With New Year's Eve festivities about a month away, the City's reduction of fireworks funding for annual events was addressed Tuesday by the Downtown Vision board of directors.
Board member Vince McCormack of Perdue Office Interiors also serves on the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl executive committee and reported the City has budgeted $5,000 from the Office of Special Events festival fund for the New Year's Eve fireworks, the night before the annual game.
He said the fireworks budget for the display is $12,000-$15,000, which is less than in previous years.
"But we think we can put on a good show for that," said McCormack.
The City provided no budget contribution for the $51,000 fireworks display Nov. 24 after the annual Light Parade, said Landing Marketing Director Michael Chambliss.
McCormack said other sources are being sought to fund the fireworks and asked DVI's board to approve a $2,400 contribution.
Board Chairman Chris Flagg, principal of Flagg Design Studio Inc., said DVI should not react to imminent funding needs and asked if private organizations could step up to sponsor the fireworks.
Board member Pam Smith, owner's representative at EverBank Center, said she supported the appropriation, but on a one-time basis with the understanding that private sponsorship would be in place before New Year's Eve 2013.
Board member Sarah Toppi, an attorney with Holland & Knight, said the board should act as a steward of the stakeholders' money.
DVI primarily is funded by an additional tax assessment paid by Downtown property owners and a contribution from the City's general fund.
She proposed authorizing DVI's executive committee to contribute up to $2,500 for the New Year's Eve fireworks display, based on an evaluation in two weeks of fundraising success, 20 days before Dec. 31.
The board unanimously approved the authorization.
Board member Donald Harris, general manager of the Wyndham Hotel on the Southbank, suggested next year the New Year's Eve festivities Downtown could be a DVI project, separate from the Gator Bowl game.
In other business, DVI Executive Director Terry Lorince told the board the organization is making changes in the format of its First Wednesday Art Walk.
For the first time in the almost 10-year history of the once-a-month, four-hour event, artists and other vendors will be charged a fee to participate beginning Jan. 2.
Katherine Hardwick, DVI marketing director, said the fee is to partially defray the cost of Art Walk.
Artists will be charged a fee of $15 for a single Art Walk or $120 for 12 Art Walks. Food vendors will be charged $50 per event.
The cost to DVI for each Art Walk is about $4,000, including City permits, fees for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel, marketing and signage, said Hardwick.
Lorince said the fees are less than artists are charged to exhibit and sell their work at the Riverside Arts Market.
Lorince said DVI's "Picnic in the Plaza," a weekly event to encourage Downtown workers and visitors to bring food and eat lunch in Hemming Plaza, is scheduled to return Friday.
She said the goal was to attract 50 people to the event each week. Lorince said 75 people joined DVI for lunch at the debut and 20 people attended the second week.
The third week was canceled because of cold weather and last week, the event was on hiatus for Thanksgiving.
Lorince said DVI would be capable of coordinating daily events in Hemming Plaza.
"All we need is money," she said.
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