Minutes 11-12-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Dave Stancil said the idea was not to have a full fledged midway, but there is interest in having a landmark ride, such as a Ferris wheel. Dave Stancil referred to the cost/revenue estimates slide and said there is a big range. He said a $60,000 event will be minimal and small scale. He said the other end of the range, at $185,000, will bring in more activities, more equipment rental and more revenue potential. He discussed the Blackwood Farm Map and the aerial photo, as well as the site map from a past festival. He noted that Blackwood Farm does not have a lot of existing infrastructure and it might be necessary to look at a new entry road and consider moving these items up in the CIP. Commissioner McKee asked for the number of hours staff have put into this planning process. Dave Stancil said this number is 100-105 hours collectively, and this does not include individual time on side projects. Commissioner McKee said, based on the hourly rate of the employees, there has already been $2200 spent on staff planning time so far. He said with every other Board issue there is an upfront working budget, and with this project that is reversed. He said he does not think this fair can be done for $60,000 and possibly not even for $184,000. He said he has spoken to several groups recently and he finishes by asking for opinions on the County Fair. He said residents commonly ask why this would not be sponsored by a civic organization; what the cost would be; and what impact this would have on Hogg Day or the livestock show. He said he is not hearing the same responses Commissioner Dorosin mentioned from the survey. He has some severe reservations about the County doing this and how this will affect other organizations. Commissioner Pelissier said she has some of the same concerns. She still wants to know the costs of the infrastructure. She asked if the projected cost range includes the time of current staff or only additional staff. She is unclear about what this cost includes and whether this would take staff away from current projects. She questioned the dependence on a strong volunteer base and whether not having volunteers would add to the costs. Jeff Thompson said the opportunity costs of staff are not in. He said the volunteer contributions are called out as a revenue line item. He said figures just came in from the Efland Rodeo, which has a solid volunteer staff. He said this event ticketed $33,000 and their costs were $25,000, which did not include staff time or volunteer time. He said all of these costs were matched by corporate sponsorships. He said this means that the profit was $33,000, though the staff and volunteers are not factored in. Jeff Thompson said there was an attempt to budget for an event planner, but this does not count the other workers. Jeff Thompson said the rodeo has been in business for 25 years. Commissioner Pelissier shared some comments she has received from the public. She said those people who come to a meeting about the fair are typically the people who want a fair. She said she has gotten phone calls from people who say they will not attend an event like this. She said people have said they like the idea of a fair, but then they ask about the cost to the County and the taxpayers, and this changes their opinion. She said others simply say the County should be spending money on other things. Commissioner Rich asked who finds corporate sponsors for the rodeo. Jeff Thompson said he did not know. Commissioner Rich asked if this would be the job of one staff person or the event planner. Dave Stancil said there are event planners that are able to handle both fund raising and event planning.