City will co-sponsor 5 Centre Street events in 2019; Main Street will co-sponsor 4

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
February 24, 2019

 

At their February 19, 2019 Regular Meeting, Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) unanimously passed Resolution 2019-27, which approved city co-sponsorship of five events selected by the city’s Special Events Committee and four events selected by the Fernandina Beach Main Street program based on the following criteria: community impact, longevity, and feedback from City staff.

City-related fees will be waived for the co-sponsored events selected, with the exception of costs for Public Safety Officers. The co-sponsored events nominated by the Special Events Committee: Sounds on Centre, the Nassau Sports Association Fishing Rodeo, Petanque Amelia Island Open, Hometown Fourth of July, and Shrimp Drop.

The co-sponsored events nominated by the Fernandina Beach Main Street Program: Dickens on Centre, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Road Tour, the 8 Flags Car Show, and the Black Friday Pajama Party.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is governed by a separate agreement.  

The Special Events Committee may approve additional events, but city fees will only be waived for those co-sponsored events included in the resolution.

In light of recent community anxiety over the future of Sounds on Centre concerts generated by social media posts that falsely claimed the city had cancelled the concerts, City Manager Dale Martin invited Historic Fernandina Business Association (HFBA) representative Chuck Hall to provide a 10-minute briefing on the HFBA and its history prior to the vote.  The HFBA represents its members, who pay $100 annual dues to belong.

Hall presented a series of 21 slides detailing the city’s economic situation and the business climate on Centre Street as merchants dealt with changing retail patterns on the island as well as the redesign of Centre Street in the late 1970’s.  He concentrated on local restoration efforts that have taken place since 1974.

Chuck Hall

Hall said that the HFBA as well as the Restoration Foundation were spawned in the aftermath of public reaction following the demolition of the Keystone Hotel on the site currently occupied by Pineland Bank.  At that time, Hall claimed, there was almost a 40 percent vacancy rate in Centre Street storefronts.

“We realized that failure to keep our commercial buildings open and occupied would ruin downtown,”  Hal said.  The HFBA’s focus became saving downtown.  He cited the disagreements over the 1978 plan to revitalize downtown, which pitted neighbors and businesses against each other.  Flashpoint issues included parking, traffic patterns, cost, and the underlying problems involving the introduction of change.

Hall said that the issue boiled down to accepting the need to change.  Today only two of the pre-revitalization businesses remain on Centre Street.

He cited various activities in which the HFBA has worked cooperatively with the city such as the purchase of decorations for the annual Christmas tree.  He cited the HFBA’s initiation of the Black Friday Pajama Party, downtown caroling, sidewalk sales, window decorations and other activities.

“Our aim is to keep our businesses busy and healthy,” he said.  “Practically every business owner downtown has worked with us at some point.”

Hall said that recently HFBA has not been as visible to the community because of a volunteer shortage.  He indicated that the change to a tourist-based economy has improved the business climate while also keeping business owners too busy to engage in much of the hands-on volunteer work they once participated in.  “We are also working with a few high powered people in an attempt to get them on the Board,” Hall said. “However, we are gaining more members and volunteers.”

Hall said that the HFBA would like to create a liaison position to enable the organization to work more closely with the city.  “It’s our fault that you guys don’t know what we are doing, and I apologize,” Hall said.  “We raise our own money to pay for our marketing and promotional expenses.  The only government money we receive is the waiver of permit fees for Sounds on Centre.”

Commissioner Chip Ross asked about HFBA membership and when the last election was held.  Hall said that all members — 47 — are listed in the publication Amelia Now.  He said that officers are elected in January.

Vice Mayor Len Kreger said he liked the idea of a liaison of “some sort.”  He expressed his concern that Fernandina Beach Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce and the HFBA do not work well together.  “I’d like to see a way that we can all get on the same page and all support this community,” Kreger said.  “I’m not sure how that can happen, but everybody is going to have to work on it.  These [turf] battles have been going on for a year plus.”  Kreger said that he preferred to have the issues worked out among the groups before presenting anything to the FBCC.

According to Hall, who was asked to clarify some of his statements via email after the meeting:

  • HFBA is a 501.c.6 organization;
  • Bonnie Gray, HFBA Secretary, handles social media at a cost of $150 per month;
  • Lenette Mills, HFBA Treasurer, receives $100 per month to handle accounting;
  • Hall himself is chair of Sounds on Centre Concerts.

Hall added that HFBA is currently trying to fill the positions of President and Vice President.  He said that there is about a 20 percent turnout for HFBA monthly meetings. 

 

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chuck hall
chuck hall(@bob)
5 years ago

Great coverage as always, thank you. Your work is much appreciated!
Please allow me to clear up one misunderstanding. The HFBA received an email for the Events Committee that stated we were not given a permit for the concert for our traditional location and time. They suggested that we move the event or the dates. At that eleventh-hour in our enormous workload of contracts, scheduling and hiring, with only ten days to deadline, we simply were not able to comply.
So, yes, for all practical purposes, it was a cancellation. City created or not, we could not go forward without the permit as normal, at that late date.
While the Events Committee might have seen this as an opportunity to negotiate with the HFBA about the details, it was not well handled, and no questions about the changes were presented or asked in any way during our meeting.
The City has graciously approved this years concerts as normal, and the HFBA is tasked with working with the Events Committee to work out an agreement for 2020.
This means that over the next year, the HFBA will be hosting details about how these concerts work, and the complexities of why the location and time is so important to the success of the series, and it’s continuation.
The HFBA deeply appreciates the City and it’s partnership with our efforts to promote our historic downtown and the businesses that work here.
Anyone that wishes to join us in this effort are asked to learn more about the Historic Fernandina Business Association, and it’s 45 year legacy of working for downtown.