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Art contest shows how environmentally-friendly old "Round" Holiday Inn can be

By Tom Flanigan

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-968038.mp3

Tallahassee, FL – What was Tallahassee's old "round Holiday Inn" will reopen later this year as a Four Points by Sheraton. Tom Flanigan reports the property's owners are sponsoring an art contest that ties into how environmentally-friendly the rebuilt hotel will be.

Ten university students were given four-by-eight sheets of plywood and told to create art on the topic of sustainability. The results were displayed outside the hotel entrance and were to be judged by five community leaders and, says General Manager Bo Schmitz, by the community at large.

"Feedback will be accepted from our Facebook friends for the next five days and will be weighted equally with input from each of the other five judges, so in essence, our Facebook friends become the sixth judge."

One of the actual judges, Sustainable Tallahassee Director Sharon Liggett, says the hotel itself is really one gigantic exercise in sustainability.

"Combining environmental stewardship with economic development, this is a great demonstration project for reuse, for recycling. They were able to take a property that was here and existing and create it into an environmentally friendly property and it's just a win-win for everybody, especially the whole community."

The 42-year-old hotel had been through multiple owners in recent years and has been vacant since early 2010. It should reopen sometime this fall.