Boat show’s pitch for big tent at Meyer Amphitheatre is on hold.
Posted by Sandy on July 8, 2023 · Leave a Comment
Larry Keller Special to The Post July 16,2021 Link can be found below.
Below are excerpts from the story, my comments in italic.
Cast: Rena Blades, director of community and government relations for the boat show
Informa Markets, manages the Boat Show.
Amelia Ostrosky, Esplanade Grande condominium association board chair
“A proposal floated by producers of the Palm Beach International Boat Show to remove palm trees, level a berm and make other changes at the park that is home to the Meyer Amphitheatre is dead in the water — for now.”
“Boat show manager Informa Markets pitched a plan last month to the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority to alter the park in ways that would enable it to erect an enormous tent at the annual event. The DDA board said it needed more information.” Good for the DDA
“We have tabled that for the foreseeable future,” said Rena Blades, director of community and government relations for the boat show.
The amphitheater, officially the Meyer Amphitheatre at Sunfest Park, opened 25 years ago on a 2.4-acre city-owned site near Flagler Drive and the Intracoastal Waterway. It has been a popular scenic venue for everything from SunFest and other festivals to the annual 4th on Flagler celebrations for Independence Day. And, of course, the annual boat show.”
Boat show would like to expand but ‘the challenge is we’re landlocked.
“This year’s four-day event featured more than $1.2 billion in boats, yachts and accessories of all sizes from 8-foot inflatables to the $66 million Quantum of Solace measuring 238 feet long with a helipad, a nightclub, an elevator, a gym and a pool.”
“The boat show has become really popular, not only with attendees but with vendors,” Blades said. “People like the scale of this boat show. The challenge is we’re landlocked … there’s no way to expand the number of vendors so we can give people more of what they want.” More of what people want, or more of what you want?
Hence the desire for more tent space.
“Informa proposed flattening a berm or hill that is 5 to 6 feet high on the eastern edge of the park, removing stairs and eight light poles and uprooting more than a dozen coconut palms. They were to be replanted at the western side of the park, where oak trees and another berm would remain.”
“The proposal would have moved the fence that currently is erected near the sidewalk on Narcissus Avenue during boat shows to a place farther inside the park, creating more space for residents to walk their dogs.” No mention if the fence would be returned to it’s original position.
What residents thought of the boat show’s idea.
“Boat show representatives met with association boards and residents at two nearby condominiums in recent months, Blades said. One of them, the 15-story Esplanade Grande with a rooftop pool and hot tub, overlooks the amphitheater and the Intracoastal Waterway. Some units sell for $2 million and up.”
“My takeaway was there was a fair amount of support for it, Blades said. “I think the residents felt listened to for the most part.”
“The Esplanade Grande condominium association board chair, Amelia Ostrosky, recalled it differently. “We were basically all on board” in opposition to the plan, she said.”
If this plan proceeded to the City Commission for a vote the statement made by Ms. Blades above would have been repeated and there would be a good chance of passage simply because people didn’t pay attention, woke one morning asking other neighbors what’s with the huge tent in the park? Oh! look, the berm’s gone, the streetlights are gone, I wondered why it was so dark in the park last night. Someone stole the City’s Coconut Palm trees. What happened? I repeat, you didn’t pay attention.
“But Esplanade Grande residents had two primary objections to the proposed changes. “We definitely were not in favor of removing the berm,” Ostrosky said. It functions as sort of natural barrier to young children and dogs playing on the amphitheater lawn from venturing onto nearby Flagler Drive, she said.”
“The other major concern was the tent, which residents were informed would be 40,000 square feet” (1 acre = 43,560 Square feet) As mentioned above the park is on 2.4-acres city-owned site, meaning residents own it.
“Ostrosky said. They were told it would be in place a maximum of 26 to 30 days a year for various events, but neighbors worried it might be extended more days.” I tend to agree with the neighbors and once it’s up complaining wont help.
“There is always a concern about such a massive tent,” Ostrosky said. “We were concerned the beauty of the park would become a tent site.”
“At one meeting of condo residents, a group of people was “generally grumpy that there’s a tent there at all,” Blades said. I would imagine they were a little more than grumpy. They showed up, spoke up, pushed back and the outcome can be read below.
“Our team just felt like ‘Let’s not deal with this right now, and we’ll give it more thought and improve on these other things we’ve heard about, like the traffic flow.’ We’ve left it at that.”
This story was written in July 2021, James was serving his first term as mayor, my opinion is don’t push this now, wait until his second term then he’ll take care of the boat show and Informa.
Check out the boat show home page and see facts and figures.
https://www.pbboatshow.com/en/home.html
Read the entire PB Post story below.
Far From Over