Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Art And Downtown Redevelopment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CRA weighs dates, artist availability for Singing River dedication; Main Street partnership described
Summary
The board discussed scheduling the Singing River ribbon-cutting and heard a presentation on using Professor Green and graduate students to support a Main Street application for downtown Bradenton; the mayor endorsed collaboration with merchants and advisory boards.
The Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency spent a large portion of its March 25 meeting on scheduling the official dedication for the Singing River public art piece and on a planned Main Street program partnership.
Dr. Burton briefed the board on the upcoming ribbon-cutting and said he had contacted the artist about availability for late April, May or June dates; he recommended providing multiple date options so the artist can confirm which works best. "He suggested providing a few different dates so we can make sure that we... have his availability as well," Dr. Burton said.
Board members discussed timing trade-offs — holding the event on a city-council day to ensure attendance versus selecting an evening to allow working residents to attend — and raised calendar conflicts including regional planning conferences, graduations and Memorial Day weekend. The group coalesced around offering the artist dates in early to mid-May and favored late-afternoon or early-evening start times to boost attendance.
Dr. Burton also described a partnership with Professor Green of the University of South Florida to prepare a Main Street application and to have graduate students gather data and produce a final presentation for the CRA. He said the Main Street program is a three-year technical-assistance program states run and that a Main Street nonprofit can be initially funded by the CRA and later become self-sustaining.
Mayor Jean Brown said the city supports the approach and urged the board to involve merchants and advisory groups. "I do think that this is a big project that everyone is going to love," Mayor Brown said, adding that a coordinated merchant association could amplify downtown benefits.
Next steps: staff will collect multiple potential dates from the artist and propose 'save the date' options to the board after confirming availability; staff will also provide Main Street application materials and arrange for Professor Green and students to present their findings to the CRA.
