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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-05 Study SessionSTUDY SESSION Monday, January 10, 2005 7:00 p.m. -Council Chambers Minutes of Meeting Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher called the meeting to order. Present were Mr. McCash, Mrs. Boring, Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher, Ms. Salay, Mr. Lecklider and Mr. Keenan. Mr. Reiner was excused. Staff members present included the following: Ms. Brautigam, Ms. Puskarcik, Ms. Grigsby, Mr. Smith, Mr. Hahn, Mr. Hammersmith and Mr. Bird. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher noted that tonight's topic is discussion regarding the Dublin Bicentennial which takes place in 2410. Ms. Puskarcik noted that she has invited Anne Brown, Community Relations/Public Information Officer for the City of Worthington to share information about their bicentennial celebration, which took place in 2443. The City of Worthington began planning efforts in 1998. It is an appropriate time to begin thinking about Dublin's celebration for 2414. Anne Brown, City of Worthington noted that they look back at their Bicentennial Celebration with pride, and believe it was very successful and helped to bring the community together. She is pleased to share information about planning and coordination, as well as some lessons learned from their experiences. In 1998, a Committee of 54 residents and community members met and brainstormed. They came up with over 244 ideas of things they wanted to see done for the bicentennial. The group then determined common themes and the desired activities and experiences to reflect the bicentennial. Their themes to be carried through all of the events were: 1 } to create a legacy for future generations; 2} to incorporate technology wherever possible; and {3} to honor Worthington's rich history and cultural heritage. She noted out the following: • They wanted to ensure wide audience participation for events and therefore provided a variety of events with a variety of ticket costs for the community. • They wanted to have bookend events, starting the celebration in October 2442 with an opening event and a similar event at the closing in October 2443. • They wanted to incorporate memorabilia and market the Worthington community. • A research committee reviewed the history of Worthington in order to incorporate history into all events so people could learn while having an enjoyable experience. • They identified 9 signature events for the yearlong celebration. • The committee which met initially was narrowed to the Bicentennial Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Council President and Vice President. They presided over the meetings and the planning. • Also on the Steering Committee were volunteers from the community who served as event chairpersons; City staff of Dave Elder, City Manager, herself as Public Information Officer, and Laurie Trego, Assistant to the City Manager. Dublin City Council Study Session Monday, January 10, 2005 Page 2 • They did hire a temporary coordinator to oversee the process and ensure that timelines were met. They also engaged a consultant for fundraising. • They had bookend events -Founders Day Festival in October of 2002 and 2003. They had a living history set up on the Village Green, costumed people and arts and crafts. Opening ceremonies including founders from Granby, Connecticut. There was lots of involvement with the school children and community members. • On that weekend, they also had a Founders Day Service of Thanksgiving - a multi-faith service designed to reflect on the City's past and diversity and to express thanks to the founders of the community. Many faiths were included and it was a memorable experience. • The Heritage Ball in February of 2003 was a costumed ball with period costumes and a dance master. It was held at the Community Center. • A lectures series, called, "The Village Talks," was held at the Jessing Center at the Josephinum. It was designed to reflect some of the values of the founders - schools, churches and libraries. • Ohio Chautauqua is a statewide program with the Ohio Humanities Council. Worthington applied to be a 2003 site. Ohio Chautauqua is a traveling, old- fashioned tent show and the scholars who participate bring the figures to life. They provide a look at what life was like on the Ohio frontier. • A wagon train traveled across Ohio in partnership with the Ohio Bicentennial of 2003. There were 1,600 participants, most in authentic costumes who camped out along the way. They participated in the July 5th parade in Worthington as they passed through town. • Homecoming was the July 4th weekend celebration. Former and current residents and visitors to Worthington were invited to celebrate. It included community floats, in chronological order through time until the current day. There was an ox roast, entertainment and arts and crafts. • A play was commissioned from Brian Clark, Thomas Worthington High School graduate, called, "The Scioto Company" -- based on the life of James Kilbourne. It ran from July 2 -20 and was a wonderful original production by Brian Clark, a New York playwright. • In October of 2003, the second Founders Day weekend was held, with a look to the future of Worthington. A street festival took place, focusing on the various cultures and arts and the cutting of the official bicentennial birthday cake, with guests from Worthington's Sister City in Japan. During the same weekend, a second Founders Day Service of Thanksgiving was held. • One signature event was the Worthington Memory project, assembled in conjunction with the Worthington Library and Worthington Historical Society. This is an ongoing, online scrapbook of photographs, documents, etc. to create and share Worthington's past. Items date back to the early days of Worthington. There is a web site access at www.worthingtonmemory.orq She noted that she was very involved in the publicity and public relations aspect. The publicity and promotion included the following: Dublin City Council Study Session Monday, January 10, 2005 Page 3 • Two years before the opening events, a logo design contest was held and a community member devised the star on the logo. It is the Ohio star - a quilting pattern first brought to Worthington by its founders. Four green squares represent the Village Green. This logo design contest was an effective means to have people anticipate the bicentennial and to garner interest. • They sold merchandise far the celebration, which was a new area for Worthington. They raised about $ 40,000 from merchandise sales. • They had postcards with magnets and a calendar for the individual bicentennial events. • They had an official song written by Eric Gnezda which reflects Worthington and its spirit. It is called, "The Bells of Worthington" and the back-up singers were school children. It was performed at several events in Worthington and served as a theme song throughout the year. • Street banners were funded by sponsors. • A video was shot of all of the events to document them far the future. • They had many in-kind and media sponsorships which assisted in publicity. • They had a sign sponsor which helped to defray cast of banners and signage. • They had a web site, www.worthington.orglbicentennial which is still active. Budget In 1977, after the country's 1976 bicentennial where some events were held in Worthington, some monies were left over. These funds of $911 were then set aside for Worthington's bicentennial in 2003. With the interest accumulated, they had a total of $2,000 to begin the work on the bicentennial for 2003. In 1998, Council began to set aside money in anticipation of the celebration. By the beginning of 2002, they had $63,000 in total funds set aside for the bicentennial. Recognizing that there were upfront costs of staging the event, Council agreed to advance $165,000 to cover those costs with the agreement that the monies would be returned to the general fund at the end of the celebration. They had a massive fundraising campaign and raised $316,000 from corporate and private donations. They also received a state grant for participation with the wagon train of $119,000. Revenue from merchandise and ticket sales was $163,655. The total revenues were $913,420 and the total expenses were $689,505. This included the temporary staff hired, any entertainment costs, the playwright, etc. After reimbursing the general fund for the $165,000 advance, there is $60,000 remaining. There is a proposal now before Council to place the remaining funds in an interest bearing account for future celebrations. They learned several things in their experience. • It was good to start early, but not too early. Three to four years would be desirable. Once they had their initial rush of brainstorming, there was a lull where meetings were held, but not much happened. At three years out, they Dublin City Council Study Session Monday, January 10, 2005 Page 4 met once every other month. In October of 2001, they began to meet monthly. The Steering Committee met monthly, but the subcommittees for various events met more often to plan specifics far their events. • The community partnerships were essential -the school district, library, Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Bureau. It was definitely acommunity-led event, versus a City led event. • They needed lots of volunteers and had a large response. They had approximately 300-400 people involved in some manner. • The staff time involved was more than expected at the outset. She came to the City in 2001 and was to be the sole person working on this, but the City Manager Assistant and a coordinator were both required due to the scope of the events. They underestimated at the beginning the amount of staff time needed. • The fundraising was very successful. Hiring a consultant to do this was very effective for them. They had various levels of giving, i.e., Founding Sponsor, Village Green Sponsor, with various benefits given to them. In terms of legacies: • The volunteerism and community spirit really blossomed and are still alive in other projects. • The Heritage Ball has continued under the Worthington Education Foundation. • Healthy Worthington is now a coalition promoting healthy lifestyles in the community. • The Worthington Memory is an online scrapbook which continues. She summarized that it was truly the experience of a lifetime! She offered to respond to questions. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher asked if the expenses category included the staff time. Ms. Brown responded that it included only the contract persons, not the staff time in terms of casts far the project. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher asked Ms. Puskarcik what she is seeking from Council tonight. Ms. Puskarcik responded that staff is simply introducing the idea to them at this time so that Council can begin thinking about Dublin's bicentennial. Staff learned a lot with the Dublin History Book project and there is a lot of momentum which should not be lost. Many who participated in that have expressed an interest in continuing to be involved with similar activities. So there is a group in place that is interested in continuing to serve. A timeline needs to be determined. Dublin is fortunate in that existing City events can be incorporated into the bicentennial events. For example, perhaps the Emerald Ball that year could incorporate the bicentennial theme. Staff would like to develop a timeline, identifying some City and community things to be Dublin City Council Study Session Monday, January 14, 2445 Page 5 considered. The bicentennial should be considered in terms of budgeting and Council goals. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher stated that it would be good to coordinate this with the budget process. In the timeframe, staff should suggest at which point Council would identify a community champion, for example, to serve as honorary chair. Ms. Puskarcik asked Ms. Brown if the bicentennial co-chairs changed as the Council President and Vice President changed through the five years. Ms. Brown responded that they did not -they remain Council President and Vice President at this time. Ms. Puskarcik asked when Council would want a preliminary timeline from staff. Mrs. Boring asked which year this will take place. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher stated that the bicentennial is still five years out, assuming it takes place in 2414. Ms. Puskarcik stated that because there are a lot of events and community-type celebrations in place already, that perhaps the idea could be introduced next year for Dublin. Mr. Lecklider stated that perhaps it should be considered as a budget item for the 2406 budget -earmarking funds for planning. Mr. Keenan asked if Sharon Township participated with the City of Worthington in their bicentennial celebration. Ms. Brown stated that Sharon Township residents participated as volunteers. The government did not per se. Mr. Keenan stated that Washington Township will celebrate their bicentennial in 2449 and there may be some opportunity to work together. Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher stated that prior to the budget process, Council would want some sort of timeline and some level of budgeting. In her mind, this is a long time out at five years, unless the City plans to coordinate something in 2449 with the township. It would be good in the timeline to indicate when the fundraiser should be brought on board, and what money needs to be available when. Ms. Puskarcik stated that the timeline could include some phasing of the funding needs. Mr. Keenan asked how the City of Worthington secured their fundraiser. Ms. Brown stated that they interviewed several candidates and determined which would work best with their staff and committee. The fee was set in advance, and was done on an hourly basis. Dublin City Council Study Session Monday, January 10, 2005 Page 6 Other Business • Sister Cities Ms. Brautigam stated that in the presentation, Sister Cities was mentioned. Council was given information recently about a Sister Cities program for Dublin. In view of the number of members to be absent at the January 18 meeting, it may be preferable to have this discussion at the February 7 meeting. Council agreed. • Special Recognition Mr. Keenan recognized Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher upon being named as a recipient of the YWCA Women of Achievement Award. It is quite an honor and congratulations are in order. Mr. Keenan moved to adjourn to executive session for land acquisition discussion at 7:50 p. m. Ms. Salay seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Mr. McCash, yes; Mayor Chinnici-Zuercher, yes; Mrs. Boring, yes; Mr. Keenan, yes; Ms. Salay, yes; Mr. Lecklider, yes. The meeting was reconvened and formally adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Clerk of Council