Bringing FGD back in 2024

Bringing Flaming Gorge Days back to the community this year is a priority for the City of Green River. Working toward this end, the City Council approved an agreement with an event planning company during Tuesday night's meeting. 

City Administrator Reed Clevenger explained that the city put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for putting on a Flaming Gorge Days event. While there was some early interest from varying companies, only one ultimately came back with a proposal, according to Clevenger. The company is Adelska LLC, which is based out of Colorado and puts together events for municipalities across multiple states. 

In a package provided to the City Council members along with the proposed contract with Adelska, the company gave information about their background as well as some of their goals for Flaming Gorge Days. 

"Our vision aims to elevate The Flaming Gorge Days to new heights, transforming it into a financially self-sufficient event," the Adelska statement said. "Our broader goal is to create a comprehensive playbook, providing the city with a structured guide to enhance and sustain future events. . . 'Flaming Gorge Days' promises not just a celebration but a blueprint for an enduring legacy, embodying professionalism, community spirit, and the ever-expanding allure of Green River." 

"I think it's something that would be good in the long run," Clevenger said of working with Adelska, noting that there is evidence of the success the company has had with other events. 

Clevenger also explained the hope was for the council to approve the agreement for services with Adelska, pending legal approval, during Tuesday's meeting in order to get the process moving quickly. 

"We're on kind of a short timeframe," Clevenger said. 

Normally Adelska works with a nine-month window of time for planning, but in order to have Flaming Gorge Days in the summer they would have to work in a shorter amount of time than usual, Clevenger explained. He added that Steve Core has been working with them to bring them up to speed, but the hope was that the council would approve the agreement so that representatives from Adelska could come to Green River next week to start the planning process. 

In the contract, the proposed cost to be paid to Adelska is $26,625, half of which would be paid upon execution of the contract. 

Councilmember Gary Killpack asked about the cost for Flaming Gorge Days in the past. Clevenger said that costs were typically upwards of $20,000, not including other costs such as in-kind funds. He added that Adelska would be bringing their own supplies like stages and audio and visual equipment, as well as providing staff and covering marketing, among other services. 

Councilmember Killpack had other questions regarding parts of the contract he believed were concerning, but Clevenger noted that the contract is still being worked on. Killpack initially said he didn't want to vote on the contract until City Attorney Galen West approved it, and Councilmember Ron Williams added that he also didn't like the idea of voting blind and wondered if the contract could be brought back after West went through it more.

Mayor Pete Rust pointed out that the typical process for the city is to approve contracts pending legal approval, meaning Attorney West still has to look through them and can make changes. 

"I have reviewed it, and we've got issues with it," West said of the contract. "But if we get the approval tonight then we can try to have those issues resolved."

"We rely on our city attorney, who is the expert, to make those decisions," Mayor Pete Rust said. 

West noted that bringing the contract back to the council after the legal approval process would require waiting for another council meeting. Clevenger pointed out that this process is typical for contracts, and sometimes time is of the essence. Particularly in this case, according to Clevenger, losing time in the process could also risk losing the availability of the company and needing to try to find another alternative. 

"Normally I wouldn't move forward with this," Killpack said, "but time is of the essence and I'll put my trust in you guys."

Clevenger added that the city will not move forward with the contract if it doesn't meet legal approval, which he said Adelska is aware of. 

Answering a question from Councilmember Robert Berg about the length of the contract, Clevenger clarified that it is currently a one-year contract. He pointed out that committing to a multi-year contract had been considered initially, but for now it is a one-year contract, with the possibility of working with Adelska again in the future. He said that the goal is to eventually find someone who can take over the event fully, which Adelska has done successfully in other locations. 

The council voted unanimously to approve the agreement for services with Adelska, pending legal approval.