When it comes to funding for the arts, the Palm Coast City Council is squarely in the minimalist tradition. On Tuesday, the council endorsed the city’s latest round of annual arts grants, which add up to $20,000, or far less than the city would spend to sod a median or cement a small stretch of sidewalk.
The $20,000 will be divided between nine local arts organizations, most of them previous beneficiaries of the city’s grants, but with notable exceptions (among them the Flagler Auditorium and the Flagler Playhouse, neither of which applied). The largest grant amount is $3,125 (three organizations qualified for those). The rest are for $1,875, with one organization qualifying for $1,250.
“We’re not very serious about it,” Lewis said. “Twenty thousand dollars, and we had 10 applicants, it’s a joke, really, when we talk about millions of dollars for many other things, and we’re not serious about doing something about arts.” He recalled asking for increases in the past, for naught. “We can’t talk about having a diverse community and having all kinds of culture here and we’re not serious about funding it. It’s not just Palm Coast, I know it’s a national trend, but we really have to do more for our culture and arts people. I’m hoping we can hopefully increase that in the next budget cycle.”
This year, Lewis will have some help. Jason DeLorenzo was elected to the council last year, replacing Mary DiStefano, who’d resisted increases. DeLorenzo favors them, and has a way of paying for it. The city has a special fund, where revenue from recycling and from all those pricey special events at Town Center has been piling up. (Waste Pro, the city’s garbage collector, sells recycling material and sends the proceeds to the city.) The fund has a $30,000 surplus this year.
“These events are fairly expensive for a family to go to,” DeLorenzo said of the city’s special events, whose price tag has been a point of contention for many who can’t go because of it. “I don’t want to see it collecting a lot of dollars, so we either reduce what we’re charging for residents that come to these events and not collect as much dollars, or we recycle the dollars back out to the community to other events that they can attend. I think that would be an appropriate way to use some of that money.”
Jim Landon, the city manager, appeared to like the idea: “It would be very consistent with us turning those dollars into event kind of funding mechanism,” he said. But Landon was hedging his bets: when council member Bill McGuire spoke opf his opposition to granting increases, Landon moved closer to McGuire, saying the intent of the city’s arts and cultural grants program was not to be a source of cash for organizations year after year, but to provide seed money for a couple of years, enabling organizations to establish new programs in town. After that, they were to be on their own.
“After two or three years,” Landon said, “some of the organizations came and said, without your money, we’re going to stop the program. So they came to city council and said, we need you to extend dollars and at that time as a compromise, the council said OK, if you’re a new program, we’d go up to $3,000–$5,000, then as a continuing program, $3,000.”
Some organizations, like the Flagler Agriculture Museum, have a multiplicity of programs, “so they submit a different program so they keep it new,” Landon said. “It is what it is, we can’t do anything about that.”
Mayor Jon Netts didn’t take a position different than the one he’s taken in recent years—supporting the scaling back of the grants, and sticking with the lower amount this year. But he was willing to have a more extensive discussion on the matter, separate from the broader discussion: Netts wants a full-blown council debate on the future of the program, leaving the door open the Lewis-DeLorenzo ideas. Those ideas will still face stiff resistance from McGuire.
Curiously, the city council has been subsidizing the money-losing tennis center for several years: the city picked up the bill for a $140,000 deficit at the center last year, and $120,000 deficit this year. In other words, the two years’ deficits add up to a sum 13 times larger than one year’s worth of arts grants to organizations whose patrons, in the aggregate, far outnumber the scanty membership of the tennis club. The city remains, for now, a source of never-ending cash for the center, depending almost exclusively on the city for its viability—as arts organizations do not.
McGuire continued: “Before I’d support going from $20,000 to $32,000” in annual grants funding, “I’d like to hear from some of these groups that hey, we’re not going to just come out here with our hand out, we’ve got a plan.”
Those plans are in the city’s hands: Each organization, to qualify for an arts grant, is required to submit detailed plans to the city, including full budgets for the organizations, and line-itemed details showing where each dollars is spent.
This year’s grant awards, which the council is expected to approve at its next meeting, are listed below, with previous-year comparisons. The complete grants applications are available here.
Copy of Palm Coast Arts and Cultural Grants, 2013
| African American Cultural Society | AACS Annual Cultural Arts Series, December 2012-September 2013 | $3,000 | $1,875 | $1,470 |
| Choral Arts Society | Concert Series: Dec. 2012, May and July 2013 May 4 7 6, 2012 July 4, 2011 | $2,000 | $1,250 | $1,470 |
| Community Chorus of Palm Coast | Concert Series January 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 | $3,000 | $1,875 | $2,450 |
| Flagler Auditorium | 2012-13 Season | Did not apply | $1,470 |
|
| Flagler County Art League | Celebration of Arts Week | $5,000 | $3,125 | $2,205 |
| Flagler Agricultural Museum | Hot Foods and Spicy Blues Festival | $5,000 | $3,125 | $2,450 |
| Flagler Playhouse | 2012-13 Season | Did not apply | Denied | |
| Gargiulo Art Foundation Inc. | Poetry/Bicycle Event | $5,000 | $3,125 | $2,450 |
| Hispanic American Club of Palm Coast | Hispanic Heritage Festival | Did not apply | $1,470 |
|
| Palm Coast Arts Foundation | Picnic and Pops Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra | $3,000 | $1,875 | $1,470 |
| Palm Coast United Methodist Church | 2012-2013 Concert Series | $3,000 | $1,875 | $1,470 |
| Trinity Presbyterian Church | Mosaic of Art and Music | $3,000 | $1,875 | $1,470 |
| Totals: | $32,000 | $20,000 | $19,845 |
Lonewolf says
Art and culture are what separate us from the lower animals
Melinda Morais says
Arts in the Community… Priceless!!!
Geezer says
Who the heck needs artsy-fartsey arts and culture in Palm Coast?
The city needs the money to light up and irrigate mostly empty Town Center after sundown.
Oh, and yes we need more bushes planted om Belle Terre so that drivers’ field of vision is better obstructed.
Way to go Palm Coast government!
Always doing what’s best for the citizenry.
Yes we have no bananas!
downinthelab says
How about the city clean out Clint’s swale? A clean swale is an artistic expression!
SAVE THE SWALES!
Alex says
Before you pick on the Palm Coast Tennis Center, please obtain a copy of the expense budget for last and this year. Users are making substantial contribution to the operation of this facility.
FlaglerLive says
Alex, your point is not in dispute, and underscores the problem: it’s expensive to play at the center, and some people are willing to pay, though it’s a municipal operation that the city claims to run as a business. Nevertheless, the center would have been out of business had it not been for the city’s very steep subsidies.
w.ryan says
Mr.McGuire was corrected last year in a report on Flaglerlive about the same subject we’re discussing with his same assumption that his beloved St.Louis Guitar Society ran independent from federal arts grant money and Palm Coast Arts and Cultural organizations can as well. He was surprised to learn that his assumption was far from accurate. see: http://www.guitarstlouis.net/node/17. He must have forgotten! The fact of the matter is Arts and Cultural organizations in Palm Coast run on a shoestring budget and is far cheaper and sometimes more entertaining than pay events. But unfortunately always needing financial help to endure. The Second Saturday Art shows at the Hollingsworth Gallery and FCAL don’t cost a thing. We generally provide the small eats and drinks and entertainment without any pressure to enter, enjoy or to buy. Sometimes we have live music. Artful discussion and conversation is also free. The City Repertory Theatre runs on a shoe string providing class “A” entertainment also providing workshops for the youth each year. Last but not least is the Gargiulo Arts Foundation. This foundation chooses a Flagler County based Artist of the Year. They beautify this community by donating pieces of art to the county erecting sculptures (Pierre’s photo above) all through raising money thru membership and donations. It’s a struggle without grants. Even with increased memberships and formidable art classes, raising money to sustain themselves is more difficult especially in this economy. As I understand it the grant that is provided for the arts and cultural events is for these organizations to promote cultural events and is not for sustaining their existence thru this money. Mr. McGuire should know this. It seems to him we want “FREE STUFF” Aside from not providing enough money there are more restrictions placed on the money curtailing what these organizations can do. I am happy for the support the arts have from these two members of this City Council. We need more support from others as well and we will have to find them. Arts and Culture creates economy. Increase the grants and support and Palm Coast will continue to grow strong.
RC says
I like the tennis center, it’s a nice place to play. However, they shouldn’t charge per person ($10 pp), they should charge per court. If I want to get three other people to play doubles, we have to pay $40 for an hour for one court. Whereas by playing singles you only pay $20 per hour. This makes no sense, it’s deterred me from playing there and I’m sure there are others as well. They need to start charging a flat rate per court of about $10 – $20. This would bring in more people to play and would then increase their revenue and decrease the amount the city has to chip in for the place.
palmcoastpioneers says
We really miss our Palm Coast ‘Players Tennis and Swim Club’ , that we paid for, that was the Master Developer pledged Amenity for us, that was also part of Exhibits of the Federal Order ordering Federal Redress for us, for Palm Coast, Inc.
palmcoastpioneers says
How the ‘Palm Coast Project’ was offered and advertised to us last Century :
The Palm Coaster
Fall Issue 1974
Page two
First Palm Coast Symposium to Assay The Human Condition
From the very inception of Palm Coast the cultural aspect of its future have
been an integral part of the planning.
Palm Coast is a planned, total community. Land use is a balance of
residential, commercial, social and open space, with provision for
education, arts, health care and other requisites for a good life. As a new
town, it functions as a proving ground for new and better ways of doing
things, to promote better urban living, to improve the quality of life in
all areas of human existence.
One of the areas of extreme inportance with which a new town, or any town,
nust concern itself is the encouragement of cultural pursuits, the liberal
arts, etc. because they provide a special and natural way for people to get
in touch with themselves, to communicate with each other, and to get more
satisfaction from being alive. Without this human growth and interaction,
there can be no development of any town , any society.
Toward aiding this cultural growth, and toward fulfillment of its cultural
and social commitment to Palm Coast, we are staging the First Palm Coast
Symposium, Novenber 15 and 16th, 1974.
————————-> From the outset, Dr. Young has believed that cultural growth must be an
integral thread in the fabric of Palm Coast life. Palm Coast is a town of
vision and as such, we conceived the plan for the Symposium at the very
beginning of the planning process and we endeavor to make this type of
cultural expression a continuing experience in the future. <———————————
It is Palm Coast's hopes that the concept of the Symposium will flourish and
expand to become a national and perhaps international instituion concerned
with the human dimensions of contemporary problems.
It is envisioned that future symposia at Palm Coasat will bring together
outstanding men and women from business, science, government, the arts,
education, and the humanities and other sectors of society who will learn
from one another through discussion and debate. And each will contribute his
or her talents and experiences to a mutual exploration of the human
condition, contrasting established convictions and habits with the new ideas
of today.
Fundamentall important is not that final solutions emerge from the
discussions at Palm Coast but that the essence of the best thinking on these
matters be exposed, evaluated, refined, and applied to individual lives and
instirutions.
Dr. Young believes that great historical change is not the result of
inexorable force only. Great changes can come about because a few people are
able to articulate powerful ideas, thus generating new forces in human
affairs.
The formal sessions and the accomodations will be at the * Sheraton
Palm Coast Inn . Attendance will be by invitation only. The topics of
the discussions will include: Human Nature and Human Destiny; Uplifting the
Underprivileged; Popular Culture and Elite Culture, The Universities: For
What and Whom??
Panelists include William Buckley, Editor of the National Review; Gloria
Steinem, Editor of Ms. Magazine, Harold Rosenberg, art critic of New Yorker
Magazine, Professor Leslie Fiedler, Chairman of the English Department,
State University of New York at Buffalo; Dr. Gunnar Myrdal, noted Swedish
social scientist; Sidney Hood, philosopher and Research Fellow at the Hoover
Instituteion, Vernon E. Jordan, Executive Director of the National Urban
League; Saul Bellow best selling author; Dr. James Watason, Nobel
Prize-winning biologist, Arthur Schles, Jr. two – time winner of the
Pulitzer Prize, historian and writer; Lionel Trilling, University Professor
Emeritus, Columbia, Truman Capote, noted author, and Dr. E.T.York,
Chancellor – Elect of the State Universities for the State of Florida.
The moderator of the sessions will be Melvin M. Tumin, Professor of
Sociology and Anthropology, Princeton University.
These are the outstanding Panelists who participated in the First Palm
Coast Symposium are shown in the Jpeg above.
JAMES says
Arts and culture are an asset to any community. I agree with Mr. Lewis there needs to be a significient increase in annual grants. The problem in this town is that people are opposed to expanding their minds. Arts and culture are also a good business draw. As far as beautifying Palm Coast, congratulations to the City. I thing the old Geezer needs to look where he’s driving and not try to see the other side of the median. I travel Belle Terre Pkwy daily and have no problem seeing traffice or see vehicles turning. The problem on Belle Terre is people trying to beat the next car so they can cross the median or they turn into someone because they can”t judge the closing speed.
Howard Duley says
If you call the crap that passes for art culture it is a very poor example. Most movies and TV programs pass off womens bust as a substitute for poor writting. The art being peddled is nothing but vulgar. Our culture is already in the toilet waiting for someone to flush.
J MILLER says
Balance the budget…have a surplus then we can discuss supporting the arts etc…
w.ryan says
Balanced the budget through creating an economy. Arts and Culture spurs growth and income. It’s a shame that conservatism can’t seem to realize how to grow an economy! This smidget of grant money is actually used to promote Palm Coast to outsiders to lure them into Palm Coast with hopes they would spend money here. Artists in the art league during Arts in the Park have to pay Palm Coast for a permit to display during this event. Unfortunately resident artists have to pay more per permit than outside artists. The bigger the event the more money is made. Ten years from now this event can bring in big bucks! Same with other Cultural events. This is an activity that’s for every member of the family, not just tennis players. Palm Coast bailed out Tennis for $260,000. And although Palm Coast has events in Town Center they are pay events where as most of the cultural events are free.
DWFerg says
In Economics , they teach a concept/ equation called Elasticity of Demand. Someone earlier(RC ?) complained / explained this in very simple terms(Singles $ 20 /hour per court; Doubles $ 40/per hour/court), One court yields 20 more per hour if Doubles but 0 Dollars if people are disinclined to pay $ 40. Test demand perhaps by employing some of RC’s logic… Call their bluff and see what the “E” of demand is w/ Empirical data. Perhaps analogous to Impact fees in Palm Coast… No written evidence that suspending them spurs demand/ economic dev’l. , how about a trial case right here , right now in Palm Coast in 2013 ? Another way to test “E” of Demand with relevant data…
Deep South says
I would rather have a community of physically fit active people with less health issues, instead of a community of obesity, diabetic, ill people who look at paintings. Think about the quality of life issue here.
w.ryan says
Nice Hook Deep South. We’re talking about funding arts and culture. The tennis center gets money. It’s being used as an example of inequality. Everyone supports good health. That’s not the issue.