Kincardine council

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By the fall, the Kincardine Scottish Festival should be its own separate entity, apart from the Municipality of Kincardine.

In committee-of-the-whole Wednesday night (June 16), council agreed, unanimously, with an agreement which makes the festival no longer a committee of council.

Economic development and tourism manager Steve Murray said the festival committee has been working for the past year to prepare the legal documents necessary to assume the annual event as a privately-run function.

The tourism (CHAT) committee reviewed the agreement drawn up between the festival and the municipality and recommended approval.

"In general, the municipality will continue to supply many of the services it currently does for the festival, but will no longer have as much staff time involved, the festival will be covered under its own insurance, and the profit/loss risk will be solely the responsibility of the incorporated festival," said Murray.

"The festival will gain independence in its operating ability, direction to its contract employee, and have a financial year-end date which corresponds with the time-frame of the festival."

The bylaw will not come into effect until 12:01 a.m. the day after the new festival entity has its founding meeting, said Murray.

Among the finer points of the agreement are the following:

• The festival shall use Victoria Park, including hydro service for the first full weekend in July, at no cost.
• The festival shall have use of the office located in the Kincardine Arts Centre, subject to a rental agreement with the municipality.
• The municipality shall support the festival by providing public works, parks and recreation and tourism staff. The municipal staff time includes items such as erecting barricades, moving picnic tables, garbage cans, recycling containers, snow-fencing, grass-cutting, washing the band shell, and general clean-up.
• The municipality will dispose of 150 bags of garbage at no charge. Beyond that, the festival will be invoiced the standard bag tag charge.
• All existing inventory of festival materials, such as flags, trophies, T-shirts, cabinets, wristbands, extension cords, signs, tablecloths, etc., become the property of the festival.

Christine Maxwell (L), manager, and Kathy Buehlow, customer assistance officer of Kincardine RBC, present a cheque for $250 to Dave McFarlane and Diahanne Thompson of the Kincardine Scottish Festival

• The municipality shall transfer the current balance of the Kincardine Scottish Festival reserve to the festival.
• The agreement shall commence with the founder's meeting and continue until Dec. 31, 2014.

The 2010 festival will be run as it has in the past, as a committee of council.

Councillor Kenneth Craig said the new agreement has been a long time coming.

"This is a great move on the part of the festival," he said. "The municipality has helped get it up and running and now it can run on its own."

"It took a few years of discussions to get this sorted out," said councillor Randy Roppel, chairman of the CHAT committee.

Council wished the festival good luck in the future.

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Thursday, June 17, 2010