Heritage Festival’s future forwarded to council

It doesn’t look like North Bay’s Heritage Festival is on the chopping block, but it may be split in two.

At Monday night’s committee meeting of council, the Community Services Committee passed a recommendation that would have the festival’s Management Committee run the regular daytime events, while the concert portion of the festival would be run by a private company.

“Basically the management committee would be out of the band business,” Community Services Chair Mike Anthony said.

Anthony explained the recommendation would limit the risks involved in having North Bay cover the cost of the live entertainment.

“This way we know we are only putting "X" amount of dollars into the festival,” he said.

“There’s a big difference between knowing what we are putting in and risk.”

One unidentified party has shown an interest in taking over the concert portion of the festival. Managing Director of Community Services, Jerry Knox, explained the unidentified party may be interested in a three year contract with the festival, which includes the ability to set the price of the concerts.

“I think the odds are good that we are going to find someone to take on the musical portion,” Anthony said.

Anthony explained the message he has been getting from North Bay residents is they want a scaled-down event, which limits their risk as a taxpayer.

“They were really concerned with cost,” Anthony said.

“This way we can give them the smiles on the weekend, and pursue private groups to take on the risk of being in the band business.”

While Anthony, Coun. Maureen Boldt, and Mayor Vic Fedeli voted in favour of the recommendation, the fourth member of the Community Services Committee Mac Bain voted against moving it to council.

“I’m not totally opposed to a private individual coming forward, but it’s too late for the 2007 festival,” Bain said.

“If the other individual isn’t going to do the bands, there isn’t going to be any entertainment.”

Bain explained entertainment at the festival is crucial to its survival. For the 2007 event, he believes the Heritage Festival Committee should be booking the bands, and start the planning right away.

“If the festival is only a few inflatables and a petting zoo, and there’s no quality entertainment, you’re going to have 500 to 1000 people down at the waterfront,” Bain said.

Bain added, without 15,000 plus people coming into the community for the long weekend, businesses in North Bay will suffer.

“If businesses do five per cent of their business on the Heritage Festival weekend, they will see a decrease in their business, and therefore may have to lay people off,” he said.

“If the festival is reduced, it will have a major financial impact on the community.”

Council will vote on the recommendation next Monday.