Monday Morning Memo

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July 26, 2010

Monday Morning Memo is your weekly update on the latest news about downtown Tampa. Here are the sections found in this issue. Click on the sections below or scroll down to read the complete issue:

Partnership Matters | Opportunities | Seeing is Believing | Special Services District | Creative Urban Core | Downtown Happenings | In and Around InTown

Partnership Matters

The Tampa Downtown Partnership continues to welcome new members! Please welcome:

To learn more about each new member, click on their name to visit their Web site. If you would like to more more about becoming a member of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, visit the membership section or contact Kimberly Finn at (813) 221-3686. We are thrilled to have these companies join!

REALM, a Tampa Downtown Partnership committee, continues the popular Yoga in the Park series each Sunday through August. Head to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park for an hour long free yoga class with instructors from Downtown’s Happy Buddha Lounge starting at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Details about this program can be found by clicking here.

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Opportunities

Here is an opportunity to get a great deal and support local art! Stageworks Theatre is offering the Flex Pass. At the cost of $115.00, you get to see all of their upcoming season’s productions. These include plays such as As Bees in Honey Drown, The War of the Worlds, The God of Isaac, The MoMologues, A Lesson Before Dying, and a 6th production to be announced very soon. All productions are currently scheduled for the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. But your support now will aid in Stageworks Theatre’s efforts to complete its new home in downtown’s Channel District. Find out more about how you can purchase a Flex Pass by clicking here.

The St. Pete Times Forum will host a backpack and school supply drive on behalf of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA on Friday (07/30). The collection is part of the “Community Friendly Friday” program. The Times Forum will be collecting backpacks and school supplies at the Box Office from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Each year, the YMCA provides backpacks filled with school supplies to hundreds of children in the community without financial resources. The collected backpacks will be distributed at a YMCA back-to-school event in Riverview on August 14, 2010. Examples of needed supplies include pencils, notebook paper, scissors and glue. For a full list of items, please visit www.sptimesforum.com. Donors are encouraged to arrive early, as the first 75 participants will receive a voucher good for one complimentary ticket to the opening night of Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey at the St. Pete Times Forum on September 9 (limit one per person). A special prize wheel will also be available, in which all participating community members will have the opportunity to win additional prizes, including Tampa Bay Storm seat upgrades, Lightning merchandise, tickets to select concerts, and Lightning autographed items. Ticket discounts and special offers will be honored at the St. Pete Times Forum Box Office on Friday, July 30 from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. only. This offer is not valid through Ticketmaster. For more information, please call (813) 301-2500, or visit www.sptimesforum.com.

Help at-risk students start the year off right by participating in the Hillsborough Education Foundation’s 2010 Stuff the Bus campaign. From now through September 1, your company can help ensure students have the essential supplies to succeed in the classroom. To schedule a supply drive, contact Laura Grucza at (813) 574-0279 or lgrucza@educationfoundation.com. Join the numerous Tampa Bay businesses that are already a part of the campaign, including: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida; de la Parte & Gilbert; DEX Imaging; Ernst & Young, LLP; HDR Engineering, Inc.; Healthesystems; and Stichter, Riedel, Blain, & Prosser, PA. You can also stop by the following downtown locations to drop off your personal contributions: 100 North Tampa, M&I Bank Plaza, Rivergate Tower, and Wachovia Center. All supplies benefit the Foundation’s Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools program. For more information on the 2010 Stuff the Bus campaign, visit www.educationfoundation.com.

Curious how you can eat right while at work? IKEA will discuss this exact topic during its next Live @ Five event on August 19th. It’s a Breeze Diet Clinic’s Cindy Dervech and June Smith will show attendees how to eat right at the office and on the go! At this “back to school” session, learn how to pack a healthy lunch for you and your kids. All attendees receive a special gift from IKEA Tampa to help you maintain healthy and affordable eating habits in the workplace. The cost to attend this event is only $10.00. You pay at the door, but advanced reservations are requested because space is limited. Please RSVP by August 17th to Debra Faulk at IKEA by calling (813) 623-4042, ext. 1336 or email. You will need to leave your full name, name of your company and the names of each person in your party.

The Glazer Children’s Museum officially launched its membership sales program. Over the next two months, as the museum gets ready to open its doors to the public, interior build out continues on 12 exciting themed galleries offering over 170 amazing ‘hands-on, minds-on’ interactive exhibits for children and their families. The result will be a truly unique and dynamic experience where play, discover and learning all come together for a whole lot of family fun! For more information about membership, visit www.GlazerMuseum.org/membership .

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Studies and Reviews

Gov. Charlie Crist has named Tuesday (07/27) as SS American Victory Recognition Day. The AmVic will receive a proclamation at a 10:00 a.m. July 27 is Korean War Armistice Day. To commemorate the end of the Korean War with the signing of the cease-fire, Gov. Crist deemed it important to raise the awareness of the SS American Victory, which supplied American and United Nations troops on the Korean peninsula from ports in the United States and Japan. The general public is invited to join the celebration on Saturday, July 30th from 10am to 5pm. Admission will be half price all day ($5/adults; $4/veterans; $4/seniors 65+; and $2.50/youths 4-12). Complimentary freeze pops, cake and coffee will be available. Children are invited to participate in take-home arts and crafts projects. Tickets will be available at the door.

The St. Pete Times Forum has been ranked fourth in the United States and twelfth in the world on the Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues list by Pollstar in its 2010 Mid-Year Special Edition. The award was based on tickets sold worldwide as reported to Pollstar for shows played in the first half of 2010 (1/1/10 - 6/30/10). Pollstar is a publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. In its mid-year recap, Pollstar reported that the St. Pete Times Forum sold over 231,000 tickets from January through June of 2010. Pollstar also compiled a list of the Top 100 North American Tours. Of the top 10 concert tours on the list, six were hosted by the St. Pete Times Forum, including Bon Jovi, Carole King & James Taylor, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, John Mayer and Michael Bublé. The St. Pete Times Forum was also noted for its sold-out April 17, 2010 Bon Jovi concert, which was named as one of the Top 100 Concert Grosses worldwide. Acts scheduled for the remainder of 2010 include American Idol Live!, Tom Petty, Carrie Underwood, Roger Waters, Justin Bieber and Andre Rieu with many more great shows still to be announced. In addition to its national and international recognition, the St. Pete Times Forum leads the state of Florida as the highest ranked venue in ticket sales. Earlier this year, the arena was named as the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. The 21,500-seat arena will serve as the venue for the 2011 NCAA Men’s First and Second Rounds, 2012 Frozen Four and 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four. The arena will also host a preseason National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Miami HEAT and Orlando Magic. The in-state matchup will feature league superstars LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard. The game is scheduled for October 22, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. The St. Pete Times Forum is home to the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and five-time World Champion Tampa Bay Storm arena football team. The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Storm will conclude their regular season against the Orlando Predators on July 31, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

CB Richard Ellis has released its 2nd Quarter Commercial Office Market Report for the Tampa Bay area. The view this report, click here.

Tampa City Center’s commitment to sustainable building operations has been recognized by the US Green Building Council. After a year-long process to improve and document its sustainable operations, the building achieved the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance Gold Certification in July. Tampa City Center is the first multi-tenant existing building in Tampa to be awarded LEED certification at the Gold level. The rating scale for the certification levels are 1) Certified 34-42 points 2) Silver 43-50 points 3) Gold 51-67 points 4) Platinum 68-92 points. Several operations that helped Tampa City Center achieve this goal are:

100% of the water used for both the irrigation of the esplanade planters as well as the water used for the fountain is reclaimed from the building’s foundation French drainage system
The building scored 84 on the Energy Star Label
The filters used on the Air Conditioning System exceed LEED efficiency ratings and provide indoor air quality comparable to an ISO Class 5 Clean Space.
72% of the waste generated at the property is diverted from a landfill and recycled.

Progress continues with the construction of the TECO Line Streetcar System. To find out what’s going on this week, click here.

Here is your UCAP update for the week of July 26, 2010. A map of the current construction areas can be viewed by clicking here.

Florida Avenue (Harrison to Scott): Two easternmost travel lanes closed from 5AM to 3PM. Two northbound travel lanes open after 3PM.
Laurel Street (Florida to Marion): Closed to through traffic.
Fortune Street (Florida to Marion): Closed to through traffic.
Harrison Street (Franklin to Marion): Closed to traffic.
Tyler Street (Ashley to Franklin): Closed to through traffic.
Cass Street (Jefferson to Governor): Eastbound travel lane closed. One westbound travel lane remains open for local traffic only.
Cass Street (Governor to Nebraska): One westbound and one eastbound travel lane remain open for local traffic only.
Cass Street (Tampa to Florida): Northernmost eastbound travel lane closed.
Polk Street (Jefferson to Ashley): Northern westbound travel and parking lanes are closed.
Twiggs Street (Florida to Pierce): Northernmost westbound travel and parking lanes are closed. Two eastbound travel lanes remain open.
Marion Street (Cass to Polk): Closed to through traffic.
Marion Street (Zack to Twiggs): Closed to through traffic.
Tampa Street (Twiggs to Jackson): Westernmost travel and parking lanes are closed. Two easternmost travel lanes remain open.
Jefferson Street (Zack to Twiggs): Two southbound lanes closed - local access only. Two northbound lanes remain open to traffic.
Kennedy Boulevard (at Tampa): Two northernmost lanes closed from Friday, July 23 6PM to Monday, July 26 5AM.

Additional information about these projects can be found on the Tampa UCAP website at www.tampa-ucap.com.

Last week an update was given to elected officials on the status of the High Speed Rail project between downtown Tampa and Orlando. In 2015, riders will be able to get from end to end in less than hour traveling at speeds up to 168mph. Additional federal funding is being applied for to study the expansion from Orlando to Miami. Some early work in the median of I-4 has already begun, a design, build, operate and maintain contract should be awarded next year. For more information, click here for an article from 10 Connects.

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Special Services District

There’s been a lot of talk recently about all the transportation efforts underway. What are the differences between high speed rail and the transportation initiative? What does it all cost? How will it benefit you, the citizen of Hillsborough County? If you have these and other questions, you are not alone. That’s why The Urban Charrette will host Transit Talk on Thursday (7/29). Transit Talk is the latest in organization’s Open Mic Night series. Transit Talk is designed as an open forum where the public can express their concerns and ask questions about the upcoming referendum. In attendance will be public officials, transportation experts, residents, business owners, and Moving Hillsborough Forward campaign representatives. The event will take place at the Tampa Museum of Art starting at 6:00 p.m. Find out more by clicking here.

The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce is reporting that last Wednesday the Moving Hillsborough Forward campaign filed a Report of Contributions and Expenditures with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office totaling nearly $1 million from contributors. From environmental groups to community activists to business owners, people are uniting to publicly declare their support for an initiative on the November ballot that will help make possible a modern transportation system that will be among America’s best. Remember you can Double Your Donation to the Moving Hillsborough Forward campaign thanks to the support of Chamber Chair Chuck Sykes and Sykes Enterprises Incorporated. Click here to contribute online. Be on the lookout for the new Moving Hillsborough Forward TV spot. Watch it now!

The Summertime Savings Card is in full swing! This past week subscribers to the card’s newsletter received their third issue. The latest newsletter offered insider information about how cardholders could benefit from a discounted being extended by the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Don’t miss out! Find out all the details as which businesses are participating and where you can find a card by clicking here.

Downtown residents can now save big at four downtown venues! Stumps Supper Club, Tinatapas, Splitsville and Howl at the Moon are all taking part in the new iLIVE Downtown card program. By getting this card, downtown residents can save 25% off their bill at each of these venues. Find out how to get this new card by clicking here.

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Creative Urban Core

How much do you know about the contribution the arts have given to the economic development of dowtown Tampa? If you are a reader of Monday Morning Memo, then you know that the Partnership has been promoting 25 in 2010. Now is a great time to refresh yourself on what 25 in 2010 is all about and the 25 organizations and events that make 2010 a significant year in downtown's cultural development scene.

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Downtown Happenings

It’s a new week. Start it off with planning a new You! Plaza Fitness and RobZFitness, located in the Bank of America Plaza, can get you started with an exercise program that is sure to change the way you look and feel about yourself. Find out more about their Free Body Fat Test, which is the first step in a new exercise program, by clicking here.

Take the time this week to discover Tampa’s rich and diverse history. Two of the best places to discover the past are in downtown – Henry B. Plant Museum and the Tampa Bay History Center. This week you can learn about Tampa’s past as the site of the area’s first settlers, the Native American tribes that called this place home, at the Tampa Bay History Center’s exhibit called Obscured By Time. You can explore the beauty of the Victorian era at the Henry B. Plant Museum. Learn about the gardens of the Tampa Bay Hotel in the museum’s current exhibit, Strolling the Perfect Paradise. Important note: both venues are participants in the Summertime Savings Card program!

Want to escape to a far off place? Consider Spain! Ok, it’s not the country, but Spain Restaurant, located at 513 N. Tampa Street, is a downtown favorite bringing the flavors of Spain to the urban core. Each day Spain offers unique dishes that are sure to change your mood and return you back to work full of Spanish flair. To learn more, click here.

City Bike Tampa will offer one of its popular Thursday Night Group Bicycle Rides this Thursday (7/29). Group rides leave the store located at 212 E. Cass Street at 7:00 p.m. Riders will see downtown Tampa and the surrounding neighborhoods in the evening time. During the ride, the group will make stops at local restaurants and bars for drinks. Curious where they will stop? Review this ride’s flyer. This is an excellent way to explore the city. Find out more by clicking here.

Friday night is a great time to enjoy the downtown area. Head over to Columbia Café at the Tampa Bay History Center for tapas and drink specials all while enjoying music on the patio. More details available by clicking here.

Saturday (7/31) the David A Straz Center for the Performing Arts will be the location of Nickelodeon Presents Storytime Live! Showtimes are 10:30 a.m., 2:0 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. Nickelodeon presents STORYTIME LIVE!, their latest musical adventure featuring four of the top-rated preschool shows: “Dora the Explorer,” “The Backyardigans,” “Ni Hao, Kai-lan,” and “Wonder Pets!” Join hosts Moose & Zee as they take you through four exciting musical adventures. For details about the first show at 10:30 a.m., click here.

On Sunday (08/01) The Tampa Theatre continues its Summer Classic Film Series with the showing of “From Here to Eternity”. This gripping adaptation of James Jones's novel about army life in Hawaii in the idyllic days just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, boasts one of the hottest love scenes in screen history: All told, the film won eight Oscars, including awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed) and Best Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra). Movies begin at 3:00 p.m. Find out more by clicking here.

You can find cool events on downtown’s own online events calendar! Click here to find out what’s taking place when and get out to have fun.

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In and Around InTown

Soon, phones will ring across Hillsborough County as Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, former Congressman Jim Davis and other community leaders take to the phone lines on behalf of Moving Hillsborough Forward. Anxious to tell residents how they can help improve transportation options and move our community from being ranked dead last in the country for commuters (Forbes 2010), some of the people who know Hillsborough best are embarking on a county-wide education outreach effort beginning on July 22. Moving Hillsborough Forward will conduct Telethon Hall meetings, where tens of thousands of residents in a certain geographic area are called and invited to join a live conference call. They will be able to ask questions and hear their neighbors' questions about the transportation referendum on the ballot this November. The first round of calls with community leaders will be made according to the following schedule:

Thursday, July 22, 7 – 8 p.m.: Brandon area
Thursday, July 29, 5 – 6 p.m.: South County area
Thursday, August 5, 7 – 8 p.m.: New Tampa, University, Temple Terrace areas

If residents don’t receive one of the randomly selected invitation phone calls, they can call (540) 409-4372, pass code 15153# for the July 22 call. Subsequent calls also dial the same call in number with a different pass code. For the July 29 call, the pass code is 15154# and for the August 5, the pass code is 15155#. Additional TeleTown Halls will be conducted in other parts of Hillsborough County in the next several months. Check out www.movinghillsboroughforward.org for more information.

601 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1100, Tampa FL 33602
(813) 221-3686 phone; (813) 229-1328 fax: www.tampasdowntown.com
Be in the know faster by following the Tampa Downtown Partnership on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tampasdowntown or become a fan of downtown Tampa by visiting the Partnership’s Facebook page.