Minutes 11-12-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Rich said she spoke with staff at the Visitor's Bureau (VB). She said the VB board has not discussed this yet, but the $10,000 certainly fits into what they do. She said the goal was to put this money toward someone coordinating the event. She noted that there are about 31 fairs or festivals every year, and the Visitors Bureau is not offering money to every fair or event in the County. She said she hopes to get some feedback after the meeting this month. Commissioner Rich asked if there has been any discussion about combining this fair with another established event. Commissioner Dorosin said this had been discussed. He said one of the goals is for this fair to be a countywide event. He said most of the County events are much more discrete in their appeal and outreach, and they are not countywide. He said this can be discussed, and the group is happy to try and do this. Commissioner Rich said everyone had received an email from Margaret Cannell who has been working on Hogg Day for years. She said it would not be a good idea to have something in the spring that would be too close to Hogg Day. She does not want to invade on this event or stress the amount of people that would attend either event. Commissioner Gordon said her concern has to do with the venue. She said Blackwood Farm is not in the CIP until years 6-10, and there have already been discussions about current debt capacity. She is concerned that this venue does not have any infrastructure at this point. Commissioner Price said she has gotten feedback, and residents are excited about the opportunity to bring people together around one countywide event. She said it would be great for people in the northern part of the County. She said there were people who came to the meetings feeling very skeptical about the fair who were contributing ideas by the end of the meeting. She said the community building aspect is central. She said one of the positive aspects of having it at Blackwood Farm is the opportunity to put the farm to use and to show off one of their County assets. Chair Jacobs summarized that there is some support for moving ahead, but the following questions and issues need to be addressed: • Hear feedback from Visitors Bureau • Explore the opportunity to partner with another event • Use of an event planner needs to be nailed down ( He feels this position is underestimated) • Address the venue issue and how to invest in Blackwood Farm • Costs need to be made clearer • Timing He suggested that it is not yet time to appoint a working group, since the majority of the Board is not committed yet. He said the next step would be to get more details on the finances and timing. Commissioner Dorosin said the reason the information was not more detailed was because the group wanted the Board of County Commissioners' input before moving ahead too far. Chair Jacobs said the Board needs more information before providing direction. He said the group should go back and respond to the Board's concerns and then a decision can be made about whether to move forward. Michael Talbert asked if there are any more questions that need to be answered. He said he did not hear any consensus on whether the Board really wanted to have a fair.