May 10, 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 | Studies and Reviews |  Seeing is Believing | Special Services District | Creative Urban Core | Downtown Happenings | In and Around InTown


Partnership Matters

The Partnership will continue with its popular Downtown Debriefing Series with an event titled “ENCORE!, Downtown’s Tempo District.”  The featured speaker is Roxanne Amoroso, senior vice president - Real Estate Development for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.  This Downtown Debriefing Series event will be held Tuesday, May 25th at the Embassy Suites Tampa - Downtown Convention Center (513 South Florida Avenue).  The event will begin with networking and registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program and continental breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  The stage is set.  A long-waited revival begins.  Urban renewal in harmony with a vibrant past creates ENCORE!: a 40+ acre mixed-use redevelopment district in Downtown Tampa. The Encore area has some incredible history.  Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald recorded and wrote here. A city within a city concept, ENCORE! unites the central business district with Ybor City, Tampa Heights and other neighborhoods.  Accented by public art, a revitalized park, museum, and a grand boulevard, ENCORE!'s transit-oriented master plan blends multifamily, retail, office, hotel and a grocery store into an electrified rhythm you can't ignore.  The cost for Partnership members is $20.00, potential member $25.00 and a corporate table (for 8) is $160.00.  To register go to events.tampasdowntown.com.  Parking available at Embassy Suites for $6.00 (Mention the Tampa Downtown Partnership event to take advantage of this 50% discount).  The Downtown Debriefing Series is sponsored by Tampa Electric Company!

Each year the Partnership holds an annual forum to update the community on the progress that has been made on the Downtown Vision and Action Plan, as well as provide an opportunity for TDP members, downtown workers, residents, property holders, etc. to give feedback and actively participate in shaping downtown's future.  A joint effort of the Partnership and the City of Tampa, the Downtown Vision and Action Plan was a nine month study of existing conditions and opportunities in downtown, resulting in a set of recommendations for public & private development, and included the charge that the plan should be revisited, adjusted and updated annually.  As Downtown Tampa grows and continues to change, public input is vital to its success.  Please come share your thoughts on the future of downtown.  This is a free public forum.  It will be held at Tampa Union Station (601 N. Nebraska Avenue) starting at 5:00 p.m. on May 25th with registration and the actual forum beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Your input is valuable.

Please join the Tampa Downtown Partnership as it celebrates its 24th Annual Meeting and Luncheon.  This event will be held on June 9th at the Tampa Conventin Center. In addition to the affirmation of new officers and Board members, Mayor Pam Iorio will give her 8th, and final, "State of Downtown" presentation as part of the program.  The Keynote speaker will be Gary Sasso President and CEO of Carlton Fields Attorneys of Law, and Chairman of the Tampa Bay Partnership.  Mr. Sasso also serves as the Chair of "Moving Hillsborough Forward", a community campaign supporting the Hillsborough County Transportation Referendum.  In the near future, Downtown Tampa will be reinforced as the epicenter of transportation in our region.  Mr. Sasso will provide an update on the progress of the campaign, and the importance of the business community's involvement in this process, in order to help solve our traffic congestion problems, improve our economy by bringing jobs to the county, and create increased mobility options for our region.  Admission to the Annual Meeting is as follows:

• Priority Seating Corporate Table (8) - $500
• Corporate Table (8) - $400
• Member Individual Seat $60
• Potential Member $70

To register online, click here.

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Opportunities

The Corporate Training Center at Hillsborough Community College offers excellent programs to keep you up to speed.  The Corporate Training Center is offering some new and exciting webinars in the coming months. The link provided offers a schedule of what's coming up.  These seminars are a great way to stay current while having the convenience of your computer in front of you.  Find out more by clicking here.
 

The Lightning Foundation, charitable arm of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is now accepting letters of inquiry from worthy organizations interested in being a part of the Foundation’s Annual Grant Program.  Interested organizations should log on to www.tampabaylightning.com to view the procedures for submitting a letter of inquiry.  Further questions should be directed to Kasey Smith, Executive Director of the Lightning Foundation, at ksmith@sptimesforum.com or (813) 301-6764.  Letters can be submitted to Smith via email, in person at the St. Pete Times Forum or by mail to 401 Channelside Dr. Tampa, FL 33602.  All letters of inquiry should be received prior to June 1, 2010.  The Foundation’s Annual Grant Program donated more than $82,000 to 17 worthy organizations including two scholarships through the Dave Andreychuk Scholarship Program at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season.  The Lightning Foundation and the Tampa Bay Lightning donated $863,000.00 in monetary and in-kind support to the Tampa Bay community last season and touched more than 815 charitable organizations.  The Foundation and Tampa Bay Lightning Community Relations Departments are proud to provide autographed Lightning merchandise for charitable auctions and organize major fundraising events throughout the year.

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Studies and Reviews

Will downtown Tampa begin to see more businesses moving back in?  Some would argue it’s already happening.  According to the Harvard Business Review this trend of businesses returning from the suburbs back to the center city is growing and will continue to grow in the years to come.  Why?  They site several reasons such as workforce desires to live in downtowns, density of activities near work in a downtown and quality of life.  Read the entire report to find out more.

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Seeing is Believing

Another restaurant has opened in downtown!  Located in the M&I Bank Plaza, Bruegger’s Bagels is serving up fresh baked bagels, awesome coffee and other delectable treats.  At lunchtime enjoy sandwiches, a panini, soup or a salad.  Bruegger’s Bagels is open Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Pour House at Grand Central at Kennedy is now open.  Located in the center of the Channel District, Pour House has 40 taps of craft beer, 60 craft bottle selections, various wines by the glass and beers and wines for take away.  Join Pour House for Brooklyn pint night tonight (5/10).  Buy a Brooklyn beer and keep the pint glass while supplies last (one per customer).  Rich from Brooklyn Brewery will be here to chat about beer.  Featuring on tap Blast (their Brewmaster Reserve double IPA), Weisse, Summer Ale and Lager.  Special pricing on drafts during the event.  Enjoy some beer and cheese pairings while they last.  We're also planning to celebrate American Craft Beer Week with a Sierra Nevada/Anchor Brewing night on May 22nd and a Stone Brewing night on June 23rd.  Lots of rare beers and special treats at all these events.  For further details, visit WWW.POURHOUSETAMPA.COM.

Downtown’s own bicycle shop, City Bike Tampa, has opened on Tampa’s Riverwalk.  Very exciting news.  83 Degrees Media recently published a story spotlighting City Bike Tampa’s expansion to the Riverwalk.  Read the story by clicking here.

Tampa's historic TECO Line Streetcar System is extending north.  The existing 2.4-mile system that currently terminates at Dick Greco Plaza near the Tampa Convention Center is being extended to Whiting Street at the south end of downtown.  Extension Phase IIa consists of a single track from the current terminus with a passing track north of Brorein to Fort Brooke Garage to a new station at Whiting.  The extension project began October 9, 2009, and is expected to be operational late this year.  For the latest information about the construction project, click here.

This is the Tampa UCAP Downtown Water Pipeline Replacement Project update for May 10.  A map with the road/lane closures is available by clicking here.

• Twiggs Street (west of Meridian):  The two lanes on the north side of Twiggs from Meridian to Pierce will be closed.  Motorists should expect a new traffic pattern as the two lanes on the south side will be westbound only.  Eastbound motorists will be detoured on Pierce to Jackson.  Limited street parking will be available in this area.
• wiggs Street (east of Meridian): Motorists should expect a new traffic pattern.  Eastbound traffic will be maintained and traffic will shift to one lane westbound from Meridian to Channelside.
• Twiggs Street (at Tampa):  No through traffic on Twiggs at Tampa.
• Nebraska Avenue (Kennedy to Cass): Two western lanes closed.  One northbound lane and one southbound lane remain open.  No left turn onto Twiggs from northbound lane.
• Cass Street (Ashley to Franklin):  Southern parking and travel lane closed between Ashley and Franklin.  Two lanes remain open for eastbound traffic.
• Cass Street (Pierce to Jefferson): All lanes closed.
• Orange Avenue (Tyler to Cass): One southbound lane only.
• Polk Street (Ashley to Jefferson): Northern westbound travel lane and parking lane closed to through traffic. 
• Tampa Street (Tyler to Madison): Two travel lanes, parking lane and bike lane on the west side closed.  Two lanes remain open for southbound traffic.  No street parking available in this area.
• Jefferson Street (Twiggs to Zack): Northbound lanes closed.  The southbound lanes remain open for local access only.
• Jackson Street (Franklin to Florida): Northernmost lane closed on Monday, May 10th and Tuesday, May 11th.  Access to parking lot at City Hall will be maintained.
• Florida Avenue (Jackson to Washington): Westernmost lane closed on Monday, May 10th and Tuesday, May 11th.
• Florida Avenue (Kennedy to Jackson): Two western lanes closed on Friday, May 14th and Saturday, May 15th.
• Kennedy Boulevard (Florida to Marion): Northernmost lane closed on Friday, May 14th and Saturday, May 15th.

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

Now that Zack St. has completed it’s one way to two way conversion, the City has started on the fourth and final east/west conversion, Polk Street.  From now until July 2 will be the closure of the north-side lane for traffic signal modifications at each intersection, pavement improvements and parking meter upgrades.  This work will be done concurrently with the UCAP project from Jefferson to Ashley.  From July 5 to 23 the south-side lanes will be closed for the same work.  The anticipated completion date for this project is late July 2010.  Project improvements include retrofitting traffic signals, count-down pedestrian signals, resurfacing, new pavement markings, reconfigured parking spaces, upgraded parking meters, and new traffic signs.  The total estimated project cost for Polk Street is approximately $330,000.

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Special Services District

Congratulations are in order!  Please join the Partnership in recognizing Jay Arnold of Tampa’s Downtown Clean Team, and Robert Arnold or Tampa’s Downtown Guides, for being selected as the Partnership’s Employees of the First Quarter.  Additionally, we recognize Clean Team member Robert Clary who completed one year of service on May 5.  Tampa’s Downtown Guides and Clean Team are part of the Partnership’s clean and safe programs through the Special Services District. 

Only one Friday remains in this season of the Tampa Downtown Market.  The Market will end this Friday (5/14).  Come and celebrate the final day in this very successful season.  Visit with your favorite vendor.  Purchase that end of the season item and get ready for the Market’s return next year on October 15th.

The Downtown Transportation Committee will meet on May 14 at 8:30am.  In addition to its regular agency updates, There will be a presentation about the High Speed Rail Intermodal Center slated to be built on the north end of downtown.  RSVP by clicking here.

Did you know that the downtown YMCA branches are offering free use of lockers and showers to anyone who bikes into work during National Bike Month?  And don’t forget that our Downtown Guides are equipped to help cyclists put air in their tires or with fixing flats.  For a full list of group rides and activities, check out the Tampa BayCycle website.

Congratulations to Gala Rosborough with HNTB Corporation who qualified to win the free bike giveaway at the Clean Air Fair last week.  She plans to ride her new cruiser bike with her son to her neighborhood library, ice cream shop and mother’s house. Thank you to City Bike Tampa for giving a great deal on the bike.

The Partnership has arranged a panel of speakers on local and regional transportation projects to speak at this week’s Bank of America Plaza tenant meetings.  Updates include UCAP construction, HART and PSTA transit, BACS/TBARTA, Moving Hillsborough Forward and various downtown initiatives.  If you’d like a similar update for your company, please contact Karen Kress.

Bay Area Commuter Services/TBARTA has a new bikes buddy program.  This free service pairs cyclists with similar commutes to share the ride offering commuters safety, shared experiences, route suggestions and companionship.  It’s quick and easy to see if you have a match.

ATTENTION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS:  The Tampa Downtown Partnership has teamed up with the International Economic Development Council to offer a class in downtown Tampa on Real Estate Development and Reuse.  This class will be offered November 4th and 5th at Hyatt Regency Tampa.  If you register now you can save!  Use promotional code TAMPA10 and your fee is only $425.00 per person.  To register and find out more, click here.


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Creative Urban Core

The Tampa Downtown Partnership is launching today a new effort to make you aware of the impact culture and arts are having on downtown Tampa’s continued growth as an urban center.  This year, 2010, has significant impact with the opening of several new museums, public spaces, events, festivals and more.  There are 25 significant events in all.  The Partnership has launched 25 in 2010.  Every two weeks through the end of the year the Partnership will highlight venues and events associated with 25 in 2010.  Today, learn what 25 in 2010 is about by clicking here.

Great news from the Tampa Bay Film Commission! The State of Florida will now offer $242 million in transferable tax credits to productions filming in the State of Florida.  $53.5 million has been allotted for the first year, beginning on July 1, 2010.  Tampa Bay will be vying for their share of profit, estimated at $1.2 billion over the next five years.  SB 1752, the comprehensive jobs bill containing the entertainment industry incentive language, passed the House unanimously last week.  To learn more about this new Film Industry incentive, log on to www.filminflorida.com.


On May Friday (5/14) at 6:30 p.m., the Tampa Bay History Center welcomes Living History, an exhibition of Alberto de Lama’s paintings and drawings of today’s Tampa.  The exhibition will feature more than 60 landscapes and portraits depicting the eclectic architecture, places, events and people that define contemporary Tampa.  Born in Havana, Cuba, Alberto de Lama is a master realist painter who has lived in Tampa since 1982.  De Lama’s Tampa scenes and portraits capture the character of our city.  His work features Gasparilla pirates, craftsmen bungalows and the Port of Tampa.  The works featured in the exhibition were created within the last 10 years and will be published in a forthcoming book entitled, Tampa, a Painter’s Portrait.  Alberto de Lama’s Living History, which is dedicated to the memory of noted Hillsborough County Historian Tony Pizzo, will remain in the History Center’s Third Floor Gallery through June 27th and is included with regular admission to the History Center.  For more information log onto www.tampabayhistorycenter.org.

TECO Public Art Gallery is pleased to present Lucid Dreaming, a solo exhibition of Clyde McLaughlin’s recent large scale, abstract paintings now open.  McLaughlin grew up in the historic town of Stratford, Connecticut.  He was always fascinated by colors and their auras.  Now a resident of Tampa, he describes his work as Spiritual Expressionism.  The artist prefers to work in oil & mixed media; sometimes including pieces of natural elements such as leaves, tree bark and grass.  Most of McLaughlin’s inspiration comes from dreams and is often abstract.  He states that his goal is to “create compelling art that inspires your soul.”  A reception will be held on Thursday, June 10 from 5:00-8:00 pm in the atrium at TECO Public Art Gallery.  The artist will be present and everyone is welcome.  The exhibition continues through June 15th.  The TECO Plaza Art Gallery is located at 702 North Franklin Street.  It is open Monday-Friday from 8 am.-5 pm. For information about this exhibition, please call Debra at (813) 767-1600 or dradke1@tampabay.rr.com.  To contact the artist, please call Clyde McLaughlin at (813) 785-9947 or abstractsondemand@gmail.com. His website is www.clydemclaughlin.com.

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Downtown Happenings

Downtown has become more dog-friendly in recent months.  Downtown has also become livelier at night with more restaurants opening for business.  Now you can combine a night out on the town and bring your dog!  The first Yappie Hour is scheduled for this Friday (5/14) at the Tampa Museum of Art beginning at 5:30 pm.  Bring the dog and meet up with friends.  Get the details about this new event by clicking here.

The Tampa Bay History Center continues its preschoolers’ program, A Little History, on Saturday (5/15) from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. with Museum Mysteries.  Solve the “Case of the Missing Artifact” while getting a special behind-the-scenes look at the History Center.  Find out what a curator does, who takes care of the collections, and how exhibits are made.  Learn how to handle artifacts and even start your own collection by creating a mini-museum!  A Little History is open to children ages 3 to 5 with an adult companion.  Programs are held one Saturday per month from 10-11:30 a.m.  Each program is $10.00 per child and $6.00 per adult.  Fees do not include admission into the History Center galleries.  Members of the Tampa Bay History Center receive a $2.00 discount for both children and adults.  One adult must accompany every two children. Space is limited, pre-registration is required.  For more information on A Little History, click here.

Many of us have followed the "Antiques Road Show" on television, hoping to spot a familiar family heirloom worth enough money to change our lives. At the Henry B. Plant Museum they have their own "Antiques Road Show" called Antique Evaluation Saturdays.  Bring your treasures to the Music Room in Plant Hall, adjacent to the Museum, for a verbal evaluation. At 10 am on Saturday (5/15), local appraisers will be available to answer your questions. Evaluation cost is $5.00 per item, which goes to the restoration and renovation of the Museum. There is a limit of four items per person. There will not be another Antique Evaluation Saturday until September.  For more information, click here.

On Sunday, May 30th from 10 am - 4 pm, in honor of Memorial Day Weekend, all active or retired military personnel and their families are invited to the Henry B. Plant Museum free of charge.  You can explore the Museum at your leisure or be entertained by a self-guided audio tour.  At 2 pm enjoy live theater.  Upstairs/ Downstairs at the Tampa Bay Hotel presents Henry Dobson, 20 year-old volunteer soldier encamped with his regiment in Tampa for several weeks prior to the outbreak of the Spanish- American War in 1898.  Complimentary refreshments will be served on the veranda.  For more information call Gianna Russo, Curator of Education at (813) 258-7304 or email her at grusso@ut.edu.

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

Hillsborough County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed country-wide transit referendum on May 13 at 6 p.m. at the All Peoples Life Center at 6105 E. Sligh Avenue.  The commissioners will hold the public hearing before they consider formally adopting the documents that will place the referendum on the November ballot.  The referendum, when approved, will call for a one cent transit surtax to fund a comprehensive transportation plan that includes transit and non-transit projects such as light rail, bus service expansion, roadways, intersections and supporting projects.  This is a pivotal step on the way to our region’s future.  We are urging all voters to attend and tell the Commissioners to allow you to learn more about this issue and vote your choice in November. 

If you want to see amazing athletes in action – for free – visit the pro tennis tournament taking place through May 16 at Harbour Island Athletic Club & Spa, just south of downtown Tampa.  The Harbour Island Men’s Clay Court Championships is a $10,000 “Futures” event sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association.  USTA Futures tournaments have been the training grounds for dozens of pro tennis stars from around the world.  Veteran players also sometimes play Futures while making comebacks – Andre Agassi played at Harbour Island a few years ago.  The ambitious young athletes will fight for every point because the tournament offers not only prize money, but also ATP ranking points.  The young tennis lions hope to play one day at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and other Grand Slam events.  Matches start most days at 9 a.m.  Parking is also free.  The 32-player singles main draw competition is May 11-May 16; 16 doubles teams will compete in the main draw, as well.  For more information on the tournament please call Harbour Island Tennis Manager and Tournament Director Jose Campos at (813) 202-1950, extension 107.   

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 601 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1100, Tampa FL 33602
(813) 221-3686 phone; (813) 229-1328 fax: www.tampasdowntown.com
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