Richardson City Council Work Session April 15th, 2024
OPENING & ART GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
Two written public comments are submitted. City Manager Don Magner does not describe what the comments reference. No speakers are present.
Only two items are on the agenda tonight. The first is a presentation of the 2024 spring grant recommendations by the Cultural Arts Commission. Cultural Arts Commission Vice-Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez presents. Vice-Chair Gonzalez states that $26K was left over from 2023 reserves. She calls this an unusual amount. These are the funds that will be used for this round of grant funding recommendations. Priorities for these recommendations included special performances that provide unique cultural or artistic offerings, integrate technology and interactive components, collaboration between multiple organizations, and outreach initiatives that provide enrichment to Richardson residents. Equipment needs for organizations were also prioritized. To qualify for a grant, performances must occur within the City of Richardson.
Nine requests for funding were received. Four of these are recommended to receive some grant funding. The first organization is Chamberlain Ballet. This is a Plano-based organization that has several performances at the Eisemann Center. They are recommended to receive $7K for a new concept collaboration, “They Sing, They Dance”. This performance will be a collaboration between the Plano Civic Chorus, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, and RISD high school choirs at the Eisemann Center. The Dallas Chinese Community Center, a Richardson-based organization, is recommended to receive $2,500 for a Mother’s Day ikebana (flower arranging) workshop and children’s art competition. OutLoud Dallas, a Dallas-based organization, is recommended to receive $10K for an interactive performance and exhibition at the Eisemann Center. The program will be called, “See Me”. This exhibition will include immersive multimedia and will utilize holograms and projections. The final recommendation is $7K for the Richardson Symphony Orchestra for a community pops concert at UTD. Council will vote on these recommendations on April 22nd.
Council expresses their support for keeping reserves for spring funding opportunities and thanks the commission for their work.
WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL & CLOSING
The final presentation is on this year’s Wildflower Festival. Community Events Supt. Dianna Lawrence presents. This year’s event will take place May 17th – 19th and will have six performance stages. Headliners include the Randy Rogers Band, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Nile Rodgers & CHIC. This year’s event will also feature 15-foot sway pole performances. The kids' area will include a rock-climbing wall, interactive dinosaurs, and selfie stations. A battle of the bands will take place on April 20th at Happy Hippie Brewing Co. This is for bands with members aged 21 years or under. The top three finalists will perform on May 19th at Wildflower. A budding talent vocal competition will take place on April 7th at the Senior Center. This is for youth from kindergarten through 6th grade. 11 of these finalists will also perform on May 19th at Wildflower. The Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest will also take place again this year. Ten national finalists will perform on May 18th on the Singer Songwriter Stage.
A cornhole tournament will take place on May 18th with the winners receiving a prize package including a Scheels gift card. The art guitar auction will also be returning for this year’s event. Guitars up for auction will be exhibited in the Eisemann Center. The auction will close at 3:00 p.m. on May 19th. The Care-a-Van program will take the spirit of Wildflower to two retirement homes and one summer camp at a church. This program features airbrush tattooing, live entertainment, balloon artists, and arts & crafts. As a reminder, no chairs will be allowed in front of the Methodist Stage on Friday and Saturday. Bicycle parking will be available at the Cupcake Vineyard Gateway. Dianna also provides a reminder that the Cottonwood Art Festival will take place on May 4th & 5th.
Council discusses a Richardson Business Committee meeting, a Parks & Rec Commission meeting, the Richardson Adult Literacy Center’s Murder Mystery Show, and Motorcycle Safety Month.
The opportunity for public comments is called for one last time. One of the speakers who submitted a written comment is now present to speak. She makes suggestions for how to approach city governance and collaboration. Council then convenes into executive session to discuss property considerations in the U.S. 75/Main St. area. The footage stops here.