Parks board waives fees for high school fishing tournament, invites organizers to discuss larger events

The Hendersonville Parks Board on Aug. 25 voted to waive park fees for a Federation Angler high school fishing tournament and asked staff to meet with the organizer to discuss the possibility of hosting larger regional or national events.

The board approved a motion to waive fees for the event and to request that organizers meet with parks staff to explore hosting the federation's larger championship events in Hendersonville. The motion was made and seconded on a voice vote; the board approved the request by voice (tally not specified in the record).

Mister Bray, identified in the meeting as the tournament organizer, told the board the event is aimed at high school and junior anglers and that "there's no entry fees for none of these events. They're for our high school anglers and our junior anglers" and that the federation operates nationally through sponsorships. Bray said the events are a feeder program meant to help students progress to collegiate fishing programs and that organizers typically do not include vendors at these high-school-level events.

Mister Gilley, parks director, summarized the request to the board and said the parks staff had charged the usual small-event boat fee and a small fishing permit fee this past year and that the total billed "was probably around $500" (amount approximate; exact total not specified in the record). Gilley told the board that only the parks board could authorize fee waivers and relayed Bray's request that those fees be waived going forward for similar high-school competitions. Gilley also said staff would meet with the organizer to discuss whether Hendersonville could host larger events in the future.

Board members discussed conditions under which fees might still apply. One board member suggested that if vendors plan to sell goods on site they should be charged the appropriate vendor fees, while boat-entry and angler fees for the school teams would be the items considered for waiver.

The board asked organizers to coordinate with parks staff on local promotion and lodging links; Bray said the federation would promote local motels and other businesses on its website. Bray also described prior national events the federation has run and said Hendersonville could be considered for larger tournaments after further discussion with organizers and the federation's leadership.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the board previously charged a small event boat fee and a small fishing permit fee for this year's tournament; Gilley estimated the combined fees at about $500 but the transcript does not provide a precise figure. Organizers said they will not include vendors for the high-school events; the federation relies on sponsorships to operate nationally.

Next steps: parks staff will meet with Federation Angler representatives to discuss dates, capacity and the logistics of hosting larger events, including whether Hendersonville's facilities could support the federation's larger championship tournaments.