By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON March 30, 2012 It’s tough getting the respect you think you deserve. Dave Miller, Executive Director Sound of Music (SOM) Festival seems to find himself facing hurdle after hurdle. It started with city council committee rejecting the SOM request for an additional $34,000 spread out over two years – $17,000 each year.
Miller delegated at two committee meetings and a council meeting and while he came close the best he could do was a “we will work with you on this for the 2013 budget”. Miller limped away resolved to do the best he could with what he did have.
At a council committee meeting last night, Wednesday, Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward commented that some of the material in the Festival and Events report that was being discussed would have had an impact on the budget discussion if it had been available. Staff agreed that it was unfortunate that the information in the report had not been made available to people just as soon as it was known rather than wait until it was published in a report. It is not immediately clear just what was in the report discussed last night that could have significantly changed the budget discussions.
Two of the more than 125 Sound of Music volunteers driving in stakes as they set up for Sound of Music.
While not getting the funding he felt SOM had actually earned left Miller with a hard case of indigestion, it was water under the bridge; he had more important issues to deal with. He learns that the fire department doesn’t want him to use the East Lawn – that space on the Waterfront to the east of the “in progress” pier construction. Two years ago the SOM people added a “community stage” and was in the process of building up this feature. SOM also had plans to move the “bike coral” to this area – that’s the place where people with bicycles can tie up their “wheels”.
Being told that the fire department didn’t want the SOM people in that area because it would impede their ability to get in if there was a fire. Miller takes a deep breath and meets on the East Lawn with people from the fire department and they look around and decide – no problem – you can be here.
Miller wonders why he gets told that he can’t use the space but when he chases after the people who make the decisions they tell him – it’s OK. So the East Lawn will be used by SOM in 2012. Those that take in events on that side of the waterfront will get an up front and personal look at the construction of The Pier.
Feeling that he has put out one fire Miller turns around ready to press on and then learns that the parking the SOM has rented for many years is not going to be available in 2012.
SOM rents 110 spaces in the parking garage on Lotus Street. “We used that space for our sponsors and vendors who need to be as close as possible to the venue.” Miller says he put in his application last September and asked for 140 spaces this year. The response – you can’t have 140 spaces – in fact you can’t have any space in the Lotus Street garage – but we can give you space in two different parking lots in the area.
Miller doesn’t understand what has changed. And he doesn’t understand why he is told now that he can’t have the parking spots. “They could have called me in for a conversation last September.” Miller wants to know what’s changed and “who is making all these decisions that are really hurting the event we run”.
Miller points out that the Sound of Music Festival has won awards for the past ten years on being one of the top two events in the province; one that Miller maintains contributes $4 million to the Burlington economy. And the event is free to anyone who wants to walk down to Spencer Smith Park on those nice easy going summer evenings in early June.
To add insult to injury Miller tells people that Hamilton almost showers the events in their community with funding. The Crawl – an increasingly popular event on North James Street in Hamilton that has the public visiting dozens of art galleries in the area. The Crawl got more for their event than SOM was asking for from the city.
Hugely popular music event running into static and facing hurdle after hurdle, Line up for 2012 will be announced early in May.
Something has gone amiss with the relationship between the city and an event that is hugely successful from any metric you use to measure. The SOM was originally a city run event and when it got too big for city hall staff to handle it got spun off to a non-profit. Miller has been with the event since his early days as a volunteer.
Heading up an operation with more than 125 volunteers, the organization draws tens of thousands to the city, Miller works from his kitchen table and uses space at city hall when they have to hold a meeting. This is an outfit that is very skinny in terms of staff and facilities – everything goes into the event.
On the surface it would appear the Sound of Music Festival deserves more and better consideration.
