Coquitlam parks and recreation staff will look at ways of scaling back the city’s 125th birthday celebrations after budget projections pegged potential costs for next year’s events at close to $1 million.
Council asked that the overall amount budgeted be brought down to somewhere between the $720,000 to $870,000 range staff estimated in January — from the more recent estimate of $915,000 — for the series of festivals, block parties and other quasquicentennial celebrations.
“We would look to imagine this like a 12-course meal,” said Raul Allueva, the city’s general manager of parks and recreation. “There is an incredible array of choices… We would rather make the portions smaller.”
Some of the events include the Kaleidoscope Festival, a two-day arts and culture event planned for Town Centre Park next July that is projected to draw 20,000 visitors; and the Lights at Lafarge, which is expected to take place in November 2016. There will also be a heritage picnic next September, 125 block parties throughout the year and summer neighbourhood celebrations.
One of the reasons for the higher costs is auxiliary labour, which is estimated to run the city $202,000, about $80,000 more than originally thought.
Another concern expressed by councillors is the fact that staff hopes to recoup some of the expenses through corporate sponsorships, which have yet to be finalized. A city report projected sponsorships could yield the city $90,000, which is a conservative estimate, according to Allueva.
Coun. Mae Reid told staff she has issues with the fact the infrastructure reserve, which is used for facility replacement, was covering $447,000 of the final budget, while $130,000 would come from the city’s share of casino profits through the community capital fund. She said she would prefer to see more balance between the two funding envelopes.
“The infrastructure reserve really is tax dollars but tucked away,” she said. “The casino funds, this is what you do with the funds like that.”
Coun. Chris Wilson, who sits on the city’s arts and culture committee, said he understands council’s desire to get the overall cost of the 125th birthday down but noted the events and legacy projects that will come with the celebrations are something that residents will enjoy for years to come. “We can’t look at this as just a party,” he said. “It is an investment in our community.”
Council was set to vote on the report last week, which would allocate an additional $577,000 to money that has already been spent to support the city’s birthday events. But several councillors expressed concerns about the price and a motion to refer the plan back to committee for further deliberations was unanimously supported.
On Monday, council offered up some cost-savings suggestions but decided to let city staff and the Coquitlam 125 Anniversary Task Force take another look at the plan.
