Staff highlighted several questions and concerns in the March 28th report to council, such as multiple issues surrounding the closure of 102nd Street, vendor information, consultations with surrounding property owners, risk management and safety plans, and parking access.
Prior to the amendment, Councillor Byron Stewart was wary of voting in favour of staff proceeding with the event application after seeing the many questions and concerns highlighted in the report.
“I am concerned are staff are doing the work, and Mr. Plourde is making Facebook posts, and we’re going to be hung out to dry,” said Stewart.
“On top of that, I am not overly comfortable with the choice of area just knowing that we are doing downtown revitalization, traffic changes are happening, and this doesn’t present to me as a great parking item.”
Stewart adds if he had to choose between the proposed location and Centennial Park, he would choose the latter.
“This one seems to have a lot more issues, and that is evident to me by these three pages of questions and concerns.”
Before voting, Stewart asked if any of the concerns had been addressed since the report had been written and if staff were comfortable that the event would meet the city’s requirements if approved.
The city’s arts and culture manager Eryn Griffith believes it will be challenging to complete the list in a timely fashion by the required time for Plourde to acquire a license approval.
“Most of the issues haven’t been addressed thus far,” said Griffith.
She says the goal is for the city not to contribute financially to the event and cover costs through Plourde’s deposit.
Plourde will have to pay a $5000 deposit in case the property is not restored to its pre-event state, or RCMP or Bylaw call-outs are made due to any disruption, said the report. City staff will also determine a daily fee for using the lots.
Neighbouring businesses and residents within 100 metres from the lots will also be notified before the special permit is approved, according to a March 28th report to council. Council also approved an amendment to send out a community-wide notice as well.
During a January 25th council meeting, Plourde presented council with his initial plans for the festival, asking for a five-year commitment from the city to use Centennial Park between July 14th to 16th starting this year and to become a presenting sponsor worth $55,000.
Council declined Plourde’s request to host the event at Centennial Park and sponsor the event due to many factors on February 15th. However, staff was directed to meet with Plourde to facilitate the fair within the region and come back to council with a report on the findings.
Plourde’s vision is to showcase local musicians, First Nation and cultural art, diverse food, and bring the community together for a good time.
The proposed plan for the event is to have two stages featuring 20 performances to spotlight local performers and bring in some well-known faces such as Randy Bachmann and Grammy award winner Ricky Skaggs.
View the report to council below:
Energetic County Fair location found, more issues to address before city approval - Energeticcity.ca
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