Village Merchants Group Cancels Special Meeting on Hotly Debated Flower Planter Program

The La Jolla Village Merchants Association announced Monday that it canceled a Nov. 18 special meeting scheduled after a heated discussion about hanging flower planters at the association's Nov. 9 regular meeting.

The board first approved a motion to spend up to $14,000 for maintenance, repair and new plantings for the 120 planters in the Village for a period running from Nov. 15 to Feb. 28, 2012. The existing planter contract expires Nov. 15 and costs the association approximately $6,000 a year for maintenance only.

The debate escalated quickly over concerns about cost, timeliness and operating in compliance with city bid requirements. Amid the discussion, both Kate Brainard of and Egon Kafka of left the meeting at the Cuvier Club before adjournment.

After much discussion, the merchants association, which manages the Business Improvement District taxes from 1,200 businesses in La Jolla Village, deferred the vote to a Nov. 18 meeting to allow for further research and discussion.

On Monday, Rosemary Murrieta, the executive director of the La Jolla Village Merchants Association, said in an email to La Jolla Patch that after the Nov. 9 board meeting the city informed the merchants association of the need to allow a minimum of 10 days for bidders to respond to a request for quotes.

The merchants association also needs to receive bids from at least five vendors. As of Nov. 9, it had only three.

The association's next board meeting is Dec. 14 at the Cuvier Club.

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