Wednesday September 26th, 2007 - 11:47AM

* Make history tonight, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. - Public show and input on design criteria

* Link up to the Maritime Museum

* Email addresses for all members of the non-profit Community Maritime Park Associates Board of Trustees

Here are the details:

Tonight is your night to help make history!

The following is the unedited version of the Pensacola News Journal Viewpoint column published on Sept. 25, 2007. We attached a PDF copy of the article to this email for your permanent reference and to forward to others.

By H. Miller Caldwell, Jr.

Last Sept. 5, Pensacola's voters enthusiastically cast their "Yes!" ballots confirming the City Council's decision to enter into a public-private partnership using Community Redevelopment Agency bonds to build the Pensacola Bay Area's Vince J. Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park. They entrusted this historic decision to the non-profit Community Maritime Park Associates' (non-profit CMPA) Board of Trustees to guarantee the public's access and enjoyment of the downtown waterfront.

On Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the 2nd floor conference room at Pensacola's City Hall, you can see for yourself the incredible progress the non-profit CMPA is making to deliver on its promises. More importantly, you will be able to ask questions of the designers and planners, further ensuring the park is the public's vision becoming reality.

This journey began 18 months ago when internationally noted urban planner Ray Gindroz conducted a series of public meetings asking for ideas about what our downtown should be for residents and visitors. Overwhelmingly, the answer he heard was that the entire Pensacola Bay Area wanted a solid project. Above all other considerations, it must create a permanent link to the waterfront for you and your future generations to enjoy.

When you attend this meeting, you will see for yourself through a Palette Book, and numerous other graphics and architectural drawings, the texture and character of our historic downtown, and how the park should integrate and amplify these cherished aesthetic qualities.

You will also hear from Paul Ostergaard of Mr. Grindoz's Urban Design Associates, who will review the 18-month germination of this effort from its seed of conception, to a blossoming reality.

The highly rated Sasaki landscape designers, represented by Mark Dawson, will show impressive graphics detailing the fabric and scale of the public spaces, the park's waterfront edge streets, as well as all the subtleties that tell the master developer candidates that the non-profit CMPA is resolute in its determination to make the park an international showpiece - a point of pride for the entire Pensacola Bay Area family of residents.

And you will see for yourself the work of acclaimed architectural firm HKS of Orlando, as they contribute to defining the public use, and university needs for this jewel on the north Gulf coastline.

Following the presentations, the public's participation begins. Ask questions, and through your questions, influence the next step of this project.

The board tasked Caldwell Associates Architects to oversee all these processes. Our timeline takes the meeting's ideas for a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) due by Oct. 12. Six weeks later, we will have the full-body of the RPF. The 4 master developer candidates then have 2 months to return their proposals for a final review and selection of the winning master developer candidate.

Mark your calendar to attend. It's not just a meeting; it's history in the making.

Don't let history pass you by; Wednesday is your chance to participate in writing one of the Pensacola Bay Area's most important chapters.

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H. Miller Caldwell Jr. is the principle architect with Caldwell Associates Architects.

Your involvement means your vision of Pensacola is becoming a reality! Plan to be at this critical meeting to see for yourself all the progress the park is making.

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* Link up to the Maritime Museum

A number of people asked us to include a link for those interested in learning more about the Adm. John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center at the University of West Florida Community Maritime Park Campus.

Give this link a try, then bookmark it for future updates!

http://www.uwf.edu/maritime

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Email Board of Trustees members with your thoughts and ideas!

Here are the email addresses for the Board of Trustees members. Remember, the non-profit Community Maritime Park Associates, Inc. (non-profit CMPA) operates in full compliance with Florida's Government in the Sunshine Act. All email communications are open public records available to anyone who asks for them.

The syntax for the Board members is first name.last name@whibbspark.org

Collier Merrill: collier.merrill@whibbspark.org

Dick Baker: dick.baker@whibbspark.org

Dr. Jimmy Jones: jimmy.jones@whibbspark.org

Eddie Todd: eddie.todd@whibbspark.org

Rev. Hugh King: hugh.king@whibbspark.org

John Merting: john.merting@whibbspark.org

Juanita Scott: juanita.scott@whibbspark.org

Judge Lacey Collier: lacey.collier@whibbspark.org

Kathlyn White: kathlyn.white@whibbspark.org

Rodney Jackson: rodney.jackson@whibbspark.org

Susan Story: susan.story@whibbspark.org

Acting Executive Director on loan from the City of Pensacola

Ed Spears: espears@ci.pensacola.fl.us

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Email Relay Participants: Please forward this to your email lists, blogs, message boards, and other publications. Thanks to you, more than 500 people not on the regular Friends email list get the latest updates on the Community Maritime Park each week. You are making a difference!

Questions? Ed Spears has the answers!

"When in doubt, call Ed to find out!"

Here is his contact information:

Edward E. Spears, Neighborhood & Economic Development Administrator, City of Pensacola
180 Governmental Center, Pensacola, FL
P.O. Box 12910 / Pensacola, Florida 32521
(850) 436-5655 (office) / (850) 595-1143 (fax) / email: espears@ci.pensacola.fl.us

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Don't miss even one exciting second as the CMP goes from vision to reality!

Get your own FREE subscription to the Friends report: http://supporters.communitymaritimepark.com

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That's it for this week - until then, "Thanks!" from all your friends . . . who are Friends of the Pensacola Bay Area's Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park!

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