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CATALYST SITE UPDATE-- JANUARY 2017

"What is going on with the downtown Catalyst site?"  That is a question that Nelson Beverly recently asked. In order to find out, he obtained some recent letters between the city and the developers which are quite interesting and speak to where the project is today. You can read the interchange here. All concerned Trust members are encouraged to read this interchange and make their own informed decision about the progress of the downtown development.

OPEN LETTER FROM PRESIDENT NELSON BEVERLY, 12/05/16

Dear fellow Sanfordites, 

I implore you to take some time and watch this video.  If you love Sanford and want the best for our city then you really need to watch it. 

 VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfij7aELLeA&feature=youtu.be

 The video is from a recent lecture series hosted by the City of Sanford and organized by Christine Dalton.  The guest speaker is Joe Minicozzi who currently resides in Asheville, NC.

 Joe lays out in very easy to understand language why it is absolutely necessary for us to invest heavily in our Downtown.  He connected the dots on how doing so will significantly increase Sanford’s tax revenues which will naturally increase the wealth level of our entire community. 

 Throughout the video he shares interesting stories and provides thought-provoking examples.  This video is a practical “how to guide” for all Sanfordites on how we can maximize everything our city has to offer.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM MEETING ON 2/18/2016

Hopper Academy Donation request letter

Hopper Academy Donation request form

Proposed MOU document between Torre Companies and City of Sanford


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM MEETING ON 6/24/2015

Click the link below to see the presenation that Scott Sidler from Austin Home Restorations gave to the Trust on 6/24/2015.

Sanford Historic Trust CA with attachments.pdf

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM MEETING ON 3/19/2015

For those of you that attended the general membership meeting on 3/19/2015, here is the additional info that was discussed during Commissioner Woodruff’s presentation about the City’s Waterfront Master Plan and the Downtown CRA:


Littlejohn
John Jones, AICP, CRP
jjones@leainc.com
www.leainc.com
407-975-1273
Littlejohn is the consulting firm hired by the City to produce the Waterfront Master Plan. They have held various public meetings to present information and gather feedback. Though most of their meetings have been at inconvenient times for the average working citizen, they do encourage citizens to email or call them with questions and feedback about the plan.


I'On Group
www.iongroup.com
A development company based in Charleston, SC that was recently shown the City’s working Waterfront Master Plan and asked for their input. A representative from I’On Group visited Sanford to survey the vacant property and give additional input.

I’On Group represents the type of company the City would ideally like to see complete the work outlined in the Waterfront Master Plan. Once the plan is finalized the City will solicit RFPs at which point I’On and others can submit their formal plans. Ideally, the best plan will be selected but that is where it’s important for the community to stay informed and involved in this process.


Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
The Board of County Commissioners will vote on extending Sanford’s Downtown CRA soon but no date is publically known at this time. The Downtown CRA will officially expire on September 30 of this year unless it is extended by the County Commissioners. Click here(http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/bcc/index.aspx?ref=https%3a%2f%2fwww.google.com%2f) to contact the County Commissioners and voice your view about the Downtown CRA.

Click here (http://www.sanfordfl.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=11838) to view the City of Sanford’s formal request to the County for extending the Downtown CRA.


City of Sanford contacts
407.688.5001

Jeff Triplett, Mayor, Jeff.Triplett@sanfordfl.gov

Art Woodruff, Commissioner, District 1, art.woodruff@sanfordfl.gov

Velma Williams, Commissioner, District 2, Velma.Williams@sanfordfl.gov

Randy Jones, Commissioner, District 3, Randy.Jones@sanfordfl.gov

Patty Mahany, Commissioner, District 4, Patty.Mahany@sanfordfl.gov

Bob Turk, Economic Development Director
Phone: 407.688.5015
E-mail: Bob.Turk@sanfordfl.gov

Russell Gibson, Director of Planning & Development Services
Phone: 407.688.5142
E-mail: russell.gibson@sanfordfl.gov

Sheena Fort, Administrative Specialist III
Phone: 407.688.5000 Ext. 6048
E-mail: Sheena.Fort@sanfordfl.gov

Little Red Schoolhouse Insurance Money
February 6, 2015

Documents provided by Ms. Dalton:

Last summer our city lost some historic structures at the hands of an arsonist.  The loss of any historic structure is something that tugs at the heart strings because of the history and memories that are lost with it.  One of the worst loses last summer was The Little Red School House which was built in 1883 and served as the first school building in Sanford. 

The City of Sanford owned this building and had an insurance policy on it.  Now the City is set to receive a payout from the insurance company totaling $339,802.29.  Sanford’s finances are on the upswing and rather than arbitrarily depositing the money into the City’s general fund our city leaders should find a way to creatively maximize this payout.

The Sanford Historic Trust has been informed of such a way through the creation of a Cultural Grant Fund that is designed to invest in one of Sanford’s greatest assets, its cultural heritage which The Little Red Schoolhouse was deeply a part of. 

Christine Dalton, our city’s Historic Preservation Officer and Community Planner, has worked hard piecing together a proposed Cultural Grant Fund.   After careful review, the Sanford Historic Trust is happy to support this plan, a plan that will benefit not just one area of Sanford but all of Sanford.  It is modeled after the successful Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency grant program and aligns with the strategic priorities outlined in the Imagine Sanford visioning initiative.  
Our city can only benefit from a plan that supports a plethora of cultural objectives such as performing arts, festivals, special events, theater, music, public art, film, history, historic preservation, literature, and dance. 

So what happens next?  This plan is to be presented to the mayor and commissioners at the work session this Monday February 9, 2015.  If they express interest in creating the fund then it will be done so through adoption of an ordinance at a future commission meeting which would allow public input.  But the critical part right now is getting our city leaders on board with a proactive plan that will positively impact Sanford, rather than allowing the insurance money to be deposited into the general fund. 

I encourage everyone to learn more about the plan by reading the documents provided by Ms. Dalton which give more specific details about the plan (links to the documents are at the start of this letter).  Further, I encourage everyone to contact Mayor Triplett, Commissioners Woodruff, Williams, Jones, and Mahany, as well as Ms. Dalton to voice your support of the plan. 

The Trust is certainly open to consider supporting other plans for the insurance money but have yet to receive any formal plans for review.  If another plan does surface that has merit then our city leaders will have to put on their thinking caps to find the best solution, but that would be a good problem for them to solve.  

Sincerely,

Nelson D. Beverly
President
Sanford Historic Trust



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