Saturday Night Block Parties postponed
The Saturday night block parties on Commodore Plaza have ended for awhile. Apparently the merchants and restaurant owners took a vote and it was decided that it wasn't working. They are going to regroup and start up again.
Each week, the restaurants (7 or 8) were donating $350.00 each and the BID was picking up the remainder. The cost for six month's worth of Saturday parties was about $92,000 to $95,000.
Not enough people were showing up to warrant the expense and work, it was sometimes taking three days a week out of the BID's work week to plan the block parties.
Each week, the restaurants (7 or 8) were donating $350.00 each and the BID was picking up the remainder. The cost for six month's worth of Saturday parties was about $92,000 to $95,000.
Not enough people were showing up to warrant the expense and work, it was sometimes taking three days a week out of the BID's work week to plan the block parties.
posted by Tom Falco at 9:30 AM
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38 Comments:
Amazing. $92,000.00 ok let me repeat ninety two thousand dollars! I put a proposal together and presented it last Jan. knowing that the kick off had to be right after the Coconut Grove Art Festival and to be promoted during CGAF.. That would have amounted to $52.000.00 for an entire year. The intent was, putting Coconut Grove on the map as an artist community. I was told it is tooo EXPENSIVE. That was after seeing the paper work for the other failed attempts like Wed. night in the Grove, etc, etc. which ran 6 weeks for about the same amount. Give me a break.
Is this correlated to this weekends art stroll on dec. 5? if so does it mean it isnt happening?
3 days to "plan" what exactly? putting barracades at the end of the street? There weren't even bands or entertainment of any kind at the last one.
What did BID plan for 3 days? did they map how 3 restaurants would put tables in the street?
3 days of work... hysterical.
Yes, the Art Stroll is on, it was never part of the Block Party.
That's a Bummer!
Don't see why is cost so much to close the street for the night.
Maybe they will change their mind.
Come on folks, this is all Sarnoff's doing! Gary Hecht for Commissioner from District 2!
What a shame.
This is a case of starting off with a good idea, letting it run downhill right up to the high point of the season and good weather, and wasting a huge sum of money on who know's what?
How in the world could you possible spend that kind of money on 2 barricades.
I took 10 friends down there 2 weeks ago to have dinner and hear the Spam All Stars to find an empty block with a couple of barricades and finding out the next day that they were playing at Cocowalk. Note to the bid, stop canabalizing each other's events and work together. Cocowalk screwing Commmodore Plaza didn't do anybody any good.
The bid needs to hire a professional marketing consultant and stop playing amateur hour.
It is unfortunate the weekly Commodore Block party is ending,
Street closure take time to become events, merchants and BID needed to be more involved, you cannot give up on something after trying 6 or 7 times.
This was an opportunity to make Coconut Grove more interesting one evening a week, the event was perfect the last two weeks of July with artists, music, mimes.
Sylvano
Greenstreet
Well if you want to see where the money goes, try throwing a block party. The Spam All Stars don't come cheap.
Neather do outdoor liquore licenses, which had to be bought every week, permits, police, advertising, sanitation, etc.
It's a bit more than throwing two barracades up.
Grape, I heard Miami Parking Authority had to be paid since the metered parking spaces were part of the block party closure. Is that true, if so how much did the get?
Who sells the liquor licenses? Where do the other charges come from? I know I have not been a strong supporter of secession, because I know what an arduous and expensive process it would require with no guarantees, but when the BIC was formed it was with the promise of giving the Grove money and power to control its own destiny, at least in the commercial core, and was the basis for some of us to decide to work with the City instead of pushing for secession. Instead, the BID seems to have turned into a puppet of the MPA and City of Miami which taxes Grove businesses above what they paid before and then pays the City and MPA, and the friends of people who control the money, with those funds. It has never become independent, but instead is still chaired by our City Commissioner, who also appointed its Board and hired its Executive Director. Is it me, or is there something VERY FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG with this picture?
The liquor license was a county thing. Someone had to run out to Doral once a week to get them at some county office there. One for each restaurant, I think the cost was $100.00 each per week.
The Parking Authority ususally charges $10 per meter for 24 hour period, so that may have been the cost for all the meters.
Block parties do cost money. No way around it.
Plus, since the MPA controls the BID, it's a bit ironic that they pay themselves for the meters. Reminds me of the time they paid themselves (the BIC paid the MPA) $70,000 for a parking study.
That amount is obscene. It would be cheaper to close Commodore down permanently to vehicles and make it a pedestrian friendly street.
Sorry but between this and the poorly messaged, mediocre Rooms to Go/Ice Cream stand logo amounting to a Billboard of Blandness the BID Sucks.
MEH
If everybody that posts here would actually SHOW UP at the block parties then maybe they wouldn't end up failing. I loved them, and went to almost all, but I know that after last Saturday when it was more a ghost town than a party, I knew it was only a matter of time before it got canceled.
BTW, a bird pooped on my windshield. Was that Sarnoff's fault, too??
Ana - I think you are a lot smarter and more mature than that last comment makes you sound.
Why are some people blind supporters of sarnoff? is it just to be contrary to the majority who disagree with him on many concrete ideas and see him as detrimental to the community?
You have seen many specific gripes against him on these pages for things that he personally did or controls or could change. He ran for that job, he wants that spotlight, and he is getting what he deserves.
Further, it is not up to the commentors, residents of the grove or residents of miami dade to show up just because the street was closed. It is up to the event planner/ organizer to plan and market an event that draws a crowd.
I brought people to the block party on 3 occasions, and each time they were disappointed, and we ended up going to do something else. The music, on the rare occasion that there was some, ended by 9pm... that's just insane. This is miami. Most don't leave there house till 10 on a saturday.
HEY YOU GUYS!
Well..1st off Tom,
Are you sure you didnt have an affair with Tiger Woods?
2nd, I live in the Grove
and in a band who played at the first round (which was a success by the way)Then they decided to hire outside bands who dont live in the grove and cant get many people there! RyanStoneMusic and many other bands are not expensive, they chose that route, and I tried weeks in advance to get a show to have plenty of time to promote for it, then I was told I was being a pest, and we got cut off from the event! (that gets around, just saying)
GREAT IDEA, bad people in charge!
and 3rd,see #1 and 2
It is too bad the block party didn't work but BID really needs some help. They are out of line and have really no idea what they are doing. If they did they would actually try to help the Grove from dying then tell everyone all the time the don't have any money and are honestly sick of commodore and all the merchants on it!!!! Really unprofessional people at BID. They need new people over there.
It is a shame that the Block Party idea fizzled. Personally, I thought it had hit a good stride when Manny Alonso Poch came up with the idea to make it a 70s theme, with the 70s cars on display and 70s music one night. I ran into Grape and we went to the Arts and Minds courtyard and enjoyed dinner while watching the Midnight Special projected on the wall. I made the suggestion to some of the BID people while we were there on the street, that they should stick with the 70s theme for a while, because that way it builds momentum and word of mouth, and people show up next week because their friends pointed out how cool it was this week. Things don't just take off by themselves. You have to create a buzz.
The 70s theme could have been a perfect seasonal theme for the Grove Block parties. After all, everyone, including me, is always going on about how swell it was back then. Commodore was actually in its hey day.
There could have been plenty of material to work with. For example, one week it could have focused on disco, another on glitter rock, another on jazz, funk, etc. I mean this is the decade that gave us such musical diversity as can be found in Ziggy Stardust, Tony Manero, Benny and the Jets, Bad Girls, Rhiannon, The Dancing Queen, Mr. Magic, Tommy and Rocky Horror... not to mention Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci.
The 70s also gave us some of the most memorable films of modern history - and as a tie-in to the 70 theme, we could have set up an entire 70s Film Festival in tandem, which would have taken care of the much discussed, wrist-wringing theme of "what are we going to do when AMC closes...."
The movies could have run at Abanico or even in an empty store front with a sailcloth strung up showing such fabulous films of the decade as All the Presidents Men, the Stepford Wives, Saturday Night Fever, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Rocky, Annie Hall, Clockwork Orange, Harold & Maude, the Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Taxi Driver, Carrie, French Connection, Rocky, Paper Moon, Planet of the Apes, Swept Away , The Conformist, The Conversation, Shaft, The Sting, Seven Beauties, Barry Lyndon, Foxy Brown, Manhattan and an entire mini-festival of John Waters movies ...and of course, a weekly midnight showing of Rocky Horror shown outdoors against the wall of the Post office which once was the theater where it was shown every Saturday night weekly in 70s
The Billboard could have been used to promote the whole 70s theme for the holiday season:
Every Saturday Night, Make Like Cher & "Turn Back Time"
Coconut Grove 70s Block Party. coconutgrove.com
Who knows, it could have been good enough to become a yearly occurrence in the height of the winter months. It could have been, as Stevie Wonder put so well back in the 70s...chevere.
Another good idea, poorly marketed and managed until its untimely demise, but not before thousands of dollars are gone. Who is running the marketing for BID? Whatever happened concerning the conflict with the entire BID marketing budget being handed over to one company that was partly owned by a sitting BID member? If that company is still in charge, they are certainly doing a lackluster job in branding the Grove.
I also made several sugeestions to try to make the experience more user friendly and attract more people in a comfortable way. I was told wait until the Glass house area become Bryant Park. So get ready Commodore looks like they will move the parties over there when this happens. (hopefully it doesn't but we were told it's a done deal). The merchants and residents should all be saying NO to Brynat Park in the gRove.
that guy: FYI, I am NOT a Sarnoff supporter. I am merely tired of hearing every woe in the Grove attributed to this person. Some accusations are accurate, some are not, and some are just ridiculous.
And the fact that people here call him names, or ANYONE names for that matter, really lowers the bar for a mature and civilized discussion. From the preppy Papa Sarnoff, to the evil commissioner all done under the guise of Anonymity is pathetic.
If you are criticizing someone and it is not under the pretense of a personal vendetta, then you should not be so cowardly or childish.
I think there are many -I assume- adults who comment on this blog, write disparaging remarks without backing it up. That takes away so much from the cause you so passionately defend, because if your intentions are good you need not be in the shadows.
I am disturbed that the chair of our council does not know where liquor licences come from.
Just for the record, Michelle is not the Chairperson of the Village Council, Martin Zilber is.
Someone in authority has to give the people/public what they want.
If you have people dispersing money who do not understand human nature they can not give us, the humans/people/public what we want. Look at who disperses the money to pay for whatever and you will see the problem. I know that most of you won't get this, but look at who disperses the money, look at his dogs and you will see no life, no joy, no fun, no wagging tail, just puts their heads down and walk straight forward-----poor animals!
Liliana Dones-Genius!
This is when the Grove was at it's peak.
Why not remind those of us old enough to remember, and introduce it's charms for those too young to know.
Commodore Plaza business owners would benefit from a mini Lincoln Road, with a permanantly closed street.
It's a large undertaking, I realize. The city would have to purchase the building where the spa is located (next to the animal clinic) in order to re-route traffic from Grand Ave to Main Hwy, through the alley/street that runs behind the playhouse parking lot. Commodore Plaza would be jamming.
(Liliana, You sure have a good memory!)
only thing that bugged the crap out of me was when i was living out of the grove i would drive in and without commodore, navigating the grove is a bitch, i mean i like to take a spin around and see whats going on
A closed pedestrian street was and remains a good idea for Commodore Plaza. Look at the commercial success of Lincoln Road and the more eclectic Española! Both attract lots of locals, tourists, bikers, parents pushing kids in strollers, pedestrians of all ages. Both streets are entertainment destinations and do very well even though I suspect that neither street is open till 5 AM. They don’t spend $18K a month on overpriced billboard. They attract folks with quality shops, quality restaurants, street performers, antique furniture events, farmers markets, vender kiosks, live music, safety, friendliness, hospitality, plenty of bike racks and nearby parking or valet service. I was informed by the BID on several occasions that they can have vendor kiosks or street entertainers on Commodore because that will take attention away from the shops. I thought that the idea was to bring as many folks to the Commodore ASAP. Closing the street and having a musician parking at each end for a few hours is not much of a reason to come to the Grove, find a parking space, avoid getting a ticket, towed or robbed by criminals or over priced shop keepers or restaurants. The Grove has also lost its economic engines that included the Playhouse, Movie Theater and Expo Center. Wynwood is happing this week with all of the art in galleries, artistic murals as art in public places, sculptures and some quality restaurants like Joey’s. The Grove should be our communities artistic and entertainment district all year round. Bruce Turkel spelled it out in his very thorough 94 page Coconut Grove Strategic Plan back in December, 20, 2005.
Too bad that most or at least some of the ideas where not implemented before now. But it is never too late to get things right.
If you want to know why Coconut Grove can't compete with Brickell, South Miami, etc, attracting younger professionals, just read Ms. Dones comment. I understand she's well intentioned, but that demo doesn't care for 70s revivals, art strolls through unhip galleries (I'm sorry but it has to be said, the art is 99% street festival caliber, not Basel) or mad hatter festivals. The Grove is perceived as plain old and as long as you folks keep holding on to its heyday decades ago, then it's just going to be you folks walking the streets and going to bed early. It's not the 5 am closings or the parking (tried parking on Miami Beach lately?), it's the atmosphere of the place that reeks of old hippies holding on to their memories. That "always cool" slogan, besides being badly written, it's also patently untrue.
$92,000 to throw a block party but we can only come up with $1,000 as a reward to catch the Virginia Street rapist. Ridiculous.
Cristina - very well said.
I wonder if the block party brought more people to the grove than a rapist on the loose has cost it.
Actually, I'll bet my life savings on the opposite.
Let's be fair, guys. The $92K, if that is accurate, is for the entire year's block parties, not one party.
Cristina & That Guy,
Maybe you could tell us how much you have contributed to the rapist reward fund?
Michelle: actually, it is 6 months worth of saturdays. It is still a ridiculous amount of money to be spent on closing one street.
Talk is cheap: you can bet your life I will contribute if it means capturing this creap, Or not having to walk out of my house scared for my life with a knife in hand. Where is the fund...sign me up. Peace of mind is priceless. The point Iam trying to make here is...$92,000 ....REALLY!?? come on guys, thats alot of money to close ONE street.
I dont know how you feel, but I know that 4-5 cops standing around talking crap, wasting our tax money for nothing really does not help ease ones mind nor does it make me feel any safer. what they should be doing is walking the streets and making sure the rapist does not strike again. Maybe give some peace of mind to the patrons of the Grove.
Ana- you have no idea who your are dealing with then. Period. Czarnoff makes you stay in the shadows..because if he finds out what bar/restaurant you work at if you speak out...you bet there are cop cars out in front in a day. What do you say to the people who lost their jobs and lost revenue at the places he shut down with the 3am ordinance? He...no one else...he is resposible for that. Atleast 40 people lost their jobs and 2 business' were closed down and one is barely making it now. I lost my job that I had for 5 years due to his law..my employer couldn't afford to keep me and 7 others on full time due to the loss in revenue from HIS 3am ordinance....and when you compare families losing their incomes to a bird pooping on your window...it gets some of us fired up. "that guy" was right..I hope you are smarter than your comments make you sound.
All this talk-- not understanding that whatever all these opinions espouse.................the bottom line is that South Miami does not have the WATER.............we do................to be successful, you have to MARKET THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Find the identity............collaborate..
go with the flow.........there's so MUCH TO LOVE about the GROVE...
stop the in-fighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There's never a mention of Monty's -- sounds to me there's only the Center Grove, minus Cocowalk, which is WONDERFUL -- THE CENTER OF THE GROVE -- so why not acknowledge it and embrace it -- just totally perplexing.
This is horrible $92,000 for what to date? Coconut Grove pays into the City far more than it ever has gotten back in services. What's wrong with make it work, suck it up. Does it always have to be about money. What"s a village but a unique entity within a City. "Just do It" Let the register ring up the city fees and have them deduct it from what they owe us. Start with the MPA see them support Viernes Culturales. How many meters are over there/
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