07/20/05 Minutes

GWCC AUTHORITY
CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK COMMITTEE MEETING
July 20, 2005

MINUTES
________________________________________

Present:
Richard Cohen, Chairman
Nancy Coverdell (by phone)
Marty Kogon
Dan Graveline, staff
Mark Banta, Staff
Brian Hill, Staff

Absent:
Ray Anderson
Jim Edenfield
Glenn Hicks, Ex-officio


Chair Cohen called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and welcomed committee members and GWCCA staff to the meeting.

Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes of the April 20, 2005 GWCCA Centennial Olympic Park Committee meeting was made by Marty Kogon, seconded by Nancy Coverdell, and unanimously approved.

Events Updates - 2005
Mr. Graveline updated the committee on several issues since the last meeting:
1) On the Bricks concert series has been cancelled for this summer due to loss of title sponsorship by Pepsi - Aquafina.

2) The Wednesday WindDown concerts are doing extremely well and are still free to the public. WCLK Radio and KISS FM Radio are the two sponsors who bring the Wednesday WindDown events to the Park. Once a month on the first Wednesday of the month a larger name act is presented. This night is called Got Jazz. Brian Hill, COP Assistant General Manager, noted a Wednesday WindDown program was developed for this season. Funding for the program is generated through advertisement sales from businesses in the area.

Sponsorships
Chair Cohen spoke briefly with a Coca Cola representative in Phoenix recently and they are willing to talk to us about potential for sponsoring events in the Park. Chair Cohen will try to arrange a meeting with Coke on this issue.

Mr. Graveline is having lunch with a representative from Air Tran on August 7 to discuss potential for becoming a sponsor of On the Bricks for next year.

Brian Hill noted that in conjunction with Holiday in Lights and the ice rink, we are adding a children’s ice rink as well as a train ride this year. We are trying to provide children with more activities and hope this will add more sponsorship possibilities.

Mark Banta, COP General Manager, noted we used a broker to try to find sponsors in the past. It was suggested that we should possibly try direct business to business instead of using a broker so that we get to the right person that makes the decision.

It was asked if it would be practical to put together a list of what we need sponsors for, along with the cost of sponsorship for various events. Mark Banta noted we are looking into what the opportunities are for bringing in sponsors. The dilemma is most sponsored events, such as On the Brocks, are third party events and sponsor agreements and not the Parks’ event or sponsor.

Mark reminded the committee we have an agreement with the IOC and USOC that specifies we cannot offer sponsorship for places or things in the Park without their written approval. COP is restricted in return for use of the “Olympic” name and symbols and it is an important issue to remember. Chair Cohen noted it is important that the Authority be reminded from time to time of our relationship with IOC and USOC, especially new members.

Mark also noted that Music Midtown has struggled the past few years. They apparently do not have a commitment on a site for next year and they have come to us to see if it could be held in the Park. Mr. Graveline feels it is probably not an appropriate event for COP due to its size and commercial nature. We might consider offering the Marshalling Yard and Yellow Parking Lot as an alternative site if they are interested.

Peter Conlon has also been promoting six weeks of free concerts with 99X Radio at Underground Atlanta. They could possibly be a future opportunity for the Park, but it would usually be a very young crowd.

Aquarium; World of Coke Update
Mr. Graveline addressed the issue of interfacing with the Aquarium and World of Coke that was brought up at the last meeting. We are currently negotiating a long-term arrangement to handle bus parking for both entities. Our proposal will offer bus parking in our Marshalling Yard for $20 per bus, and will include a driver’s lounge in the existing truck driver’s facility.

COP staff also meets monthly with neighborhood groups, including the Children’s Museum, World of Coke, and the Georgia Aquarium, to talk about other critical issues each will be dealing with.

Chair Cohen expressed some concerns about when these attractions open:
1) How will we handle security? Will we use Atlanta police, or additional COP security and GWCC police? Mr. Graveline noted we will use all of the above. The Aquarium and Coke will work closely together to secure their own sites and are responsible for managing traffic to and from their facilities.

2) Who will handle the traffic flow? Mr. Graveline noted the City is responsible for the streets. The City pledges full support and will work with all parties especially during initial opening phases.

3) What is being done to ensure pedestrian traffic safety? Mr. Graveline noted a formal study is being done to address this specific issue and is headed up by C.A.P. Recommendations will be reviewed by all stakeholders. Chair Cohen noted from the Board’s position, we need to work hard to ensure coordination with the City. Mr. Graveline assured the committee that the City is part of the process, but there are no simple solutions to this and it will be an evolving process.

Chair Cohen then asked if we had as much programming in the Park as we would like to have. Do we want more? Mark reported we had 168 events last year. There may be some growth potential for revenue generating events such as corporate events. We need to think of ways to generate revenue, but we also need to keep a balance between events and daily public enjoyment of the Park. Mr. Graveline noted our programming objective is to get people downtown and to offer a better quality of life downtown. If we could, we would like to get On the Bricks back. That, along with Wednesday WindDown, Fourth Saturday Family Fun Day, and Music at Noon along with daily visitor activities, and we would have more than enough events.


“Friends of the Park” Initiative
Mark Banta distributed a handout, “Friends of the Park Review.” A copy is attached and made a part of these minutes. We recognize there is a basic feeling among neighbors of wanting to “take ownership” if they are part of this kind of program. Our “Friends of the Park” proposal is different from other parks in that we are not a park in crisis. We are building a foundation, developing alliances, and building relationships with Coke and the Aquarium. Mark will meet with Mr. Graveline and Khalil Johnson to further review and discuss the proposal. Chair Cohen feels this is a terrific idea. Mr. Graveline noted we would be obligated to give input to members if they donate a substantial amount of money. One committee member wondered if “Friends” would be less likely to expect control if we gave them something in exchange for their donation. Mr. Graveline suggested we could also restrict the dollar amount of donations in order to not give up control. Again, Chair Cohen feels this could be good for the community, but has certain risks and pitfalls.

All Children’s Playground Project
We still do not have enough money in hand to get this project underway. We anticipate $100,000 from Kim King’s family but are still $150,000 short. Mr. Graveline is concerned we will soon receive pressure from the current donors to bring this project to a head and to decide whether to move forward with the project or not. Mr. Graveline asked Chair Cohen to speak to Roy Barnes about fund raising possibilities. Chair Cohen will talk to former Gov. Barnes and set an arbitrary date of September 15 to see if we can raise more funding. Also, Mr. Graveline will talk to Glenn Hicks, Authority Chairman, who may be willing to get some of his friends together to seek funding.

Next Meeting
The next GWCCA Centennial Olympic Park Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 19, at 12:30 p.m. Location is to be determined.

Chair Cohen thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. He felt it was a good meeting and the committee has gained a better understanding of the Park and its operation.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.