The BID (Business Improvement District) met yesterday to discuss their marketing and events budget. About 10 BID members were at the table (not all are shown here) and there was an audience of about 15 or 20, watching the proceedings.
The Saturday night Commodore Block Party is scheduled to be back for six months starting Saturday, September 12.
Mia Stierheim (far left in the photo), leasing manager of CocoWalk, and BID board member, was a bit concerned, feeling that Commodore is getting all the attention, but honestly, isn't CocoWalk the center of town these days? All the tour buses even send people right there, bypassing everyone else.
The BID board made it clear that everyone will be included in future projects and there will be a "co-op buy-in," like Commodore is doing, where the restaurant owners are footing part of the bill. The expenses are quite high to run the block party -- upwards of $93,000 for six months' of Saturdays. The BID will kick in $35,000.
But traffic did improve all over the Grove on block party Saturdays. You could see the people going from one end to another. Most of the businesses represented at the BID meeting encouraged the block party to continue and so the BID voted to do just that -- they will fund a large part and the restaurant owners (7 on Commodore Plaza), will kick in $350.00 each Saturday to help defray costs.
The new name is the "Coconut Grove Block Party," and all concerned will make an effort to include the whole Grove.
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