Historic area strategic plan becoming a reality

Linda B. Dixon, AICP, Assistant Director of the Facilities Planning and Construction Division of the University of Florida has invited Historic City News readers to attend on Thursday, February 26th from 1:00 – 5:30 for a symposium “Strategy to Reality: Implementing the St. Augustine Historic Area Strategic Plan”.

The forum will be held at the St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine Street, St. Augustine. Distinguished speakers have been scheduled to address themes of the Strategic Plan including economic development/tourism, educational programming, and building successful partnerships.

Together, attendees will learn from heritage tourism destinations such as Gettysburg, Jamestown, and Williamsburg so that we can apply their “lessons learned” to St. Augustine.

The program will run from 1:15 to 4:30 and be followed by a reception featuring entertainment from the UF College of Fine Arts.

During the reception, you will also be invited to view information from various UF Colleges displaying their work in the St. Augustine area.

Please note that the Art Association does not have onsite parking. You will need to park in public parking located throughout the downtown area.

This symposium is free and open to the public.

AGENDA
1:00 Open House Exhibits from Colleges of the University of Florida
1:15 Welcome
Ed Poppell, Vice President for Business Affairs, University of Florida – Master of Ceremonies
Honorable Representative William L. “Bill” Proctor, Florida House of Representatives
Honorable Mayor Joseph Boles, City of St. Augustine

1:30 Perspectives on Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism for St. Augustine
Dr. Susan R. Parker, Executive Director, St. Augustine Historical Society
Dr. Michael Gannon, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Florida

1:50 Strategic Plan Overview
David Sweeney, Vice President, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc.

2:05 Historic Preservation as Economic Stimulus
Kerri L. Post, Vice President of Industry Relations, Visit Florida

2:30 Break

2:45 Historic Preservation and the Education Mission
Kirk Cordell, Director of the National Center for Preservation Technology & Training, National Park Service

3:15 Successful Partnerships for Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism
Honorable Mayor Jeanne Zeidler, City of Williamsburg
Elliot H. Gruber, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Gettysburg Foundation

4:15 Closing Remarks
Dr. Barbara Mattick, Chief, Bureau of Historic Preservation, Florida Department of State
Ed Poppell, Vice President for Business Affairs, University of Florida

4:30-5:30 Reception and Open House Exhibits with Performances by the UF College of Fine Arts