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Despite rising costs, festivals still flock to downtown Delray Beach(South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 19--DELRAY BEACH -- It's advertised as "The Big One." This weekend's 19th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Festival of the Arts will bring more than 65,000 people to the city's downtown and create an estimated $3 million in revenue, organizers say. The festival is one of at least 40 special events in the city this year -- three more than last year's, even after city officials considered cutting funding for them. Though organizers will have to pay more for permit fees, security and trash pick-up, they say there's a reason Delray Beach attracts so many events. "Do you know a nicer downtown?" said festival organizer Howard Alan, who produces more than 40 such events a year throughout the country. "Where else can you use a venue that starts at U.S. 1 and take it over the Intracoastal bridge all the way to the ocean?" Festivals and special events such as this weekend's were on notice last year when City Manager David Harden proposed scaling back and even eliminating the time and money the city donates to festivals and special events -- a move prompted by property tax legislation in Tallahassee. Special events have a sizable economic impact on downtown businesses, bringing close to a million people a year to the area. They also give Delray Beach a reputation as an "artsy" town with a myriad of cultural and family events. "Originally the city was going to eliminate funding, but we reworked the policy so that we are all paying a little bit more money," said Marjorie Ferrer, executive director of the Downtown Marketing Cooperative, which hosts events such as Arts and Jazz on the Avenue and First Night. "I don't think we lost any of the events and the downtown has just been so busy with people, it's really nice." To quash the outcry about doing away with special events, city officials found almost $1.8 million they could free up in the proposed 2007-08 budget to allow for improvements to parks and give financial assistance to summer camps and special events. Some ways to save money included charging for parking, discontinuing discounts to events that are for profit and increasing permit fees. Last year, the city spent up to $215,000 subsidizing events not sponsored by the city. Services such as trash pick-up, security and barricades are now paid for by the organizers, Assistant City Manager Robert Barcinski said. Many of the events are hosted by non-profit groups, which use them as their main fundraiser for scholarships and programs. Joe Gillie, executive director of Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, said the festivals are not just economic engines to bring people downtown, but make up the cultural fabric of the city. He said proposed property tax legislation on the Jan. 29 ballot could jeopardize Delray Beach's quality of life if it forces municipalities to cut funding for such things as festivals and cultural events. "The community needs to look at that legislation and look at what the ramifications are," Gillie said. "How do we talk about quality of life without looking at what each of these events means to us? Quality of life is not about bringing people to downtown. It's about what we do on a daily basis. Maria Herrera can be reached at [email protected] or 561-243-6544. To see more of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |