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August first friday
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this has circulated widely, but perhaps some have not seen it? forwarding it here, FYI.
Artlink reps and artists met with city officials this week so you'll likely hear from Artlink soon about what's in the works. hope this helps
lisa
August 12, 2005
Thank you for your email.
For more than 25 years, I have been working to ensure that local artists not only exist, but prosper in a downtown arts district. Long before I joined the City Council, I saw the opportunity for a downtown arts district. That's one reason I worked so hard on a Historic Preservation Ordinance. Against the longest of odds, deteriorating structures that, in decades past, literally housed junkies -- have been preserved and transformed into galleries where artists blossom today.
In fact, one of the very first historic buildings I privately restored in the early 1980s was a derelict building, known as the Corpstein Duplex, at Fifth Avenue and Roosevelt. It had been scheduled for demolition, but instead became the home of the Arizona Commission for the Arts.
And I'm so proud of First Friday – and of all our artists. The very idea of a vibrant, exciting, 24/7 downtown -- where thousands of people congregate every single day – began for Phoenix with the arts community. And I have often said that my own vision for downtown is "to see First Friday become Every Friday, and then Every Day".
The City of Phoenix shares that vision. In fact, a 64-page document entitled "Downtown Phoenix: A Strategic Vision and Blueprint for the Future" (adopted in December of last year), devotes 4 pages to the creation of a downtown arts district – specifically citing the success of First Friday. Here are the first two recommendations on a list of 14:
· Increase the presence of visual and performing arts and artists – including live music – in the downtown. Take the next steps in creating a multi-use downtown arts space that will provide exhibit and performance space for local artists, possibly in a historic building…
· Encourage more artist housing and gallery and performance space downtown. The artist housing should be included in the downtown housing strategy .. and …as part of the ASU ground-floor retail strategy and in other public and private developments.
During the First Friday of this month, with the best of intentions, the City of Phoenix provided the same kind of security that it provides at every basketball and baseball game. We received many emails thanking us for that. We also sent a single inspector into some of the galleries. NOT to cite them, but to make certain – at the very beginning of this learning curve – that everyone has what they need to operate properly. Our goal is not to shut down a gallery without the necessary permits. Our goal is to help them GET the permits.
I understand though, that the perception did not always match our intentions. And for that I sincerely apologize. While other cities are watching artists, businesses and population move out, we're watching them move in. These growing pains are not a bad problem to have – and I promise you we'll work through them together.
This City, this downtown, will never be all it can be without the artists of First Friday. I am one of their biggest fans (and attended the very first First Friday – finding all the galleries without a map).
My absolute intention is to create something important and long-lasting, building on the dream and the promise of First Friday.
And that is my own promise to you.
Sincerely,
Phil Gordon
Mayor
P.S. I have attached correspondence from our City Manager, Frank Fairbanks, It provides additional details and insight from a different perspective.
To: Mayor and City Council Date: August 9, 2005
From: Frank Fairbanks
City Manager
Subject: City Involvement at the August 5th First Friday Artwalk
Several of you received e-mail from the community concerning City enforcement activity during the August 5 First Friday Artwalk. We have now had a chance to carefully determine what occurred and I would like to share the facts with you.
Earlier this summer, a few people in the neighborhoods around the arts district complained to police about illegal parking, noise and trash from First Friday. In response, the Police Department issued a significant number of tickets earlier this summer for illegal parking. Some of the tickets for parking on dusty lots were fairly expensive.
Many of the people who received citations said they had previously parked in the same areas without problems and they were unaware that that it was illegal. Commendably, the Police under the leadership of Precinct Commander Hynes decided to reach out cooperatively both to the neighborhoods and the arts community to develop an education/enforcement effort to deal with these issues.
Commander Hynes convened several City staff to talk about the issues. Among other things, he arranged for the use of City parking to aid the event. He then met with members of the arts community to discuss an education/enforcement effort that would occur on the August 5th First Friday. Commander Hynes believed that at this meeting with the arts representatives, he obtained their support to deal with all City enforcement issues on an informational basis during the August 5th First Friday. It is now absolutely clear that this was a misunderstanding and the arts community did not understand that other City departments would be involved. This is the core of the problem.
The Police Department directly asked several City departments and the County Health Department to attend First Friday and share information with artists on City code requirements. The Police Department asked the Neighborhood Services, Finance, Development Services and Fire Departments to attend. This effort was not planned or directed by the Mayor’s Office, the City Council Office or the City Manager’s Office. There was one exception. Development Services contacted the City Manager’s Office about attending and the City Manager’s Office asked them not to attend. Development Services did not send any staff that night.
City Involvement at the August 5th First Friday Artwalk
August 9, 2005
Page 2
For the First Friday event, the Police Department sent two NET squads, totaling 14 officers. (Essentially, NET Officers are community action/relations Officers whose
normal assignments are to work directly with citizens on community issues.) Eight of these Officers were in uniform and six were in plainclothes, but the plainclothes officers wore their badges in plain sight so they were easily identifiable. There was no undercover Police operation. When the Diamondbacks game ended after 10 PM, three mounted horse officers rode their horses from the ballpark, where they had been working, to the area of the First Friday street concert. Throughout the night, all officers focused on education. They arrested no one and did not issue any citations. The Officers put several hundred educational warning notices on cars concerning illegal parking.
At the request of the Police Department, the Finance Department sent two staff to do sales tax education. These two employees were two of six Finance employees who have the regular job of going out to new businesses in Phoenix to explain sales tax and how businesses can comply. These two employees were selected because they are especially positive and friendly. They took flyers with them explaining the sales tax code and how to comply. The Police Department insisted that they be accompanied by a plainclothes officer. They passed out their flyers. They did not issue any violations, do any inspections, take any names or do any enforcement activity.
At the request of Police, the Neighborhood Services Department sent a Neighborhood Preservation area supervisor. This NSD supervisor was escorted by two officers. She walked around the area but did not do any inspections, issue any violations or NOV’s, nor do any enforcement. She did answer some questions that people raised.
At the request of Police, the Fire Department sent two staff members in a red Fire Department car. They drove along the street and observed the event. They also shot some videotape footage so that if there were issues that came up, they could review the context later. They did not leave their vehicle nor take any enforcement activity of any kind. They left fairly early, concluding that there were no fire issues.
These were the only City staff present in an official capacity, although we assume that a number of City staff were present as participants, enjoying the event.
At Police Department request, the County Health Department was also present. The Health Department official was accompanied by a Police Officer. The County Health official did enter food handling businesses and make these businesses aware of best food handling practices and potential violations. However, the visits were treated as courtesy inspections without citations.
This is the totality of the enforcement activity we have been able to identify on First Friday night.
City Involvement at the August 5th First Friday Artwalk
August 9, 2005
Page 3
We did learn that there were completely separate code compliance activities that had occurred in businesses involved in First Friday during the two weeks prior to the event. This activity did not involve the Police department and was unrelated to the August 5th First Friday event.
In one case, a person applied for a City storefront grant offered by the Downtown Development Office. One of the requirements of these grants is that the business be in compliance with City Codes. As a part of the grant application process, it was determined that an applicant who was active in First Friday did not have a Certificate of Occupancy for his residential arts facility. Development Services explained this issue with the property owner and Development Services is actively working with him to achieve compliance with the code.
In another case, a First Friday arts venue is a tenant in part of a building. The property owner of the building went in to Development Services to obtain a building permit to construct a hair and personal care business in a separate vacant part of the same building. During that building permit process, it was discovered that neither the beauty business nor the arts facility had a Certificate of Occupancy or building permit for the current uses. Development Services advised the landlord and the tenant about this situation and is working with them to achieve code compliance.
There may be one or two other prior enforcement issues which are in the process of resolution.
.
Although we are still uncovering minor details, we are confident that this memo accurately describes the significant events of the August 5 First Friday. Arts and Culture Administrator Phil Jones has created a multi-department task force to work cooperatively with the first Friday event. As the event grows there will undoubtedly be new challenges to resolve. Staff concurs with the Mayor and City Council that this is an important event that we wish to support. The City Manager’s Office looks forward to working with the Mayor and City Council to help the First Friday event to grow and prosper.
I should close by recalling that these questions aside, the August 5th First Friday event was very successful. It had a strong attendance and participants enjoyed the event. It succeeded in providing a major cultural reunion in the center of our community.
