Lots of questions asked at BID marketing meeting

Eduardo del Rivero, left, of Jaguar, part of Marketing
Committee, with Carl Templer, new BID Director

I went to the BID (Business Improvement District) Marketing meeting yesterday, I hadn't been for quite a while. There's a new BID Director, Carl Templer, from Milwaukee, and I liked him the minute I met him earlier in the day, so I wanted to sit in on the meeting and I'm glad I did. From what I see, there are going to be some changes for the better at the BID and in the Grove.

Carl's first point was to state that basically the BID has no mission statement or vision. He asked, "What is the strategic plan?"

A large part of the meeting was about the Marketing Budget for the year. The budget was cut, and many events will have to go without funding or get less funding if this isn't rectified. The Marketing Committee wants to go back to the BID Finance Committee and ask for more money. They feel they need it to market the village, especially through events which always brings a lot of people into town. I always wondered why events cannot just support themselves without always running to the BID for funds, but that's another story.

It appears that money can be saved by not paying for an extra Social Media person (there's one already) and it also turns out that the administration costs went up; there is even money in that budget for another person to work in the BID office, but when Peggy Quattro, Marketing Manager of CocoWalk, who is on the BID Marketing Committee, asked about that, she was ignored, which seemed out of character for the Marketing Committee, which seemed quite open and upfront about everything. I was curious about that, too. What is the extra money for? Who is getting that as an administrator?

Peggy was not shy about saying, "Maybe if we cut back on flower baskets, we can put it into marketing!" I had to laugh and agree.

A large chunk of BID money is going toward co-op advertising, about $140,000 worth, I figure, per season. There are 28 businesses involved and each is getting $5000 from the BID, which is again, per season! So for summer alone, that is $140,000!

Peggy also brought up the fact that most of the advertisers in the co-op program advertise anyway, so why is the BID supplementing them, that money, she suggested, should go into other advertising concepts, like maybe in national publications, which is not being done now.

Lots of intelligent conversation happened around that table yesterday, and it was open and all inclusive, as the audience was made part of the process, and I see good things coming from this.

Afterthought: As Peggy mentions in the comments below, the question about the salary for the extra administrative person was brought up because the money was coming directly from the marketing budget.

Artist Trading Card Workshop returning for summer

Sheri is bringing back her popular Artist Trading Card Workshop and Happy Hour for the summer.

Friday, July 13 is the first one from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) are small works of art, 2-1/5" x 3-1/2" in size.

Anything can be created on the cards, they are traded and collected,

Admission is $15, adult beverages and all the materials you need will be provided, although you can also bring your own materials including scraps and trinkets and of course paint and brushes.

A Mandala Drawing Workshop will be held on Sunday, August 5, from 1 to 4 pm.

Drawing a Mandala is a great way to escape the confusion and chatter of the outside world, and re-connect to the oasis of harmony and peace of your inner world. In this workshop, you will be provided with all the materials and guidance by artist Sheri Friedman so that you will be able to create your own personal, luminous Mandala.

No prior art or drawing experience is necessary. Join in the fun at Blu Moon for a wonderfully unique and relaxing experience.

Workshop fee is $50, all materials, and light refreshments provided.

please rsvp by August 1 to 305-794-0329.

Blu Moon Studio is located at 3444 Main Highway, on the top floor.

They want in

These two little guys look lonely. Dogs are no longer allowed in The Bookstore. Due to the food that is served at the cafe area, it's a no no.

What are your feelings about this? Did the dogs inside the store ever bother you? Did you feel they got under foot or were they unsanitary?

I don't see a difference in the amount of people there. I think people understand and they don't mind keeping the dogs outside, after all, they have to do that most places and now The Bookstore is just one of those places.

I did complain that one time about the large dogs, but I wasn't complaining about them being near the food or being inside The Bookstore particularly, I was just saying that dogs that are the size of horses could scare someone, which they were doing.

Added 6/6: The comments are turning into attacks on me. First off, I am against the new policy, I think the dogs in The Bookstore was a charming part of our village. I think they should be allowed in. The only reason I mentioned the big dogs, is because a few years ago, I showed a photo of a guy with two dogs the size of horses and I asked, "Is this normal to bring into a business?" It had nothing to do with health codes, The Bookstore, food or anything. It was jut an observation. And it has nothing to do with this situation, to say that big dogs are the problem here makes no sense.

As for the new policy, I personally had nothing to do with this. Someone reported them to the Health Department and this is how it came about. But again. I am in favor of letting them back inside. I didn't see it as a problem, like most of you. 

I should send the City of Miami the bill

For the second time in six months, I had to get a new tire thanks to potholes all over the City of Miami. In fact, the last time (in November), I not only had to get a new tire, I had to get a new rim for the car, which is an expensive proposition.

It's always the City of Miami, not that I venture out too often, but I actually was coming back from Target and Best Buy and just as soon as I crossed the border from Coral Gables into Miami, BAM, my car hit a pothole so hard that the tire actually came off the rim. I wasn't going that fast and I know this because I was about to make a turn, so my car must have slowed to about 10 or 15 mph, but pop, there went the tire.

I had to call road service, then have the car taken to the Goodyear Tire Store at 3690 Bird Road, which was the only bright spot in this. I had to get a new tire, balancing and waste a few hours getting this done.

The guys at Goodyear always treat me right, so that is the best part about the whole thing.

My suggestion to the City -- fix the potholes! It won't cost a thing if they take those guys off the trash routes on Fridays, you know the ones, the guys that block traffic all day all over the city, to pick up tree cuttings.

Another idea is how about picking up the cuttings twice a month, rather than four times, and the other two weeks, have the same crew or another crew, for the same money being spent on the trash, fill in the potholes. It seems like it's a full time job fixing potholes. Either something like that should be done, or we should all just send the City our bills for car repairs and time (and money) lost at work.

A friend told me about breaking an axle one time when she hit a pothole. She tried suing, but got nothing.

Pop Up Food Truck restaurant?

Now that CocoWok, the Asian restaurant on Virginia Street, is gone, how about doing something new and different with the location? What if it was to become a pop-up restaurant for Food Trucks?

What if once a week, say a Wednesday, one Food Truck took over the location and sold their food for lunch. Each week it would be a different type of food and truck's fare.

The crew could come early in the morning and be set up by say, 11 am, and sell lunch from 11 to 2 pm and then be gone.

I mean it is easier for them to just drive up and sell out of their trucks, but since they cannot have Food Trucks in the Center Grove, this would be a way to fill the empty storefront and to have some of the different foods enter the Grove and share their specials.

Aside from Food Truck Friday, every week at the Coconut Grove Bank lot, the Grove is not permitted to have food trucks. We are always the last on everything cutting edge. According to this New York Times article, Paris even is entertaining food trucks now!

TreeWatch files an appeal for Commodore trees

Our Buds at TreeWatch, get it, Buds, TreeWatch? Anyway, they filed an appeal on behalf of the trees on Commodore Plaza, last week, that are slated for removal as part of that pesky street scape plan.

The letter went out to Alexander Adams, Historic Preservation Officer, it reads:

Dear Preservation Officer Adams,

This appeal is filed by TreeWatch on behalf of the residents of the City of Miami whose desire it is to protect the trees that are targeted for removal along Commodore Plaza. As has been the case with prior applications submitted by the City of Miami’s Capital Improvement Program on behalf of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District’s Sidewalk Renovation project, this single application affects a number of trees, all of which were assessed in 2010 by a horticulturist, Lisa Hammer, who was hired as consultant to review the trees throughout the streets of downtown Coconut Grove affected by this project in order to report on the health of the trees, so as to determine which can be removed for health reasons, and thus make way for the planting of new trees which utilize the Silva-Cell system for guiding roots so as not to protrude on sidewalks.

TreeWatch raises the concern that the trees affected by the application are in various degrees of health, and asks the HEP Board members that they examine carefully the case of each individual tree to spare all or as many of them as possible from removal that may not be necessary.

Project Scope:

Removal of eleven (11) trees, numbered (211, 212, 218, 222, 225, 229, 230, 232, 233, 234, and 238) and relocate one (1) Gumbo Limbo tree (#237) as part of CIP Project #B-30687, on Commodore Plaza between Grand Avenue and Main Highway, and replace these 22 new trees.


More on the survey and links to the trees in question here.

End of school year Peace Celebration

The Thelma Gibson Health Initiative Youth Violence Prevention Program is having an End of the School Year Peace Celebration on Wednesday, June 6, at Elizabeth Virrick Park (3255 Plaza Street) from 2:30 to 5:30 pm.

This event will focus on celebrating the end of the school year and welcoming a peaceful summer. Participants will enjoy live steel drum music, food, and youth performances. They will also be recognizing their program graduates and have guest appearances by Joshua from the Joshua’s Heart Foundation and the Miami Heat Mascot “Burnie.”

This is in partnership with The Children’s Trust, which emphasizes collaboration and partnership in order to provide the programs and services needed by children and families and to effect community-wide change.