City's 450th planning can't start too soon

City's 450th planning can't start too soon



Publication Date: 06/17/09

St. Augustine officially begins planning for its 450th birthday Thursday when a select committee goes to work -- finally.

We're glad the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Steering Committee is about to convene. It's been six months since the members were appointed by the city commission. After so much buildup over the past year, the community wants to see things start to happen.

There's so much work to be done in coordinating and planning, which this important committee is expected to do. Before anything gets started, a greater understanding of the roles of the steering committee and the federal commission are necessary.

It's too bad that the federal commission is still only on paper in Public Law 111-11, enacted March 30. The feds have to appoint a commission by summer's end. Then, there are more months to organize, hire an executive director and get moving.

The city is 3 1/2 years out from its expected January 2013 start of the celebration's three-plus years. If one of the federal commission's major roles is fundraising, how soon can we expect to see big money, especially corporate sponsorships?

St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles pushed hard for the St. Johns County Commission to hire Mayor Jeanne Zeidler of Williamsburg, Va., who was the executive director of Jamestown's successful international 400th anniversary celebration in 2007. Jamestown was the nation's first English settlement in 1607, 42 years after St. Augustine's founding by the Spanish.

Zeidler's hiring was a wise move. The $20,000 from bed-tax dollars will be well-spent.

After reviewing city documents that outline the celebration's goals, we wish both groups were functioning.

The three principal goals demand cooperation. They are national and international awareness of St. Augustine, economic development, and tourism enhancement. That means public education programs, national and international communications, community redevelopment opportunities, infrastructure, destination master planning, marketing and signature events. The biggie, of course, is laying the foundation for sustainable tourism.

So who is the boss?

Is it the first one in the arena, the steering committee, or the higher-level 14-member federal commission yet to be appointed?

Dana Ste. Claire, the city's 450th executive director, says, "It will be the community that will build this event for the community."

The steering committee has firepower. We don't know yet who will be on the federal commission other than the mayor, who gets an appointment. That is a smart move.

We're concerned that there might be some unintended confusion and overlap with the two groups working separately toward the same goals and starting at different times.

Our suggestion: Divide the goals to ensure there's no confusion over event planning, marketing and, most importantly, the cost to bring the 450th celebration to life with no surprise bills at the end.
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