CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE

CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE City Commission 450 th Commemoration Meeting Wednesday, The City Commission met in formal session Wednesday, at 8:30 A.M. in the Alcazar Room at City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Joe Boles, and the following were present: 1. Roll Call: Joe Boles, Mayor/City Commissioner Leanna S. A. Freeman, Vice Mayor/City Commissioner Errol Jones, City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline, City Commissioner Bill Leary, City Commissioner John Regan, City Manager Timothy A. Burchfield, Assistant City Manager Ron Brown, City Attorney Alison Ratkovic, City Clerk Mark Knight, Director, Planning and Building Jim Piggott, General Services Director Mark Litzinger, Comptroller Paul K. Williamson, Director, Public Affairs Dana Ste. Claire, Development Director, 450 th Commemoration Loran Lueders, Police Chief Darlene Kirkland, Recording Secretary 2. Discussion regarding the 450 th Commemoration. Dana Ste. Claire, Development Director, 450 th Commemoration, outlined the current progress of the Commemoration. 1 He stated that the mission statement was to, Share with the nation and the world the important role St. Augustine played in the making of America. Tell the Story of St. Augustine s 450 years of rich multicultural history and an enduring people. Create engaging programs that will draw national and international visitors to St. Augustine and St. Johns County. He said that one goal was to create destination awareness, and the City had partnered with the Tourist Development Council, Visitor and 1 Presentation attached to original minutes Conventions Bureau and the St. Johns Cultural Council to help tell the story better. He stated that the exhibitions would express the multicultural history of the City. He said that the strategic principal was to make St. Augustine a better place to live through community redevelopment, adding quality of life programming and facilities and to make it a better place to visit. He stated that the City s economy was driven by heritage and cultural tourism, and one purpose was to also drive and support economic growth. Mr. Ste. Claire stated that the first major signature event for the Viva 500 celebration would begin in January 2013, which was the Picasso exhibit. He said that the collection was a collaborative effort of collectors from Malaga, Spain, Spanish

art brokers, the Picasso Foundation, Spain s Minister of Interior and Minister of Culture and a number of other organizations. He stated that the exhibition would be an educational program for St. Johns County schools and teacher resource packages, tour programs and educational materials would be developed through the assistance of education specialists. He said that a re-enactment of a Commemorative Mass would be held that would include a gifting of the Baptismal Font presented on April 3, 2013. He explained that the Baptismal Font was a replica of the 15 th Century Font used to baptize Ponce de Leon, and would be placed in the Cathedral. He added that the font would be functional for baptisms. He stated that staff was relatively certain that the King and Queen of Spain would be visiting during May 2013 for the rededication of the church bells; however, the visit had not been confirmed. He outlined other upcoming events as follows: Ancient City Mosaic on April 26- June 22, 2013. He said that Michaels would be donating 4,000 canvases for the event, and 450 pieces of artwork created would be displayed at the Visitor Information Center. He noted that 750 canvases would also be donated to local schools. First Annual Spanish Food and Wine Festival would be held October 3-6, 2012. He said the event was sponsored by Wells Fargo, Broudy s, The Tasting Room and Rhett s, and was being managed by Charlie Seraphin. He stated that the event should provide the beginning of showcasing the Spanish Culture. He said that the hope was to grow the event in the coming years. Maritime Heritage Festival (November 30, 2013) would center on the Stanley Paris Around the World venture to set a world record. 2 He said that the 450 th Commemoration staff was working with a number of maritime programs around the area to create further events to celebrate the nation s oldest sea port. He noted that an online component would allow an interface of the Stanly Paris expedition through daily feeds for students to join the epic voyage. New World in the Eyes of Explorers (September through October 2013) exhibition from the Museum of Arts and Sciences would showcase a collection of early 16 th and 17 th documents and maps showing designs of the New World. 2 Mr. Ste. Claire stated that education was a principal component for all signature events. He said that the City was working with local organizations to ensure the message reached the local, national and international community. He stated that the renovation of the Flagler College auditorium was scheduled to be completed for the 450 th Commemoration and the 125 th anniversary of the college. He said that the Viva Florida statewide summit would be held on October 1, 2012 at the Flagler College auditorium, and was open to the community. He encouraged attendance. Jennifer Zuberer, Communications and Resource Manager, stated that the community and visitor surveys were completed through the efforts of over 30 volunteers. She noted that of the 1,072 surveys conducted, 48% were from community members, 37% from visitors, 9% from City employees and 6% from local merchants. She reviewed the preliminary results as follows: Historic Location was the top description of St. Augustine and its greatest asset 2 Errol Jones arrived at 8:55 A.M.

Castillo de San Marcos was most representative symbol and most favored attraction Primary reason to visit was the historic sites Promotion and marketing steps needed to be taken to increase tourism September 8, 1565 was the most significant date to residents; however, only 15% of visitors surveyed recognized the date Specific campaigns should be developed for marketing and promoting the 450 th Commemoration, and should highlight the Castillo, Lighthouse, beach, boating and fishing Majority of visitors come for other Florida cities Visiting the City received an average rating of 4.7 on a 1-5 scale regarding enjoyment Merchants felt that the commemorations should be an opportunity to promote the City to the general business community 8 out of 10 merchants would recommend St. Augustine as a place to conduct business Ms. Zuberer stated that the complete survey results would be presented at a later date. She said that the Share Your Story contest had also been completed. She noted the winners as follows: Photography Contest First Place Andrew Smith Second Place William Edwards Third Place Daniel Craig Essay Contest First Place Russell Thomas Second Place Audrey Frank Third Place Dencia Miche Branscum Video Contest Grand Prize Chad Light Charlie Seraphin stated that a number of things were occurring around the City that were directly related to the 450 th Commemoration, but were not an official part of the mission and signature events, such as the Flagler College auditorium and the Willie Galimore Center renovations. He said that even though the Willie Galimore Center partnership was not considered a legacy project, it would be a legacy for the future. He stated that the Jacksonville Jaguars had committed a significant amount of money to the Center, and proposed to film a Play 60 NFL promotional video at the center, which would air on national television. He noted that Willie Galimore was one of the most successful athletes from St. Augustine. He said that the community center that was representative of many historic things. He stated that most projects would involve necessary preparations and infrastructure improvements for the future. He said that his overall mission was to make the most of what was available. Mr. Regan stated that the University of Florida would be opening their first colony exhibition during 2013 at the Government House. He added that the Tourist Development Council had committed to a major advertising and marketing campaign for the Picasso exhibition. He stated that a major magazine publication would be featuring an article on the 2013 commemoration activities during December 2012. He said that St. Augustine had positioned itself to be the lead city in the state for Florida s 500 th anniversary. Commissioner Freeman felt that the Galimore Center partnership was connected to the 450 th Commemoration. Mayor Boles questioned the branding exercise progress. Ms. Zuberer replied that the next step after the survey was to create the branding 3

identity from the results. She said that it would be out for bid within the next few days. She stated that the pole banners would be up by the holidays, and the new website up by the end of the year, which would include a section for merchandise. Commissioner Freeman questioned whether the Commission would be reviewing the branding logo. Ms. Zuberer replied that a full presentation would be made by the research company when the process was completed. Commissioner Leary questioned the reason to create the additional logo. Ms. Zuberer replied that the current logo was the City s official 450 th Commemoration logo; however, because it contained the crest, there were limitations. She stated that having a secondary marketing logo would allow for merchandise sales. Commissioner Freeman requested that feedback by the Commission be given prior to selecting an official branding logo. Commissioner Jones felt that the marketing logo should be created to allow merchants and organizations to integrate their message within the logo. Commissioner Sikes-Kline expressed appreciation for all survey and contest participants. She said that the City could use recommendations from the recent Mobility Institute study to improve mobility during large events. She noted that the Spanish Constitution Monument needed cleaning, which should be done annually. She questioned the Visitor Information Center renovation progress. Mr. Regan stated that construction was continuing and was currently on budget and on time. He said that the upgrade was intended to create a civic auditorium. He noted that a number of individuals had expressed an interest in using the building for a number of various events. Commissioner Sikes-Kline felt that local students would benefit immensely by the Picasso exhibit. She suggested appointing a full time staff person to be a liaison between the local schools and education departments. Commissioner Leary felt that the presentation was encouraging. He provided an outline of questions and concerns. 3 Mr. Regan advised that the Master Plan should be updated. Commissioner Leary questioned whether a budget should be established for the overall commemoration period or for each commemoration year, and whether a maximum limit should set. Mayor Boles clarified that the budget limit was established during the budget process. Mr. Regan stated that the creation of events was what created large unforecasted expenditures. He said that a discussion should be held regarding the Commission s expectation on production, exposition and event contribution requirements and how much should be spent on infrastructure. Mayor Boles stated that if money was not available, the City had two choices, which were seeking partners and sponsors or allocating from reserves. He felt that establishing a set budget would limit creativity. He stated that economic development from large events were from the collateral activities surrounding the focal signature events. Commissioner Leary stated that the funding challenge was recognized, because the anticipated funding was not 4 3 Attached to original minutes

being received. He said that the question was regarding how much could the City afford to accomplish the commemoration goals. Commissioner Leary questioned whether there was a non-profit organization need. Mayor Boles felt that the Commission should not develop a non-profit organization, because of the issues and concerns that occurred with the First America Foundation. He encouraged local organizations to become involved. Commissioner Jones agreed that the City should not be involved with a non-profit. He stated that the community could get involved through volunteer efforts. Commissioner Sikes-Kline stated that it was obvious that the community was involved because of some of the events and activities that were occurring. Commissioner Leary questioned whether the City would have any issues with accepting donations. Mayor Boles stated that the City could accept donations; however, if an individual or organization indicated a desire to donate funds the City could direct them to the most optimal organization. Commissioner Leary questioned the merchandising progress. Mr. Regan replied that the City s official merchandise was currently not selling very well, which outlined a need to complete the branding logo to create an identity. He said that a number of merchandising ideas were being developed through other organizations, and were waiting on approval of the City. Commissioner Leary questioned whether a portion of revenues from City produced events should remain with the City instead of being donated to local charities. Mayor Boles stated that the City should produce certain events, but not all events. He agreed that the City should retain a certain portion of event revenues to cover costs and maintain revenue streams. Richard Goldman, Tourist Development Council (TDC), stated that the TDC s budget allocation was $600,000 for marketing the 450 th Commemoration. He said that the work was developed in collaboration with the 450 th Commemoration staff. He said that the budgets purpose was aimed at bringing attention to St. Augustine. He said that the current focus was Florida s 500 th Commemoration. He stated that the advertising would build up to the 450 th Commemoration, which was consistent with the research and surveys of visitors. He said that the TDC was also advertising in support of specific events. He stated that the Picasso advertising would become a template for other events. He said that the types of advertising included radio, outdoor, print and online. He noted that an additional $50,000 was provided by the Arts, Culture and Heritage Division for the Picasso exhibit. He concluded that the TDC pledged its resources and staff to support the Commemorations. Carol Saviak, Chamber of Commerce, stated that economic development work was centered around the partnerships created in the community, because the message not only impacted tourism; it impacted the businesses community in terms of expansion and attracting new businesses. She said that it was important to recognize that the City was a part of a global economy, and how it impacted small business growth. She stated that special events were viewed as an economic opportunity. She said that the current unemployment rate for St. Johns County was 6.7%, and the reason was because of the basic fundamentals in creating an attractive community with positive economic opportunities. She noted that 2G Cenergy, a new business coming to the area, indicated that their top reason to 5

relocate here was the appealing history of the City. She stated that there were other new businesses indicating an interest in becoming a part of the 450 th Commemoration. 3. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:36 A.M. 4 Joseph Boles, MAYOR Alison Ratkovic, CITY CLERK 4 Transcribed by Darlene Kirkland 6