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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-01 Commission on Cultural Development Minutes Commission on Cultural Development Sept. 1, 2010, 7:30 am City Council Chambers Minutes Commissioners in Attendance: Chair Steve Ribble, John Rohman, Susan Carlisle, Susan Jonason, Timothy Lo Others in Attendance: Geoff Gratwick and Shirar Patterson Commissioners Absent: Robert Zavaleta, Sandra-Blake Leonard Others: Eugene Dawes Next Meeting Date: 1. Welcome & Introductions Chair Ribble called the meeting to order at 7:30 am. 2. Approval of Minutes from August 3, 2010 The Minutes of August 3, 2010 were approved as presented. So voted. 3. Review Commission Financials  Commission’s allocations totaled $57,950 at the beginning of the new fiscal year for July 1, 2011.  Maine Discovery Museum requested $20,000 in a grant for their Capital Campaign/Museum Exhibit. The Commission recommended funding of $8,000 to the City Council, which has been approved, bringing the Commission’s balance down to $49,950. Chair Ribble stated that the agenda would be revised and Trevor Sprague Memorial Discussion would be taken out of order 4. Trevor Sprague Memorial Discussion  Steve Ribble reviewed this item stating that it had been briefly discussed at the August meeting. He noted it is a request by a community member, Eugene Dawes, for a memorial for Trevor Sprague.  Mr. Dawes was invited to speak and he explained the purpose for this particular request. Mr. Dawes expressed a strong desire to see a memorial put in place and reviewed the materials he submitted for the Commission’s review. Additionally he expressed concern that the case remains unsolved and felt a memorial may bring attention to the case and help solve it.  Steve stated that the Commission’s Public Art and Monument guidelines states that the person to whom a memorial is dedicated to shall have been deceased for 20 years. Mr. Dawes request does not fall into this criteria.  Geoff Gratwick stated even though this does not fall under the current timeframe guidelines he feels that it will be an ongoing process and would be happy to work with Mr. Dawes on this in the future.  Steve added that he greatly respects Mr. Dawes bringing this issue before the Commission and hopes the decision by the Commission is not discouraging to him. It is not the right time for a memorial but there are other avenues that Mr. Dawes can take to get there.  Geoff Gratwick made a motion to officially at this time not move ahead with the Trevor Sprague Memorial but that Commissioners continue to be available to Mr. Dawes for his future endeavors. Seconded by John Rohman. So voted. 5. Monument/Public Art Draft Application Review & Discussion Purpose of this item is to insure that public art and monuments placed on public property are of high artistic merit, that the thematic material is appropriate for the City, and the monument treats its subject matter with appropriate dignity.  Shirar stated: this application document is a clarification of the policy only. The goal is to make it easier to understand for a community member and to provide the Commissioner’s all of the information they need upfront. Items were taken directly from the Public Art and Monument guidelines and put into an application format.  It was suggested to include a generic ‘sample’ of an approved application with the guidelines. That could also be put on the Cultural Commission’s website.  Shirar will request from the City’s Planning Dept., 2 versions of site plans (a simple one and a more grand one). These will be reviewed at the next Cultural Commission meeting.  Housekeeping changes need to be done on the guidelines where it talks about the Committee instead of the Commission. These changes will need to be taken to the City Council also.  Shirar noted that as the application is not a change to the existing guidelines it is not required to be approved by the City Council. Steve noted that the Commission should take any changes or information to the Council at one time. 6. Revised Grant Application Discussion  Shirar had previously been requested by the Commission to put together language in the Grant Application to clarify their purpose and criteria in order to deal with the restricted budget available for making grants.  Shirar reviewed the updated grant application which was drafted as a result of conversation at the August meeting.  The changes simply clarify the application and do not change the grant guidelines as approved by the City Council in 2005.  An additional match requirement - funds should be matched by a minimum of 50% through other means of fundraising (grants, donations, in-kind) was highlighted in the grant application. A match requirement has always been in the guidelines but not specified in the application itself.  After discussing the above changes, the Commissioners have suggested the following: o Clarify that large and small grants have separate submission dates, i.e. Jan. & July – Large Grants; April & Oct. – Small Grants. o Delete ‘Operating Support’ instructions in the application. o Omit the requirement for ‘prior history’ information for board members. o Reiterate to applicants that these funds are intended to be used within 12 months and that they need to report to the Cultural Commission at the end of that 12 months or before on how those funds were used, the success, etc.  There was some discussion of changing the guidelines themselves in terms of the following “eligible organizations may submit only one application per calendar year”. Commissioners felt that a fiscal year made more sense than a calendar year and that the language should read “be awarded only one grant per calendar year.” This item will be up for future discussion and is not pertinent to the immediate grant application deadline.  Shirar noted that she will need to publish the updated grant application changes for the Oct. 1 deadline. Commissioners felt this was reasonable provided it does not include anything that the City Council needs to approve. 7. Commission Membership Update Shirar has spoken to Robert Zavaleta recently regarding his absence at meetings; she anticipates the Commission will receive a letter from him in the near future officially resigning. At that point, the Commission can then move forward in getting a regular Commissioner appointed by the City Council. 8. Other Items  Bangor Arts will be hosting their ‘Familiarity Tour” on Thurs., Sept. 16, from 4-6 pm. Shirar will be sending out email notices to this effect.  Art Walk is scheduled for Fri., Sept. 17.  Tim Lo stated he would like to draft up an idea for a Cultural Innovation Grant for the Commission to review.  John Rohman stated that he will not be available for the next meeting due to a conflict. Meeting adjourned. Next Meeting: Oct. 27, 2010 Next grant deadline: Oct. 1, 2010