Town of
Provincetown
Visitor
Services Board
Meeting
Minutes of
Wednesday,
November 08, 2006
Chairman Lynne Davies convened the meeting at 10:05 AM noting the following
attendees:
Members Present: Lynne
Davies, Chairman; Kathleen Fitzgerald;
Laurel Guadazno; and Hersh Schwartz.
Excused Absence: Peter Bez, Vice Chairman; Michael Peregon
and Mick Rudd.
Other attendees: Bill Schneider, Administrative Director of
Tourism; David Gardner, Administrative Assistant II; Michelle Jarusiewicz, Grants
Administrator; Rex McKinsey, Harbormaster; Don Knuuttila, Provincetown Business
Guild; James Mack, Chair of the Beautification Committee; Austin Knight, Vice
Chair of the Historical Commission; Andy Pollack, Farmers’ Market.
Austin Knight made a public
comment on the Special Town Meeting article regarding the sale of the Former
Fire Station Number 2. Mr. Knight
stated he intends to ask for a continuation of the article until the April Town
Meeting in order to allow all appropriate town boards to weigh in on the issue.
UPDATE ON
MCC ADAMS GRANT TASK FORCE ACTIVITIES
Michelle Jarusiewicz provided an
update on the activities of the MCC Adams Grant Task Force, including two
initiatives: The Pilgrim Monument
Centennial and the Packaging Workshop Initiative.
A promotional bag will be
distributed at the Lighting of the Monument.
The PMPM has delayed its seasonal closing to cross-promote the Moonlight
Madness event.
A half-day packaging workshop is
still under discussion for this calendar year and a more comprehensive workshop
is planned for the spring.
ICON has announced the first of
two public Charrettes to present design concepts for the Streetscape
Improvements project, which will be held on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at 6:30
PM at the Fine Arts Work Center.
Next year’s application for MCC
Adams Grant has been drafted. The Adams
Grant will not fund capital improvements, but will fund planning and program
type expenditures. Scope of the
application includes funding to hire a program manager to plan and implement
the streetscape improvement program.
The Adams Grant process requires
partners. Michelle proposes that the
VSB go forward with the streetscape program in collaboration with the Adams
Grant Task Force and other partners.
The grant funds would pay for the program development, planning and
design. The existing seed money for the
Historic Trail could be dedicated to actual capital improvements, or
improvements that would not be covered under the Adams Grant.
Ms. Davies expressed concern about
the process going forward if the VSB must get approval of its plans by the EDC
or Task Force. The VSB already has Town
Meeting approval of these funds dedicated to the Historic Trail and has a
working group already in the process of identifying and planning the
improvements.
Ms. Jarusiewicz is seeking the
VSB’s participation as a partner with the Task Force and other stakeholders for
the purpose of requesting the grant.
The BOS set up the process in which the development through the Adams
Grant will be approved through the Task Force and the EDC. If the VSB would like to move forward on the
planning and implementation of the Streetscape or Waterfront park without
having to go through the EDC or Task Force, then the BOS would specifically
need to approve that process.
Members of the VSB discussed the
process that would be required if the project manager was funded by the Adams
Grant, and the loss of control over the outcome of the project. The VSB does want to be a partner in the
grant process, but does not want to lose oversight of the Tourism Funds already
dedicated to the Streetscape Improvement or Waterfront Improvement programs to
the Task Force or EDC.
MOTION: Move to include the VSB as a partner in the Adams Grant
application process.
MOTION: Laurel Guadazno; Seconded: Hers h
Schwartz; Yea: 4 ; Nay: 0;
Abstain: 0
FARMERS MARKET
Andy Pollack would like to revive the
Farmers’ Market in Provincetown. Mr.
Pollack has set up a Farmers’ Market in Dartmouth and participated in the Provincetown
Farmers’ Market in 2005. Mr. Pollack
owns a farm in Dartmouth and sits on the Dartmouth Agricultural Committee, and
is a member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership.
Mr. Pollack is seeking to partner with
the VSB to revive the Farmers’ Market and find a new location other than
MacMillian Pier where the 2005 market was located. The rules would be similar to the management of the 2005
market. Mr. Pollack would seek to
revive the market based on his experience with the Farmers Markets and his
contacts within the agricultural community, but then at some point step aside
to allow some other entity to manage the market.
Harbormaster Rex McKinsey did not
recommend use of the Bas Relief. The
Farmers’ Market was discontinued on the Pier because it was a drain on Pier
resources and because of a conflict that developed amongst the market
participators.
Ms. Davies would like to see a preference
for, or at least full participation in the market, from local or Cape
farmers. Would also want to insure that
the scheduling of the market would not conflict with other Farmers’ Markets on
the Cape.
MOTION: Move to include the VSB as a partner in reviving the farmer’s
market at an alternative location with further discussion to work out the details.
MOTION: Lynne Davies; Seconded: Laurel Guadazno; Yea: 4 ; Nay: 0; Abstain: 0
WATERFRONT
PARK INITIATIVE
The VSB would like to see the area
improved with better landscaping, lighting, benches and public art. Redistribution of the memorial trees around
to allow for greater visibility of the waterfront. Cultural and informational kiosks could be included at various
points.
The VSB has identified Tourism
Funds available for the improvements.
An RFP would be sought to establish a Landscape Plan with the remaining
funds used to obtain improvement materials, ie: pavers, additional landscaping and benches.
Rex McKinsey announced the Pier
Corporation has submitted a grant request for an 80-foot gangway and new
courtesy float at the courtesy pier in order to allow handicap access to the
waterway, which is adjacent to the improvement area being planned.
Memorial benches could be sought
within the RFP to mitigate the costs.
HOLIDAY
LIGHTING INITIATIVE
A proposal submitted by the Cape
Light Compact to underwrite the cost of new LED string lights for decorating
Town Hall was presented by the ADT.
MOTION: Move to approve $390 dollars from FY07 Marketing Funds to
purchase LED holiday lights for Town Hall.
MOTION: Lynne Davies; Seconded: Laurel Guadazno; Yea: 4 ; Nay: 0; Abstain: 0
FY08 GRANT
APPLICATION UPDATE
A PDF file of the grant
application is under construction and should be available later this week. A list of organizations requesting an
application is being compiled and recipients will be provided a copy of the new
grant application as soon as it is available.
TOURISM
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
The new PTO
brochure and 2007 Calendar of Events made their debut at the Travel and Leisure
Show in Toronto. A draft letter to the
1,745 property owners identified by the Town’s Assessor as “second home owners”
was presented by the ADT. Included with
this mailing will be the 2007 Calendar of Events.
MOTION: Move to approve re-printing 3,000 copies of the 2007 Calendar of Events at a
cost of $650 and postage not to exceed $681 to be paid from the FY07 Marketing
Budget.
MOTION: Kathleen Fitzgerald; Seconded: Laurel Guadazno; Yea: 4; Nay: 0;
Abstain: 0
A
new ad has been prepared for the December/January issue of Boston Spirit Magazine. The
VSB reviewed the proposed ad, which was attached in their Board packet.
At
the request of the VSB, the ADT contacted Bay
Windows to discuss the wedding issue supplement, which is scheduled to run
in the February 8, 2007 issue. The PTO
is already scheduled to run a one-quarter page ad in that issue. Options include placing an additional ad in
the wedding supplement, with costs ranging from $198.75 for a quarter-page ad,
$373.50 for a half-page, or $705 for a full-page advertisement.
MOTION: Move to approve replacing the one-quarter
page ad contracted to run in Bay Windows with a full page ad in the February 8,
2008 Wedding Issue supplement for an additional cost of $506.25, to be paid
from the FY07 Marketing Budget.
MOTION: Laurel Guadazno; Seconded:
Hersh Schwartz; Yea: 4 ; Nay: 0;
Abstain: 0
As
requested by the VSB, the ADT has arranged for a beach cleanup using inmates
from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, November 22. At the recommendation of the Harbormaster,
the crew will focus on the area by Ryder Street from the Old Reliable (ruins
near Whaler’s Wharf) east beyond MacMillan Pier. Paul Fanizzi has graciously offered to provide lunch for the
crew, which will arrive early Wednesday morning in order to complete the
cleanup before high tide that day.
APPROVAL
OF MINUTES – OCTOBER 17, 2006
MOTION: Move to approve the minutes of the October
17, 2006 VSB meeting as submitted.
MOTION:
Kathleen Fitzgerald; Seconded: Laurel Guadazno; Yea: 4; Nay: 0;
Abstain: 0
The
meeting was adjourned at 12:27 PM.