I call this meeting to call this meeting of the Mesquite Public Arts Commission to order, and first we'll have public comment.

Judy no comment?

Okay.

Um, is it okay if I make a little statement here first, Marco?

No?

No, we would have to wait till the okay.

All right, so we'll do consent agenda.

Well consideration for approval of the minutes from the last meeting, which was Monday, December 15th.

Public comment.

No need a motion first.

Yep.

Um approval for the December 15th minutes.

Okay.

Second.

Okay, all in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Um administrative items.

Um discussion and possible action on appointing an impact vice chair.

Who would like to talk about that?

I make a motion to um appoint Mitzi Bender as vice chair.

I'll second it if Mitzi wants me to second it.

Okay.

Okay.

I'll I'll second that.

My is my mouth I'm not.

Do I have I don't suck it myself?

Yeah, that's why I was asking you first.

That's fine.

Yeah, well, I guess you could second yourself.

So then I then you and I'm you're the chairman, correct?

Yep.

All in favor?

Aye.

I think thank you, Mitzi.

Thank you, Karen.

Okay, and um next is um discussion of possible action regarding appointing Judy Cole White as First Friday committee chair.

I make a motion to appoint Judy Cole White as chair of the first Friday.

And I second it.

Open up to public comment.

Public comment.

And the public is Judy.

Okay, but Judy's okay with this.

Okay, we have a motion on the floor.

Second.

Okay, we have a second for Mitzi.

Um all in favor.

Aye.

Okay, can we discuss this real quick?

The first Friday.

Yeah.

Well, we got that later in.

So Judy, thank you for hanging in.

Thank you for all you've done with First Friday to begin with, and as a commissioner.

So we appreciate it.

Love you.

And we're excited for what's to become of First Friday.

Okay, next is um our poet laureate.

Discussion.

Is there any public comment on the poet laureate?

Okay.

I I'm not familiar with it, but I have been reading posts on Facebook from uh Nevada Arts Council.

Is that the same?

Is that what we're talking about?

No, we're in you you should have gotten a copy of this.

Um so what we're proposing, I'll go ahead and talk about it.

Okay, it should be in your stack of papers.

There's that's that Marco just gave you plus he set it out like two meetings ago.

So what we're proposing is that we will appoint a poet laureate for mesquite to serve for two years, okay, and a junior poet laureate for two years.

All right, and um there's a lot of information here.

We would be going to council to get approval on this if everybody will approve this today.

Is there any discussion?

Does a poet laureate do?

Did you read the okay?

Yes, okay.

The poet laureate will represent mesquite.

Um to celebrate mesquite's commitment to arts, culture, creativity, and community storytelling.

Okay, both laureates, the the senior and the junior will serve as cultural ambassadors you in po using poetry to inspire residents, elevate community events, and highlight the diverse voices that shape our region.

Additionally, there's poet laureates, there's a poet laureate for the state, there's a poet laureate for Clark County, there's a poet laureate for many little burbs around, so they would go around and represent mesquite in any of the poetry reading contests.

So the library, the library is a huge sponsor of this.

residents elevate community events and highlight the diverse voices that shape our region additionally there's poet laureates there's a poet laureate for the state there's a poet laureate for Clark County there's a poet laureate for many little burbs around so they would go around and represent mesquite in any of the poetry reading contests so the library the library is a huge sponsor of this they're they're rather excited and the library's offered to host um all of our events question yes so does the um the nominations of these names come from our committee or do we go to the city council and they approve this and they give give names no we're we're gonna appoint a committee okay who will do all the work with this to decide who it'll be okay there's there's an entire process okay okay so we're just we're just voting on whether we want to begin this yes and Dave I'm sorry you haven't seen any of this but it's okay it's okay I just uh I had a I had questions so the the committee will get appointed and then the committee will move forward with making advertising and making it making it known through the schools and then through the community and that's where we would you would get the the applications would come forward they'd need to submit some examples of their poetry things that they've done they've written and the committee would go through that process select a couple of individuals and then forward those to us we would approve and then the process would then go to the city council is that is am I understanding that process um I'm not sure about us approving I thought we were gonna allow the okay the the committee selects and then they forward it yeah once we and the committee is going to be one of us okay and I look we we also put in here who else the committee would be but probably somebody from the library and then another person I was thinking maybe someone from the school maybe Steven would do it.

Is there um is there any novelists that live here in the area that are public that write books that are published that we know of yes several I don't want to say many but several but even in Sunset okay Dave also in the process I think what we need to do once MPAC approves this project then we um present it to city council so that they are approving it first the project itself and then the committee will find who they think should be the poet laureate when we present that to city council and have them approve since their name is basically going on it right as a city of mosquito okay and what we were looking here was to give the junior poet laureate a thousand dollar scholarship okay the adult poet laureate at least for now is probably just gonna be have to be happy that they're the poet laureate okay because we don't exactly have a lot of funds for that um I was also looking that we could provide a 250 dollar stipend to each for travel expenses that yearly or 250 dollars is each for a year or for two years no I would think that we will work on this that if they're if they get invited to something in Las Vegas and you know we'll we'll come back and think about that of course we got to find the money first and Dave will soon learn that we really don't have much money question um so the thousand dollars if you offer that as a scholarship means every two years as you're replacing the the student poet laureate it you're it's essentially a thousand dollar scholarship every two years to the teenager who's who becomes that is that that my understanding correct correct all right and we'll need to work that out too um yeah we don't have a sponsor yet for but we'll find something so and I don't know how a thousand dollar scholarship works but I know Vanessa at the library um she knows so all right any other discussion the schools will also be able to help guide you the high school will be able to help you got help guide you through that too they they probably accept 30 or 40 community scholarships every year as well so okay so this gets us rolling I I would like the because not everybody has this but we would start in October okay actually we're gonna start in April with the process but they would be named in October because that's um arts month in other words you want your selection made by October so they can be presented to city well you want it in September so city council can approve and they can be presented in October during arts month right okay I make a motion to approve the um how do we label it the poet the final draft of the poet laureate and junior poet laureate program I second it all in favor aye opposed

Well, you want it in September.

So City Council can approve and they can be presented in October during arts month.

Right.

Okay.

I make a motion to approve the um how do we label it?

The poet the final draft of the poet laureate and junior laureate program.

I second it.

All in favor.

Aye opposed.

Okay.

Thank you, everybody.

Very cool.

Okay.

Um the next is our five-year plan.

Judy, any comments out there in the comment.

Okay.

I will let um Karen go ahead and run with this.

Um, you know, we've we finished our first year, which was 2025, and we're on to our next year, 2026.

And of course, we'll be wanting to add another year to it, I think 2030.

Yeah.

Okay, so um what I what you got handed out today um with the red and the yellow on it.

Um in year one, we completed the plan and had it approved by city council.

The second idea was to um develop a plan with the Jimmy Hughes tenants for major art endeavors in their courtyard.

We're moving that to 2020.

My my recommendation is move it to 2026.

Um, and we should have a committee to work with MITSE and the tenants there to formalize some ideas.

We at least need to get some ideas.

We never did do any of that this year.

Um, the third item was explore collaboration with Virgin Valley Heritage Museum.

We did that.

We incorporated the museum into First Friday.

Um we also formulated some other projects.

We did the map of the arts and historic district, was developed, printed, and distributed to businesses, and that was done um thanks to Morph and their support on that.

Um the next item create and execute and manage first Friday.

Um that's done.

It's also a work in progress.

And Judy Cole White is taking the lead on that committee now.

Um she has stepped down from MPAC, which we already miss her.

Um next item plan and fund mural one with the assistance of Morph Grants.

That was done, wasn't necessarily Morph grants, but monies were found to pay for it.

It's on the Virgin Valley Theater wall.

Even lost a palm tree in the process overnight one night.

Um next one was to plan the mesquite arts district signs with the assistance of Morph Grants that has been done.

The signage has now been requested in the current um Main Street.

That's Main Street grant, right, George?

I believe, um, from the state of Nevada, and it's been granted.

Um they have not been produced yet or installed, but that's coming.

Um create and execute the 2025 impact art contest.

We love mesquite.

Well, we're still looking for a venue, so we think we need to move that to 2026.

The venue has not been found.

Um, we still need to come up with the committee to try and do that.

Bonnie was leading that one, and Bonnie's not with us anymore either.

Um there was a suggestion made to me.

I know that Juniper Outpost is going away.

And um maybe perhaps that store unit when it's cleaned out, would make a nice little gallery to hold an art contest in.

But I don't know what the plans are for that building.

Um and finally, support moving forward with pollinator garden so we can have a place for art.

That let's move on to 2026.

It was mentioned in a grant that was written for the Mesquite River Walk and Desert Species Restoration Initiative for the Nevada Tourism Grant.

So that's all still up in the air, I believe.

Okay.

So going forward, um, we've got three items we need to move into 2026.

And this year, um, we want to continue the art the first Friday.

Um, we want to start to try and develop some community interactive interactive public art projects, and I think that is in process now with the um piano um placement.

Um purchase and deploy mosquitoes art district signs.

Um I'm hoping that that's going to be part of the money from the main street grant.

Um we've completed mural one, so it's time to move on to mural two, hopefully with the assistance of some more grants.

Um next one is create and execute 2026 MPAC art contest young mesquite and again we need a venue.

Well, I think that one we might want to move to the next year since we haven't done we love mesquite yet.

Um and then um one other idea that came out for year two was terracotta pottery displayed throughout town, showcasing local artisans' pottery skills and adding pops of color against the desert backdrop.

And I would suggest a committee on that and incorporate into that people from the pottery studio um over at the art gallery.

Okay, and then three and four um and five, we'll move on.

Um, but we do need a committee to come up with our next year for um it'll be year six on here 2030, but it'll become year five.

Any questions.

All right, Karen, thank you.

Um do we want to uh put these committees together now?

We could or do we wait until we fill ourselves out because I think we need to have a full commission before we do this.

Okay, we're gonna add the creating committees then to um next month's agenda then.

Okay, Marco, if that's okay.

Thank you, Karen.

Okay.

And um just if I can say a few things about the um the five-year plan.

Um Karen, there's great leadership putting that together, by the way.

Um we started, we really moved on some things.

Um this past year.

Um we put in three statues.

You mentioned the theater mural.

Um we started first Friday, which was a hall.

Thank you, Judy.

Um the pianos um have come alive, if you will.

Okay, um, the Reber family piano, that was um Morph helped us with that, and we got to thank Mary Phelan from at the uh the museum.

She got that.

That piano is um, I think over 130 years old, and it's been resurrected from sitting in storage at firehouse number three, and it's now at the Steam Center, and we're looking for someone who might be able to fund to have it um refurbished, but it's a beautiful piece of furniture.

We got we got the new banners, and you mentioned we also have the map.

Yeah, and I have one more um two more items to add that are in process.

Um as far as on year two, it was develop community interactive public art projects.

Um we got city council to approve um the HOA group out at the end of OASIS Boulevard to put in their own landscaping and wind sculptures on their um little circle out there.

So um I did take that to city council and got it approved.

Um, and they are working on it already.

Um that one and then I'd like to add in for a community interactive public art.

Um Steve, you brought forth the selfie stands a while ago, and I I think that's a really that was a really cool idea, and I think maybe um when that committee gets together um for the five-year plan that we ought to put something like that in for a community interactive, and we just need to find a spot and what we want for background with our selfie.

Well, Karen, I had forgotten all about the selfie stands.

Did you really?

Yes.

Thank you.

Yeah, because Burton Wees recently showed us a picture of one that he had found somewhere.

I don't know, George was at in um I don't know, but it was pretty cool.

And if anybody wants to know what a selfie stand is, it's a little stand where you can set your cell phone there and take a picture of yourselves, basically.

So this could be many places, yes, like one in front of the mural and at the theater.

Many places.

So I love that idea.

It's very cool.

All right, so the committee will work on that.

Okay, um, also what was there were you gonna move forward with the dance dance with Nevada?

Dance mesquite, dance mesquite.

Um that is that was approved by the council.

I think Judy got that approved by the council.

So I've been working with um Tyler to see if if him and the and the kids would do it.

Okay, and I think I think they will.

Okay, very cool.

Okay, that's five-year plan.

Anything else?

Uh Steve, before we move on, I think we should uh someone should make a motion to create the committee in the next meeting.

Okay.

A motion to create one, two, three, I think four committees of the next meeting.

Um one will be the can I put all of them in this one?

Just specifically related to the five-year plan.

Okay, yeah.

So a motion.

I got another right to make a motion.

I'll make a motion.

I'll make a motion to create the committee for the five-year plan at the March meeting.

I second, if I can.

All in favor?

I Marco, I think maybe we need to do all these committees because this is these were all under the five-year plan.

So we need a motion.

Um, can we name them to can we name them and then make a motion?

Yeah.

The the next one will be um I'm committed to work with Mitzi and tenants to formalize um plans around the um the courtyard or all over at the Jimmy Hughes Center to hear a motion.

Are we gonna do we're gonna put them all in one motion?

Yeah, I think I think Karen can just modify her motion and we can name all the committees as long as they're released to the five-year plan.

What was the name of the first committee?

It's um five-year plan.

Five year plan.

Next one is um actually I'd like to add to this one a little bit.

It would be more than just Jimmy Hughes, it would also be um the art gallery, the the fine arts center.

What were we gonna okay?

This is your first develop a plan with the Jimmy Hughes tenants.

Yeah, that's we were just gonna do over there in their courtyard area where the stage is, yeah.

We weren't gonna include the art gallery in that.

Okay, no art gallery, Jimmy Hughes Center.

Formalize a plan for First Fridays?

Yeah, no, no, no.

No, we're gonna hit first Fridays here in a okay.

It's a plan that this is this is to formalize some ideas around art what we're having happen, yeah.

Okay, okay.

The next committee would be for a um we love mesquite art contest, and next would be um the terracotta pottery.

Okay, so that's one, two, three, four.

That's four committees all told.

Okay.

Yep.

Do you want us to reword the motion, Marco?

Um, no, we got it.

Okay.

Okay.

Um, can I ask?

I should have asked before.

Sorry, Mity, you can go ahead.

Um, where have you looked for the venues?

Like what for the art venue?

Like where have you asked?

Um, I personally talked to Jerry Chasco about maybe doing it in the um the ballroom.

Um, you know, and have like a two-week stint there for the display.

Um in doing so, we would have to bring all of the easels because nothing can go on the walls.

Okay, the walls are highly protected by the powers to be.

Um, um, that was one.

Um at one time we talked about doing um one of the rooms at steam before all the rooms were developed into an activity center for the kids.

Okay.

Okay.

Um that's when we thought about maybe Juniper Outpost if they're going out before something gets done with that building to try and maybe go into there.

What would be the requirements of this?

Like, would it need to be open?

Like all the time, like what are the requirements?

I would think that we'd need to have some daily hours, daily hours Monday through maybe Tuesday through Saturday.

Then does someone have to be there?

And someone would have to be there.

You have to protect the art, yeah, protect somebody's art.

So I I ideally it would have been nice to have in this the city here, but there's really no spot.

No, not even down in the lobby with the big windows.

Yeah, there's really no spot, but we'll let the committee yeah, yeah.

I'll just I'll put my thinking cap on.

Anybody can think of any venues.

Okay, we good there.

The next is um the possibility of moving first Fridays to Saturdays starting in October 2026.

And Judy, you want to tell us why and how Marco, can I give a brief update of last First Friday on this?

Or do I have to wait to the end?

It's okay.

All right.

That uh First Friday, last on Friday, last Friday, uh actually was probably one of the best ones we've had.

It the weather was great, the band was exceptional.

The ladies at the gallery provided all the food, and it was wonderful.

They do an excellent job.

People stayed around and milled around uh great attendance, and about 6 30, people kind of vanished a little bit.

So we closed up about a quarter of seven.

So anyway, but it was starting to cool down, starting to get chilly, so it was understandable, but like I said, it was one of the best attended first Fridays we've had.

So we were all all excited about that.

So and then uh the ladies at the gallery, well, the members of our committee, and most of them are from the gallery, were apologetic, apologetic that they could not come today because they had a conflict with another meeting, but they are all in favor of changing First Friday to a Saturday, and the reason that we want to do this is because we have had many obstacles with the Friday evening.

First of all, it's a family event, and it's attended mostly by adults, very few children, and we want it to be continue to be a family event as well as an art festival, and we would like to appeal more to the um fun zone for the kids, and we think that probably that would happen.

Another issue is the food trucks.

The food trucks all go to Las Vegas on Friday because it's a an event that's attended by 25,000 people, and they probably make more on that one night than they would make in mesquite all month, and so they just are they're all committed to the first Friday in Las Vegas, and changing it to Saturday that would give us the opportunity to have the food trucks there, and that's a big part of a festival.

People want to come, they want to bring their kids, they want to have food truck food, and we've not been able to offer that.

So I think that that would help.

And it would also, we would be able to extend the hours somewhat, cover, say from 10 to 2 or 10 to 4, whatever the committee decides on, and that would cover the lunch area for the food trucks to be more productive for them too to come.

And I just think that we would get uh more of an attendance on if we had it on a Saturday.

So that's my I agree.

I think that's a great I think you get a lot of families.

I think and Judy, what was the suggested name you're gonna call it?

It was um the Mesquite Arts Festival, because we can't do First Friday anymore, so we have to change the name, and we were thinking of having a contest to um do a new logo.

We have to have a new logo, and the whether we have I the second Saturday seems to be the best.

I am querying the food trucks to see when they would be available, but most of them so far it's been the second Saturday or the fourth Saturday.

So we just have to decide on which Saturday, but it should be consistent, whatever we do, should be a consistent Judy.

Um my question would be this like um with the name that you just chose.

One of the um thoughts that we had when we first started this was it was um an art and historic family art walk.

We're trying to shorten it down just a little, okay.

Because I understand that, but we're taking the historic out of it.

And you know, one of the things we talked about, we have the maps so people can do the art walk or the art and history walk.

If you went to Saturdays, would we go?

Could we establish a few um guided art walks like with people from the museum that would take them by the some of the sculptures that I have some of the um buildings?

And I know the city's working really hard, excuse me, um, right now on um refurbishing those buildings, you know, and getting that that work in process.

So I think it would behoove us to somehow throw that that walk word, maybe just the walk word in there, and have guided walks though.

People aren't just gonna go off and do it by themselves.

No, they would have and you could you could actually have the mesquite um showgirls do them, do the tours.

They would love to do that, and they better put flat.

But our vision, what our vision for the Saturday is to have the gallery and eventually close off that one block on Yucca and then over to the Levitt building.

And what I understand is that they would be very open to that, and have and the theater would have the use of the pavilion over at the Levitt building for their venues, as well as have the band over at the art gallery so that it would expand that whole area, and that would include your historic that a lot of that would be all included in that.

So, and that's our vision.

Judy, I guess I'd like to see it also expanded up to Jimmy Hughes.

Oh, absolutely, yeah.

Um, that's where the art a lot of the art is up that way and the historic buildings.

I I have two comments.

I definitely think we need to keep the family art walk or art walk in the title, just because again, we're developing the historic and an art district, and this is what this is all for.

And I I think that's great that they're concentrating on moving connecting those three blocks, but again, it's not including there's nothing definite there that the Jimmy Hughes Center will eventually be included on it, and I'd like to see something for sure that you know in our plan.

Well, that's always been in the plan to eventually close off all of Yucca Street, then North Yucca Street, yeah, and include the Jimmy Hughes, but I think we have to take it one step at a time.

Our first step will be to close off the one block on Yucca and then move over to the Levit Building because we have to expand we have to have enough vendors, and this month we did have more vendors, we had more new vendors, and so I think that it's it's coming, it's just going to take time.

Yeah, can you give me a uh an amount of how many vendors you had?

The new ones that came.

I sent out a a big blast.

We had 20 some this time.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then we had were some of those nonprofit.

Some of them were PEO, yeah.

There were PEO and there was the theater, theater, Steam Center, Steam Center, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

And I've had several people approach me about having one of them was a care center.

Yes.

And yeah, so yeah, they're coming also.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

And they're important.

They are important.

So I and so I'd like to establish a strong line of communication with our nonprofits for this so that they don't think that it's just uh you know, first Friday craft fair, you know.

So and and I would like to see the family art walk stay in the title, or the art walk.

Okay.

That's just my yeah, I think everybody's right along with that.

So Judy, you'll take that back to your and one other thing.

I was talking to somebody from the rotary, and um they're sad that we moved out of there because they sold a lot of books.

Believe it or not, during during those Friday nights.

Okay, this was excuse me for interrupting you, but um, we were actually talking about the October and the December first Fridays there at the Jimmy Hughes Center, and so we would like to do that.

Do what have the Jimmy Hughes Center open on second Saturdays in October and December?

Well, I think that needs to be up to the committee when we meet for the but I'm just putting it out there right now that we had discussed that, and I thought that you know we need to visit that still.

All right, I I think that would take a little bit of planning in order to expand it that far, because we have found right now that expanding it, the logistics just don't work.

You have an event here and you have an event here, and there's nothing cohesive to tie it together.

And so would that by October and December, would we be able to do that?

Well, we would we would have our performance plan and our nonprofits, because there's nonprofits that want to come back to the breezeway there.

Um I well that that the committee can work on that.

Yeah.

I think that the committee can work on that, right?

Right.

Yeah.

So I just don't want to bury the Jimmy Hughes Center and uh what we've already got going and discussed already.

And and we really did discuss that, you know, every other month.

Or that that's doing it every other month.

But the fall and the two in the fall and the two in the spring.

Okay.

That was under discussion.

But it I don't think anything was ever just it was just discussed.

It was nothing was decided about that, as I recall.

And that can go to the committee.

That can be as as we get and we're and I would I would it during the summer months we're gonna have to have um uh advising meetings to get this together.

To get it right, yeah.

I mean, and eventually we'd like to open up the whole city.

Well, that's that would be that is the the ultimate goal is to have that whole downtown area all participate, have the businesses stay open, have the businesses have artists in front of their shops, have music downtown on the streets, just like they do in the other 7,000 cities.

Yep.

Yeah, that would be that's that would be the ultimate goal.

Yeah, that's where we want to grow this too.

Yeah, but again, you know, we are interested in the amphitheater at the Levitt Center.

Well, I I think that's a natural progression.

That's that to me is a natural progression because you just it's just all connected, and then the Jimmy Hughes, you have a uh section that needs to be filled in with vendors and activities before you get to the Jimmy Hughes Center, and then you get to the Jimmy Hughes Center.

And that's and that is definitely a long-range plan.

Yeah.

But I was gonna make a comment.

Um you talk about Saturdays.

Um the time of the day.

I was just gonna make a comment about that.

You have during certain parts of the year it gets dark, it's getting dark at 445, 5 o'clock, and then other other parts of the year it's not getting dark until 8 30.

And then um during certain parts of the year it's very temperate, obviously, like this time of year.

Um, we generally have good weather, but during the summertime, if if it's you know noon, one o'clock, two o'clock in the afternoon, those are you know, in the middle of August, July, and August.

Those are we don't we're not doing it in the summertime.

Okay, we're just May will be our final okay, and then uh start again in in October.

October, okay.

So there's that window every every year then where you'll skip that.

Okay.

Correct.

All right.

Correct.

Yeah.

And those will be our planning months.

We won't sleep.

And you'll need them probably.

So yeah.

Uh and and before we have some new um sponsors that we need to thank to, and I have to do this at City Council, but Magnus Tidal came on board.

Do it best, donated two huge heaters, which we didn't need this month, but we might need them next month.

And um, Ron Shackleford for helping me out with getting those heaters over.

So I wanted to say thank you for them.

That's great.

Judy, you've done a wonderful job, thank you.

Okay.

I know there's a lot of us wanted first Friday, and we got it.

And it'll it'll evolve into something still very good.

I think so.

I think so.

We've got a lot of good, a lot of good people working to make that happen, especially the.

Because Dave is new here, but so the committee, there can only be three of us because we can't be a quorum on any committee.

So if you're interested with Judy, there's as long as there's not three of you.

Right now it's just Mitzi and I.

So it's not even me.

And not you anymore, so Ellis could that's right.

Well, I I thank Judy too for everything she's done.

I mean, it's been um definitely a learning curve, but boy, you've really gone with it.

Um, and every month it gets just one step better, and that's the main objective, I believe.

And that's the main objective, I believe.

Um, and getting the food trucks up here, you know.

Everybody talked about, you know, Saturday would be so much better.

It's true.

At every event, they mentioned no food trucks.

Every the people coming in, well, aren't you don't you have food trucks?

It it's a bit it's a big well that's how it was advertised, you know, when it first came out.

Well, when it put yeah, but the the ladies at the art gallery have come in.

Well, I shouldn't say ladies, it's ladies and men, but they have come through like champions to help.

But there's something about eating from a channel.

That's what we did because they didn't show up.

And so we we fed the group.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Two months.

Yeah.

Okay.

Do we have here?

Do we have a motion to move first Fridays to Saturdays to be determined starting in October?

I will make a motion to move first Fridays to a Saturday, October.

Thank you, Bethany.

Have a second.

Second it.

Is it the first Saturday or just Saturday?

First Saturday.

We'll let we don't know yet.

They're gonna work on that.

We'll let the committee.

Yeah, might be the second Saturday.

Second Saturday.

Yeah.

That kind of rolls off the end.

And that's that's kind of a good address.

And good marketing.

Instead of first Friday, second Saturday.

It just sounds better.

Alliteration.

Okay, we'll have a vote.

Hi.

I okay.

So I mean did you have something else to say?

Nope.

No one did.

Judy, thank you for doing all you do.

And also thank you for being our public today.

Yeah.

All right.

Even though you're now committee chair.

Okay, our next one, and we got a kind of roll here is the discussion and possible action on prioritizing the wrap repair of the power boxes.

And Karen and Frank have this set.

Don't I need to open up public comment first?

Oh, yeah, public comment.

Um, and and just to say this the cost for this is covered in the um the Nevada Main Street grant.

And thank you, Karen, for all the work.

I think you and Bonnie did on this.

Okay.

Um I'll start off.

Um basically what we did was we took pictures of all of the wraps that are out there, most of the sides, or at least the bad sides.

Um currently we have 10,000 uh 10,400 through the main street grant that we can use to re-wrap several of the sides.

At the last meeting in December, I brought to you the Clark County bids.

Um, but that was for only like three boxes, I believe, and it wasn't spending all the money.

So I'm gonna show you some of the pictures.

If you all see one as we go through that you really think needs work on, um, then we're gonna write it down, and I'll go get an extra bid on those um on top of the ones that I already have bids for.

So does that make sense?

So say something as you see it.

Okay, Dollar General one, two, three, and four.

So these are um pictures if you look at your screen.

Um can they blow up?

Yeah.

This one's the one at Dollar General, which is um uh like over by the the parts store.

I can't remember the name of it.

Yeah, okay.

That's one, and then here's picture number two, and then picture three, and you'll see on picture three looks pretty good.

So I don't think like that side of the wrap needs done.

The first two look pretty bad, and then number four is also pretty good.

So do you guys agree on Dollar General for that two sides?

Yep.

Okay, all right.

The next one up is Dollar Tree.

Is the one that's over by um Walmart on the corner there.

Um this one doesn't look very good at all.

Um Dollar Tree 2.

This one's turning dark.

So part of the problem is they're turning dark and they're starting to peel.

Is that one ours or is that was that driving?

It's ours.

Yeah, if I've already traced them all.

And then the other one of the other sides on Dollar Tree Three.

That one's pretty good also.

So with the Dollar Tree, that Dollar Tree One, that one side looks really bad.

As does number two.

And the important part about this is that's a main corner.

You know, where you see that.

So okay.

Next we've got Eureka.

Now Eureka's, I'm just gonna show you pictures of the two bad sides, Eureka One and Eureka Two.

Um, because those are controlled by Eureka.

Um, and if Eureka one is the bad side, Eureka two is um a pretty good side.

It's not peeling yet, and it's not turning real dark.

So um I think I will talk to Jerry about getting that one done because that one is owned by the Eureka.

They did do the wrap on that one.

Okay.

Um the next group is Holiday Inn.

Uh one, two, three, and four.

Holiday inns were paid for originally by Eureka when Eureka bought that what's currently the Holiday Inn.

Okay.

That side's pretty good on Eureka one or Holiday in one.

Holiday and two is starting to peel and crack.

You can see up there where the green um fig leaves are or the grape leaves are.

Um Holiday and three, that side looked pretty good.

You can tell which sides are south and um west.

And this side is just getting some cracks in it.

This is holiday in four.

So um, I'm not gonna, I don't think holiday inn personally is a priority right now.

It's not as bad as some of the others in town.

Okay.

Um, then there's also at the Holiday Inn, there's another small one that's at the first entrance closest to the freeway.

And if you see the little dog in there, that holiday in one is Sue Bar's.

So she paid for it, and hers is in pretty good shape.

So I think when that one needs work, that's what we have to go to Sue Barr to get that one done.

Okay.

Um the next group up, we already looked at Lee's um liquors.

The one that's down there by Lee's, it's across the street from Lee's.

Um that one was in pretty bad shape, and that's one that um they I do believe Clark County put on their estimate.

Yeah, that's on Clark County's estimate already.

So I don't think we need to look at those again.

Um they didn't do old mill and mesquite boulevard one, and you can see the cracks really well on that one, and old mill two.

That one's a little darkening, but not real bad yet.

Old mill three, that one's got a lot of cracks going up and down.

Old mill four, that side's in pretty good shape, and old mill five.

That one's in really good shape.

Oh, the one on old mill and mesquite boulevard is a little different than some of the others have been done.

And that side looked pretty good too.

So um, I think the old mill one is probably the worst panel of them all, which is like the first and second picture.

So if I did anything, I think we would do the old mill one.

Um if we have the money still to do it, and again, it's uh busy intersection because it's there at Riverside, but not that many people really see that power box.

So and after that, we've got Peggy Seuss and Clark County.

Um put that in the bid already at Clark Peggy Seuss.

That's the one.

And if you look at it, I mean it's almost pitch black.

Um favorite one with the bird.

Yeah, like that one, yeah.

But I mean, it's that one like the sky is it's a gray sky instead of blue anymore.

Um, so it's not looking pretty good.

But we don't have gray skies in Mosquito.

Yeah.

So we go on to um rotary one.

I'm just gonna show you the pictures, but these boxes are owned by the Rotary Club.

So if there's any Rotarians in here, um, I do believe that um this one box needs some help.

Um, and it does have their name up there, sponsored by the Mesquite Rotary Club.

Um that rotary one and then rotary two.

That side is starting to turn dark on the top.

Uh Rotary three, that third side is in good shape.

And on the fourth one, that side's in really good shape.

So that one's mostly the west and the south.

Okay.

Um next picture is Wells Fargo.

I only took one on this one because the Wells Fargo wrap is in really good shape.

So I think we can skip that one.

Um, and then Western Alliance.

That one is already in the um Clark County bid that I have.

But if you look at that first picture, I mean that the pictures are they're really this one's really black.

So this one's a definite one that needs to be done.

So that one's the worst picture.

I mean, that that's it's peeling.

So I would like to um maybe add in a couple of them for the dollar general and the dollar tree, and then leave some extra money in there in case it's gonna cost us more for them to um have to scrape some of the old off before they put the new wrap on.

The new wraps will be the view UV protected, um, and be a different kind of vinyl.

So any questions.

I have a question.

Yes, okay.

So there's a lot of work that's been done on this file and identifying where these wraps are located.

Um being new to this commission and this project.

Is this available or can we request a file?

This file, just so that you know, this is a lot of information here.

I can send it over to you.

Okay, okay.

All right, yeah, I'd like to keep that.

Okay, okay.

Yeah, Bonnie and I went, got in our cars one day and went and just went corner to corner to corner.

That's a lot we we made a lot of U-turns.

Yeah, because there's there's more there's more boxes here than what I thought there were in the city.

So and we did between Marco and me and Paul at Morph, we traced almost every single box as to who paid for what.

There are more that you don't see pictures of here because they're in excellent shape, they're up on Hardy Way in front of Suncrest, that um development there, and there were two ladies that wrote checks to pay for those.

And that was Marco has the copies of those checks.

Now, whether that came from the HOA or it came from the community personally, I don't know.

So I'll just it'd be nice to know that that history is some well.

Marco and I had no history, and it was like, you know, he went searching and I went searching, and Clark County changed owners, so they were at a loss.

All they did was build them.

Build them, okay.

Very good.

Okay.

So does anybody else want a copy of this file?

Uh I have a question.

Steve, where's the one the new one that goes?

Um, we'll get to that in the next.

Oh, okay.

So do we need to we need to uh approve this?

Yeah, we need to approve the the ones from Clark County and um adding like as many as we can from Dollar Tree and Dollar General.

Right, yeah, as long as it stays within the within the budget from the main street grant, right?

And the next grant we can ask for more to um if we want to do more by then we may need more boxes done.

Is that your motion?

Yeah, that just is that okay, Marco?

So I guess that's good.

Do we have a second?

I second it.

Okay, and uh vote.

Aye, aye, aye, hi Karen.

Thank you.

Thanks, Marco.

Thanks, Bonnie for that work.

But an effort.

So um the next is uh um so the future projects.

This is also the money from the main street grant.

We have money for a um a statue, and I Frank, did you have the picture of the statue or maybe not, but everybody's got it on the handout today.

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay, so the the girl in the wheelchair, which is called George Um Love for the Love of the Game.

It's gonna be uh four women who are prominent in the Nevada suffrage movement getting the vote from the 1920s, and uh Rochelle Knight, who did the other one, she's gonna do this, and um Jean Watkins is putting a group together.

Jean Watkins is putting a group together that's gonna decide on the four women.

Okay, and we have the money for these.

Okay, good you got it up there, and that's that's just uh an AI image of what it could look like.

Okay, and that's not that's that's not one of the ones.

Um the location for the wheelchair would be in the rec park somewhere up there where the other two statues are at, and um Randy's there'll be a thousand dollars in the grant for Randy to construct the pad, which may or may not look like that.

Okay, as far as where they'll go.

Um I've identified three spots, and I'm waiting on OPD to um say which ones they're good with.

Um there's one the one at the art gallery that's already painted, so I don't know whether we would need them to say that that would be okay to put it there.

Um there's another brand new one up by Heritage Park spot, and then there's another one which I think I like best.

It's um between the fire department and the bank and waffit.

So that would that would be a family walk would be within yeah, they're all within uh a real close proximity there.

So but I need to see what a what OPD says first.

So any discussion.

Steve, if the one at the art galleries already painted, why would you want to put one over top of it?

I was just looking for possible places.

Okay, I I think we already have something on it.

I mean, it's it's it's it's probably too big for it, but I was looking for possible places that are all in there.

I think I like the one closest to the fire department.

I think that would get the most, but also the one over it's on Yucca Street by Heritage.

It's brand new, would also be a good spot.

I think that, yeah, I kind of like that idea.

Yeah, just Heritage Park already has so many beautiful um, it's such a beautiful walk.

So that would add a lot to that, I think.

But we'll we'll see what OPD says.

They're gonna say pick one.

Yeah, yeah.

They're pretty easy going.

Um you're gonna call them on that.

I'm I'm waiting.

He's he needs to get up to town.

He's the guy who'll do that, he works out of um uh Malapa.

All right, before you um call him, talk to me, and I'll have you get approval for all the wraps then too.

Okay, okay, because we'll have to get them to approve us re-wrapping their boxes again.

Okay, okay.

So I don't know.

We need we probably need to vote on this, and then this needs to go to council.

Um Marco, does this need to go to city council if it's OPD's boxes?

Uh that's a good question.

I believe it still does.

Okay, just for their their approval to ask um oh pd.

Okay.

Kind of like the the wind sculptures as well, right?

Because they were going on HOA property, but they still needed council approval.

Okay.

All right, so you have to wait until you talk to OPD before you you can get on tech review before you can get on city council agenda.

Right.

Okay.

So are we good to move forward with it?

I make a motion to um approve the potential um wrap for the OPD box.

Second celebrating women's heritage.

A second.

Okay.

Vote.

I thank you.

Okay, next up is commissioners' comments and reports.

We'll start with Bethany.

I'm happy to be here.

And we're happy to have you.

I don't have uh a lot right now.

Um because I don't really know what to have.

And thank you, Bethany.

Um Karen.

Um I think I talked enough today.

Okay, I'm gonna skip me for now.

George.

I just gotta say some of these projects are actually the result of Main Street grants through the Mesquite Opportunities Regional Fund.

It's a good partnership.

It's an excellent partnership.

All morph.

Oh I never knew what all right.

Um, I just have one question or comment, and I'm not sure how you put this on an agenda or for an another meeting.

But I really feel like we need to solidify our walks, our little walks and little maps, so that becomes a part of the conversation.

Just like with um the little the little gal in the wheelchair.

Um, my my thoughts that it should not be right at the art gallery or right at the theater, that it should be at an interesting spot where you have a family art walk.

And you know, we develop these walks with little uh bits of uh history, you know, the building we're walking by, or or or a pioneer story, or or you know, so that these are our family walks and they're entertaining, and it just we get more bang for the back of the cost of the art.

Okay, I I feel like that's getting lost when I go to First Friday committee meetings.

Um, but that I but then I I feel like that's because the direction needs to come from the top.

They they they don't know, but the uh the vision needs to be articulated, and one of the places to articulate it is in these history walks, just where exactly are they?

So the family can go to the information booth, we have the little selections they can take, and then have a tour guide, you know.

I don't know that the show girls are the best tour guide.

Um, but you know, and uh uh a art bath or I mean a history buff, you know.

The museum has been known to give these walks.

I know I've gone on them.

Okay, with people from the museum, they lead these walks.

Okay, and that's where the guidance for that needs to come from.

Somebody from the the museum that has all of that they have that background, they know about the um the two houses that are sitting there on the one lot now, right?

Why they're there, um the whole story behind them.

They may not have the history on any of the art, and most of the art is art that we've put up there.

But see, but see that's where the empact needs to be talked about.

You know, what was MPAC's idea?

There is a story there, and how did you come about, you know?

So whoever's guiding these either needs to talk, needs to talk to the museum people and an impact person, both before they lead a walk.

So and I agree, and that's why I brought up that I you really need to put history back into it too.

But and I think we can find a way to do a friendly way to do that, a friendly family art walk.

And and that's and that's a Mary thing, and she's certainly her heart's sure in it for yes, totally, and and I hope that Mary's I see Mary.

I'm I I hope that Mary's been part of the first Friday.

She has been, and and uh actually she's become a very good friend.

Because Mary will talk up for herself, yeah.

Yeah, have you seen the art and history district map?

Yes, yes, so and we we'll we'll get that this new see and and I I was thinking that with with that map, then we we digitize it, but then we take a little section of it and enlarge that so that the map that they're walking on is actually a part of that original historic art walk map.

So, you know, something like that.

Here's our map guide right here.

Right there.

Does that does that make sense?

Yeah, yes, and and I'm working on Paul with the map.

Okay, and we handed out a ton of those maps.

Yes, we have all right, Dave.

Um, just uh again want to reiterate like Bethany did.

I'm just happy to be here.

Um I have to say I'm impressed with the level of passion and dedication that a lot of people here are showing towards this uh the arts in our community.

It's uh pretty cool to them.

Coming from a family with lots and lots of history of more of the performing arts than anything, but uh here in this town.

So it's it's cool.

This is very, very, very nice.

So look forward to working with you all.

And welcome, Dave.

We're very happy to have you.

Okay, now we'll circle back to me, and you guys don't mind if I hurry because I have an 11:30 at the Steam Center.

Um, just what I want to say, George.

I want to thank you for you were a founding member.

That's the reason we're still here, and I think you're the last founding member that's still on this commission.

Um, Karen, for your leadership the last year and a half or so since I've been on it.

I really appreciate it.

You've taken us to new heights.

For her service and what she's done for First Friday.

Who stepped down this year.

Also welcome to Bethany.

We love Bethany.

She's amazing.

And Dave, we just met Dave, but I know Dave will be amazing too.

So we look forward to the rest of this year.

And thank you for either I was the dumb one to step up for this or um I'm honored but I'll say I'm honored and I thank you.

You're amazing too and Mitzi thank you for being um public comment since there is no public adjournment.

Okay.

Everybody's good?

So move okay thank you.