Wednesday, March 15, 2000
Manager suggested for future festivals
City to probe funding feasibility
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Hiring a coordinator for festivals in MainStrasse Village could be one way to better manage events such as Mardi Gras and keep them from getting out of hand, some Covington officials say.
After the recent Mardi Gras came under fire for rowdiness, Assistant City Manager Tom Steidel said he was approached by several professionals who offered to manage future festivals for the village association.
Mr. Steidel said he will ask whether that idea is financially feasible when he meets with representatives of the MainStrasse Village Association today.
“I would suspect that (today) will only be the first of a series of meetings to discuss the Mardi Gras problems, and where we go from here,” Mr. Steidel said. “A committee may end up being formed to address some of the issues.”
Other possible changes include raising the price of beer from $3 to $4 — the same price charged at Cincinnati events — or switching to a citywide Mardi Gras celebration, with key events, such as parades, held downtown, so that celebrants wouldn't bother residents after hours, Mr. Steidel said.
In the past week, two MainStrasse residents have filed lawsuits against the village association, seeking compensation for damage to their property and “loss of sleep” because of Mardi Gras noise.
Neighbors also complained of women baring their breasts, and festival celebrants who urinated in their yards, when a record crowd of 60,000 gathered for the two-night event.
Next year's Mardi Gras has been canceled, and Covington officials say they don't see it returning without a major change in format.
Although the village association also sponsors two other major festivals — Maifest and Oktoberfest — Mr. Steidel said that “people tend to come and go” at those events, rather than congregate in the festival area for most of the night, as they do at Mardi Gras.
“One of the issues I heard (at a Monday night meeting with MainStrasse neighbors) is, "Let's make the events a little smaller, and let's beef up everything else,'” Mr. Steidel said. “In other words, let's cut our gross, and increase our expenses. But if it doesn't make fiscal sense, why are we doing it?”
At Cincinnati events, Mr. Steidel said profits are derived through sponsorships, rather than gate revenues or beer sales.
If the MainStrasse Village Association hired a festival coordinator, that person could secure sponsors for an event, in exchange for a percentage of the revenues they bring in, Mr. Steidel said.
“I think that's a good idea,” Commissioner Butch Callery said. “But first you would have to see if they could afford it.”
“I think that's what these festivals have lacked recently, is someone to coordinate them,” said Interim Mayor Jim Eggemeier. “I think (the village association) has tried to do it with volunteers, and obviously, it's not working.”
Mr. Eggemeier said city officials will be asking for an audited copy of the village association's books to ensure that the group can afford to follow through on some of the suggested changes.
Commissioner J.T. Spence said he would like to see the village association hire an executive director again to provide continuity, and serve as a contact for neighbors, business owners and city officials.
He also would like to see the village association enlist the neighborhood's help in developing long-range goals for the neighborhood.
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