Another Mess Waiting For The Mayor-Elect?
The Houston International Festival is one of the best annual events put on in this city.
So of course, we're getting ready to screw it up.
Reliant Park is a terrible place for the International Festival. It belongs downtown, in Houston's hub. Especially after all the money expended to make downtown "world-class."Next year, a combination of city fees, road construction and ever-expanding performance venues may force the festival to Reliant Park or another location.
Some festival fans are outraged at the prospect of a sterile, treeless location that is not in the heart of the city.
"If they push it back there, I can guarantee you, tens of thousands of people will be disappointed, and I'll be the first," said Nuri Nuri, a master of ceremonies at the festival and a disc jockey at KPFT-FM. "The city needs to get off their butt and respect what the city has to offer. ... They need to drop money on it instead of spending money on stadiums they don't even need."
The city subsidies have decreased since the festival started in 1971. As it grew, though, it became a bigger burden for the city, which did not charge for closing streets, using the parks or providing security. The festival paid 2 percent of its concession profit and 10 percent of its admissions profit to the city.
This year, facing mounting budget woes, City Council voted to up the cost to 10 percent of concessions and 15 percent of admissions, estimated at a total of about $250,000.
"The city was spending close to $200,000 for each festival in city services," said City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, who sponsored the budget amendment that increased the charges. "During tough times, the city at the very least ought to recoup what it was putting in, and we weren't."
But Robert Sakowitz, a founding member of the festival and chairman of its Alternative Site Committee, said the additional charges would be devastating for the nonprofit organization.
"It would be such a substantial amount as to endanger the financial future of the festival," he said.
Additionally, festival organizers are concerned about upcoming construction on Smith Street and the lack of places to expand.
Of course, some of Lee Brown's minions seem to want the thing to move:
Roksan Okan-Vick, the city's Parks and Recreation Department director, applauded the idea of moving the festival to Reliant Park, saying she would prefer that other large festivals held downtown find new locations rather than creating "wear and tear" on the parks.Because, heaven forbid, people actually WALK on your precious grass. Better to have decorative parks? Is that what being "world-class" is all about?"I would be happy if they found maybe a more suitable home," she said.
Decorative parks. Think about it.
Like so many of Lee Brown's crack team, Roksan Okan-Vick sounds like a damn idiot.
Just another Brown administration mess for Mr. White to deal with upon taking office. But I'm sure he can draw on his experience at the Department of Energy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/11/03 06:43 | Houston | Technorati
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