Title
Downtown Upgrades (B)
Explanation
The Interim City Manager has created an interdepartmental team to look at ways to improve the Downtown Plaza. This group, with representatives from ten City Departments and the CRA, has had several meetings and is preparing to make a formal presentation to the City Commission at the February 28, 2005 meeting. The group has been working on ways to renovate the bathrooms, improve the lighting, make physical improvements in the benches and hardscaped areas, and enhance the overall landscaping.
At the same time the Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board has been developing a corresponding plan that would clean and brighten the Downtown, focusing on connecting the new parking garage with the Downtown core. The plan includes replanting the bubbles, adding decorative banners to the light poles, cleaning the sidewalks, providing advertising for Downtown parking, creating information type signage for the Plaza and the garage and implementing a lunch time event series.
DRAB is prepared to move three items from the plan forward to the CRA for funding approval. The remaining items will move to the CRA in the next few months.
DRAB recommends that the CRA hire A&J Quality Coatings and Pressure washing to pressure wash and provide gum removal services along target corridors within the Downtown. This company is currently under annual contract with the CRA to provide services within the College Park University Heights district. This is a one time expense and DRAB recommends a not to exceed budget of $8,000.
DRAB envisions a decorative banner program within the downtown core that changes four times a year. At present the Board recommends the purchase of 50 sets of banner brackets and 60 banners. The Board is recommending an initial banner that promotes the shop, dine, enjoy concept. These banners were selected to help to promote general downtown activities. DRAB envisions the addition of UF banners in the fall, holiday banners during the winter and patriotic banners in the spring. This initial purchase will begin the program. Additional banners will be purchased over the next few months. DRAB is recommending the purchase of 50 sets of banner brackets for $ 3,450 and 60 banners for $2,635.
In an effort to create awareness of the availability of parking within the downtown DRAB recommends that the CRA run a series of print ads in the in the Scene section of the Gainesville Sun. These ads will run in the "Downtown" section of the paper. A series of six weekly ads will run $1,650.
The remaining items in this plan will be presented to the CRA at the March meeting.
Fiscal Note
The Downtown Increment was $20,267 higher than anticipated and those funds can be allocated to these projects.
Recommendation
Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board to the CRA: 1) Recommend contracting with A & J Quality Coatings and Pressure Washing, Inc. to pressure wash sidewalks and provide gum removal for selected areas in the Downtown district, not to exceed $8,000.00; 2) recommend the purchase of sixty banners at $2,635; fifty sets of banner brackets at $3,500 and budget the remaining $4,482 for on going installation expenses; and 3) authorize six ads in the Gainesville Sun Scene section promoting the availability of downtown parking for $1,650.