Cultural Council director’s ability questioned

Diane Bradley, president of the St Augustine Art Association, is not happy with the way the Category II funding panel, under the direction of the St Johns Cultural Council, and its new director, Andy Witt, have handled the 54-year-old, local non-profit organization’s application for bed-tax funding for the 48th Annual St Augustine Art and Craft Festival.

In a July 22nd letter sent to Glenn Hastings, executive director of the Tourist Development Council, Bradley lays blame on unresolved technical problems and lack of communication between her Board of Directors and the Arts, Culture and Heritage funding panel squarely at Witt’s feet.

“When we stood before the funding panel in the morning on June 19th, several panelists hadn’t reviewed our grant request — and not one of the panelists mentioned it,” Bradley wrote. “Our grant request was submitted one week prior to the due date, but a problem occurred that wasn’t discovered until weeks later.”

Historic City News reported in 2011 when the St Johns County Tourist Development Council turned over the management of the controversial Funding Panel to the St Johns Cultural Council in an ill-gotten contract. By every objective measure disclosed, the Cultural Council was the dark horse — substandard by comparison to the University of Florida, who also applied to provide the service.

The Cultural Council lacked financing and resources and was not the low-bidder according to the documents presented during the “request for proposal” process. They had no plan, and at the time they were selected, they did not even have an executive director, as acknowledged in Article 5(b) of their Agreement; stipulating, under risk of termination, that they had one hundred eighty (180) calendar days to secure “all of the resources, including but not limited to a qualified executive and support staff, that are necessary to perform the Services.”

The University of Florida had professional connections, financial strength and vast resources, but, when asked by Historic City News in an interview at the time, Hastings told Historic City News editor Michael Gold that the Cultural Council “had passion” that the selection committee didn’t see in the University.

An audio recording of a subsequent meeting of the funding panel, held later that evening, revealed that at least two-of-five funding panel members were unable to review the Art Association’s grant request prior to the meeting; because, they were unable to open the electronic file distributed to the panelists by Andy Witt. Other members are heard on the audio recording saying that they, too, had difficulty with the electronic file. A copy of the voice recording was obtained by Bradley and Historic City News.

Andy Witt told the evening session of the panel that there was a “glitch” in the program he used to download the grant application file from his Mac computer to a Windows-based Personal Computer.

Once the error was discovered, Bradley says that Witt allegedly contacted a technical person who gave him a way to resolve it. Unfortunately, Bradley wrote, in an e-mail received by her from Witt, “he didn’t have time to make the corrections”.

According to Bradley, Witt assured her that, if all else failed, the panel would receive hard copies of the grant material that had been timely submitted by the St Augustine Art Association. Bradley says “that did not happen”. She went on to say that the Art Association feels the lack of information put them at “a severe disadvantage”.

With only a hurried glace at the printed application during a break, panel members misinterpreted several representations made in the application, Bradley said. One obvious error she pointed to was the inference of some panel members that the Association was asking for money for website improvement — again. Bradley clarified in her letter that, in actuality, the Association was explaining how artists and visitors are directed to their new website and that upgrades, already made, have enhanced the Art and Culture branding of the area, drawing thousands of tourists to the area.

Bradley’s complaint, and request for the Art Association’s grant request to be reconsidered, will be heard by the funding panel when chairman, Eric Doten, convenes their next meeting on August 12th at 9:00 a.m. in the San Sebastian Conference Room, located in the County Administration Palace. The meeting is open to the public and public comments may be made in accordance with the agenda.