It will be at least a couple of weeks before the city decides the funding fate of the Hyack Festival Association.
Each year, the city gives out environmental, amateur sports, arts and culture, community, child care, heritage and partnership grants. This year, the city reduced funding for several of the grant programs and redirected $241,000 into a new festival grant.
On Monday, city council approved festival grants for the Arts Council of New Westminster (Arts to Go programs); the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Area (Columbia StrEAT Food truck festival and the Key West Ford Show and Shine); Fraser River Discovery Centre Society (Riverfest); Royal City Pride Society (2014 Pride Festival); Sapperton Business Association (Sapperton Days Street Festival); and the West End Business Association (12th Street Music Festival). Council asked staff to consult with the downtown business area about the proposed $18,100 in-kind costs for the Show and Shine, as it thinks there may be an opportunity to reduce those costs.
Because of the ongoing concerns about the Hyack Festival Association, council deferred consideration of its application until a governance and audit review is complete.
Coun. Betty McIntosh questioned the timeline for dealing with Hyack’s grant application, pointing out that the group is working on this year’s ambassador program and other programs.
Gary Holowatiuk, the city’s director of finance and information technology, said the review is underway.
“That is being undertaken as we speak,” he said at Monday’s meeting. “I suspect that will be another couple of weeks, three at the most.”
The Hyack Festival Association has applied for $185,000 in cash and $40,000 of in-kind services for Hyack week, the Hyack float, Canada Day, summer concerts, the ambassador program, the Christmas parade, and staff and administration. Last year, it received $140,000 in cash and $40,000 in in-kind services for its programs, which also included Uptown Live 2013.
In addition to Hyack’s grant, council also opted to consider new festival applications at a later date, with the exception of Fraser River Discovery Centre’s $1,000 request for its Family Day event, which was approved. Council has yet to consider applications from the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Area for a Columbia Street block party and a holiday party, and from the Uptown Business Association of New Westminster for Uptown Live (which was previously requested by the Hyack Festival Association).
McIntosh suggested that the Uptown Live name is the proprietary rights belonging to the Hyack Festival Association, suggesting the Uptown Business Association must apply under a different name for the proposed music and street festival. Noting the 2012 and 2013 events were jointly offered by Hyack and the Uptown Business Association, Coun. Bill Harper said he’d like to know if the business association should be applying under a different name.
Coun. Jaimie McEvoy isn’t convinced it’s the city’s role to figure that out, saying that is a matter to be sorted out by Hyack and the Uptown Business Association.
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks, culture and recreation, said the city didn’t receive any other grant requests for a similar event in the uptown.
McIntosh believes the city could reduce costs by having better coordination of engineering, police, parks and other staff who help deal with festivals.
Council also approved $310,400 in partnership grants to not-for-profit groups putting on major events or services for the community that help the city meet its strategic goals. This year’s recipients include the Arts Council of New Westminster, Massey Theatre, Tourism New Westminster, Fraser River Discovery Centre Society, CERA (offers a community youth justice program), the New Westminster Homeless Coalition Society, Fraserside Community Services Society, the B.C. Seniors Services and Housing Information Program, New Westminster Victim Assistance Association, Family Services of Greater Vancouver, Royal City Musical Theatre Society and the Queensborough Special Programs committee.
For more on grants approved by city council, visit Theresa McManus’s blog. Go to www.royalcityrecord.com, click on Opinions and then the Blogs tab.
