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Palatka launches resident app, formalizes Special Events Team and approves expanded Bartram Frolic
Summary
Community affairs presented a new resident app and a standing Special Events Team to coordinate city events and funding; the commission approved the multi‑day Bartram Frolic festival and discussed funding categories for city event support.
City Community Affairs Director Eddie Cutright demonstrated a new resident smartphone app intended to deliver real‑time city alerts, event notices and service updates directly to phones. Cutright said the app will improve transparency and reduce reliance on social media and word‑of‑mouth; staff plans a citywide outreach campaign that could include print, radio and utility bill inserts once commissioners and staff complete testing.
Cutright also outlined a formal Special Events Team that will meet twice monthly and review city service needs for events (police staffing, EMS, fire marshal inspections, barriers, trash receptacles). The team’s membership includes public‑works, police, fire marshal, community affairs, chamber and EMS representatives; the group will rate events and recommend which funding category events fall into for commission consideration.
Commissioners and community speakers discussed event funding categories that staff drafted: Class A events (up to $3,000 for up to two days), Class B events ($2,000) and Class C events ($1,000). Staff said the Special Events Team will propose funding category recommendations; the commission retains final authority to allocate city funds.
Sam Carr, representing the Bartram Trail and river‑related programming, thanked staff for special‑events coordination and asked the commission to approve a longer, multi‑day Bartram Frolic; the commission approved the event resolution on the consent/calendar item and discussed using the new team to vet logistics and funding for future festivals.
What’s next: staff will run a pilot with commissioners, launch an outreach campaign once testing is complete, and the Special Events Team will begin reviewing applications and recommending categories and resource needs to the commission.
