Contracting For Events Saves City Money
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Moving the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament to Jamestown Community College worked out fine this year, but the tournament's sponsor is still eyeing a late-summer event downtown if the tournament doesn't relocate back downtown in 2025.
Pat Smeraldo, Collaborative Children's Solutions director, spoke with City Council members recently about a three-year contract with the city. Smeraldo was asked by Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large and Public Safety Committee chairman, about the construction of a new Tim Hortons restaurant downtown and the now-delayed construction of a new Northwest Bank branch in Brooklyn Square prompted the tournament's move to Jamestown Community College.
Smeraldo said the tournament functioned well at JCC and credited the partnership with college officials.
"I'm torn on it, Councilman Russell," Smeraldo said. "If it is again I've already spoken with some people about putting another event, whether it's Christmas in July or something else, in downtown Jamestown because I have a love for downtown Jamestown. I don't have a better word for it. It was better in the fact that it didn't cause the parking problems we had at Big Lots, Rite Aid and the headaches we caused there. Security on the event was much better because, even though we had it guarded all night the night before, it doesn't have the walk-through traffic Brooklyn Square has."
Smeraldo's contract with the city includes the anticipated Christmas Parade on Dec. 7 and will continue to bring back events such as "Turn the River Green," the Memorial Day Parade, Christmas in July, Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Labor Day celebrations and the Winter Festival. But, as Smeraldo eyes a three-year extension of his contract work with the city, downtown still weighs on his mind.
"I still loved (the Macker) downtown," Smeraldo said. "Can we put something else downtown to make it better earlier in the evening maybe? I don't want to close a city street for three days because that's just detrimental to business. We did it in Brooklyn Square without doing it. A parking lot offers those benefits a lot more. I get a stomach ache thinking about closing Third Street for four hours for the Christmas Parade."
The city will pay a total of $253,000 over four years for its contract with Collaborative Children's Solutions, with yearly spending between $60,000 and $65,000 a year. Russell also asked if the city is saving money by contracting with Smeraldo for several events rather than hiring an employee to do the work for the city instead, with the city paying salary, health insurance and retirement contributions. Mayor Kim Ecklund said it is less expensive to contract with Collaborative Children's Solutions for events for several reasons.
"The other side of that coin, Pat has obviously demonstrated the tremendous ability of him to go out and get other sponsors to make those things grow that we as a municipality could not do for legal reasons," Ecklund said. "So he's able to turn that around, take that $60,000 and triple it into the cost for events, in my opinion."
Smeraldo said the contract pays for event-related expenses, like the cost of insurance, fireworks and entertainment. Having a multi-year commitment from the city, Smeraldo said, gives him more ability to negotiate with vendors and a set yearly schedule – something that hasn't been the case in the past.
"We can now go to vendors and say do you want to do this for three years and lock you in or do you need a better rate?" Smeraldo said. "Different sponsors come on for a three year period versus one year. It would be maybe January or February for Dan Stone to call me and say, 'What's going on for St. Patrick's Day?' and I would say, 'I don't know. We haven't been in discussion yet.' Three years is to solidify all that."
The contract will be up for approval at Monday's voting session of the City Council, but the contract has more than enough support from council members already.
"I've heard nothing but good things about what you've done, so I'm on board with this for sure," said Councilman Russell Bonfiglio, R-At Large.