FGD moves forward

The City of Green River is moving ahead with Flaming Gorge Days plans, working with both local volunteers and the event company Adelska.

During a special workshop prior to Tuesday's City Council meeting, City Communications Director Steve Core addressed some of the concerns the council had raised during the January 7 meeting. At the earlier meeting, a motion to approve a Flaming Gorge Days contract with Colorado event company Adelska died after some of the council questioned costs and profitability and local business owners shared their disappointment with the way promised promotions were handled.

Core began the workshop by acknowledging the council's apprehension.

"First off, I want to thank you for doing what you do and that is keeping an eye on the cities purse strings," he said. "As a person that served on a board for a long time, I understand your position of questioning expenses."

Core went onto explain that after the last council meeting, he was approached by and had a meeting with a group of potential volunteers that discussed ways they could help spearhead the event, taking more control of Flaming Gorge Days locally. Core said Adelska "very much" supported the idea of a concentrated volunteer group that would help across all sides of the event and agreed to provide consulting services for the event.

Core then informed the council that, due to the change in format of the contract from a "Full Stack" model to a "Consulting" model, Adelska had agreed to reduce the amount of the contract from $21,50 to $16,406.

Core continued with what it would look like to have Adelska consult on the event. He stated that the consulting would include Adelska providing recommendations for organizing community committees; acting as a point of contact for committee heads to guide them on best practices; collaborating with committee heads to develop timelines, tasks, and checkpoints; building an event playbook; providing a staff packet that includes a site map and training materials; and supporting committee heads in understanding their roles and the overall event structure.

Core then invited Tom Niemic, who is part of the volunteer group that has approached the city, to speak about what the group will be able to accomplish and some of their experience in the area. Niemic said he is convinced Green River residents will have a better chance at getting sponsorships from local businesses. Last year, Adelska was able to amass around $35,000 in sponsorships, but acknowledged that "cold calling" business owners and entrepreneurs was a difficult task as Adelska is not local. Niemic has experience in the field of large-scale events as he helps to organize Music for Vets through the American Legion. 

A second volunteer, Cody Zampedri of the band Zamtrip, also spoke, stating that he has contact information for agents and bands, and that he has already spoken with several companies who can provide a stage, production, and lighting.

Core also recognized that it is everyone's goal to eventually have Flaming Gorge Days completely back in local control and self sustaining, and the first step in that would be reinstating an actual Flaming Gorge Days committee.

Niemic added, "It just takes a few caring citizens to get on a committee."

Several council members and Mayor Pete Rust all acknowledged that to produce an event on the scale of Flaming Gorge Days, the city will have to commit some money towards it.

During the regular meeting, the council unanimously approved a motion to enter into the contract with Adelska allowing for planning to move forward.