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Advisory committee weighs promotion, not grant funding, for Ride the Dirt Wave after guideline change
Summary
Seaside's advisory body discussed that recent grant-rule changes — which bar grants for events between Memorial Day and early September — place Ride the Dirt Wave (moving to August) outside the grant window; members favored promotional support via PR resources over direct grant awards due to precedent concerns.
The Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee discussed options for supporting the Ride the Dirt Wave mountain-biking event after staff said recent grant guidelines exclude events held between Memorial Day and early September, placing an August date outside the program window.
Staff said Daniella, a past grantee, contacted the office and noted the event’s move to August would make it ineligible under current guidelines. Committee members debated whether to make an exception, offer promotional assistance instead of cash, or revisit grant criteria.
"I wanted to put it on the agenda so that we could just talk in general sort of about that sort of mountain biking segment," staff said, adding that while the event is an "awesome asset," changing the grant timeline creates limits for summer events.
Several members cautioned against creating a precedent that would invite frequent funding requests from conventions and repeat event organizers; one member suggested using the committee's PR firm to secure earned media placements rather than awarding direct funds. Another member said the committee could support the event through promotion without giving a $3,000-plus development grant.
The committee did not approve a funding exception; members asked staff to work with organizers on promotional options and to clarify grant-eligibility language for future cycles.
