Minutes 01-23-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Rich said there was also concern about the integrity of Blackwood Farm being compromised with heavy machinery. Commissioner Gordon said what the Board is being asked to do is to move forward with a project costing $187,000 -$243,000 and include improvements to the Blackwood Farm. She said she has concerns about this financial commitment in the face of so many uncertainties. Commissioner Dorosin emphasized that this model is made to be revenue neutral or revenue positive event. He said the goal for tonight is to get the authority to hire an event planner to help determine the viability of this event. He noted that Hogg Day was revenue positive every year. He believes there will be a large volunteer base to help mitigate staff time. Commissioner Dorosin said a smaller event is possible, but at some point there will still be costs associated with improvements and other items, regardless of the size of the event. He said the event could be shortened, but there are economies of scale to consider. He said vendors would be charged less to come for only one day, and schools could not be involved if the event is only on a Saturday. He said the goal is to draw as many people as possible, so the diversity of the event is important. He said it would be better to scale everything down, than to pull just one section down. He said that the idea of having a park but not going into it is counterintuitive. He said this farm is a jewel of the county and this would be an opportunity to show it off. He said there is a lot of excitement about this, and it will be fun. He said County government has to be about more than just maintaining the status quo and this is a real opportunity. Commissioner Rich asked if any of the local vendors and restaurants were interested in being involved in this. Dave Stancil said some of the food trucks participated in the information session, but because there is so little concrete information, no one has committed yet. Chair Jacobs said he was part of the 250th celebration event, and he has been supportive of the fair idea. He said the event has promise; but he does not believe any of the numbers, and he does not want to make any commitments outside of the budget process. He would be supportive of hiring an event planner for 4 months until the budget process, to vet these numbers and see what the County's exposure will be. He said this can be evaluated in May, and the Board will see what their priorities are. He said community building is important, and this event will provide an opportunity for this; however, the Board heard today in the school collaboration meeting about extra school expenses. He said if someone is willing to do the job with the possibility that it will become a full time job if the numbers prove to be reliable, then he would be comfortable with this. He is less comfortable with doing an ad hoc approach. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to approve option 2 in the Manager's recommendation, which directs staff not to move forward with the County Fair Project, because of these uncertainties. VOTE: Ayes, 4: Commissioner Pelissier, Commissioner Rich, Commissioner McKee, and Commissioner Gordon; Nays, 3: Chair Jacobs, Commissioner Dorosin, Commissioner Price Commissioner Pelissier clarified that this motion does not mean the idea is totally dead in the long term, but there are too many uncertainties at the moment. A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Price to hire a part time event planner to develop and vet a plan, including costs, and to bring this back during the budget process.