City of Boca Raton Gets Kudos For “Meet Me On The Promenade: Downtown Boca” at Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting

Supporters lined up in City Council Chambers to praise the first “Meet Me on the Promenade” on Oct. 21 and 22, billed as the downtown’s coming out party for the millions spent on pedestrian-friendly improvements.

Alana Cohen, whose window fashions’ business is along the newly prettied up stretch of East Palmetto Park Road, led the chorus of kudos at the Oct. 24 Community Redevelopment Agency meeting.

“I want to give a standing ovation for the weekend,” she told the CRA, city council members wearing different hats. “As merchants, we never thought it would be so big.”

The accolades went to Bonnie and Jon Kaye of Kaye Communications, the city’s downtown PR and marketing firm, and city staff including downtown manager Ruby Childers, and Arlene Cheese and Nicole Gasparri.

Peg Greenspan weighed in for the Downtown Boca Raton Advisory Committee: “It’s the most wonderful experience I’ve had in downtown Boca,” she said.

“Thanks for planting the seed, we will make this a big oak,” said Don Epstein of Art Attack.

Cohen, who was later named to the Downtown Advisory Committee, urged the city to consider making an event on the Palmetto Park Road promenade monthly during season.

Councilman Anthony Majhess agreed, asking if the Kayes and city staff could do something in December, January, February and March.

The mayor agreed. “Even if it’s not as large, can’t we do something once a month or every six weeks?” she said.

The mayor said the tweaks she would like to see are fencing on Sanborn Square to prevent small children from straying into the street, and “minor traffic issues like the wait to get out of the garages.”

Still, “the energy was intoxicating and this was just the beginning,” said CRA chairwoman Constance Scott.