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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > March > 10 > Entry
Editorial: Annual festivals aren’t MetroParks’ essential work
Five Rivers MetroParks is taking a drubbing from at least a few of the estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people who come out for the Garlic Festival. More than a few RiverBlast and Butterfly Festival fans are disappointed, too.
MetroParks is canceling those events, arguing that mega-event planning isn’t the park district’s mission. Reasonable as the view is, it probably isn’t the best way to explain a decision that is bound to upset people who’ve come to associate these big, fun, free annual events with the organization.
Meanwhile, MetroParks also is discontinuing the laser light show that’s held on weekends during the summer and after Dragons games at RiverScape.
Especially coming on the heels of last fall’s vote to renew the park district’s 10-year 1.8-mill levy, of course, some people are going to complain about these things going away. Getting out of the business of delivering something people enjoy is dicey without a well-honed, concrete message of what they’ll be getting instead.
MetroParks is fundamentally about conservation, making nature accessible and education. Putting on the Garlic and Butterfly festivals — each of which takes 1,000 direct hours of staff time, not counting the prep time — was increasingly becoming a drain.
Meanwhile, the events were a flash in the pan. They didn’t protect the parks; the crowds were so big that people weren’t really experiencing the essence of the parks; and there wasn’t a lot of evidence that visitors were coming back on other occasions as a result of having had a good time at the festivals.
Think about how many festivals there are in this community, many of them organized mostly by volunteers. Of all the things Dayton doesn’t have enough of, festivals is not one of them.
When RiverScape opened in 2001, Memorial Day weekend’s RiverBlast was the only festival being held there. Today there’s the CityFolk Festival (which moved from downtown’s main streets to RiverScape), the Celtic Festival, the Hispanic Festival, the African-American Festival and more.
The laser light shows were popular initially, but attendance has horribly fallen off. Charlie Shoemaker, MetroParks executive director, said average attendance is less than 150 on the weekend, 50 during the week after a Dragons game.
Furthermore, the lasers need to be replaced, which would cost $240,00. The computer program for each laser show runs $17,000 on top of that.
MetroParks officials are being disingenuous when they say their decision isn’t about money. Of course money is a driving factor, even if it’s not the only consideration.
MetroParks has a $20 million operating budget; the Montgomery County property tax levy represents about $17.9 million of that amount.
There is some concern that property tax proceeds won’t be as steady as they have been in the past, with large numbers of foreclosures bringing down property values and more people not paying their tax bills.
Meanwhile, starting next year, the tangible personal property tax will be phased out over six years. That will result in a loss of about $1.7 million annually.
MetroParks has 25 parks that cover almost 15,000 acres. Managing them and creating programming is an evolutionary enterprise. What once worked and produced the most payback will change over time.
There’s no shortage of next big things for MetroParks to be involved in — from building a whitewater park to creating more and better bike trails. To create those things, choices have to be made.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Ellen Belcher, Montgomery County, Sports and Recreation
Comments
By null_
March 10, 2010 10:32 AM | Link to this
Repeat after me NO TO ALL FUTURE METROPARK LEVY REQUESTS!!! SORRY Charlie…. Look foreward to telling you in person at the 2nd street market durring your 3 hour lunch.
By Disgraceful
March 10, 2010 10:51 AM | Link to this
Charlie Shoemaker should have told us these programs were ending BEFORE we renewed their levy last November. To not allow public input on this decision is discraceful. These Festivals and light shows bring thousands of people into our parks every year. THIS IS METROPARKS JOB! Charlie Shoemaker should be FIRED for his bungling of this situation.
By Disgraceful
March 10, 2010 10:57 AM | Link to this
Why is Charlie Shoemaker holding one of the two remaining festivals in Greene County? Since when are they paying taxes to Five Rivers MetroParks? Disgraceful.
By Anon
March 10, 2010 10:59 AM | Link to this
Hello! These events are NOT MetroParks job. These festivals use a great deal of MetroParks resources for minimal benefit. If you want to continue the Garlic and Butterfly festivals or put on light shows, set up a committee of volunteers and make it happen, like every other festival does around here.
By Henry
March 10, 2010 11:34 AM | Link to this
I agree that some volunteer or non-profit group might step up to produce the popular garlic fest - and perhaps raise money for themselves in the process. But I also think we should have been warned about this before the levy vote.
By Henry
March 10, 2010 11:35 AM | Link to this
I agree that some volunteer or non-profit group might step up to produce the popular garlic fest - and perhaps raise money for themselves in the process. But I also think we should have been warned about this before the levy vote.
By Disgraceful
March 10, 2010 1:12 PM | Link to this
How is bringing thousands of people into the parks every year “of minimal benefit”? It’s not just about the festivals Anon, it’s about an organization that not too long ago had zero respect among taxpayers, but through its hard work of bringing the parks to the people through these various events has built a solid reputation. Now Charlie Shoemaker is trying to take us back to a time where the parks are just there “for conservation.” We take pride in our parks and the fun family events that happen(ed) there. It sets us apart from every other county in the region. We worked to pass the levy in November because Charlie Shoemaker told us it was needed to continue on with the programs we love. No public input was taken on this decision. Charlie Shoemaker should be fired. Period.
By Dan kennedy
March 10, 2010 4:18 PM | Link to this
I don’t think one can equate the staff time for two festivals as the oportunity cost that doesn’t allow for the whitewater park. That will cost millions of dollars to build, but not ‘staff hours’. Isn’t the part of the point of the Garlic and Butterfly events to get people into Cox for the first time so that they will come back.
By skit
March 10, 2010 7:54 PM | Link to this
Why did they spend the money on the huge festival like tent if they were not planning on continuing the festivals? These are great events. One of the few things we do well in Dayton. One of the major acts at the Celtic Festival told me ours was one of the best in the country. Keep doing what we do well.
By Scott
March 11, 2010 12:00 PM | Link to this
First of all: It’s great in Dayton-GO AWAY, you are pathetic, and you lead a sorry life. Second of all, why install the lasers if they are not going ot be used. They barely run the fountains, so was the whole fountain laser thing a massive waste of money. When you put the lasers in, you did not know they would eventually need replaced? Typical inept leadership in Dayton
By fortressdayton
March 11, 2010 12:14 PM | Link to this
The mission of Metro Parks is nature and parks primarily, but the pleas for the levy were disingenuous at best. Deviousness will come back to haunt metroparks. Secondly, telling people to ‘go away’, whether they want to be a class clown or the voice of the evil’s advocate, shows that what IGID is saying is striking a nerve. “Freedom is always the freedom of those who think differently.” - Rosa Luxemburg, German Communist Philosopher.
By Scott
March 11, 2010 1:18 PM | Link to this
fortressdayton: What IGID says is not “thinking” it is mindless negativity. Quoting a Communist is not a way to get a point accross
By fortressdayton
March 12, 2010 9:20 AM | Link to this
@Scott Thank you, sir. I placed that quote precisely to prove a point: Knee-jerk, Pavlovian responses are exactly what thinkers SHOULDN’T present. The political leanings of a person do not, by themselves, disprove a statement’s veracity. That is one-dimensional thinking. My point is that we are all worse off when we limit ourselves to points of view that only agree with our own. While you may disagree with IGID’s positions or methods, you must allow for his right to express himself. Rosa L. was murdered for her words, not her deeds. Silencing opposition is the first step to eliminating it.
By Scott
March 12, 2010 9:47 AM | Link to this
fortressdayton:You are obviously a much deeper person than me. All I know is that he is a jerk and if he hates it here so much he should move. If all you can do is tear down we don’t want you here. Some of us believe in Dayton and like living here, and people like him hold Dayton back
By tax payer
March 15, 2010 1:29 PM | Link to this
charlie, your comments are an exact example of reasons why dayton is in such horrific state. cancelling the two major ‘clean’ family festivals is the ultimate slap in the face to the taxpayers. you should be fired. no more tax votes for the parks.