Council approved sales of three surplus city lots to Gary Blackwell Investments (Dartmouth, Idlewild, and Louisiana avenues) for new single-family homes.
18 items on the agenda · 13 decisions recorded
On the agenda
- 1Call to Order – Roll Call▶ 0:00
- 2
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
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[00:00:27] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for [00:00:33] which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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- 4
Approval of May 21, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
approvedCouncil approved the May 21, 2024 regular meeting minutes by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
- motion:Motion to approve the May 21, 2024 regular meeting minutes. (passed)5–0
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[00:00:42] Thank you. [00:00:43] Next we have approval of the May 21st 2024 regular meeting minutes. [00:00:56] Move to approve. [00:00:57] Second. [00:00:58] Any other discussion? [00:01:02] All those in favor? [00:01:03] Aye. [00:01:04] Opposed? [00:01:05] 5-0.
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- 5
You arrived here from a search for “AIDS Foundation” — transcript expanded below
Proclamation - Juneteenth Independence Day
approvedMayor Chopper Davis read a proclamation declaring June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth Independence Day in the City of New Port Richey, recognizing the African American Club of Pasco's Juneteenth family event on June 15 at the historic Booker T. Washington School.
- direction:Mayor proclaimed June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth Independence Day in the City of New Port Richey. (passed)
Booker T. Washington SchoolAIDS FoundationAfrican American Club of PascoArapeka sawmillsBooker T. Washington SchoolNew Port Richey LibraryPremier Community Health CareWhat's Up PascoAliciaChopper DavisMarlo JonesEmancipation ProclamationFreedom FestivalJuneteenth Independence Day proclamationPine Hill▶ Jump to 1:07 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:01:07] All right, I need Juneteenth on down. [00:01:30] These people all came on my invite. [00:01:33] This is a proclamation of the Mayor of the City of New Port Richey, where as Juneteenth, [00:02:03] also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition [00:02:09] of slavery in Galveston, Texas. [00:02:12] And whereas although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on [00:02:17] January 1, 1863, it would take more than two years before the total emancipation of those [00:02:22] enslaved was announced and accepted. [00:02:26] Celebrations then broke out among the newly freed and Juneteenth was born. [00:02:30] And whereas from the days where blacks were mistreated and segregated to Pine Hill, where [00:02:35] they attended the historic Booker T. Washington School and labored in the Arapeka sawmills [00:02:41] helping to build the infrastructure for New Port Richey in the 1920s, the City of New [00:02:45] New Port Richey strives for a more perfect union and acknowledges our city's equality, inclusion [00:02:51] and growth. [00:02:52] And whereas the African American Club of Pasco was founded with the mission to promote an [00:02:57] environment that focuses on cultural, social, ethical, educational and creative interests [00:03:03] while seeking ways to give back to the Pasco County community through volunteer work and [00:03:07] providing positive adult role models for our youth through membership and business community [00:03:12] sponsored programs and events. [00:03:15] And whereas the African American Club of Pasco has provided cultural programs including Juneteenth [00:03:20] celebrations for over 20 years and will continue to celebrate Juneteenth this year at the historic [00:03:27] Booker T. Washington School by hosting a Juneteenth family event on Saturday, June 15th from 11 [00:03:34] a.m. to 4 p.m. [00:03:36] Now therefore, I, Chopper Davis, Mayor of the City of New Port Richey, do hereby proclaim [00:03:41] June 19th, 2024 as Juneteenth Independence Day in the City of New Port Richey and urge [00:03:47] all citizens to commit themselves to the continued pursuit of justice and equality as we celebrate [00:03:54] Juneteenth and the promise of freedom to all citizens on this day. [00:04:05] I just want to say a couple things. [00:04:06] I'm part of the African American Club and they've been really working real hard to have [00:04:10] this event on June 15th and they twisted my arm and Marlo Jones to be in the dunk tank [00:04:18] so I went ahead and volunteered Butler here to join us too. [00:04:25] So if you want to spend a couple dollars and laugh, come on over. [00:04:28] We'll probably be somewhere around 12 to 3, we'll be in the dunk tank. [00:04:32] But they've got events for kids, they've got events for adults, so a lot of boosts there [00:04:36] and so it'll be a lot of fun. [00:04:38] And the whole area is shaded with trees so, you know, they're behind Booker T. Washington. [00:04:43] Who's getting this, you? [00:04:45] Okay, well are you going to do all the talking then? [00:04:47] All the talking, yes. [00:04:49] Well, I know none of the guys are doing any of the talking. [00:04:53] Yes, we can. [00:04:54] Yes, sir. [00:04:55] Yes, hello everyone. [00:04:57] Woohoo, Juneteenth! [00:04:58] We are ready for a Freedom Festival celebration. [00:05:01] We'd just like to invite you all to come on out. [00:05:04] Mayor Chopper, as he has so eloquently said, is going to be our first in that dunk tank. [00:05:10] We will make the balls really, really reasonable for you to be able to toss them. [00:05:14] We may give some free ones. [00:05:16] But there will be quite a few other folks that have volunteered to come forward and be dunked, if you will. [00:05:22] There are plenty of shade trees, there will be some line dancing, lots of food, lots of activities for children, [00:05:28] tinted areas as well, and many, many community sponsors. [00:05:33] We've got about 25, 30 vendors that are from New Port Richey Library, from the AIDS Foundation, [00:05:39] from Premier Community Health Care, and I'm taking you might be one participating. [00:05:44] Yeah, we've got What's Up Pasco, and plenty, plenty of food, he reminded me. [00:05:49] So please come on out and take this opportunity to say hello to your neighbors that are out there. [00:05:54] We're all in this together, and we love being New Port Richey community collaborative partners, [00:06:00] and we hope that you all will come on out and see what we're really about. [00:06:03] Thank you. [00:06:05] Alicia, you better scoot up in the front. [00:06:14] I can't see you back there. [00:06:17] You can see everybody? [00:06:35] The kids are throwing for free, the adults are paying. [00:06:39] Thank you all.
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- 6
Library Special Recognition of Olivia Prescott RE: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program
The library recognized Olivia Prescott for completing the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, only the second child to do so, finishing in just under a year. Youth education librarian Jessica Meredith presented her with a trophy, certificate, book, and balloon.
James PrescottJessica MeredithMiranda PrescottOlivia Prescott1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program500 Books Before Middle SchoolKitty Korn series▶ Jump to 7:09 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:07:09] Next we have the library's special recognition of Olive Prescott's 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. [00:07:20] I love books. [00:07:23] Oh, my God. [00:07:24] Those are hot. [00:07:25] They still haven't got to the 1,000? [00:07:31] I got to get on with it. [00:07:32] All right. [00:07:33] Well, if everyone, my name is Jessica Meredith. [00:07:35] If you don't know me, I'm the youth education librarian. [00:07:37] They can do it, but the people at home can't do it. [00:07:40] Oh, at home. [00:07:41] They might if I yell out loud enough. [00:07:42] We here at the library are very fortunate to offer 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. [00:07:48] Literacy starts at home. [00:07:49] It is never too early to start reading with your child. [00:07:53] We offer benchmarks for every 200 books that they read. [00:07:55] They get a little prize. [00:07:57] And Olivia is only the second child who's actually completed the entire program. [00:08:01] So we just wanted to take a moment to recognize her. [00:08:06] And she did it in just shy of a year, if I checked my records correctly. [00:08:10] So big thanks to Mom Miranda. [00:08:12] Big thanks to Dad James. [00:08:14] Big thank you to Olivia. [00:08:16] My brother's back there, too. [00:08:17] He's currently doing 500 Books Before Middle School. [00:08:19] So he'll be up here. [00:08:20] He's currently hiding. [00:08:21] So that's good. [00:08:23] So we just wanted to congratulate you. [00:08:25] So, Olivia, you get a trophy. [00:08:31] You get your own certificate. [00:08:34] We also allow mom or child to pick a book. [00:08:36] So she is a big fan of the Kitty Korn series. [00:08:39] So this is the brand new one. [00:08:43] And this is this balloon that people have been congratulating me on all day when I had nothing to do. [00:08:48] So this is yours as well. [00:08:50] So we just wanted to say good job, Olivia. [00:08:52] Just a little note about me.
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- 7
Proclamation - Gulf High School Graduation
approvedMayor Chopper Davis read a proclamation recognizing the 100th graduating class of Gulf High School (class of 2024), honoring 332 graduates. Three representatives accepted the proclamation on behalf of the school and Principal Jeff Morgenstein.
- direction:Mayor issued proclamation congratulating Gulf High School class of 2024 on the school's 100th graduating class. (passed)
Gulf High SchoolChopper DavisJeff MorgensteinReanna100th Graduating Class ProclamationGulf High School Class of 2024▶ Jump to 9:15 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:09:15] I lost my mom when I was 19 to cancer. [00:09:18] But if she knew how many times I went to this library next door in the past 10 years, she wouldn't be rolling over in her grave. [00:09:25] She'd be on a rotisserie. [00:09:30] So anyhow, we need the high school class of 24 who we have here representing them. [00:09:53] This is a proclamation of the mayor of the city of New Port Richey. [00:09:57] Whereas Gulf High School was founded in 1922 and held its first graduation ceremony for seniors on April 29, 1924, with a graduating class of 11 students. [00:10:08] And whereas the year 2024 marks the 100th graduating class from Gulf High School. [00:10:13] Whereas graduation ceremonies have been a rite of passage that dates back to the 12th century and culminates the 13-year journey each student makes between kindergarten and high school. [00:10:23] And whereas the city council for the city of New Port Richey deems it proper to recognize the 332 members of the class of 2024 at Gulf High School for all of their hard work and dedication which has gotten them to this historic moment. [00:10:36] Now therefore, I, Chopper Davis, mayor of the city of New Port Richey, do hereby congratulate the Gulf High School class of 2024 and wish them all well on their future endeavors. [00:10:49] I think we have three members from the class of 1924. Can you come on down and get the proclamation? [00:11:04] Three to the Dunkin' Boots. [00:11:07] We stand with money waiting. [00:11:12] Anyhow, you guys can say a little bit. I mean, you've got the shirts on, although the class of 24 was the first class. [00:11:18] Come on, Reanna. [00:11:20] But I think you guys can get this to the school board. [00:11:23] Yes, absolutely. [00:11:25] Do you want to say anything? [00:11:27] Oh, sure. [00:11:29] Shorty, we're all shorties here. [00:11:31] But this is really nice, and I'm surprised, probably a lack of communication or something, because they would have been here maybe the time or something. [00:11:40] But on behalf of the principal, Jeff Morgenstein, and the class of 2024, I know they had a wonderful graduation, and they're going to be very appreciative of this. [00:11:53] Thank you. [00:11:54] Probably the whole class is over in Daytona at the beach. [00:11:59] We were just a few years behind.
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- 8.aVox Pop for Items Not Listed on the Agenda or Listed on Consent Agenda▶ 12:11
- 9.a
Purchases/Payments for City Council Approval
approvedon consentCouncil approved the purchases and payments item by unanimous vote.
- motion:Motion to approve purchases/payments for City Council approval. (passed)5–0
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[00:22:16] agenda, purchase payments for the city council to approve. Move for approval. Second. All those in [00:22:23] favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed? We have five zip. Public reading of ordinance. Second,
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- 10.a
Second Reading Ordinance No. 2024-2297: Sale of Surplus Property RE: 5306 Dartmouth Ave.
approvedCouncil held the second reading of Ordinance No. 2024-2297 authorizing the sale of surplus city property at 5306 Dartmouth Avenue to Gary L. Blackwell Investments, Inc. for $40,250. The sole bid received exceeded the $25,000 minimum and includes specifications for a 1,000 sq ft home with two bedrooms, two baths, vinyl fencing, landscaping, and an attached garage. The ordinance was approved on second reading.
Ord. Ordinance No. 2024-2297
- motion:Motion to approve second reading of Ordinance No. 2024-2297, authorizing sale of 5306 Dartmouth Avenue to Gary L. Blackwell Investments, Inc. for $40,250. (passed)
5306 Dartmouth AvenueGary L. Blackwell Investments, Inc.Gary L. Blackwell$10,000 reimbursement incentive for completion within 12 monthsOrdinance No. 2024-2297▶ Jump to 22:30 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:22:30] reading of ordinance number 2024-2297, sale of surplus property 5306 Dartmouth Avenue. [00:22:39] This is ordinance number 2024-2297, an ordinance of the city of New Port Richey, Florida, [00:22:44] providing for the sale of surplus city property, providing for the sale of the property [00:22:47] generally located at 5306 Dartmouth Avenue as legally described by parcel number herein for [00:22:53] the purchase price of $40,250 to Gary L. Blackwell Investments, Inc., providing authorization [00:23:00] to the city manager to execute all documents in accordance herewith and providing for an [00:23:04] effective date. Mr. Mayor, members of council, as was indicated to you at the first reading, [00:23:14] this property was purchased by the city in March of 2020. The specifications that were [00:23:22] developed for the property required that a 1,000 square foot home be built on the property with [00:23:31] two bedrooms, two bathrooms. The rear yard was to be enclosed with a six foot vinyl fence. The [00:23:40] minimum landscaping established for the property was 1% of the lot area and it was to have an [00:23:47] attached garage and architectural features. The minimum bid for the property was $25,000 and it [00:23:56] came with a $10,000 potential reimbursement for completion of the structure within a 12-month [00:24:03] period of time. There was one bid submitted for the property. It was submitted by Mr. Gary [00:24:10] Blackwell. The bid was in the amount of $40,250. Mr. Blackwell is a known developer in the area. He [00:24:20] is a responsible developer and with that being said, we are recommending that you conduct your [00:24:27] second and final reading of the ordinance and approve the sale of the property to Mr. Blackwell. [00:24:32] We have any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, we'll bring it back for discussion and vote. [00:24:40] I'll move approval. I'll second. [00:24:45] No comment from me, we had the conversation, no one came up to Vox Pop, so nothing further. [00:25:01] All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Those opposed, nothing. Second reading of ordinance 2024-2298, [00:25:11] surplus property at 5214 Idlewild Street. This is ordinance number 2024-2298, an ordinance of the City of [00:25:19] New Port Richey, Florida, providing for the sale of surplus city property. Providing for the sale [00:25:23] of the property generally located at 5214 Idlewild Street as legally described by parcel number herein [00:25:29] for the purchase price of $50,250 to Gary L. Blackwell Investments, Inc., providing [00:25:34] authorization to the city manager to execute all documents in accordance herewith and providing [00:25:39] for an effective date. This property was taken by Pasco County for failure to pay taxes and given [00:25:48] to the city back in September of 2021. The minimum purchase price for this property was $35,000.
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- 10.b
Second Reading, Ordinance 2024-2298: Sale of Surplus Property RE: 5214 Idlewild Street
approvedCouncil held second reading on Ordinance 2024-2298 for the sale of surplus city property at 5214 Idlewild Street to sole bidder Gary Blackwell Investments for $50,250, with specifications for a 1,200 sq ft three-bedroom, two-bath single-family home and a $15,000 incentive for completion within 12 months. The motion to approve passed 5-0.
Ord. Ordinance No. 2024-2298
- vote:Approve second reading of Ordinance 2024-2298 authorizing sale of surplus property at 5214 Idlewild Street to Gary Blackwell Investments for $50,250. (passed)5–0
▶ Jump to 25:51 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:25:58] With an incentive to construct the single-family home within a 12-month period of time of $15,000. [00:26:09] The single bid for the property was received in the amount of $50,250. Specifications for the [00:26:22] single-family home were a 1,200-square-foot home, three-bedroom, two-bath, a covered front porch, [00:26:31] and again a six-foot vinyl fence to enclose the rear yard, a 1% minimum lot area, landscaping [00:26:44] requirement, and an attached garage, all of which are included for the property at 5214 Idlewild. [00:26:53] The sole bidder was Gary Blackwell Investments. We are again recommending in favor of the sale to Mr. Blackwell. [00:27:04] Any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, we'll bring back for discussion and vote. [00:27:12] Move to approve. Second. I don't have anything else. Nothing for me. Matt? No, I'm good. Steve? Let's do it. [00:27:21] All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed? We have five nothing. [00:27:26] Second reading of ordinance 2024-2299, sale of surplus property at 5824 Louisiana Avenue. [00:27:33] This is ordinance number 2024-2299, an ordinance of the City of New Port Richey, Florida, providing for the sale of surplus city property. [00:27:40] Providing for the sale of the property generally located at 5824 Louisiana Avenue, [00:27:44] as legally described by parcel number herein for the purchase price of $60,250 to Richard A. Olson, Troy R. Olson, and Vicki L. Clark. [00:27:54] Providing authorization to the city manager to execute all documents in accordance herewith and providing for an effective date. [00:28:01] This property was purchased for back taxes in September of 2021. [00:28:07] The specifications that the city established for the reuse of the property was the establishment of a 1,500 square foot home with a covered front porch. [00:28:21] And for the exterior treatments of the property, a six foot high vinyl fence in the rear yard and attached garage architectural features on the structure and a 1% landscape treatment for the property. [00:28:39] The minimum bid for the property was $40,000 with a $15,000 incentive for completion with a one year period of time. [00:28:51] The sole bid for the property was by Richard Olson, Troy Olson, and Vicki Clark in the amount of $60,250 to construct the single family home in accordance with the specifications.
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- 10.c
Second Reading, Ordinance No. 2024-2299: Sale of Surplus Property RE: 5824 Louisiana Avenue
approvedCouncil held second reading on Ordinance 2024-2299 for the sale of surplus city property at 5824 Louisiana Avenue. The motion to approve passed by voice vote, with a councilmember commenting that minimum bid disclosures may have led the sole bidder to lowball at $60,000 despite no competition.
Ord. Ordinance No. 2024-2299
- motion:Motion to approve the second reading of Ordinance 2024-2299, authorizing sale of surplus property at 5824 Louisiana Avenue. (passed)
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[00:29:06] And the staff recommendation is that we sell the property in accordance with the terms of a purchase and sale agreement. [00:29:16] Do we have any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, we'll bring it back for discussion and vote. [00:29:22] Move for approval. [00:29:23] Second. [00:29:24] Do we have anything? [00:29:25] Nope. [00:29:26] Nothing to talk about. [00:29:28] I just want to point out on all three of these that the minimum bid, in this case $40,000, and to the issue that they were the only ones that responded, if they knew they were the only ones that responded, they probably wouldn't have offered $60,000. [00:29:47] So I think certainly they have interest in buying it and try to just lowball it. [00:29:55] And so many of the properties that have traded. [00:30:00] hands in a different way have we have been I think in some cases disappointed [00:30:06] at the at the outcome so I'm in favor and just wanted to point that out. All [00:30:14] those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Those opposed by nothing. Moving on the second [00:30:19] reading of ordinance 2024-2300 sale of surplus property at 7440 US highway 19. [00:30:26] This is ordinance number 2024-2300 an ordinance of the city of New Port Richey, [00:30:30] Florida providing for the sale of surplus city property providing for the [00:30:33] sale of the property generally located at 7440 US highway 19 as legally [00:30:38] described by parcel number herein for the purchase price of $39,000 to Lee [00:30:42] Wynn providing authorization to the city manager to execute all documents in [00:30:46] accordance herewith and providing for an effective date. This property was [00:30:53] acquired in June of 2022 from Pasco County who acquired it through a tax [00:31:00] deed and they in turn transferred ownership of the property to the city of [00:31:06] New Port Richey. The specifications that were established for the [00:31:12] redevelopment of the piece included the establishment of a 1500 square foot home [00:31:20] with a covered front porch. The structure was to contain three bedrooms and two [00:31:28] bathrooms and it was to have an attached garage, six foot high vinyl fence, minimum [00:31:37] landscaping, one percent of total lot area and the sole bidder was Lee Wynn. [00:31:46] The minimum bid was $35,000. The incentive to construct the property and [00:31:54] get it back on the tax rolls within a 12-month period of time was $15,000. The [00:32:01] bid was in the amount of $39,000. Mr. Wynn is the owner of the adjacent [00:32:10] property and we feel that it is a fair price, it is over the minimum bid and
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- 10.d
Second Reading, Ordinance 2024-2300: Sale of Surplus Property RE: 7440 US Highway 19
approvedCouncil held second reading of Ordinance 2024-2300 authorizing sale of surplus city property at 7440 US Highway 19 to Mr. Wynn. Staff recommended approval; no public comment was received and the ordinance was approved 5-0.
Ord. Ordinance No. 2024-2300
- motion:Move to approve the sale of surplus property at 7440 US Highway 19 to Mr. Wynn (Ordinance 2024-2300, second reading). (passed)5–0
▶ Jump to 32:19 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:32:20] we're recommending in favor of selling the property to Mr. Wynn if it meets [00:32:27] with your approval. Do we have any public comment? Seeing no one come forward, we'll [00:32:32] bring it back for discussion and vote. Move to approve. Second. No comment. [00:32:37] No, nothing to add. I'm good. All right, all those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Those [00:32:44] opposed? Be five nothing. First reading of Ordinance 2024-2301, Amendment to Section [00:32:50] 27-3, Public Art. This is Ordinance number 2024-2301, an Ordinance of the City of [00:32:56] New Port Richey, Florida, providing for amendment of Subsection C of Section [00:33:00] 27-3 of Chapter 27 of the Code of Ordinances pertaining to the [00:33:04] expenditure of funds in the Public Art Fund, providing for expenditure of funds [00:33:09] on private property when approved by City Council, providing for conflict, [00:33:12] severability, and an effective date. As indicated by the City Attorney, the [00:33:17] purpose of this amendment to the Public Art Ordinance is to provide for the [00:33:23] opportunity to expend funds on private property when it is approved by City [00:33:28] Council and Mr. Orobac is prepared to present fully the agenda item to you [00:33:32] this evening. Good evening. Thank you, Madam Manager, Mr. Mayor, Deputy Mayor, [00:33:38] members of Council. Once upon a time, more particularly December of 2006, the [00:33:42] Council approved a Public Ordinance that, among other things, was to promote the [00:33:47] city's vitality, to encourage private developers and owners of commercial [00:33:51] properties to commission art, to expand public experience and exposure to [00:33:55] culture through various art forms, and to enhance the city streets, residential [00:33:58] commercial areas, and its aesthetic environment as a whole. So pretty heavy [00:34:04] stuff. Over the years, there have been ebbs and flows of interest in the Public [00:34:08] Art Ordinance and in finding ways to better activate it. Now, as we find [00:34:12] ourselves in an economic upswing, in the midst of a community-wide renaissance, an [00:34:17] active collaboration with caring stakeholders like the Cultural Affairs [00:34:21] Committee and New Port Richey Main Street, Inc., and in a budget year with a [00:34:25] funded Public Art Fund, fortune is upon us. And our administrative team, we [00:34:31] believe that a small tweak to our Public Art Ordinance would allow you and our [00:34:34] community to bring some outstanding public art projects to life, starting [00:34:38] with the Tides of Time project that's on this agenda later this evening. And as [00:34:44] for that proposed change, the Public Art Ordinance, as currently constructed, sets [00:34:48] forth some notable requirements. The heart of the matter for this evening is [00:34:51] that right now, under 27.3, subparagraph C, it states that monies on deposit in [00:34:58] the Public Art Fund shall be budgeted and appropriated by City Council solely [00:35:02] to pay the cost of, skip a few words, works of art installed in public places. [00:35:07] Public places being that key word there. So a narrow reading of public places [00:35:13] would mean, hey, it's got to be city-owned. Whereas an often used [00:35:19] definition of public places is public facing, visible from the public right [00:35:25] away, a public plaza in a busy downtown location. And so in working [00:35:35] through this and discussing the proposed Tides of Times project and discussing it [00:35:39] with the manager, the city attorney, and other stakeholders, we thought that there [00:35:44] was, and thanks to the city attorney's guidance, with a small tweak we could
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- 10.e
First Reading, Ordinance No. 2024-2301: Amendment to Section 27-3 RE: Public Art
approvedCouncil passed first reading of Ordinance No. 2024-2301, amending Section 27-3 to broaden the definition of 'public places' for public art to include privately-owned places approved by Council via agreement with the property owner. The change supports the Tides of Time project and future public-private art collaborations.
Ord. Ordinance No. 2024-2301
- motion:Motion to approve first reading of Ordinance No. 2024-2301 amending Section 27-3 regarding public art. (passed)5–0
Delaware AvenueGrand BoulevardGulf DriveMassachusetts AvenueWashington and VirginiaAqua HarborKaiserMagnusonRiverside InnMuldrowLake Placid murals (referenced as comparison)Ordinance No. 2024-2301Section 27-3St. Armand Circle (Sarasota, referenced as example)Tides of Time project▶ Jump to 35:50 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:35:50] have a big impact and big effect. And that small tweak is after public places [00:35:54] in the ordinance and such other places generally available to the public and [00:35:59] approved by the City Council upon the execution of an appropriate agreement [00:36:02] with the private property owner. So that's the proposed insertion and [00:36:06] obviously that has the effect of broadening the definition of public [00:36:09] places, enables you, the City Council, to make the call on what suitable locations [00:36:14] are. But in addition to the Tides of Time project, which we're going to talk [00:36:18] about, involves affixing bronze sculptures to the front of many [00:36:21] downtown historic buildings, I think you can imagine, this Council can imagine [00:36:26] places like Kaiser. Now imagine this, imagine a redeveloped Riverside Inn with [00:36:33] a public promenade. Imagine those types of places that might be privately owned [00:36:37] but are very, very public and they might even have an easement over them for [00:36:41] public benefit. And so it's easy to imagine how we might, Aqua, anyone ever [00:36:47] here of Aqua Harbor and looking forward to the redevelopment of the Magnuson, [00:36:51] it's easy to imagine how we might work together with our private partners, our [00:36:56] private property owners, to do something more than either of us can accomplish on [00:37:00] our own. And so that's what this proposed change we believe would do. [00:37:04] We'd be happy to take any questions that you might have. We obviously [00:37:09] recommend approval. Do we have any public comment on this? Seeing no one come forward, we'll [00:37:17] bring it back for discussion and vote. I move to approve. I'll second. I think this [00:37:26] is a great step. I know there have been conversations in the past about [00:37:30] reviewing some of our cultural elements in the city and making it more flexible [00:37:34] for our private stakeholders to take part in the process of, excuse me, [00:37:42] collaboration between the public and private partners and doing things [00:37:46] related to the arts and culture. And so I'm excited to see this. It's a [00:37:51] small change. It's basically just clarification of public spaces as was [00:37:55] said and I hope this opens the door for us to have those larger conversations [00:37:59] about adjusting other ordinances related to our arts. And you may recall [00:38:04] that I suggested we do a workshop on a related but not the same ordinance and [00:38:08] so I'm looking forward to that as well. So I'm very excited by this. I'm excited [00:38:15] about this too and the Tides of Time project is going to be really nice for [00:38:19] our city and so this kind of fault plays into that too. I love seeing the murals [00:38:24] when they're done well and instead of a gray building facing us, we get to see [00:38:29] something more beautiful and I think that that's what our city should be [00:38:31] about so love it. Yeah this definitely gives us more flexibility so we're not [00:38:37] limited to certain places whether it's whether it's just publicly owned really [00:38:43] gives us a unique ability to reach out to our private partners and they can [00:38:50] they can you know join in with it. I know there was a lot of discussion initially [00:38:56] that this would be restricted to the downtown only and I think there there is [00:39:01] often some I guess sense among some of the other business parts of town whether [00:39:10] it's Gulf Drive or Grand Boulevard or Massachusetts Avenue and even among the [00:39:17] areas where we have our overlay district where you might have a beauty shop or [00:39:21] something on a on the side road so I'm thankful to have an expansion of the [00:39:28] concept to allow for the City Council to consider. There's one thing though that [00:39:34] is there's a difference between the city having a fund and paying for murals [00:39:40] there it's a mural grant or mural funding but Lake Placid for example has [00:39:47] 50 murals I don't know that the city paid for all 50 murals so I just want to [00:39:52] make sure we differentiate between us approving the murals that we're going to [00:39:58] fund and invest in and us providing for the creativity of murals that was [00:40:06] suggested by Muldrow you know Lake Placid it has to be historical and so [00:40:12] they have a theme we have a theme that we've used which is New Port Richey it [00:40:17] was suggested that some colorful murals are just adding color and having art [00:40:21] more broadly defined as is important so as it comes a second reading I want to [00:40:28] look a little more closely to make sure that we don't inhibit maybe it's an art [00:40:33] district of there's houses off of Delaware Avenue and others that I see [00:40:41] just like our gardening where we see that around Washington and Virginia and [00:40:45] on the other side of the lake folks have used interesting colors they've put [00:40:49] little little symbols on the wall and I'm seeing loquats on houses all through [00:40:58] town little loquat symbols just like we have oranges or or other insignia in [00:41:04] other places Palmetto is this is the seahorse some places have different [00:41:12] symbols but I think it can be fun for the whole city and I think that's the [00:41:16] goal and I appreciate the fact that it's opened up a little more so I'll vote for [00:41:20] it I just happened to spend a couple days last week in Sarasota and was on [00:41:25] St. Armand Circle and they took advantage there's a there's a public [00:41:28] private entity there where the private entity built the awnings and they [00:41:34] decorated the awnings but the public gets to benefit the shade on the city [00:41:39] sidewalk so I think there's opportunities down the road where we can [00:41:42] you know get do that private public you know advantage especially for the next [00:41:47] couple months here in Newport Ridges so I'm in favor too so so all those in [00:41:52] favor signify by aye aye those opposed so we have five zip all right moving on
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- 11.a
Consider Entering Into an Agreement w/Baycare Behavioral Health
approvedCouncil approved a Memorandum of Understanding with BayCare Behavioral Health for $67,452.56 to fund a case manager/social worker supporting the Police Department's LIFT (Life Improvement Facilitation) team, along with a budget amendment allocating $16,900 in opioid settlement funds for the remainder of FY2024. Council discussed sustainability of funding, hours of coverage (9am-9pm), and the need for outreach during late-night hours along the US-19 corridor.
- motion:Move for approval of the MOU with BayCare Behavioral Health for $67,452.56 and budget amendment allocating $16,900 in opioid settlement funds. (passed)5–0
U.S. 19 corridordowntown Main StreetAlliance for Healthy CommunitiesBayCare Behavioral HealthHope ShotKaiser CollegeButlerLatonaTim DriscollFY2024 police budgetLIFT (Life Improvement Facilitation) teamOpioid settlement fundingPilot program for case manager/social worker▶ Jump to 41:58 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:41:58] to considering into an agreement with Bay care behavior help yes sir mr. mayor [00:42:04] this is an item that the city has been working on for some time now we're proud [00:42:09] to be able to present it to you this evening and deputy chief Latona is going [00:42:14] to present the agenda item good evening can you hear me hello can you hear me [00:42:20] good evening the police department is respectfully requesting City Council [00:42:25] approve the memorandum of understanding agreement between Bay care behavioral [00:42:29] health and the city of New Port Richey and the amount of sixty seven thousand [00:42:33] four hundred fifty two dollars and fifty six cents for a case manager slash [00:42:38] social worker to provide additional support services to the department's [00:42:41] life improvement facilitation team otherwise known as lift additionally we [00:42:47] are requesting that you approve a budget amendment which allocates opioid [00:42:51] settlement funding from the fiscal year 2024 police budget to pay for the case [00:42:56] manager social worker for the remainder of the fiscal year 2024 in the amount of [00:43:01] sixteen thousand nine hundred dollars this funding will come from the opioid [00:43:06] settlement litigation monies that were already received by the city of New Port Richey the addition of the case manager social worker working in conjunction [00:43:14] with the department's lift team will enhance services to our community by [00:43:18] providing more comprehensive wraparound services to address people dealing with [00:43:23] quality of life issues such as mental health issues dependency issues and [00:43:28] homelessness City Attorney Tim Driscoll has already reviewed the memorandum of [00:43:33] understanding between Bay care behavioral health and the city and has [00:43:36] approved it to its form please let me know if I can answer any questions we [00:43:41] have any public comment see no one come forward bring it back to the discussion [00:43:46] vote move for approval second yeah this is this is awesome I'm so happy to see [00:43:54] this and you know thank you and everyone involved for reaching out and doing more [00:43:59] to try to help people that are in need and it's definitely needed and this is [00:44:05] this is just another awesome tool that we can use to help people out so thank [00:44:09] you I agree and I think that this is a great way to use that settlement money [00:44:13] our lift team does a great job and anything we can do to help and build [00:44:17] that team I think is a great thing our community definitely needs some [00:44:21] assistance with mental health with the opioids and all of that and I think that [00:44:25] this is a great way to have that that as part of our team and to have Bay care as [00:44:34] part of the team it's such a big part of our medical community here and happy to [00:44:39] understand just the awards they've gotten for their quality as a as a group [00:44:47] of hospitals and so I think we'll be have a first-class operation yeah I [00:44:53] think this is big and the partnership with Bay [00:45:00] care is incredible. The only thing I would caution is we just had with the school board [00:45:06] with their ESSER funding, they used some of their COVID monies to fund grant position, [00:45:12] or excuse me, their grant monies from COVID to fund positions that have since lapsed [00:45:17] and are not being filled. So once this grant money were to run out in future years, I'd like to know [00:45:25] where we plan on continuing that partnership if it should run out, as I'm sure it would. [00:45:31] The other thing was is I'm glad to see that I had a chance to meet with staff. I'm glad to see [00:45:36] there's a pretty wide open timeframe where that social worker would be available. I would just [00:45:40] offer that calls for service differ from maybe improvised or catching someone in need that wasn't [00:45:49] called to service. What I mean by that is that from what I discussed with staff, [00:45:57] this would be taking place during 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Am I correct in that? Okay. [00:46:03] There are an uptick of homeless and people with mental health needs during the night hours, [00:46:10] anywhere from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., 4 a.m. along the U.S. 19 corridor and even in our [00:46:16] downtown Main Street. That being said, I would just encourage and maybe it can be noted somewhere [00:46:21] that the Baycare social worker, perhaps some sort of agreement could be worked out where [00:46:29] maybe once a month or some way for them to come out during those hours to proactively, [00:46:33] not just for calls for service, but to proactively come out and address some of those needs during [00:46:38] those hours. I just want to add that Baycare Behavioral Health also works with the Hope [00:46:43] Shot and the Alliance for Healthy Communities for the county and they're stationed here in [00:46:47] New Port Richey. They're actually having a resource center at the Kaiser College that will be opening [00:46:52] soon and they are working with Baycare and they will have staff during some other hours as well. [00:46:58] Mr. Mayor, if you want me to respond to the points raised by Councilman Butler, [00:47:04] only $16,900 of the total appropriation is being supported by the opiate funds. The rest [00:47:14] of the expenditure is actually general fund dollars and that is the fund that we'll rely on [00:47:23] likely in the future if we do not have opiate funds available for the expenditure. [00:47:31] And the program that we're putting in place now is a pilot program. We'll continue as time goes [00:47:39] by to assess and adapt to determine what model is going to suit our community best and Deputy [00:47:47] Chief will be collecting all of the analytics to determine what the best service hours are going to [00:47:54] be for us. But it is going to vary widely at first and large part driven by the fact that [00:48:02] we will be called upon to assist police officers that aren't on the lift team as well. [00:48:11] I just want to go ahead and add that adding professionalism to our lift team of officers [00:48:18] is a big time plus. So a move for approval, all those in favor? I think they're professional [00:48:23] already. Yeah, right, but I'm saying they're trained in a different field, you know. Right, [00:48:28] but to have the social service element is a great addition. That's basically what I'm saying, [00:48:33] yeah. All right, all those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Those opposed? We have five nothing. [00:48:39] Let's see, public art project entitled Tides of Time proposed by the New Port Richey Main Street
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- 11.b
Public Art Project, entitled "Tides of Time," proposed by New Port Richey Main Street, Inc.
approvedCouncil approved appropriating $27,500 from the Public Art Fund (a 50/50 partnership with New Port Richey Main Street, Inc., total project ~$55,000) for the 'Tides of Time' public art project. The project will install 10 miniature bronze sculptures by artist Jillian Harper on historic downtown buildings, each with a QR code linking to narrated history, creating an interactive walking tour for the city's centennial.
- motion:Motion to approve appropriating $27,500 from the Public Art Fund for the Tides of Time public art project and authorizing the city manager to execute related agreements. (passed)
Burnett ArcadeClark BuildingFirst Bank of NPRGazebo at the museumJasmine Point on the Cody RiverLane Company Office BuildingMaury Bowman BuildingPasco BuildingSmith BuildingSwafford BuildingAtlas ObscuraChasco InnHaciendaHistoric Sloss FurnacesNew Port Richey Main Street, Inc.Pasco County Historical SocietyRichey Suncoast TheaterRitchie Amusement CompanySTEAMworks ClubSuncoast Young People's TheaterWhite Heron Tea RoomBeth FragerCouncilman AltmanGaryGreg OravecJillian HarperPatrick BenetRichSeth KappTina GordonCultural Affairs CommitteeNew Port Richey Centennial / 100th anniversaryPublic Art FundPublic Art OrdinanceThomas Meighan TheaterTides of Time▶ Jump to 48:45 in the videoShow transcriptHide transcript
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[00:48:45] Inc. Settle down, we'll get to you in a second. [00:48:54] This request is to appropriate some of our public art funds to support a project that is being [00:49:03] advanced by Main Street and Mr. Orovac has prepared a PowerPoint presentation to tell us a bit about [00:49:12] the story behind it and how it has made its way through the Cultural Affairs Committee and such. [00:49:20] And so Greg, why don't you just take it away? Thank you, ma'am. Good evening again and as the [00:49:26] manager set forth, this request is for your approval of a public art project entitled Tides [00:49:32] of Time proposed by one New Port Richey Main Street Inc. approving the use of $27,500 from [00:49:38] the public art fund and authorizing the city manager, who's been here now for 10 years, [00:49:42] happy anniversary boss, to execute all agreements and forms consistent with such approval. [00:49:50] Council, you know it, but that shouldn't stop us from reinforcing it. New Port Richey is a [00:49:55] city on the rise. We're blessed by stakeholders and partners also enjoying an upswing. Our [00:50:01] community, a team, is working hard, smart, and together on building something special. That [00:50:05] special is the best walkable waterfront historic hometown in Florida. And on that journey of [00:50:10] bringing that vision to life, not only are you working hard and the manager and our team working [00:50:16] hard, but we're really lucky to have champions like New Port Richey Main Street Inc. working [00:50:21] hard. You know, I get to do all the fun stuff here. Thank you so much for allowing me to do it. [00:50:27] Last week, or the last meeting, we were able to celebrate Richey Suncoast Theater, [00:50:32] Community Cornerstone, and then here's another one with Main Street, working with so many of [00:50:37] our downtown property owners. And so they really are working hard. I'm going to argue that with [00:50:42] this multifaceted proposal, they're proposing to hit it out of the park. But if you've read [00:50:48] the packet, you know that they, and of course we have so many, we have the whole board of [00:50:56] directors here. They might even have enough people to have a meeting. They probably don't [00:50:59] have the same advertising requirements that we do. But we have Tina Gordon here, obviously, [00:51:05] who's, I like to call her executive director, even though she goes by, I guess, by program [00:51:09] director. And I'll allow her to introduce everyone that's here, all the members of the board that are [00:51:16] present. But I want to recognize them and invite them to the podium at any time. But in celebration [00:51:23] of our centennial, of our 100th year, they were looking for ways, hey, how could we celebrate? [00:51:29] How could we do a public art project? How could we reinforce and educate who we are, [00:51:39] that we're historic, who we are, where we are, where we're going? How could we do all of that? [00:51:46] They took inspiration from a lot of places, including, they're very good at doing interactive [00:51:52] walks downtown, and some are food-related, some are wine-related, but there's all kinds of things. [00:51:59] There's obviously, there's chalk involved, there's all kinds of special events involved. [00:52:05] And they were like, wow, could we do an interactive art adventure downtown? How could we do that? [00:52:11] They found inspiration, I don't know if you've ever seen them, Council, but the figurines of [00:52:18] Boris. And I don't know if you can see that. By the way, I'm not allowed to use the laser anymore [00:52:23] because I, like a Red Ryder BB gun, I almost shot the chief's eye out last meeting. So I've been [00:52:29] downgraded to this. But if you can see this, you can see these little hidden figurines. [00:52:36] And even though I'm from New Port Richey, I'm learning more about New Port Richey every week, [00:52:41] every presentation. I think a lot of people know that the mayor comes from a military family, [00:52:46] but I didn't know that he spent any time in Sweden. Mayor, how did you become one of the [00:52:52] hidden figures of Boris? That's amazing. I didn't know that. And then, of course, they also found [00:52:59] inspiration from the hidden mini statues of Budapest. And I thought that Councilman Altman [00:53:06] was born in New Port Richey like me. So I was really surprised when I saw him riding a bicycle [00:53:12] in Budapest. But in any event, our Main Street organization, the design committee, [00:53:18] they found a lot of inspiration from these figurine projects. And mayor and council, [00:53:24] people from around the world go there just to find these mini figurines and to partake in that art [00:53:29] and that culture. And it's one of the things that makes those places dynamic. And our Main Street [00:53:34] organization, our team said, hey, what about if we did something like that here, but we made it [00:53:39] our own? What if we found a way that we could commission miniature bronze statues to recognize [00:53:47] the kind of buildings that make our historic downtown special? Many of them, at least. [00:53:52] And so they have a slate of 10 buildings, and they have a placeholder for also a public location, [00:54:00] which they've currently, they're working with the Historical Society on the gazebo out front [00:54:06] of the museum. So that's one of the things that they're working on, continuous improvement, [00:54:11] constant polishing. But you've seen these, and obviously we have a lot of history downtown, [00:54:17] and they're working with the Ritchie Suncoast Theater, at least in Smith Building, the Hacienda. [00:54:23] Come on, you can't not have the Chasco Inn with Beth sitting up there. You got Clark Building, [00:54:27] the Burnett Arcade, the Swafford Building, the Lane Company Office Building, the Maury Bowman [00:54:32] Building, the Pasco Building, the First Bank of NPR. Of course, here it is, they already got a logo, [00:54:40] they've already done a map, and I call it an interactive art adventure. They have, it's the [00:54:45] tides of time of visual art experience. And so you would have these miniature bronze statues, [00:54:54] you have them affixed to the front, public-facing portions of the building, the building that's [00:55:00] accessible to the public. And not only would you have the piece of art, if you can see this on the [00:55:07] on the screen, you would have a QR code. And I just put that in there to demonstrate, it might be on [00:55:14] the actual placard part of it, not on the piece of art itself. But the idea that this is not just [00:55:20] your grandmother's art, this isn't just the Gulf High class of 2020, excuse me, what year? [00:55:28] 100 years ago? 1924? It's not just that graduating class, this is tied into [00:55:34] the modern world, and there'd be a QR code. And if I can operate this modern clicker properly, [00:55:41] you'll see what some of, let's see, Gary and others, oh nope, all right, let's see, [00:55:50] Donny, can you give me an assist? There we go, teamwork makes the dream work. [00:55:59] The Thomas Mayen Theater was built in 1926 by Ritchie Amusement Company, formed by prominent [00:56:05] local businessmen. The theater was named in honor of the silent screen megastar who was the Tom [00:56:11] Cruise of the Jazz Age. Every resident of the city, as well as every American, knew the name and [00:56:18] recognized the face of Thomas Mayen. He appeared in 84 motion pictures from 1914 to 1934. Designed [00:56:26] by prominent architect Thomas Reed Martin in Mediterranean revival style, the theater featured [00:56:33] triple arcading arches and column piers over its grand lobby entrance. Three receding arches [00:56:40] resting on three twisted columns on each side of the entrance completed Martin's design. The [00:56:46] theater's iconic golden center dome became a city landmark. Constructed for $60,000, [00:56:53] the theater was equipped with opera seats for 500 to enjoy vaudeville reviews and silent films. [00:57:00] The theater opened with a screening of Mayen's comedy, The New Klondike, about the Florida [00:57:05] land boom. Mayen and his wife, actress Frances Ring, built a grand winter residence at Jasmine [00:57:12] Point on the Cody River. The couple lured their illustrious social network to New Port Richey [00:57:17] to also invest in property. Sound films reached New Port Richey in 1930 when Mayen pushed the [00:57:24] button that premiered Dialogue, heard for the first time. Over the decades, the theater changed [00:57:30] ownership, operators, and names. In 1972, the Suncoast Young People's Theater purchased the [00:57:37] building and transformed it into a stage playhouse for community theater. Renamed the Ritchie Suncoast [00:57:44] Theater, the venue has entertained generations with quality live entertainment. [00:57:53] So I don't know if it'd be appropriate to give them a round of applause for the work that they did. [00:58:00] So they've, they are working on, and I mean Gary and the team, Gary was the narrator obviously, [00:58:06] and the team, they've poured their heart and soul into that. They're in that sweet spot of [00:58:11] two minutes, no more than three minutes, in today's society where you're trying to educate [00:58:15] and expose people but without losing their interest. And they're customizing that for [00:58:19] each of the locations. And the quality of the material, the history that they're providing, [00:58:25] and then also just the professional editing. It's just so nice that that's being created by [00:58:30] the community without any really help from us. They're doing that on their own. And so that's [00:58:35] a professional grade product that they're putting into it where each of those would be customized. [00:58:40] So going back to sharing their creative process, like hey, how could we do this? Well, [00:58:46] they got together with an artist, Ms. Harper, and she's experienced in bronze. So bronze is a very [00:58:52] specific medium. So you want someone who knows what he or she, in this case she, is doing. [00:58:59] And then she does things big and small. So you can see a delicate dragonfly. I like Mr. [00:59:06] Crackers though. And that someone took a bite right out of her, his, her face there. I think [00:59:11] that's a great piece. But that's obviously a much bigger scale than what we're talking about here. [00:59:17] And here's the concept sketch. They're to the point now where they're working with the artist [00:59:22] because each of those miniature sculptures, this is 14 inches as you can see in the margin to give [00:59:28] you a sense of scale. Working with the theater, the artist is pulling out elements, even in 14 [00:59:35] inches, that really connect that to the theater in a meaningful way. So you heard Gary articulate, [00:59:40] narrate about the arches in the theater and how iconic those were. Well, those arches from a good [00:59:46] artist have made their way into the art. And if you look at that piece, I bet you feel like, oh, [00:59:52] that's connected to the theater somehow. So they want to do that for each of the locations. [01:00:00] really special on multiple levels. [01:00:05] So with this project, the estimated cost of the project is $55,000. [01:00:09] It's a proposed 50-50 partnership between the city, and more specifically the Public [01:00:14] Art Fund, and Main Street, Inc. [01:00:17] They're going to raise the additional dollars. [01:00:19] They're going to help us leverage to greater effect through private donors. [01:00:25] The current schedule is by the end of the calendar year. [01:00:30] You know that minor revision to the Public Art Ordinance is required to effectuate this. [01:00:35] And then at its meeting of mid-May, the Cultural Affairs Committee did review the proposed [01:00:41] project, including the use of $27,500 from the Public Art Fund, and unanimously recommended [01:00:46] approval. [01:00:48] So as it relates to budget fiscal impact, you heard it. [01:00:52] There's funding available in the Public Art Fund, and staff is recommending approval for [01:01:00] those reasons. [01:01:01] You've heard me say them before. [01:01:02] I won't say them again. [01:01:03] Yes, I will. [01:01:04] Serve to implement the Public Art Ordinance. [01:01:07] Leverage private investment in art, culture, and downtown. [01:01:09] Celebrate art in our history. [01:01:11] Create a participatory art adventure that will generate arts-related tourism and give [01:01:16] our citizens another fun thing to do downtown. [01:01:18] Increase consumer spending downtown, which helps to increase economic development, enhance [01:01:23] economic development, make downtown an even more dynamic place. [01:01:26] That is placemaking, everybody. [01:01:28] Educate. [01:01:29] Contribute to civic pride. [01:01:31] Staff is recommending approval. [01:01:32] Be happy to take any questions you might have. [01:01:34] And of course, I just got to be their cheerleader. [01:01:37] The people working, making it happen, are here for you as well. [01:01:41] Do we have public comment, please? [01:01:55] Good evening, City Council, Mayor, staff. [01:01:59] I'll play the mic to you. [01:02:00] Oh, sure. [01:02:01] I'm sorry. [01:02:02] I'm Beth Frager. [01:02:03] I am the co-chair for the Design Committee for New Port Richey Main Street. [01:02:10] Oh, hello. [01:02:11] Well, hi there. [01:02:12] Of course, this is Patrick Benet, our president. [01:02:16] I'm happy to have Jillian Harper, the artist, with us today, as well as our narrator, Gary, [01:02:23] and local historian. [01:02:26] This project came about, like Mr. Orvek said, for we were looking, Main Street was looking [01:02:33] for a way to honor the city's 100th anniversary. [01:02:39] So we have decided that this is the best way, recognize all of the buildings that have been [01:02:46] here for 100 years or less. [01:02:49] Each of the art pieces, these bronze sculptures, will be affixed to the building, and the meaning [01:02:57] will come from the history of the building, what businesses have been in the buildings [01:03:05] throughout the years. [01:03:07] There will be a little history, like you saw, of Jillian up there. [01:03:12] She will explain why she came up with this idea or description. [01:03:19] Our goal, like you said, was the QR codes. [01:03:22] Our goal is to help increase travel and tourism to our area. [01:03:29] Once this project is up and running, we will submit it to some tour and travel sites that [01:03:36] are a little off the beaten path, like Atlas Obscura, which is a place where people go [01:03:42] to find unusual things, like the largest ball of yarn, or the largest rocking chair, or [01:03:49] any other unusual things. [01:03:52] Some people like to find hidden figures. [01:03:54] Geocaching is huge these days. [01:03:56] So this is just another way to bring people, tourists, and people that are looking for [01:04:03] fun things to do into our city. [01:04:07] This is Gary. [01:04:08] Hi. [01:04:09] If I might add, public art brings beautification to a city, but our project offers the marriage [01:04:15] of not only art and beautification, but this lends itself to a walking tour of the city. [01:04:21] So it's educational and it's historical. [01:04:24] It kind of expands upon art into pride in the area, our heritage, and promotes tourism [01:04:33] as well. [01:04:35] That's awesome. [01:04:39] It's really been a fun renewal for us, as an organization, as a city, as a council. [01:04:46] One of the things that we really are striving for is to put down on paper, to put down on [01:04:54] film, to really be able to tell our story. [01:04:57] Because there are people who can't tell the story that 10 years from now won't be alive. [01:05:03] So now is the time to get the story written. [01:05:05] Now is the time to get the story on film. [01:05:10] You can see what a tremendous job and vision that Gary has, and the team has had, and the [01:05:15] volunteers have had. [01:05:17] And really to take that around the city and really show that, and then to illustrate that [01:05:22] as really a walking tour in the tourism capabilities, I think it'll be a phenomenal way to incorporate [01:05:30] our culture, our history, and tourism in that economic vitality that we strive for. [01:05:37] So it's just a tremendous project that grew from enthusiasm and creativity. [01:05:45] And we have some wonderfully special people that have really driven and taken it to the finish line. [01:05:52] So any questions that anybody has, we are really excited about it. [01:05:57] We're excited about our 100 years. [01:05:59] We're excited about the different things that we can do, and really what iconic tourism [01:06:08] item would drive people here. [01:06:10] So that's really, that's our vision. [01:06:14] And if I may be so bold to just include, we selected 10 buildings that were historic [01:06:20] in nature, but I kind of think of that as phase one. [01:06:23] I could ultimately see this expand into another 10 buildings, and expand the walking tour [01:06:29] as it grows and people become excited about it, and it also becomes a status for the business [01:06:36] owners who allow the bronze sculptures to adhere to their buildings. [01:06:41] And one more quick thing that I forgot. [01:06:43] It also has legs. [01:06:44] In other words, we can take this and come up with little note cards and have them sold [01:06:51] in the hacienda at White Heron Tea Room. [01:06:56] So there's many, many more ways that we can promote this art project, as well as add to [01:07:04] reasons, oh, you got a little postcard or note card from Newport Radio. [01:07:09] Richie, what a cool place to go. [01:07:11] So I think that's it for me. [01:07:14] Any questions? [01:07:15] Is the artist going to have anything to say? [01:07:17] I do, actually. [01:07:20] Thank you so much for having me here. [01:07:23] I'm very excited about this project. [01:07:25] The Goldfish was a very old public art project. [01:07:28] I have had many more. [01:07:31] I have permanent public art projects in multiple states, Florida, Kentucky, and Louisiana. [01:07:39] I have worked primarily in metal and casting metal. [01:07:43] I just finished a two-month bronze and iron casting residency at the Historic Sloss Furnaces [01:07:52] in Alabama. [01:07:55] So I just wanted to point out that my experience includes public safety and hurricane winds [01:08:08] and that sort of thing, as well. [01:08:10] Of course, these will be smaller sculptures adhered to a building, but because of the [01:08:14] historic nature of the building, that will be in consideration in dealing with an engineer [01:08:19] and how they are affixed to the buildings to preserve the historic nature of each place [01:08:28] and be respectful of that history. [01:08:33] I look forward to this project not only being, of course, a historical reference, but also [01:08:43] a reference to this moment in time for years to come. [01:08:48] The legacy of this project will continue and probably open doors for more public art projects [01:08:54] here in New Port Richey. [01:08:55] Thank you. [01:08:56] Do we have anybody else in the public who would like to speak? [01:09:05] Good job, good job. [01:09:09] I fully support this and have been fully supporting this for years. [01:09:14] As you all know, this is just the tip of the iceberg. [01:09:16] I encourage you to do bigger, be bolder, make this really unique, and make it happen. [01:09:23] Give them the money so we can keep this going. [01:09:25] Thank you. [01:09:26] Thanks, Rich. [01:09:27] Thank you, Rich. [01:09:29] Anybody else like to speak? [01:09:34] Hi, Seth Kapp at STEAMworks Club. [01:09:43] In a different life, I got stuck in Boston and they had the same type tour. [01:09:47] I love this historic idea and being able to do that. [01:09:52] It was on an app, so I could do what I needed to. [01:09:55] I could see different projects, and it took me all over the city of Boston, places I would [01:09:59] never go because I didn't know because I was a tourist, right? [01:10:03] I fully support this. [01:10:04] I think it's a phenomenal idea. [01:10:06] Thank you. [01:10:07] Thanks, Seth. [01:10:08] Awesome. [01:10:09] Thank you. [01:10:10] Anybody else like to come down? [01:10:13] These four here are approving you when you come down. [01:10:19] Bring it back for discussion and vote. [01:10:23] Move to approve. [01:10:24] I'll second. [01:10:25] Second. [01:10:26] All right. [01:10:27] He mentioned Boston, so now I have to say Boston because my granddaughter is 15 years [01:10:33] old. [01:10:34] She'll be 16 in September, and I'm supposed to go visit her in Boston. [01:10:37] The first thing she told me we had to go do is tour some of those, so there you go. [01:10:41] I'll be going and doing that in September. [01:10:43] Bring back notes. [01:10:44] Right? [01:10:45] I'll have to bring something back for you all, yes, but I think it's a fabulous idea, [01:10:48] and I'm all about the art in our community. [01:10:51] I think this is a great way to bring our past and our present together, and I love that [01:10:56] we're going to do this. [01:10:57] Thank you. [01:10:58] Thank you. [01:10:59] Hold on a minute for a second. [01:11:00] Either one of you both at the time. [01:11:02] Yeah. [01:11:04] It is a fabulous idea, and it does a great job of respecting our history for our residents, [01:11:09] and as was said, promotes the idea of tourism to attract more people to see all that New Port Richey has to offer. [01:11:16] I promise to keep it short, especially if Greg and Main Street was able to cover everything, [01:11:20] and they did, and so I just want to touch on Main Street and the fact that they've had [01:11:25] so many projects in the last few years that just do a great job of promoting our downtown,
This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.
- 12Communications▶ 1:11:30
- 13Adjournment▶ 1:33:14
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Moment of Silence
Moment of silence.