JOHN E. SETTLE JR
CRAWFEST is a private for profit venture.
CRAWFEST used a public park for free--for three days.
A fee was charged to enter the festival by the festival promoters.
A Shreveport ordinance allows such use of parks.
Festivals at other city facilities like festival plaza, Expo Hall, riverview hall, riverview theatre, convention center or municipal auditorium must pay rent for the space based on the amount of space and the length of use.
Shreveport ordinances set different rates for nonprofit organizations and for profit organizations that utilize municipal properties for festivals.
The ordinance on use of city parks should be amended to comply with the ordinances on use of other municipal properties.
Shreveport ordinances on nuisances also set limits on noise.
Crawfest utilized a park that was surrounding on three sides by resident homes. Actually four counting the large residence on Line Ave.
Words to the songs being song could be clearly heard in houses at 8 p.m. Sat. night two blocks away from Betty Virginia Park.
Whether or not the Crawfest music in the three evenings exceeded the maximum decibel limits is not really the issue. Obviously the music was too loud.
Crawfest utilized city workers to haul tables and chairs to the park, to set them out before the festival, to pick them up after the festival, load into trucks, deliver to a city warehouse, and unload them. The workers used city vehicles.
Reimbursement should be made for the fair rental value of the tables and chair (along with any other city equipment used), the total payroll costs for the city workers which includes salary and city contributions to salary/taxes along with cost to city for health insurance and pension plan contributions for the salaries.
Additionally the salaries of in- office supervisors who planned the transport of city equipment to and from the park should be reimbursed to the city.
If other city employees were unitized including police and fire, then these full salary costs should also be reimbursed,
The area near Betty Virginia Park had substantial rainfall on Thurs., the day before the festival began. No doubt much of the area utilized in the former lake area of the park was muddy before the festival, or became muddy with large crowds of people. Any areas of the park damaged by the festival crowd, including grass, paved walking trail around the park, etc. should be reimbursed in full by the festival promoters.
Bottomline, substantial review of the ordinances dealing with use of Shreveport parks and noise nuisances should be conducted by the Shreveport city council. And until the same is completed there should be a moratorium on the use of city parks for events that do not end at 6 p.m. with a limit of one day only.