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03/05/2003BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER March 5, 2003 Present: Elizabeth France Chair Sandy Curry Vice Chair Sally Foote Committee Member Rebecca Avrin Committee Member Dagmar Ortiz Committee Member Allan Dadetto Committee Member Brooks Hammac Committee Member Also Present: Leroy Chin Park, Planning & Project Manager Margo Walbolt Recreation Program Coordinator, Arts/Community Services Bobbie Downs Staff Assistant #1 Call to Order – The Chair called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. at Municipal Services Building Parks & Recreation Conference Room. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. #2 Approval of Minutes of February 5, 2003 - It was moved and duly seconded to approve the minutes as submitted to members. The motion carried unanimously. #3 Correspondence – None. #4 Old Business a) Status of Capital Improvement Projects – Discussion postponed b) Committee Future - Members continued their discussion regarding the role of the Beautification Committee within the City. Members had asked to be included in the review process for new City projects through the Planning and Development office. Mr. Chin said the City would not want to put developers in a position to delay their projects because of extra time going through another review process, and public projects already are scrutinized through public hearings. Ms. Curry said the committee doesn't want to add another layer of delay but wants to do its job as spelled out in City Ordinance. She said public hearings often do not draw crowds of citizens. She said the committee is charged with overseeing beautification of the City and they are not doing that. Mr. Chin said he would talk to Mr. Kevin Dunbar regarding a possible arrangement with Planning wherein selected projects would be shown to members in the early planning stages. Mr. Chin said he would invite members of the Memorial Causeway Bridge design committee to the next meeting. Ms. France suggested adopting as a project the beautification of the Roundabout. Ms. Avrin suggested the committee could be supplied with a list of public hearings in advance so members could attend. Mr. Chin asked staff to research finding such a list. Mr. Chin mentioned upcoming public hearings are March 12 on Glen Oaks Stormwater Park Project and March 24 to suggest a name for the property known as the "town pond." Members will be sent fliers publicizing each hearing. Ms. Curry said criteria the committee establishes for giving beautification awards could be applied to other city projects. For next month's meeting, members agreed to bring suggestions for a mission statement. Also next month, members will review criteria for making landscape beautification awards proposed by Ms. Curry and proposed changes to City Ordinance regarding the Beautification Committee's purpose as drafted by Ms. France. #5 New Business a) City of Clearwater Cultural Plan - Ms. Margo Walbolt, Recreation Program Coordinator Ms. Walbolt explained the history behind the City Cultural Plan, which developed as a project of the Clearwater Arts! Foundation Board. As a non-profit fund-raising entity, the Board commissioned Dr. Craig Dreeszen of University of Massachusetts to guide them through the process. Over a 10-month process, community leaders participated in the Steering Committee and five Task Forces. More than 1,000 citizen and community leaders were interviewed in community cultural assessment discussions and surveys. From that was developed the Cultural Affairs Office, which will be a division of the Parks and Recreation Department. Ms. Walbolt said the process is under way to create a Public Art Committee, which would be charged with examining all new projects and art works as potential gifts to the city. Along that line, she invited the Beautification Committee to hold one seat on the Public Art Committee. Procedures are now being discussed and the proposal probably will go before the City Commission in May. She will contact the Beautification Committee when those plans are complete. Ms. Walbolt reminded the committee that it sent a memo to City Commission in 1999 urging the establishment of an arts entity in the City. Not on the Agenda Ms. France has contacted Lana Beck of C-View regarding having a show about the colorful murals around the City. Ms. Beck also asked to be advised when the committee established criteria for giving awards and asked members to submit ideas for her show, "Clearwater Matters." Members noted landscaping improvements at the Post Office on Cleveland Street. Previously, they had noted deterioration at the site. Ms. France will write a letter commending the beautification efforts. Ms. Foote and Ms. Ortiz said they did not receive invitations to the March 18 Advisory Board Dinner. Staff will contact the City Manager's office. #6 Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 10:10 a.m.