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CBC 05-10-1994Thy City PedutiU Commission AGENDA The City Beautiful Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, May 10, 1994 in the City Board Conference Room, 2nd floor of City Hall at 10:00 A.M. I. Roll Call II. Approval of Minutes III. Judge David Stewart IV. City Beautiful Kids V. City Beautiful By -Laws VI. Lighting Project Update VII. Lighting Contest Update VIII. Parks and Recreation Activities IX. Miscellaneous X. Adjournment 500 West Markham, Room 108 Little Rock, AR 72201 371-4770 The City Redutiful Commission The City Beautiful Commission held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 12, 1994 in the City Board Conference Room, 2nd Floor of City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Steve Cato, Chairman. Members Present: Steve Cato Jim Goodhart Jo Rancifer Joe Robbins Also Present: Lin Blair Josephine Graham Joyce Raynor Merle Seamon Truman Tolefree, Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation Becky Switzer, Executive Secretary, Parks & Recreation Jim Sick, Parks Maintenance Mgr., Parks & Recreation Mark Webre, Project & Design Mgr., Parks & Recreation Emily Hartman, Design Tech., Parks & Recreation Bob Brown, Plans Review Specialist, Neighborhoods & Planning Representatives from Church of Christ I. Roll Call - 8 members present II. Public Hearing - Item No. 1 - CBC 549 - Samuel L. Davis/Frank Bowers, Barrow Road Church of Christ. Variance Requested - A reduction in the width of a portion of the northern perimeter planting strip two hundred and twenty-five (225) feet in length from six (6) feet to two (2) feet and transferring the associated shrubs and trees to other areas of the site. 500 West Markham, Room 108 Little Rock, AR 72201 371-4770 Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 2 Staff Recommendation - Bob Brown presented the staff recommendations. Since the applicant is willing to upgrade the overall site with more shrubs -and trees within the interior and more visible eastern and southern perimeters than would be required along the northern section, staff recommends approval of this request. Merle Seamon made a motion to approve the variance request. Jo Rancifer seconded the motion. All members voted in favor. III. Approval of the Minutes - Lin Blair made motion to accept the minutes of the last meeting with two changes, the date needs to be changed and to remove Joe Robbins name off the list of commissioners present at the last meeting. Joyce Raynor seconded the motion. All voted aye. At this point in the meeting, Steve -Cato, informed the Commissioners that Joe Robbins provide a Treasurers Report at each meeting. Joe stated that he has closed the Winterfest account. He will be reporting the balance on the City Beautiful account and how many checks have been written. IV. City Beautiful Kids-- Jim Sick stated that the first round of interviews for City Beautiful Kids were held on Saturday. Lin Blair and Josephine Graham interviewed the kids. The second round of interviews will take place this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and should be over by noon. An Executive Director for- the -City Beautiful Kids Program has not been found. The letters for sponsorship were sent out last week. Jim stated that if there is not an Executive Director hired soon that he will follow up on the letters in the next -few weeks. Jim said he has applied for one hundred twenty City Beautiful Kids this year as well as twelve for the Dunbar Garden Project. It is now up to JTPA to determine how many kids we can hire. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 3 Josephine Graham asked how many kids were interviewed on Saturday. Jim stated that sixty- eight kids came through the office that day. Jim Goodhart, Jo Rancifer, Steve Cato, and Joe Robbins are slated to interview this Saturday. Bob Brown mentioned David Bazzel as a possible candidate for the Executive Director position. Jim Sick said he would contact David to see if he is interested. V. City Beautiful By -Laws - At the last meeting Jim Goodhart passed out a revision of the By -Laws for all commissioners to look over them and recommend any changes. Jim stated that Becky had retyped the By -Laws making the changes and returned to him. Jim once again passed out the By -Laws and asked all of the commissioners to review the revisions and to look at the order of business. He would like feedback. Jim would like to be able to vote on the approval of changes at_the next meeting. VI. Lighting Project Update - Jim Goodhart met last week with,the representatives from the Friends of the Zoo and the Parks Department. Jim stated -that the commission has not made a formal approval to be involved in the Zoo Lighting Project. He feels this is a matter that needs to be addressed. The three groups researching this project have mapped a route in the Zoo for thelights be. There has been discussion on food vendors. The lights would be on in the evenings and the exhibit would open after Thanksgiving and possibly run until the first of January. The Friends of the Zoo feel that they will be able to recruit corporate sponsors to contribute money to pay for the different lighting displays. Emily Hartman and Mark Webre from the Parks Department have come up with a plan on the layout for the lighting project. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 4 Jim feels that the City Beautiful Commission could help promote this attraction so that it will bring visitors to our city. The admission proceeds will —off set costs and contribute funds for generl improvement projects. Eventually the money may be used for the proposed Children's Zoo and the Entrance of the Zoo. Steve Cato and Truman Tolefree supported Jim on the facts that the admission proceeds will be going for general improvements at the Zoo at this point. Jim Goodhart stated that the first years money may go to the Zoo but that maybe the second year the City Beautiful Commission could receive a minor percentage of the admission fees that could be applied toward a beatification project in a park in some other area of the city. The next meeting will be held May 3rd at 2pm in the Parks and Recreation Conference Room. If any commissioner would like to serve on a committee there will be five committees. They are the Entertainment, Food and Beverage, Operation and Construction, School Outreach and Fund Raising. Merle Seamon shared the information he had on a lighting that takes place at the Jacksonville, Florida, Zoo. Jim Sick asked what will happen with the lights that are put up in Riverf ront Park. Jim Sick stated that a lot of manpower is used to put up lights in the park and that money comes from the City Beautiful Commission for replacements of lights. Jim Goodhart stated that he has heard that the Little Rock Visitors Bureau has been in touch with the Downtown Partnership to do some - event in Riverfront Park in conjunction with - the Christmas Parade. Lin Blair made a motion to continue the City Beautiful Commissions support of the Lighting Project at the Zoo. Jo Rancifer seconded the motion. The motion passed with all voting in favor. Steve Cato encouraged all commissioners to go by the Parks Department Design Division to view the plans for the Lighting Project. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 5 Truman Tolefree mentioned that as this project and its committees grow, the Parks Department will pull back as an advisory consultant and have someone from the Parks Department t-o serve as a representative. Steve Cato feels that will be the same rule that the City Beautiful Commission -will follow. Jim Goodhart stated that Millie Ward of Stone and Ward Advertising has committed to helping with the advertising for this project. VII. Lighting Contest Update - Joe Robbins apologized to his committee members since they have not formally been able to meet. Joe stated that they would like to do something different this year with the contest. One thing he would like to see is the way the prize money is to be awarded. Jim Sick suggested dividing it by wards. There also needs to be more advertising to promote the contest. Jim Goodhart feels that the commission first needs to find out if the Osbornes are goigg .to - fund the project again and if they would agree to dividing the money another way. Lin Blair feels that the commission needs to have a proposal to take to the Osbornes in May. Joe would like to see the categories broken down two ways, traditional and creative. There could be ten winners, five in each category. Joe also feels that if a person has won that they should not be elgibile to compete the following year. Joyce Raynor feels that the commission needs to get the contest involved with the neighborhood associations and churches. Merle Seamon feels the commission will need to come up with a different way.of judging because he feels that there will be even more applications this year. Jim Goodhart suggested that we hire a professional photographer. Lin Blair stated that the ground rules need to be established and then the commission needs to stick by them. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 6 Discussion was tabled until the next meeting. Truman Tolefree feels that the Commission will need to contact the representative for the Osbornes, Robert Lowery, to inform him of the changes that the commission would like to see made and have him present them to the Osbornes. VIII. Adopt -A -Park - Steve Cato reminded all of the commissioners to try and be at the press conference that will be held tomorrow at MacArthur Park at noon. Steve passed around a copy of the certificate that will be presented to the individuals or groups who have adopted a park at this time. As a commission Steve Cato and Jim Goodhart sent letters to each City Board Member Joyce Raynor and Jim Goodhart will start sending letters out to different organizations and groups to help with contributions or to adopt a location. Joyce Raynor stated that at the last meeting she had suggested that the commissioners wear t-shirts at the press conference promoting the Adopt -A -Park program. The Parks and Recreation staff informed her at -a meeting that they are going to give t-shirts to the people who joined the program so they did.not need to have one designed for the press conference. After much discussion Joyce opted to pass on the t-shirts for the press conference. Truman Tolefree stated that -it -was his understanding that the commission wanted to come up with a t-shirt for a one day event and the Parks Department was not opposed to the idea. He feels that there was a misunderstanding. IX. Miscellaneous - Steve Cato informed the commissioners that Liz Williams was not able to attend todays meeting. Liz has taken photos of the landscape award nominations and that she will be contacting each commissioner to set up a time to look at these pictures. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 7 Jim Goodhart passed out a copy of a letter that Mark Webre sent to Judge David Stewart. Jim and Mark met with Judge Stewart to see if the City Beautiful Commission could be of any help with different projects that may come about through the new environmental court. Discussion was held on the treatment of some of the problems that may pass through Judge Stewart's court and if the City Beautiful Commission would be able to help on expanding the treatment and if there is any common ground between the court and the City Beautiful Commission. Jim Goodhart stated that he will research other cities to see what they are doing along the same line as our environmental court. Jim stated that several Future Little Rock Task Force committees have made recommendations that the City Board look at the City Beautiful Commission and see what it does. Jim feels that the City Beautiful Commission needs a working group to look into our own commission to see what we are doing and compare it to other , cities City Beautiful Commissions. This would enable us to see how their commission works and when they are having success. Joyce Raynor suggested that as -of now -Jim Goodhart go ahead with what he needs to do to investigate other cities and call any of the commissioners that he made need for help. What Jim would like to do is have a small committee that will be able to contact other cities. Joyce Raynor, Lin Blair, Joe Robbins and Steve Cato stated they would be that committee. Lin Blair questioned a letter that she had received from Hamp Roy. It was in regard to putting a flag pole in a location near the I-30 exit of Cantrell Road. The Vietnam Veterans are the ones that want to do this project. This item was tabled until the next meeting so that Joe Robbins would have time to balance the City Beautiful check book and to have someone from the veterans group to come and address the commission on this matter. Steve will have Josephine Graham contact Mrs. Stanley in regard to attending our next meeting. Minutes April 12, 1994 Meeting Page 8 Merle Seamon passed out copies of the Future Little Rock newsletter. Merle attended another meeting of the Capitol Ave. Task Force. The task force will start getting feedback from the property owners around the area. Joyce Raynor asked if the City Beautiful Commission is allowed to have closed meetings. Truman would like to have the City Attorney's opinion on this matter. Steve Cato asked that Truman try and have the answer to this question by the next meeting. Joyce also informed the group of a parade for the Razorbacks that will be taking place in downtown Little Rock later in the week and invited everyone to attend. The Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce is helping to organize this event. Jo Rancifer made the motion to adjourn the meeting and Joyce Raynor seconded. All voted in favor of the motion.