethics Committee, and if Mr. Buchanan is voting on issues that he is organizing, it could be seen as a conflict. Mr Guilbeault stated that both organizations are operating for the good of the public and are not profit organizations. The Chamber of Commerce supports the business community. 2 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 Mr. Sevaldson asked why money is given to the Chamber, when the Committee has asked and been denied. Mr. Guilbeault responded that money is not being given to the Chamber but to the event. Money is being given to support things like Police payroll, garbage collection, security, insurance and many other things. Chair Williams asked if this was a sponsorship and Mr. Guilbeault responded that he did not think so. Mr. Guilbeault said he personally knows Mr. Buchanan and there is no conflict of interest or ethics involved Mr. Buchanan is not profiting on a personal or business level. Ms. Costantino replied that she was not implying that Mr. Buchanan is profiting. People have asked if the Chamber of Commerce is getting money and Mr. Buchanan is on the Chamber of Commerce Board as well as the CRA. Mr. Guilbeault explained that Mr. Buchanan is serving on several boards. People can serve on multiple boards and it is not seen as a conflict of interest. Ms. Costantino said she only wanted clarification because, again, many people are asking her about this. Ms. Costantino continued that Mr. Guilbeault is the only one that can answer this question because he was a past President on the Chamber. Mr. Guilbeault responded that when he was Chairman of the Board in 2008, the person that he chose to succeed him was Mr. Buchanan. Chair Williams responded that his issue was that since this Committee was established, the CRA and the City said there were no funds available. Mr. Sevaldson also commented that this was his question as well. Requests for funds were previously denied by the City and the CRA. Mr. Guilbeault questioned the purpose of the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee if the City and the CRA will not give them the funds to run these events. Mr. Guibeault, and other members of the board, received a letter from the City asking for feedback for the purpose of discontinuing some of these boards that are not producing. For the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee there is no budget to create an event; however, when it gets picked up and taken over by the City and the CRA there is funding for it. Mr. Guilbeault also mentioned that he was told the reason the Committee was founded was to take events from the CRA. The purpose was to have these events run independently and this is not happening. Chair Williams said there needs to be a commitment to go in front of the Commission to find out the responsibilities of the Committee There are no representatives on this Committee from the City or the CRA, and the liaisons from those groups do not attend the meetings. Ms. Costantino interrupted Chair Williams to introduce Commissioner Joseph Casello who was in the audience. This Committee appreciated that the Commissioner was present to discuss the issues of the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee. Ms. Costantino again repeated that representatives from the City or the CRA do not attend these meetings to express their expectations. 3 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 Mr. Guilbeault wanted to point out that originally the Committee was not going to meet because of the Jewish holiday. When one of the Commissioners was asked to attend, he was in fact observing the holiday. Mr. Guilbeault also wanted to point out that the last time anyone from the City or the CRA attended the Committee meeting was 5 -6 months ago. Neither Kathy Biscuiti nor Ginny Shea has attended. Ms. Costantino responded that Kathy Biscuiti's last meeting, according to the minutes, was May 1 6t Commissioner Casello commented that as a new Commissioner, he has observed many of the advisory boards are not being utilized. This was the first he was hearing about these issues, including the fact that the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee has asked representatives from the City and the CRA to attend. He was asked to attend this meeting to observe what this board does and if there is a need to continue with advisory boards such as the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee, Ms. Costantino replied it is not clear if the Commissioners want the Committee to continue doing these events. The Commission specifically established a Resolution (R11 -059) for the purpose of implementing special events. Ms. Costantino did a presentation to the Commission on the Committee's behalf but there was no feedback. Commissioner Casello said there has been discussion at Commission meetings about the lack of applicants and he could not understand why. The Commission needs to have a discussion about which boards are needed and consider their input If their input is not going to be considered, that board should be disbanded. Commissioner Casello agrees that when citizens are volunteering their time and effort and no one seems to be paying attention, it can be very frustrating. Chair Williams commented that the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee wanted to do a workshop with the Commissioners last year, which was just before elections. However, the Committee was told to wait until after elections. After elections, the Committee was told by the Assistant City Manager that the Committee could not have a workshop with the City Commissioners. Commissioner Casello responded that the Commissioners work for the advisory boards and there should be no reason why the Assistant City Manager would say a workshop could not have been scheduled. The majority of Commissioners would be willing to meet and have a discussion about the advisory boards. Chair Williams suggested that perhaps all of the advisory boards could meet in Chambers with the Commissioners and discuss what each board does. Mr. Guilbeault commented that the City has started doing this by sending out a letter to all advisory boards (which all members agreed they received), asking for feedback as to whether the Committee should continue or be "sunsetted ". Ms. Costantino said the letter and the form came out of Carisse LeJeune's office. 4 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 Commissioner Casello said he would bring the suggestions of a workshop and a discussion to the City Manager to get it put on the agenda. Commissioner Casello reiterated that he understands the frustrations of the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee. People who come out of their homes at the dinner hour to sit on a board and give their input should be heard. Chair Williams gave Commissioner Casello a copy of the Resolution and provided one for the record. Ms. Costantino commented that the Resolution was basically the foundation of the board and perhaps the Commissioner would have a better understanding of the Committee's responsibilities. Chair Williams reiterated the Resolution explains what the Committee's responsibilities are, but the Committee is not doing any of the things it should be doing. Commissioner Casello stated that the CRA are self - promoters. However, working as a team will get a lot of these things done. Ms. Costantino said the City wants to put on more events, and even though the members of the Committee want to be responsible for these events, there does not seem to be any direction. Mr. Guilbeault replied that the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee would like to put on events that are productive. Putting on an event that is going to be in competition with an event happening on the same date in the same City is counterproductive. This should be a team effort. Commissioner Casello agreed and said things get complicated if there is no communication. He suggested that all new Commissioners should understand what the advisory boards can or cannot do. Mr. Guilbeault responded that this event, which was called GALA for many years, was run by Parks and Recreation. The City no longer supported it and it was discontinued. The Committee felt that this event could be started again last year, but the City got involved and took it over. A decision has to be made as to whether or not the Special Ad Hoc Events Committee should even exist if the City and the CRA are taking on these events. Mr. Guilbeault said it was his opinion the Committee should be disbanded since it is not helping, which was its original intent Chair Williams said doing these events brings economic development into the City which is the main purpose. A Pepper Festival would bring people in from all over the country and attract big sponsors. It was presented by the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee when the City and CRA attended one of the meetings and everyone liked the idea of a Pepper Festival. However, the City and the CRA discontinued attending the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee meetings. Working together on these types of events would help bring vibrancy back to the City. Mr. Sevaldson commented that for over a year and a half, the Committee has been working to create a signature event. The event is seven months away and at this point, the Committee does not feel there is enough time to reach its goal. Mr. Guilbeault said 5 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 a major event like the Garlic Festival that Delray Beach does would be great for Boynton Beach. Whatever can be done to get people to come to that area is the goal. An event with an international flair would get people to come from out of town, not with just the citizens of Boynton Beach. Perhaps securing major national sponsors like Tabasco and Coca -Cola as well would be an attraction. Commissioner Casello commented that there is competition with other counties. Each has their own marketing special events director with their own agendas. Obviously, they do not communicate with the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee. Chair Williams replied that was one of the reasons the Committee was started; to know about all of the events that are taking place in the City; however, the Committee rarely knows about events taking place in other counties Mr Sevaldson agreed that this has been his experience as well. Commissioner Casello said Commissioners should have this discussion and get everyone on the same page. He will be meeting with the City Manager and will bring these issues to her attention. The hope is to get this on the agenda so that a meeting with all the advisory boards and the Commissioners can take place. Chair Williams again stated that the plans of the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee were to work with the Chamber and have a two day event. However, since the Chamber has been having separate meetings without the members of the Special Events Ad hoc Committee, there is no information to work with. Commissioner Casello stated that the Chamber does great work and works closely with the CRA that has the funds. This is why a lot of the planning is done between these two agencies. Ms. Costantino also stated that another issue for the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee is Kathy Bisciuti, the representative from the CRA, not attending the meetings. Commissioner Casello replied this would be another discussion to have with the Executive Director of the CRA, Vivian Brooks on Monday as well. Mr. Guilbeault wanted to let Commissioner Casello know how much the members appreciate his being at the meeting. It is the first time there has been discussion with someone about these issues. Commissioner Casello again replied how much he appreciates the people who volunteer for these boards because it brings vibrancy to the City. Mr. Guilbeault also stated that Wally Majors, from Parks and Recreation, did come to one of the meetings and gave input and direction as to what the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee should do going forward. Mr. Majors made a great effort and the members appreciated him taking time to come to the meeting. Chair Williams and the other members thanked Commissioner Casello for coming and participating in the discussion. 6 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 Mr. Guilbeault commented that the Committee needs to hear back from the Chamber and someone from the CRA. Chair Williams said he would like the Committee to meet with the Chamber, the City and the CRA. Commissioner Casello asked if it would help to have Kathy Biscuiti from the CRA and someone from the City attend the next meeting. Mr. Guilbeault replied that it would be very helpful but should take place in the next couple of weeks since time is critical. Commissioner Casello will try to see who is available and when the meeting can take place. Mr. Sevaldson stated that the Committee is not benefiting from this event even though the original idea was the Committee's. Ms. Costantino replied that even though the CRA wants to run their own events in their own style, they can still utilize the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee to help in whatever way is needed. Mr. Sevaldson suggested that perhaps this is why the GALA does not take place anymore. Ms. Costantino responded that the CRA stopped doing events and the City took over. Perhaps it got to be a financial burden for the City and that is why the GALA was discontinued C. Potential Sponsors Chair Williams commented that he has contacted a few very large sponsors, but is not prepared to give details at this time. D. Representative Attendance Ms. Costantino repeated there are concerns with Kathy Biscuiti's attendance for 2013. Ms. Biscuiti has only attended two of the meetings; April 3 rd and May 1 St which is documented in the minutes. VI. Other Business A. Commission Meeting Chair Williams stated that since Commissioner Casello was at this meeting and would coordinate a meeting with the Commissioners and the Special Events Ad Hoc Committee, there was no further discussion on this item. B. Community Reports: City; CRA 7 MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 04, 2013 Chair Williams repeated no one is present from the City or the CRA so there was no further discussion on this item. C. Chairman's Comments Chair Williams wanted to reassure the members not to get discouraged, and to wait for the outcome of the meeting with the Commissioners. Everyone wants this to be a vibrant event that brings people to the City of Boynton Beach. VII. Announcements Ms. Costantino announced the Whole Nine Yards market will open at the Woman's Club on September 22 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The hope is to get people to come and meet the new vendors. As of this date, there were approximately 40 vendors and one food truck confirmed. The attending vendors have expressed their excitement in coming to Boynton Beach because it is the first time they have been invited to an event held in Boynton Beach. Chair Williams asked where proceeds from the event will be directed and Ms. Costantino replied that proceeds will go to Celebrations. However, Mr. Guilbeault responded that the proceeds actually go to the Woman's Club to maintain the building VIII. Adjourn Ms. Costantino moved to adjourn. Mr Guilbeault seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:13 p.m. Grace Morales Records Coordinator 9/5113 3 hours 8