Driving Downtown’s Destiny

308 West Rosemary Street Suite 202  Chapel Hill , North Carolina  27516

919-967-9440  

 

June 14, 2006

 

 

 

Mr. Kevin Foy, Mayor

Members of the Town Council

Town of Chapel Hill

405 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Chapel Hill, NC  27514

 

Dear Mayor Foy and Members of the Town Council:

 

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Board of Directors met on June 14, 2006 and discussed the council petition and action taken by the Town Council on Monday, June 12^th regarding the Giving Kiosk.  The board urges the Town Council to reconsider this action in light of the unique nature of this project and the work and process that has been applied thus far. A detailed outline of the process is attached for your review as it was previously requested by members of the Town Council at the May 8^th meeting.

 

In addition, we would suggest that rather than be subject to a Public Arts Commission Review process that may not be applicable to the Giving Kiosk since the primary purpose of the piece is not related to public art, that we work in partnership to develop a review process for this specific project.  We suggest that the make-up of this task force be representatives from the Town Council or Town of Chapel Hill staff members, representatives from the Downtown Partnership and the Public Arts Commission, representatives from the kiosk recipient agencies that address the social needs of downtown, representatives from the downtown business community, and representatives from the University since students are a primary target audience for the kiosk.    

 

We would suggest that the proposed task force meet over the summer to develop a process for the kiosk and we will bring the recommendations from that committee back to the Town Council for review in September.  The process should include the means by which to advertise the project, select the appropriate artist, design, and location of the Giving Kiosk, determine the recipient agencies, and solicit input from the community.

 

On April 14, 2004, Town Manager Horton drafted a memorandum to the Town Council which outlined the need for establishing a new downtown economic development organization and it stated, “The need for a new approach to promotion of economic development in downtown Chapel Hill is well established, and the importance of the downtown as “the social, cultural and spiritual center of Chapel Hill” is highlighted in the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.”   The Town Council adopted the resolution that established the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and with that, adopted the mission of the organization to bring the resources of the Town, University, and downtown community together to maintain, enhance, and promote downtown as the social, cultural, and spiritual center of Chapel Hill through economic development. 

 

The Giving Kiosk project is an economic development project that addresses the social needs of our community and the economic needs of our business community, while improving the real and perceived safety of downtown for the many thousands of students, workers, and residents that come downtown.  

 

We respectfully request that you assist the Downtown Partnership in moving this project forward with a solution that is more conducive to the nature of this project.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Elizabeth H. Parham, CMSM

Executive Director