MEMO. August 19, Mayor Bieter and City Council Terri Schorzman Operations Plan for Boise 150 (Sesquicentennial) Background

Transcription

1 MEMO August 19, 2011 TO: FR: RE: Mayor Bieter and City Council Terri Schorzman Operations Plan for Boise 150 (Sesquicentennial) Background The city will celebrate its 150 th anniversary in In preparation for the year-long event, Mayor and Council approved funds in early 2011 for the development of an operations plan. The 40-page draft plan is completed and consists of themes, objectives, operating principles, tracking documents, marketing strategies, administrative requirements, activities/events for both the City and community organizations, and more. These are addressed below, and a brief history of Boise is at the end of this memo (Attachment A). Between now and the close of 2013, the Department of Arts & History will lead the sesquicentennial event to encourage fellow residents to question, imagine, and explore the values and characteristics that have served us well. Ultimately, we anticipate that history will provide guidance for writing our next 100 years. The celebration is part of the department s vision to enhance Boise by providing leadership, advocacy, education, services, and support for arts and history in order for people to create, engage and connect with the community. Objectives for August 23 Mayor/Council work session I will present an overview of the plan to Mayor and Council on August 23. In particular, I will seek Mayor and Council guidance on the fundamental elements of the plan: Themes of the Boise 150 celebration. Have we identified themes that will resonate with the community? Objectives for Boise 150 events. Are the objectives in line with your vision for a major community celebration led by a City department? Operating principles for the celebration. Likewise, do these principles align with your vision? These building blocks are essential in creating and implementing a first-class event; on Tuesday I will seek your approval of these items. Following the presentation, Jade and I will meet with the Mayor and a sub-committee of the Council to review the details in the plan and review budget priorities. I will bring the results to a Council work session following that meeting.

2 Boise 150 Themes During the planning process, the planning consultant spoke with historians and members of the Department s history committee to identify themes that have remained relevant over the past century and half. Do these themes still ring true? 1. Entrepreneurial spirit: The early entrepreneurs made the dry, isolated land a home through businesses, parks, interurban rail, and irrigation. Their civic spirit is alive and well today. The City s current vision to become the most livable city in the country was crafted, in part, because of the legacy of commitment to civic ideals. 2. Innovation and creativity: The creative arts flourish in Boise. The city has long supported the visual arts, music and theater and has been an incubator for creative ideas, new businesses, and scholarship. 3. Outdoor life: From the Greenbelt to the Foothills to Bogus Basin to the BSU Broncos, Boise residents thrive on activity and outdoor life. 4. Community Spirit: Boise s neighborhoods have been home to myriad cultures, religions and ethnic identities. Each has contributed to the city s businesses, arts and collective identity. Boise 150 Objectives Build enthusiasm for the anniversary and stimulate conversation about our history and a vision for the future. Reach all members of the Boise community. Establish importance of history and arts in our community, and the city s role in sustaining both. Create a lasting legacy. Be consistent with the Boise 150 celebration themes. Encourage the collection and documentation of local history. Encourage dynamic cultural tourism/economic development opportunities. Boise 150 Operating Principles Boise 150 supports the City s Strategic Plan, the Department s strategic plan, and the goals for the department s History Division, including overall goals for administrative excellence, solid public engagement, and quality programming. The Department of Arts & History will lead and guide the Boise 150 celebration and will follow these principles. Attachment B provides more detail on these principles. 1. Administrative: The Department of Arts & History will provide leadership and administration for the sesquicentennial planning and implementation. This includes: Administration and coordination Promotion Community outreach City Department outreach Fundraising (with assistance and as needed) 2. Public Engagement: The City will reach out to community members and organizations to include them in the celebration. While the Department will provide the leadership and administrative foundation for the anniversary, we welcome community members and organizations to host accessible, relevant, and inclusive events throughout the year 2

3 3. Programming: The events and materials produced by the Department for Boise 150 will be high-quality, i.e., professionally designed, produced, and implemented, thus ensuring quality, consistency, and integrity. We have proposed a range of options, from legacy public art projects to neighborhood-based history documentation to broad-based community-driven projects. One of the most significant legacy projects, and one requiring careful consideration by Mayor and Council, is the creation of an arts and history endowment. Given the high level of planning and resources needed to implement such an endowment successfully, it is critical that we gain a sense of the level of commitment to this concept. 3

4 Brief History of Boise Attachment A May 1833 March 3, 1863 July 5, 1863 July 7, 1863 December 7, 1864 January 11, 1866 November 18, 1867 Captain Bonneville viewed present day Boise Territory proclamation by Abraham Lincoln Major Pinkney Lugenbeel founded Fort Boise (military outpost) City platted by early pioneers Boise established as the territorial capital Boise incorporated in a charter by the territorial government The first mayor of Boise took office In May 1833, Captain Benjamin Bonneville s expedition through the present-day city of Boise left a permanent mark on the city s history. Legend states the Frenchmen that accompanied Bonneville famously proclaimed, Les bois, les bois voyes les bois (The woods, the woods see the woods)! Many believe their observation of the Boise River, at the point where present-day Boise rests, cemented the name of the city forever. The area, however, never garnered much attention. It served as little more than a stopping ground for settlers headed west to Oregon. March 4, 1863, marked a turning point in Idaho and Boise history, when the United States Congress established the Territory of Idaho. On July 5, 1863, Major Pinkney Lugenbeel journeyed through Idaho to found and construct a military outpost, Fort Boise. On July 7, 1863, in the confines of Tom Davis and William R. Ritchie s pioneer cabin, Boise s earliest residents platted the city. Henry Chiles Riggs drew up the plat that included twenty lots and a grid of streets. The city of Boise was born. On December 7, 1864, evidence of Boise s growth and prestige came to fruition. Territorial legislators voted to move the Idaho territorial capital from Lewiston to Boise. Opponents of the shift argued the validity of Boise as a worthy capital. Since the city had no formal incorporation or city government, reasoned some detractors, it did not fully serve the purposes of the territory. A widening sectional division also occurred between southern and northern Idaho. So divisive was the issue of the capital location that northern Idaho wanted to join Washington Territory. While their arguments failed to keep the capital in Lewiston they succeeded at calling attention to Boise s need for incorporation. On January 11, 1866, the territorial government incorporated Boise in a charter. The citizens of Boise, however, resisted city government. They believed it to be little more than an excuse to tax the people. They already had a bustling city and felt they had no need to incorporate. Boiseans developed an anticharter party for the sole purpose of electing a mayoral candidate who never intended to be mayor. In each election, when their candidate won the popular vote he simply refused to take office. The advent of public land survey factored as a turning point for Boiseans decision to develop city government. The General Land Office only gave titles to patented town sites. In order to lobby for a patent the city needed a mayor and council. Finally, on November 18, 1867, Boise s fist mayor, Henry E. Prickett, took office and substantiated the already existent city. November 21, 1867, only three days after taking office, the new city government approved two ordinances. The city s second ordinance declared the streets and alleys as shown upon the plat of said Boise City are hereby declared public highways. The plat dictated policy and laws from its conception in the Davis-Ritchie cabin and through the birth of city government, giving this document credibility and legality. 4

5 July 7, 1863, witnessed the birth of Boise. On January 11, 1866, the territorial government initiated the formation of city government in Boise and November 18, 1867 formal city government operations began. The sketched map drawn by Henry Chiles Riggs, in the Davis-Ritchie cabin, provided the birth certificate of a newborn city. The discussion of the move of the capital, city incorporation, legitimacy, and city government resulted because of the unarguable growth of Boise City which began with the city plat. 5

6 Attachment B Boise 150 Operating Principles Boise 150 supports the City s Strategic Plan, the Department s strategic plan, and the goals for the department s History Division, including those for administrative excellence, solid public engagement, and quality programming. The Department of Arts & History will lead and guide the Boise 150 celebration and will follow these principles. Administration The Department of Arts & History will provide leadership and administration for the sesquicentennial planning and implementation. This includes managing coordination and communication for City-sponsored and community-based events, providing updates to Mayor and Council and other leaders throughout the community, and ensuring that documentation and evaluation occurs. o The Mayor and City Council will review plans and provide general oversight. o The budget will be clear and accurate. o All celebration activities will be tracked and monitored. o The Department will report the cost, events and activities to the Mayor and City Council. The effort will be community-driven with guidance from the Department of Arts & History. It will not be burdened by an overly complicated committee structure. The City will be transparent with its leadership, approvals process and lines of communication. Public Engagement The City will reach out to community members and organizations to include them in the celebration. The City will make it easy for community members to get information about events and participate in the celebration. Anyone can be involved. The Boise 150 website will be the home for all information about the celebration. It will be clear, up-to-date and easy to navigate. The Department alone cannot make the celebration a success. The Department will recruit and encourage community-driven initiatives and ideas. The Department, with the support of City leadership, will seek partnerships, sponsorships, and funding from local businesses, community organizations, and individuals. Programming The events and materials produced by A&H for Boise 150 will be high-quality, i.e., professionally designed, produced, and implemented, thus ensuring quality, consistency, and integrity. The success of Boise 150 will show the need for a robust History Division within the City that will ensure the documentation, preservation, and education about Boise's past. 6