The City of Shreveport owns all these facilities: Independence Stadium, the Convention Center, Municipal Auditorium, Millennium Studios, Riverview Theatre, Riverview Hall, Expo Hall and Festival Plaza.
The City of Shreveport maintains these facilities.
The City of Shreveport pays insurance on all these facilities.
The City of Shreveport owns all of the City's municipal parks and community centers.
The City of Shreveport maintains these facilities.
The City of Shreveport pays insurance on all these facilities.
Shreveport's municipal parks are as much a public facility as Independence Stadium, the Convention Center, Municipal Auditorium. Millennium Studios, Riverview Theatre, Riverview Hall, Expo Hall and Festival Plaza.
Since 2017 the City of Shreveport has allowed Matt Snyder/Pinpoint Events, LLC to use Betty Virginia Park for the Crawfest Festival at NO CHARGE, as in FREE.
Crawfest started as a one day event and it has now morphed into a three day event.
Crawfest utilizes more than 50 percent of the land area at Betty Virginia Park.
Pinpoint Events, LLC is a FOR PROFIT entity.
This year for the first time an admission fee was required to enter the Crawfest area of the park.
Yes, a FOR PROFIT business was allowed to charge a fee to enter an area in a public park.
Since 2017 the City of Shreveport has subsidized Crawfest by allowing free use of the park.
Vendors at this event SOLD their food and booze.
Snyder made money from the sales. The free use of the park benefitted Snyder's bottom line.
Now this year the City has authorized Snyder to charge an event fee. This further subsidized Snyder's FOR PROFIT event.
Mayor Arceneaux inherited the Crawfest precedence of the free use of a public park by a FOR PROFIT venture.
In Jan. of this year some underlings in SPAR authorized the charge of admission for this year--a fact most probably NOT approved by Mayor Tom or CAO Tom Dark.
So now Mayor Tom must deal with this precedent: a FOR PROFIT entity can use a public park for three consecutive days and charge an admission fee to enter the festival area.
If Matt Snyder/Pinpoint Events gets free use of a public facility, why should other organizations and business entities pay ANY RENT to use Independence Stadium, the Convention Center,Municipal Auditorium, Millennium Studios, Riverview Theatre, Riverview Hall, Expo Hall and Festival Plaza, and/or Shreveport's public parks?
If Matt Snyder/Pinpoint Events was subsidized by the City for a three day event, why should those that HAVE paid rent to the CIty not demand a refund for their use this year of the Convention Center, Municipal Auditorium, Riverview Theatre, Riverview Hall, and/or Festival Plaza?
And if the City allows free rent for three days of a park where admission is charged, why should any FUTURE uses of Independence Stadium, the Convention Center, Municipal Auditorium, Millennium Studios, Riverview Theatre, Riverview Hall, Expo Hall, and/or public parks not be FREE--for both non-profit organizations and for profit ventures?
Mayor Tom needs to address this situation--sooner than later.
The promised review of SPAR policies should start with why SPAR approved the permit to charge fees for this year...and then go backwards.
The lame excuses offered by SPAR director Shelly Ragle at recent City Council meetings do not support the use of a public park, for three days, Snyder/Pinpoint Events.
Just because SPAR at one time hosted similar type events and took the business risk does NOT justify the public subsidy granted to CRAWFEST.
And whether or not CRAWFEST has outgrown Betty Virginia Park and MAY need to be held in a different venue next year is not a factor in the bad government precedence CRAWFEST represents.
The Shreveport City Council next meets on Mon. Mar. 27. One can expect many comments on payment of rent for the use of any public facilities.