We're going to recess from the commission meeting and convene into a special session of the community redevelopment agency.

And I will just be official there.

And so we're now in the special Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency meeting.

And we have the minutes of the December 1st 2025 CRA meeting.

Are there any changes?

I would move approval of the minutes.

Second.

Thank we got a motion from Commissioner Ahern Koch and a second from Commissioner Batti to accept the minutes and your votes.

Okay.

And it's unanimous.

Thank you very much.

Moving along, the next item is a report from the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board regarding R.L.

Taylor Public Art Mural.

And I'm calling upon and we'll get your title rightonomic development manager, Appleby.

And I guess we're going to just hear from uh Ms.

Galant.

I also had uh board members Shelley and Yancey on the list, but I guess it's Appleby and Gallant today.

Good morning.

Wayne Appleby Economic Development Manager for the City.

Some some titles you never lose, apparently.

Thank you, Wayne.

But uh appreciate uh Mayor and Commissioners being here today.

First of all, let me pass uh my sincere regrets from Dr.

Shelley, who uh woke up ill this morning uh but had uh all intentions of being here and doing the report.

And so uh please, as as we speak, add her level of passion uh and commitment to the issue that we may not carry as eloquent as Dr.

Shelley would.

So um just just to open up, the Newtown CRA advisory board spent 2025 uh working on a plan to um have a new Taste a Newtown event in November, which they held as their first annual.

And as part of that discussion uh led into the idea of establishing a public art mural at R.L.

Taylor in in Newtown.

And um and there were a couple of community meetings around that.

And at the November 19th meeting, the Newtown CRA voted unanimously to formally request the uh City Commission as the owner of the building and a significant building in the heart of Newtown and in this city's um assets uh to ask you as the owners uh to approve the process of starting uh to request a public art mural on R.L.

Taylor.

Um sitting as the CRA.

So we're giving a board report as the CRA, and we would ask you at the conclusion of this to accept our report.

If you choose to uh approve uh after hearing the information a the process to begin the public art process, the first item on consent is there.

You would if you are in agreement with that, you could just leave that in voting consent uh if you do not wish to pursue a public art mural on R.L.

Taylor, then of course that item would need to be pulled.

Um at this point, um I'm going to let uh Rochelle Gallant introduce herself and and talk a little bit about uh the concept of the project that was held in the community and at the CRA.

Good morning, Rochelle Gallant for the record business relations coordinator.

This is a community mural that's intended to celebrate the history, the culture, and the resilience of Newtown as a community.

As such, it will reflect the past, present, and future of this of the community by establishing a visual landmark that will reinforce community pride.

Um it will have a key component being community engagement, similar to the successful community paint day at Arlington Park, wherein a community artist will be selected and encourage the community to invite the community to participate in completing portions of the mural.

Um the this approach will build local ownership as well as provide hands-on arts education and strengthen community connection to this space.

If this is approved, the NCRA advisory board will issue a formal call for artists developed in collaboration with the public art plan and public art program.

Just to conclude, if I could just have the LOM for a minute, uh this is the particular wall that the community and the uh CRA had discussed in their meetings in 2025.

This would be the west side of R.

L.

Taylor again, visibility to 301 was uh the primary uh purpose for that.

And so again, um that really represents the request of the CRA.

Uh we're here to answer any questions.

Um again, we appreciate accepting the report and then ultimately whatever decision you decide on the first item on consent.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And first questions are coming from Commissioner Aher and Cotch.

Thank you.

Thank you for your presentation.

How many square feet um does that comprise uh separately and together, and do they want both or just one or or the other?

I'll see.

I don't not sure if Ms.

Gallant has the actual square footage, and I'm not sure that it's really been that defined yet.