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Hobe Sound Arts Festival 2010

Hobe Sound -- The Hobe Sound Festival of the Arts was held February 6th and 7th. The Festival is a co-sponsored event by the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce and the GFWC Hobe Sound Women’s Club. Thousands of people attended to see a wonderful display of artwork from jewelry, painting, photography, wood and metal works to fiber arts.

The GFWC Hobe Sound Women’s Club sponsored a children’s art competition during the recent Hobe Sound Festival of the Arts. Children entered their artwork, and the winner, Rose Kissel, had her art on a T-shirt for sale during the Arts Festival. All proceeds go towards education in MartinCounty. All children’s art entries were also on display at the Festival.

Out2martincounty.com is a photo journal featuring people, "Who they are, what they do and where they do it".

Do you have something to say, an event to talk about? An event you would like me to cover? Do it here! Email your story or request to me at rshall@out2martincounty.com

Photo by: Diane Jettinghoff Out2/Martin County.com contributing photographer

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City of Stuart Releases Details of Government Center Plan

In photo: Proposed 8-Acre Site Could House County Constitutional Offices

STUART -- The City of Stuart today released details of its effort to bring Martin County’s constitutional offices back to downtown Stuart as part of a comprehensive downtown government center. The county currently spends approximately $1.5-million annually to lease 58,000 square feet of office space at locations around the county, but recently announced plans to develop consolidated, permanent office space. Stuart City Commissioners responded in support of the county’s plan by offering to donate land near the County Courthouse to house the county’s Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections and Utilities and Solid Waste Department offices. The County building would become the first phase of a planned Downtown Government Center that could potentially host federal, state and school district offices, as well as Martin County and City of Stuart facilities.

“The Stuart City Commission believes strongly that these offices should be located in downtown Stuart, the County seat, said Stuart City Manager, Dan Hudson, in a letter released today. “ Construction of these offices near the courthouse would become the first phase of a Downtown Government Center in the heart of Stuart.” The City of Stuart has long worked toward developing a small town urban center, investing in cosmetic and infrastructure improvements, and taking steps to bring a regional transit center and Amtrak station to the downtown area adjacent to the proposed Government Center location.

Meet Daniel Lund

In photo: Daniel Lund describes at a press conference at Holt Emergency Center, his experience at Stuart Beach yesterday.

By: Dick Hall, Out2News

Stuart -- Once a shark attack victim himself in 1987, bitten in the lower leg while surfing, Daniel Lund is even more courageous that you might think.

Daniel Lund was the EMTLifeguard who made the ill-fated rescue of Kite-boarder Stephen Howard Schafer at Stuart beach yesterday.

Schafer was in the blood colored water about a quarter mile off shore, with sharks swimming around him. When I got to Schafer he said he had been bitten. Lund described how in using the Kite as a flotation/protection device to protect themselves from the sharks and cradled his head in one arm and headed back to shore

This the guy I want on my beach...Oh!, this is my beach. I guess I'm just glad Daniel Lund is here and so should you.

Out2martincounty.com is a photo journal featuring people, "Who they are, what they do and where they do it".

Do you have something to say, an event to talk about? An event you would like me to cover? Do it here! Email your story or request to me at rshall@out2martincounty.com

Photo by: Dick Hall Out2/Martin County.com

Out2martincounty.com adheres to full compliance with C.O.P.P.A. (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998)

"Martin County's Photo Journal"

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Martin County High School Presents Kiss Me Kate

Taking its inspiration from Shakespeare, Kiss Me, Kate recounts the backstage and onstage antics of two feuding romantic couples during a touring production of The Taming of the Shrew. Sparkling with 18 classic Cole Porter songs - including "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "Wunderbar," "So in Love," "Always True to You in My Fashion," "Too Darn Hot," and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" - Kiss Me, Kate epitomizes musical comedy at its best. It is sure to bring the audience to tears with laughter! Come and see the classic Broadway smash.

February 11th - 13th.

Stuart’s multifaceted offer includes planning services and space on the 8-acre Sailfish Park location, could save Martin County taxpayers as much as $3-million in land acquisition and development costs and protect $82,000.00 in tax revenue annually. Other potential benefits include adding an estimated $1-million annually to the downtown economy, enhanced convenience and accessibility for customers, and increased redevelopment opportunities in the historic downtown and East Stuart areas. Specific benefits to constituents include:

Stimulate Regional Economy – Based on the typical spending patterns of downtown workers profiled in a recent study by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), locating the county offices downtown will generate about $1-million a year in additional business for downtown restaurants and stores. This spending pattern does not hold true for suburban employees, who tend to bring their lunch to work, spend less when they do eat out, and are more likely to run errands than shop during their lunch breaks.

Taxbase Protection – Putting a government center on existing public property in the downtown area will keep productive commercial property on the tax rolls. Purchasing comparable property elsewhere will cost the county $82,000 a year in tax revenue.

Amplified Savings – Locating offices on the Sailfish Park property eliminates the need to pay for the land, which is valued at $5-million. Additional savings would come from opportunities for more efficient construction and shared site development costs, including savings on planning, drainage and retention, and parking costs, saving taxpayers as much as $3-million.

Regional Planning – Locating government offices in historic downtowns is a universally accepted good planning practice. A downtown government center puts commonly used government services close to each other where they are easily accessible from existing and planned transportation services. The result is reduced congestion, greater convenience, and new opportunities for shopping, dining, and cultural attractions. In contrast, locating offices outside downtown reduces accessibility and encourages urban sprawl.

Superior Service – Having government services in walking distance of each other in a downtown government center gives customers the convenience of “one stop shopping” in a pedestrian-friendly environment.

The city’s offer has already received initial support from downtown business organizations including the Stuart Downtown Business Association, Stuart Main Street, and the East Stuart Main Street program. Stuart’s downtown area is home to 23 restaurants, over 100 retail shops, and some 70 other businesses and contributes to $1.7 million in TIFF funds annually – in part fueled by the successful location of the Cheney courthouse in the district in the 1980s. A similar county facility in Sailfish Park could help sustain those businesses as well as help spur a similar economic revitalization in East Stuart. The county’s tourism and hospitality industry and cultural organizations could also benefit from stimulus generated by the complex.

Another benefit of building within the city footprint would be increased green building and historic preservation opportunities based on compact growth and increased demand for properties in the area. The projected value of all economic benefits, tax savings, and cost reductions is expected to exceed $15-million at the outset of the project, and over $75-million over the lifetime of the complex. Acting County Administrator Taryn Kryzda has said she will present all office space options to county commissioners at their regular meeting February 9, 2010.

The City of Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was created in 1986 to eliminate slum and blighted conditions in its communities and was re-established and expanded in 1998 and 2002. The CRA is directed by the Community Redevelopment Board (CRB) and implements the objectives, programs, and projects defined in the CRA Plan adopted by the City of Stuart in August 2002. The CRB meets the first Tuesday of every month at 4:00 in the City Hall Chambers at 121 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart. For more information, please visit www.cityofstuart.com.

Out2martincounty.com is a photo journal featuring people, "Who they are, what they do and where they do it".

Do you have something to say, an event to talk about? An event you would like me to cover? Do it here! Email your story or request to me at rshall@out2martincounty.com

Out2martincounty.com adheres to full compliance with C.O.P.P.A. (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998)

"Martin County's Photo Journal"

Visit photo archive