The FRA Roy F. Kenzie Awards honor the best programs and projects in Florida redevelopment. Applications are accepted from FRA members who meet the award criteria and submit the entry fee. A winning entry is an acknowledgment of excellence for the work an organization is doing. All winners receive a trophy presented at the awards ceremony during the FRA Annual Conference in October. Both winners and applicants are included in that year’s “Best Book,” a publication featuring the “best” in redevelopment, and will receive extra copies to bring back to their community.
Call For Entries: http://redevelopment.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2016-Call-for-Entries-02112016v2.pdf
TIPS ON HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY SUBMIT FOR AN AWARD
- Review your final application CD before submitting to make sure you have included all required information…. several applications do not have power point or 100 word description – non-eligible.
- Verify you are submitting in correct category. Contact us for project examples for each category to help determine the right category.
- One CD for each application! We send the copies out to different people and addresses so this is a must.
- Include (if available): …OR a narrative explanation/articles/support info if numbers are not available.
– Fiscal impact / increase in property values…to project/surrounding areas
– Increase in businesses
– Retail sales numbers
– Increase number of people on street
– Decrease in crime or blight.
– Winning applications tell the whole story of project and the impact to the district / city.
- Give total project information if possible: The HOW DID YOU PULL THIS OFF?!
– Total project cost
– Partnerships/how was deal structured/what did CRA/govt/developer/businesses/property owners/merchants/organizations provide? Use %’s if easier.
– Any grants, donations, loans, describe funding sources, again if easier use %’s
– Calendar/time frame of project – how long did it take?
- Provide why you did project…what issue or problem was solved? Every project starts for a reason.
- Send great photos on slides! Remember a picture is worth a thousand words and your application is limited to 100 words! BEFORE AND AFTERs are MOST EFFECTIVE.*
- *BUT….If you include before and after photos they should be of same thing! Applications with photos of different areas of a project do not count.
- Remember the committee knows nothing of your project. Make sure narrative, power point, and pictures, explain this great project and the positive impact it has had or will have (for planning studies) on your CRA / City. Ask someone out of your circle to review for fresh opinion.
- Always include information for “other exemplary aspects of the design, plan, project or program”. This is the last chance to make your project shine to the committee, so look over everything you have stated about your project and squeeze out some additional interesting information. If you don’t think the project is exemplary then why should the awards committee? You can do it!
- The absolute worst for award committee member is to start review of a great project but on completion looking up and saying “I wish the application had provided more information!”
Gail K Hamilton, FRA Awards Committee Chair
Director, City of Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency
5335 8th Street, Zephyrhills, Florida, 33542
Phone (813) 780-0202
