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Rolando Chang Barrero stands in front of a mural, which has tally marks for the number of days the Art Walk has been banned by the city, in the Boynton Beach Art District on July 30, 2014. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)
______________ Meeting
Boynton Beach City Hall
2 p.m.
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____________
Boynton officials, organizer to discuss
future of Art Walk
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
BOYNTON BEACH —
Rolando Chang Barrero and a group of fellow artists and friends spent Wednesday evening in meditation for a cause.
After four years of hosting the Boynton Beach Art Walk the third Thursday of every month, organizer Chang Barrero received a letter from the city saying the monthly events were never allowed.
City manager Lori LaVerriere said while the monthly event ran for four years without permits, when Chang Barrero talked to the city about expanding the event, it became a safety concern, hence the letter.
The City of Boynton Beach only has an application process for special events permits that are temporary, but it does not have a process to apply for monthly event permits, leaving the Art Walk with no way to operate under city regulations.
Chang Barrero is scheduled to meet with Boynton Beach city officials Friday to figure out how best to proceed.
“We want to keep them going,” said LaVerriere. The city will try to come up with a set of rules that are specific to this area, she said.
“They’re stopping an activity that brought people into the community,” said Diane Arrieta, an artist from Tequesta who has displayed her work in the Boynton Beach Art District. “I don’t typically hang out in Boynton Beach.”
The Art District, which starts at 404 W. Industrial Ave., offers few parking spaces and is surrounded by residential area.
The event used to bring out an average of 200 people to the Art District, said Chang Barrero. Resident artists agreed to keep their studios open from 6 to 10 p.m. so more people would have the chance to view them during the monthly event.
The Art Walk has grown to a size that the city wasn’t prepared for, said James Brake, a member of the city’s planning and development board. “I do think this is a resolvable issue — not necessarily a simple issue.”
Richard Graulich
Local residents and friends hold a support gathering in front of a mural, which has tally marks for the number of days Art Walk has been banned by the city, in the Boynton Beach Art District on July 30, 2014. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)
Organizers of Wednesday’s meditation session are hoping for positive results at the Friday meeting.
Rolando Chang Barrero and a group of fellow artists and friends spent Wednesday evening in meditation for a cause.
After four years of hosting the Boynton Beach Art Walk the third Thursday of every month, organizer Chang Barrero received a letter from the city saying the monthly events were never allowed.
City manager Lori LaVerriere said while the monthly event ran for four years without permits, when Chang Barrero talked to the city about expanding the event, it became a safety concern, hence the letter.
The City of Boynton Beach only has an application process for special events permits that are temporary, but it does not have a process to apply for monthly event permits, leaving the Art Walk with no way to operate under city regulations.
Chang Barrero is scheduled to meet with Boynton Beach city officials Friday to figure out how best to proceed.
“We want to keep them going,” said LaVerriere. The city will try to come up with a set of rules that are specific to this area, she said.
“They’re stopping an activity that brought people into the community,” said Diane Arrieta, an artist from Tequesta who has displayed her work in the Boynton Beach Art District. “I don’t typically hang out in Boynton Beach.”
The Art District, which starts at 404 W. Industrial Ave., offers few parking spaces and is surrounded by residential area.
The event used to bring out an average of 200 people to the Art District, said Chang Barrero. Resident artists agreed to keep their studios open from 6 to 10 p.m. so more people would have the chance to view them during the monthly event.
The Art Walk has grown to a size that the city wasn’t prepared for, said James Brake, a member of the city’s planning and development board. “I do think this is a resolvable issue — not necessarily a simple issue.”
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