Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Canal Fest organizers ask Tonawanda council to restore rides, return to longer festival to help nonprofits
Summary
Canal Fest representatives told the council the event drew 100,000+ visitors but attendance and nonprofit revenue fell after rides moved; they requested council support to return rides to Tonawanda and asked the mayor to provide a police/DPW/fire cost estimate so the festival can decide whether to stay or move.
A Canal Fest representative told the City of Tonawanda Common Council that last year's festival and affiliated nonprofits saw steep drops in attendance and revenue and urged the city to restore carnival rides and return to an eight-day event.
"What we are looking for and what we'd like to ask for this year is to go back to 8 days and also bring the rides back to the city of Tonawanda," the Canal Fest representative said, describing a decline in local nonprofit revenue after the rides moved. The speaker said regional festivals were down 25% on average and the local event's decline was compounded by a shortened schedule and confusion about opening days.
The representative said rides are a primary draw: when they moved to North Tonawanda, downtown Tonawanda vendors and nonprofits saw lower foot traffic. Council members pressed for details about the costs the city would incur to host the rides, in particular overtime for police and extra DPW and fire responsibilities.
Mayor Jay Monaco (named later in the transcript) and council members asked the mayor's office to compile a line-item estimate of police, DPW and fire costs so Canal Fest can decide at its next meeting whether to remain in Tonawanda. The Canal Fest representative said the organization is not asking for an immediate contract but requested a nonbinding consensus to stay while they continue fundraising and planning.
Council members emphasized public-safety constraints raised by North Tonawanda's fire department that limited where rides could be sited across the river. The council suggested a cross-city discussion with North Tonawanda and other stakeholders to explore shared solutions.
The council asked staff to provide a budget estimate for police, DPW and associated event costs and to return with that figure for a discussion before Canal Fest's next planning vote.
The council did not make a binding commitment during the meeting; Canal Fest said it will vote at its next internal meeting on whether to remain in Tonawanda if it receives several expressions of support and the requested cost information.
