Thursday, August 21, 2008 12:17 PM EDT
Ninigret fees could drive Rhythm & Roots out of Charlestown
|
This year's festival could be the last one.
|
 Flat fee town has charged festival organizers would change to percentage of event’s revenue under proposal. |
One of Charlestown’s signature events is right around the corner, but this year may be the last time the three-day Rhythm & Roots Festival is held at Ninigret Park, according to promoter Chuck Wentworth.
The flat fee the town has historically charged festival organizers like Wentworth would be changed to a percentage of an event’s revenue under a fee proposal recently adopted by the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
Specifically, vendors who stage events at Ninigret Park would have to pay 3 percent of their gross revenue to the town; an earlier proposal, rejected by the Town Council, asked for 5 percent of the take.
In addition, the promoters would have to agree to open their books to an audit, an idea Wentworth called “ludicrous.’’
“I’ve never heard anything like this before,’’ Wentworth said yesterday.
In his business, he often agrees to keep the fees he pays bands and other performers confidential, Wentworth said. And he wouldn’t want to disclose information about his staff and how much they are paid, he said.
As for the idea of paying a percentage of revenue as opposed to a flat fee, Wentworth said he thought he and the other organizers who stage events at the park made it clear to commission members that this was a “deal-breaker.’’ The promoters met with the Parks and Recreation Commission last month to share their views.
Wentworth learned about the commission’s new proposal at last week’s meeting of the Town Council.
“I was extremely disappointed in their decision to go that way,’’ Wentworth said.
The Town Council hasn’t yet approved the commission’s plan, but if it does, Rhythm & Roots will be held at a new location next Labor Day weekend, and not at Ninigret Park, Wentworth said.
The 11th annual Rhythm & Roots Festival will take place Aug. 29-31, with its usual lively mix of dance, music, food and workshops. This year, acclaimed blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray joins a lineup that includes Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas and the Keb’ Mo’ band.
The last of the summer’s four main events at Ninigret, Rhythm & Roots attracts thousands of visitors, who inject thousands of dollars into the local economy, Wentworth said. He would like to keep the event in Charlestown, but said he could not afford to under the plan proposed by the commission.
“This is a business decision, purely business,’’ he said.
Town Council members last week postponed a discussion on the commission’s fee proposal, saying they needed more time to consider it. They made this decision without disclosing the proposal’s content, prompting one member of the public to question whether the commission and council had been acting properly in recent weeks by discussing such a public issue in private.
“Can we know what it is?’’ asked Andrew McQuade, a member of the Chariho School Committee.
It was only then, in response to McQuade’s question, that the commission’s proposal was revealed.
The Parks and Recreation Commission adopted the proposal in closed session earlier this month, then refused to make it public until the council had received it. To justify going into executive session, the commission cited a section of the open meetings law pertaining to the lease of property for public purposes.
But as an elected official who is very familiar with the state’s open meeting law, McQuade said the commission seems to have violated the spirit of the legislation, if not also its letter.
“I’ve been really thinking about why they needed to go into executive session and I’m not seeing it,’’ McQuade said.
Specifically, the law states that a meeting may be closed regarding “any discussions or considerations related to the acquisition or lease of real property for public purposes, or of the disposition of publicly held property wherein advance public information would be detrimental to the interest of the public.’’
McQuade said it’s hard to see how the public would have been harmed by having the discussion in public.
“What is the factor that is detrimental to the public interest?’’ he asked.
Dan Alves, the commission’s chairman, said the commission has always invoked the lease exception to the open meeting law to discuss fees at Ninigret and has never had a problem. Asked to respond to McQuade’s concern, Alves declined comment.
The flat fee the town has historically charged festival organizers like Wentworth would be changed to a percentage of an event’s revenue under a fee proposal recently adopted by the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
Specifically, vendors who stage events at Ninigret Park would have to pay 3 percent of their gross revenue to the town; an earlier proposal, rejected by the Town Council, asked for 5 percent of the take.
In addition, the promoters would have to agree to open their books to an audit, an idea Wentworth called “ludicrous.’’
“I’ve never heard anything like this before,’’ Wentworth said yesterday.
In his business, he often agrees to keep the fees he pays bands and other performers confidential, Wentworth said. And he wouldn’t want to disclose information about his staff and how much they are paid, he said.
As for the idea of paying a percentage of revenue as opposed to a flat fee, Wentworth said he thought he and the other organizers who stage events at the park made it clear to commission members that this was a “deal-breaker.’’ The promoters met with the Parks and Recreation Commission last month to share their views.
Wentworth learned about the commission’s new proposal at last week’s meeting of the Town Council.
“I was extremely disappointed in their decision to go that way,’’ Wentworth said.
The Town Council hasn’t yet approved the commission’s plan, but if it does, Rhythm & Roots will be held at a new location next Labor Day weekend, and not at Ninigret Park, Wentworth said.
The 11th annual Rhythm & Roots Festival will take place Aug. 29-31, with its usual lively mix of dance, music, food and workshops. This year, acclaimed blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray joins a lineup that includes Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas and the Keb’ Mo’ band.
The last of the summer’s four main events at Ninigret, Rhythm & Roots attracts thousands of visitors, who inject thousands of dollars into the local economy, Wentworth said. He would like to keep the event in Charlestown, but said he could not afford to under the plan proposed by the commission.
“This is a business decision, purely business,’’ he said.
Town Council members last week postponed a discussion on the commission’s fee proposal, saying they needed more time to consider it. They made this decision without disclosing the proposal’s content, prompting one member of the public to question whether the commission and council had been acting properly in recent weeks by discussing such a public issue in private.
“Can we know what it is?’’ asked Andrew McQuade, a member of the Chariho School Committee.
It was only then, in response to McQuade’s question, that the commission’s proposal was revealed.
The Parks and Recreation Commission adopted the proposal in closed session earlier this month, then refused to make it public until the council had received it. To justify going into executive session, the commission cited a section of the open meetings law pertaining to the lease of property for public purposes.
But as an elected official who is very familiar with the state’s open meeting law, McQuade said the commission seems to have violated the spirit of the legislation, if not also its letter.
“I’ve been really thinking about why they needed to go into executive session and I’m not seeing it,’’ McQuade said.
Specifically, the law states that a meeting may be closed regarding “any discussions or considerations related to the acquisition or lease of real property for public purposes, or of the disposition of publicly held property wherein advance public information would be detrimental to the interest of the public.’’
McQuade said it’s hard to see how the public would have been harmed by having the discussion in public.
“What is the factor that is detrimental to the public interest?’’ he asked.
Dan Alves, the commission’s chairman, said the commission has always invoked the lease exception to the open meeting law to discuss fees at Ninigret and has never had a problem. Asked to respond to McQuade’s concern, Alves declined comment.
Kathy wrote on Aug 26, 2008 2:55 PM:
" The price of EVERYTHINGS going UP. I'm sure they have to have insurance on the property, etc. The organizations will just have to charge more for admission. Another idear is to charge a SMALL FEE to park cars there. Hey even $1.00 would be better than nothing. 10,000 cars....$10,000. There how else may I be of assistance? "
Not surprised wrote on Aug 22, 2008 9:10 AM:
" If the percentage measure is approved, soon there will be "tumbleweeds" blowing through Ninigret Park. There will be not much revenue coming in, if any. I agree - When will the greed stop?
THE TOWN OF CHARLESTOWN IS NOT LACKING FOR MONEY - JUST ASK TO SEE THE SURPLUS FIGURES AT THE END OF EACH FISCAL YEAR..... "
THE TOWN OF CHARLESTOWN IS NOT LACKING FOR MONEY - JUST ASK TO SEE THE SURPLUS FIGURES AT THE END OF EACH FISCAL YEAR..... "
Fear and Loathing in Charlestown wrote on Aug 22, 2008 8:39 AM:
" Greed, Will unhinge the Town of Charlestown. They rely on a beach front tax money like a baby relies on a pacifier. They spent that money like a kid in a candy store. Now they want to go into the Entertainment business and make even more money as well, good luck.
Hunter S. Thompson once said...
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
That pretty much sums it up for me, I wonder what nice things Hunter S. Thompson would have to say about Jim Mageau if he was still alive...
perhaps...
"The trouble with Mageau is that he's a serious politics junkie. He's totally hooked and like any other junkie, he's a bummer to have around, especially as President." "
Hunter S. Thompson once said...
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
That pretty much sums it up for me, I wonder what nice things Hunter S. Thompson would have to say about Jim Mageau if he was still alive...
perhaps...
"The trouble with Mageau is that he's a serious politics junkie. He's totally hooked and like any other junkie, he's a bummer to have around, especially as President." "
fred wrote on Aug 21, 2008 8:34 PM:
" Absurd by the council not to take the flat fee as opposed to asking for a percentage. Keep the flat fee, which is money in the bank as opposed to the festivals moving somewhere else (when that means no revenue at all, never mind the residual $$ and taxes collected on other revenues such as hotels, restaurants, beach revenue, etc...). I don't even live in Charlestown, but to me it comes down to obtaining revenue in a depressed state which has been run into the ground the last decade. "
 | Share your thoughts.... Our TalkBack option has been updated to improve service to our viewers. Some comments made prior to March 26 may not be available for viewing outside of the archives section. Thank you for your patience during this update. TalkBack is an opportunity for viewers to exchange comments regarding online content. Comments are moderated. Please allow time for posting. Comments are not edited. They are either approved or they are not. Comments should be void of personal attacks, foul language, advertisements or impersonations. Please limit comments to 200 words or less. |