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Volusia County Tourist Development Council
Meeting Minutes
July 20, 2004 – 9:00 a.m.
Ocean Center

Chairman Bruno called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

Chairman Bruno immediately called for the approval of the minutes of June 1, 2004. A motion and a second were received from the floor for the approval of the minutes of the last meeting on June 1, 2004. All were in favor, none opposed.

Chairman Bruno called Matt Greeson, Assistant County Manager, to do a status report. Matt proceeded to give a report on their efforts of expansion. On June 1st, the TDC unanimously recommended the 57 + million dollar financing proposal using tourist development taxes for a 100,000 sq. ft. new exhibition space, 30,000 sq. ft. new meeting rooms, interior room renovations, facade improvement and two surface parking lots. From a staff standpoint and from the County Council this is what we have done in terms of approving contracts in order to move forward with this project.

On June 17th, the County Council approved the TDC recommendations. They also authorized staff to move forward with a request for proposals (RFP) for a bond underwriter to do the financing piece of the project. On July 8th it was recommended and approved by council to select UBS Financial Services as Senior Managing underwriter for the project and Raymond James and Associates, Inc. and Gardnyr Michael Capital, Inc. as co-managers. On July 22nd, the County Council will consider the adoption of the bond resolution and authorization for sale of the bonds. It will be a delegated negotiated sale occurring in August. It should take approximately 45 days. Matt called for questions. There were no questions from the floor.

Regarding project consultants; Matt reported they are on the verge of having their whole team together. Prior to the last TDC meeting, a contract was entered into with Harden/Peck, the construction manager/general contractor for pre-construction services. He referred to Phase II of the Contract with TVS/DJ Design, the architects and engineers. In Phase II, they separated out the south parking lot. We wanted to design that first, strategically due to size. The larger design of the building is a contract that will take more time, so they segregated the south parking lot to get that moving: i.e., the right-of-way vacations, storm water, and utility relocations, etc. for the site. That task, Phase II, has already been approved since your last meeting. This now allows us to bid out the south parking lot ahead of the rest of the project. The next phase will be the design of the facility itself. Matt called for questions.

John: Which roads are you talking about doing away with? Ans: Wild Olive and Oleander. John then asked when they expect this project to start? Ans: Hopefully, bid it and start it by the end of the year.

Matt supplied the following details for project consultants. Regarding the contract for the pre-construction phase for the owner’s rep, the council has selected OCORP, whose principals are Mike Weigel and Doug Cooper. This also includes Hawkins and Hall, locally. Their pre-construction phase is on the agenda for this Thursday. Upon approval for that, Matt says their team will be completed for the pre-construction phase, consisting of owner’s rep, construction manager, general contractor and architect. By late August their plan is to take the architects Phase III Services Design of the overall facility to council.

Under Project Financing, the council will consider the bond resolution in budget documents necessary to do the sale of the bonds this Thursday. They are asking permission to go up to 60 million.

As for Project Permits, he reported there are several steps at the city level in terms of project permitting. In August, they are planning to go to the City Planning Commission for the right-of-way vacations, the Main Street Re-Development Board for the site plan approvals and in September before the City Commission for right-of-way vacation at two readings. By the end of September the goal is to have the bulk of the city permitting aspects approved. We can then move on to storm water permits at the St. Johns Water Management district for the south parking lot so we can bid that project. You will be notified of the dates of these meetings and are encouraged to attend.

Darlene Yordon: A suggestion was made by Darlene to include Anne Moore in this process and was agreed by Matt. There were no other questions from the members or the floor regarding this issue.

Chairman Bruno called Donna de Peyster for a financial report.

Donna referenced the packet of information handed out prior to the meeting, (see Tab 4) for the quarterly report. She presented the revenues and activities covering April 1 to June 30 on tourist tax, rentals, concessions, etc. at 4.8 million year-to-date.

Larry Fornari: How are we in relation to budget? Ans: Right on target, actually, ahead of target.

Chairman Bruno turned the meeting over to Rick Hamilton who introduced Mike Wilds to give an overview of his marketing plan.

Mike Wilds presented his marketing plan by stating the basic assumptions:

• Daytona and Volusia County have tremendous God given assets

• Ongoing Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) destination marketing

These things are present and will be continuing, therefore we have built this market plan based on the fact that your destination marketing organization represents the whole community, from small groups to large corporations. This year the economy and tourist industry are setting records not seen since 911. However, it did change certain marketing truths and marketing issues. Large cities were hit the hardest. They are now going after all businesses. Now we have to look at every city as our competition. We have to become much more involved and much more aggressive. This will take two things, some expansion of personnel size and also some promotion. He said the strengths of Daytona speak for itself; great name recognition, wonderful climate, special events, etc. He perceives our weaknesses are being addressed with the expansion of Ocean Center with new hotel rooms and re-development on the beach. Therefore there is no excuse for the Ocean Center not to capture a much larger share of the market in meetings and convention business. Aggressive marketing will produce new business. By creating the awareness, identifying the decision makers, and generating leads from those and then converting those leads to big business will produce new revenue. The tactics required are: increase your marketing budget, which means increase number of people in the marketing department, and increase your advertising budget.

Over the next three years we want to create an awareness and an education in the buyer. To create a media awareness, we need people who write for certain publications, who write for shows, those who produce electronic shows, websites, anything to do with communication in the media. We need to ally with firms who have the contacts and the leverage to get those type of media in here in an ongoing basis so they see what we have available and go back and write about it.

Mike acknowledged Sharon Mock and the CVB for their excellent work and added that due to their efforts they provide the wonderful support in scheduling tradeshows. He went on to say that with the combined effort of the CVB, and the Ocean Center’s new affiliation with prominent and successful firms that specialize in placing corporate programs with strategic partners, we will produce a new revenue source and amplified awareness.

Another area he mentioned is the franchise business. Research shows that there are over 1,000+ companies that sell their products through franchise. These individuals make this their business/vacation time, which means bringing their families to the area and using more of the facilities, staying longer, more revenue.

An exciting advertising program will increase awareness of the Ocean Center with insertions in nineteen (19) issues of eight (8) publications with seventy-six (76) total pages reaching 341,500 contacts. Those contacts plan conventions, tradeshows and events with our message of an exciting new destination. He sighted several magazines/tradeshows that help accomplish this exposure. We need to start advertising as soon as construction begins for future bookings.

Mike suggested the insert program. He said a cheaper rate can be negotiated with publishers on inserts vs. buying a page. In addition, by over printing the insert, it then can be used as a direct mailer, then as a handout piece at tradeshows, etc. also for handouts at hotels, county, and others in the community. Included in this there could be a business reply card, postage paid. This card will demonstrate a true interest by those who respond, and a database can be built from them.

An example of an area that Mike has already contacted is the Health Care Industry. The people who supply the doctors and the hospitals. They set up shows and bring in the buyers, exhibitors, for the health care industry. They have expressed an interest in the Daytona Beach area.

Awareness in creating leads, closing business, he said is what it is all about in order to achieve the economic impact on the county that the county deserves after it has invested in the Ocean Center.

This is the mission by cities who build buildings like this, to make an economic attractor, to bring people here who are going to spend money on hotel rooms, beverages and food, shopping, and go to the events and attractions.

Mike concluded his presentation by referring to his plan in the packet of information handed out prior to the meeting. Mike made reference to his revised plan and asked Rick to supply the updated version to everyone.

Lori Campbell Baker: What is the time frame of having this sales staff in place? Ans: Once Rick has approval to move forward, we hope by your fiscal year, October 1st.

Rick Hamilton: Council has to approve the budget; everything that Mike has talked about is in the proposal for the budget for next year.

Jim Bazemore: What is the present budget compared to the total budget? Ans: Referring to the Annual programs, costs and execution on page 10, the total package without the increased staff, we are at about ½ of that right now, about $290,000.00, total would be about $700,000.00 that is in round numbers.

Stuart Arp: How many sales people will we have? Ans: Two dedicated sales managers in addition to Chad Smith.

Lori Campbell Baker: What is the budget of the media-relations firm and what is the process for hiring that firm? Ans: 90 – 100,000 is recommended this depends on the firm. It can be scaled down depending on how turnkey the firm is.

Lori Campbell Baker: Obviously this is a bid process, but who is choosing the firm? Ans: I would expect that the Ocean Center will, or this council, or whomever your governing body is.

Jim Bazemore: That would be under your guidance? You would bring it in first? Ans: Yes sure, what ever you direct me to do.

Sharon T. Hughes: I take it we will be partnering even closer with the CVB, marketing and subsequent sales group, in this exciting new destination, is this how we will basically be approaching and promoting the area? Ans: That is how I hear it; this is one potential way to do it. Working and communicating back and forth and capitalize.

Sharon T. Hughes: I noticed here on page 18 that we are dropping MPI from the Ocean Center. I was just wondering if CVB is working with that? Ans: Yes, that is traditional. The MPI is a big organization, but they do not need a big convention hall. When they do have a bigger group they would then work in concert.

Lori Campbell Baker: The new Hilton is going to use “at Ocean Walk” as part of their tag, is there a plan to do that for the Ocean Center as well? Ans: Yes

Lori Campbell Baker: There is? Ok, so it’s all going to be marketed together? Ans: We are not sure we are going to get that approved by the Hilton folks. We are trying. Ans: At some point in time the council will have to approve it for promotional material.

Mike Wilds: The best way is to arrive with a full wallet and leave with an empty one. The thing to do is create a destination within a destination.

Lori Campbell Baker: I have two. The first one is there an effort underway to do naming rights on the Ocean Center itself? Is that part of what you are planning? Ans: I am not aware of anything underway. What I am recommending to you is that there are firms out there to do that, if you so choose to do it.

Lori Campbell Baker: That is not part of the marketing plan? Ans: I am recommending it in the plan, but it’s not being done yet until you adopt the plan.

Lori Campbell Baker: And then the IT position that is referenced in the payroll…what is that and what’s the total on that? Ans: Ok, right now you have an IT position. Lori: This is computer stuff, ok, and it says 25% of the position will be charged to the marketing department in the year 2005, none of it this year. Is this a new position? Ans: No, it is currently there. We are just realty the time.

Mike Wilds: What I was just trying to point out to Rick is the reality of this, if this plan is adopted, the web will become a very, very important ingredient in marketing the Ocean Center and the IT position will have to spend a lot of time with communications. It will be an on-line news letter, and if you want these districts to keep coming back to your website, you have to keep that website constantly changing like a daily newspaper. Also we want to have an opportunity for the media to go into a chat room, where the media will have access to pull down images with high enough resolution to do it, to be able to put it in there publications. That is just a part of what the IT position will encompass. His position will be increased tremendously in the marketing department. You want it to be so dynamic for people to come back over and over.

Lori Campbell Baker: Who are they doing it for now? Ans: Currently to update the calendar. In answer to your question, he is not full time now.

Stuart Arp: Can we look at the booking policy now that we are going to be a much bigger facility? How do we book garden shows vs. convention, can we explore that. We talked about a theme, the old Daytona look, is that what we are going to carry through? Because for me that does not sell the new convention center, it does not come out and say “take a look at us, we have this beautiful new facility, it’s three times the size, and fifth largest in the state of Florida”. Is that the theme we are carrying through on that? Ans: No, we don’t have the creative process done to my knowledge.

Question: Have we done a comparison of like size facilities in terms of sales staff? Is two the right number of people, two seems a little low to run a convention facility like that. Ans: We have not run vast numbers, but we have contacted between one half to a dozen in similar size. Daytona is unique, there is not a similar market, but there are similar size markets. At the building itself, if you have got support staff where the sales people are really closing deals, you’ve got enough clerical support and support from the communications manager as Rick does in Chad Smith, who is well known and well thought of, that is like having three people, they are all working well together. I would say go with that. It’s not an axiom that says you have to do that. You also have your hotel people working in there as part of the team as well. But I would hope that it would start generating enough leads, where you would have to be saying we need one more sales person to close leads.

Lori Campbell Baker: It just made me think, if you can imagine the CVB is already getting a lot of inquires, people are getting excited about the expansion and such. As we leave here today, we need to have a consistent message, are we 5th or 7th in the rankings now? One of the rankings was from Tradeshow Week and one was Florida Trend. And the other thing is, can we agree on the total exhibition space, meeting space and ballroom space, so when we all leave we have the same information we are telling everybody? Ans: Ok 7th is the rating and its’ total square footage is 173,000 not the additional. I don’t have it with me, but it was in your proposal that was presented to you at the last meeting, but I will get that to you today.

Gilly Aguiar: We are talking about these numbers and so forth, basically what we get is a flash report like what we got for the second quarter, are we going to be able to put the charge for a recommendation to the county and actually doing budgets like the CVB and other groups, are we going to be breaking down the information or that we can help budget the way it should be done with this group or are we just going to give it our blessing. We don’t get all the operating type of information that we talked about, like the hotel/motel association brought up that this board was originally formed when the Ocean Center was built. So I am trying to figure out where are we going to be in this? Are we really going to start having budget workup shops or are we just going to have blanket total numbers? Ans: My under-standing is that it is not in your statutory mission to be the governing board of the Ocean Center…Further Ans: No, I think that is accurate. I think this group monitors the progress of the project, but as far as budgeting for the operation of the Ocean Center, that is the responsibility of the management and County Council.

Chairman Bruno: Let me just stay on the marketing plan, is there anybody else in the public that has any other questions, please step up and identify yourself and ask your question.

Larry Fornari: Quick question where the push to the plan is? We talked about bringing several different types of businesses into the community, one of the big sales points we had going out into the industry to sell this increase was trying to bring in more city wide type conventions, and I am wondering how that plays into what you presented? Ans: Ok. All types of groups that we are talking about; franchise meetings, meetings in the traditional S.M.U.R.F. markets, anything, the Ocean Center, the building staff, the buildings marketing plan, I will be looking at, at least everything they are working on should be at least multiple hotels, if not city wide.

Larry Fornari: So it comes down to prioritizing when we start looking at the space I think that is one of the policy issues Stuart is getting to, that I would have a concern about, to see if changes might need to be made in that area. Ans: And I would say this, I can’t answer for Daytona, that’s for you, that is your market. The market that I have had experience working for full time, or working in a project on a consultant basis, the CVB is there, as a destination marketing organization. And they’re marketing comprehensive and they are also, by their very nature, hitting smaller groups that can fit one hotel or a smaller venue. But the building itself, its’ marketing efforts sales staff should be concentrating going after the type events that need at least “heads in beds” multiple hotels to citywide. The only thing that I can see that is the exception, is that you’ve got an arena with your facility, and whoever is selling that space, obviously, there will be some events that they sell, like a concert, that appeals primarily to the local audience. That would not apply. But outside of those arena sales, then the sales staff ought to be, and the market plan ought to be focused and driven towards groups large enough to fill, at least multiple hotels up to citywide. Otherwise, what is the purpose?

Gary Brown: If we are accepting this marketing plan, I am not sure I understand how Mike fits in? Are you going to be an ongoing consultant? Or is this marketing plan going to be presented then going to be turned over to Rick, I am a little confused how this process is going. Ans: Quite frankly from a subsequent view, I hope that I am ongoing. Ans: Yes, he is going to be training the staff, and developing the database and overseeing the program.

Gary Brown: Then my question to Mike is: You were in charge of Chattanooga’s marketing plan for how many years? Ans: From 1998 through 2002 in Chattanooga. Question: And what percent of increase did the convention business increase in business in those years? Do you have a ballpark? Ans: Yes sir I do have a ballpark, but it’s a bit embarrassing, because when I got there, the community had some leisure travel of business over its’ mountain attractions and water, and its’ convention business was extremely small, so the growth, the figure I am going to quote you, sounds obscene, it’s so large. And I am not sure that is a fair test to Daytona Beach. It sounds good for me, but it was a triple digit increase. Question: But you were able to increase it each year? Ans: Oh yes. Question: Two other points: I agree with Stuarts’ remark about the two salesmen. I don’t see how two people can cover the ground and fill a facility like the one we are getting ready to build. In my mind it does not work. That troubles me and I caution you. We need to look at other comparables and see what their staffs are and how they work. My other point and maybe I missed this, you related to the media tours, you related to “FAMS” tours of travel writers. But I did not hear you relate to any direct “FAMS” tours relating to meeting planners. Did I miss that or did you not mention it? Ans: I did not mention that, but it is in the plan. Gary’s comment: The travel planners to me are the key to success. You can get all the media and publication writers you want, but if you don’t get the guy here that makes the decision, the rest is fluff.

John: Question for Rick first…Can we abandon the CVB moving any closer to the Ocean Center?
Ans: No, I am not going to abandon it, but not at this time because of cost. The council had to answer at that point in time. John: To the preacher…it’s nice to see you back, however, as you are dealing with a dysfunctional community, we had to work on relationships at the Ocean Center, and Chad Smith, who I agree with you is doing an excellent job, but we had 640 of the best tennis players here, thousands of people, but the reporters, notice there are none here today, were here, came late, left early. We don’t comment each other, but we don’t talk to each other, we don’t talk to fresh and salt-water fishing, even on our web site. It does nothing but tell you what you can do in our county today, and we still don’t have that quite right. I know it’s a lot of work to get it started, but that’s the kind of thing that just might keep your tourists here another day or two. It might even cause our community members to feel more ownership. We have a cheerleader event but nobody knows about it. It’s a great family event, it’s not a secret, but nobody knows about it.

Bob Davis: Going with what Gilly said, I would like to…Chairman Bruno: Can I keep us on the marketing plan, then I will come back to Other Business?

Jim Wachtel: I just met you, can you give us a small sketch of what you have done? I don’t like training on the job. Mike Wilds: For the last 25 years, I have worked for either Hilton hotels or for publications, either in Chattanooga, Tennessee marketing, or in Knoxville marketing, the Smoky Mountain market, and then a brief tenure with Ocean Center about 14 years ago. I have worked in convention centers, convention bureaus and hotels. Now I work for multiple communities. Question: Can we get your resume? Ans: Yes

We have an answer on Lori’s question on the space. The TDC approved, 173,900 exhibit space, 51,810 sq. ft. of meeting and banquet space, 13,700 sq. ft. of ballroom space.

Joe Cramer: Purely from a hotel community perspective, Rick has access and information in his organization, and the CVB has access and information in their organization, I would hope that when we get this all on paper, we can sit down and make a hit list of those that are the top 25 bookings and make a priority list collectively on the bigger and better things that will have a bigger impact on everyone in this room. Instead of the smaller things that will fill the center piece by piece, take all that knowledge, all that brain power, all that information together and start picking the pocket of Orlando, Miami, or Charlotte or Nashville, I think that we would do ourselves a disfavor if we didn’t get really in focus specifically.

Gilly Aguiar: I think Mike, you have done a good job at this. It looks like it is a good start going in.
Gary, just to kind of talk about the amount of hiree’s… By the time you put together a good package to fill 4,000 rooms, with everyone working on it, there are people like Sharon’s group, their major billings, people working with the hotels, etc. you are going to have the CVB and hotel people, you have quality people, you will have twenty people working on it. Ans: It takes one person to close the deal. It is a one-on-one, all the rest of us work into it.

Gilly Aguiar: There is one thing that never came up and I’d like to get your thoughts on it coming back here. That is the airport with direct routes. Can you see that as a manageable situation as far as selling them? Ans: I am a believer in sales and taking and selling to your strengths. The last figure I saw, over 90% of all people that travel in the United States today still do it by highway. Airlines are big, airports are big, transportation is huge and it’s great if you have an airport that has five hundred flights a day, tremendous lift, a number of seats and all. And if you have that you want to capitalize on that. If you do not have that, then I can tell you this, there are more communities that do not have that asset than do. What you’ve got to do in selling, is if you can develop the big airport, that is wonderful, but you cannot allow that to be a crutch, as an excuse for not having the business. You have got to go find the groups that drive. Hopefully, you can find the groups that fly, and I have found this. Certain airlines will cooperate based on the size of your airlines. I have worked on projects in certain communities where the airports did not have the capacity to handle a certain group. But we went to the airport authority and asked them when we could give them enough advance notice and they were more than happy to accommodate us. We have yet to be turned down. It has to be a team effort all the way around.

Sharon T. Hughes: I would like to tell Mike that I appreciate your attitude towards Daytona and this project because we need to have more exposure to our strengths; to the wonderful, beautiful community we have here. Daytona has had enough of their weaknesses exposed. What we need now is an attitude like yours; this is the best product and let’s run with it. Thank you.

Lori Campbell Baker: Just to clarify the square footage numbers, we are now saying we have 225,710 sq. ft. of space. Currently with the expansion? I want to make sure, so we can all get on board and agree on. And how does that number take into consideration The Adams Mark? But you will get those total figures out to everyone. Just send out an official memo. Ans: We will get that information out to everyone more specifically. Ok.

Jim: What is the ranking order in the state of Florida? Ans: As far as exhibit space…we were 7th. And I don’t know the other one that Lori quoted. Because of they counted two of the fair grounds, but if you pull them out we are 5th. Lori: I will get you those two magazines.

Chairman Bruno: On the marketing plan, Sharon, do you want to make any comments or Sally or are you comfortable with it?

Sally Gardiner: The only thing that I want to comment on, and I want to apologize for not bringing it up sooner…is that we are going to be doing some market research on focus groups, probably a year from now to kind of benchmark our progress. I am wondering if that is something you would want to co-op with the CVB, to talk to meeting planners about their perception of the destination and what kind of progress we are making in terms of media relations and how they see the destination? It really is more of a suggestion, if you could do that, that would be great. Ans: Number One, I agree with you whole-hearted to be planning out how you are doing. Obviously one way is the money going up; the total expenditures in the restaurants, the hotels, the county tax, etc. dollars is the greatest measure. But what you said about meeting with the meeting planners, determining information and research, quite frankly, I guess given my own devices, I would spend almost too much on research. So I agree with, I would go ahead and recommend to Rick that we co-op on that participation. The only caveat I would throw out on that, over the last three years, some of the interviewing I have been doing is the one-on-one interviews with folks. During the course of the building design and management, we brought market groups in to give their input. We found that we could get them more involved by having them do some of the color selections and final design and finish. Then have our marketing put their names up on plaques and they would naturally come back with groups because of that. As long as it is legal, moral and ethical, let’s go for it.

Teresa Wright: The segment that I don’t hear about is what we have here in this town. We have some world leaders in hi-tech manufacturing. We have a hi-tech corridor going from Tampa to Daytona Beach. I would like to be able to assist anyone just giving you some ideas of some organizations, professional organizations and associations that put on the large tradeshows that I attend and facilitate for the company that I work for. And these are domestically and internationally. I know that the European market for those organizations, they love Daytona Beach. I would just like to offer that as an idea and go after the hi-tech manufacturing, the fiber-optics, the semi-conductors, the aero-space with Embry Riddle here. That is a whole segment that has organizations and associations that would love to come here, and this is the size venue they want. They don’t want to go to a large city; they want to go to the places that are this size.

Mike Wilds: Thank you very much for that. That ties into what Big John said, about the community, I was not aware of that. That goes with all of you in this room. All of you belong to professional associations and/or organizations. You can all simply send letters on your letterhead to your members, literally inviting them here for meetings. We would be negligent not to do that.

Chairman Bruno: What is the pleasure of the council, of the board on the marketing plan? We want to move forward here. Do we have a motion?

Lori Campbell Baker: What are you looking for a formal move to accept the presentation? Ans: Yes to move it forward to keep it on the agenda to keep working through the process, is that acceptable? A motion was made by Darlene Yordon and seconded by Lori Campbell Baker. Motion carried.

Chairman Bruno then asked if there was any old business. He recognized Mr. Davis.

Bob Davis: I sort of agree with what Gilly said. I would like the county attorney to look into the actual makeup of the Tourist Development Council. It is my belief that you are up for advice and consent, not only on the building, not only on marketing, but on budget. I think that if the county attorney looks at the state statute, we will see that on almost every other TDC boards throughout the state, working on budgets, working on the liaison between the county councils and the TDC’s, I think you really need to study that. You are entitled to look at budgets, you are entitled to give your opinion, that is what you are here for. We don’t want to make the same mistake as fourteen years ago, you just build a building and then you disperse. This is an ongoing TDC by state statute, and when we brought it up that is why it came back into being. Ans: The TDC answered that early on. After building the Ocean Center it was recommended that the TDC come to a conclusion. From the floor: They never had another meeting.
Ans: But we are going to stay in existence. Ok.

Lori Campbell Baker: Can we get a refresher at the next meeting from Matt, Frank or whoever, to talk about specifically what our responsibilities are as it relates to budget and as it relates to our job as a group? Ans: To answer those questions, I was going to put it on the next agenda, so that we will have that presentation.

Darlene Yordon: I am not sure if this is old or new, we do have our new city manager coming on-line, and when I brought up the parking garage to the commission, there was some resistance there. Now we do have three new commissioners on there, and what I would really like to do with the new manager, is maybe do something to bring everyone up to speed in Daytona Beach to get them part of this process to understand the parking garage, and I know we had talked about a dinner, or a luncheon, a one-on-one, but I would really like some help in getting the city more involved in this process, and more supportive of it. Is there something? Ans: Yes, we will be glad to work with you and what works for you and the new manager. One thing I did not provide you with is the update and TVS/DJ Design, I have on my tickler list is to meet with the new manager about the project. There will be what we call a public and stakeholder element with the design process. We have asked TVS to think how that might work, where this board, and the city commission, and other stakeholders around the Ocean Center will have an opportunity to provide public input in this important project, which hopefully will create ownership too. We haven’t figured out how to do this yet, but that is what we are hoping.

Darlene Yordon: What I am asking is for something specifically directed towards Daytona Beach and the commission and the new manager. I want the excitement built up as to what is going on over here. Also the appearance on A1A, we really need to get this corridor area cleaned up. If Frank could bring that up? Ans: That is an ongoing conversation with the Main Street Re-Development board.

Darlene: If we had some appearance standards? Ans: We are working on that.

Thomas Staed: The Main Street Re-Development board is making a lot of decisions, and I don’t know how they can without the parking element. As far as I understand it, it is not completed yet, and won’t be until mid-September or later. I don’t know how you can go forward with a re-development plan without knowing about the parking. Ans: Yes, you are absolutely right. I brought that up at the last re-development meeting. It’s essential that you have that completed.

Thomas Staed: Just remember what the City Commission and the County Council made were to deal with the issues in order. The first was getting this project approved and going, second was interim parking utilization and the third was long term parking solution. I think that the county staff right now is focused on getting this project approved and going. Ans: Good point, and I’ll stay on top of that.

Gilly Aquiar: As Matt said in his presentation, by breaking them up in Phase II, and getting the surface lots approved and getting them ready, that we have got answers to go along with that. That is really going to fast track us. Ans: We hope, we are pushing it. We may need to have your support for the Main Street Re-Development board. It is important for us to get that approved and get it in front of the commission so we can get the permits as soon as possible to get this moving. We will send out all the dates.

Chairman Bruno then asked for any new business.

Larry Fornari: There have been some comments going around that one of the authorities did not go through the proper authorities and got slapped on the hands for it, now we are doing the same thing with the Ocean Center. It baffles me, you ought to be consistent, and in my opinion you are not being consistent. Ans: You are entitled to your opinion, and I appreciate that.

Big John: Can we get an update on the eminent domain proceedings for the takeover ownership of that parking lot. Ans: We are working on that, we don’t know the actual date, the action has been filed, discovery has been had.

Discussion followed regarding validation of parking tickets.

Chairman Bruno concluded the meeting by asking for a date for the next meeting. He suggested the second Tuesday of the month. He advised everyone present that information will be sent out. He gave congratulations on the name change. He asked everyone to think of the theme, to get the Ocean Center with the Ocean Walk Village as well as a tropical theme and blend that all together. He also thanked the Adams Mark and Stuart for the use of the room.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

An addition was made to include the name change of Adam’s Mark to The Hilton.

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