Tim Willert
MONTROSE -- The Montrose Shopping Park Assn. is rethinking some of its
annual events, including its August car show, because of rising costs,
President Lori Flagg said Wednesday.
The "Hot Nights, Cool Cars" car show is one of several events the
association sponsors to promote the town's business district. But Flagg
said the cost for entertainment and police supervision could be better
spent on advertising.
"The car show has gotten so expensive we don't know if we're going to
do it next year," Flagg said. "I think it's a really fun event that
brings a lot of folks down, but it's hard to justify spending that much
money just for one evening."
The majority of events, including the Dec. 1 Christmas Parade, are
designed to draw customers to the area and are not moneymakers, Flagg
said.
Only the arts and crafts fair in June turned a profit, bringing in
$45,000, according to the association's 2001-2002 proposed budget. The
City Council is expected to formally accept the budget Tuesday night.
"That's basically our only fund-raising event to supplement the
shopping park besides the assessments," Flagg said. "All of our other
events are truly just promotional events."
Under its agreement with the city, the association administers money
collected from business district assessments to promote business and
otherwise benefit the district.
The city provides $15,000 annually to help stimulate the Montrose
business economy. The money was used this year for holiday decorations.
Another $75,000 in assessments was collected by the city from
merchants. The city redistributes the money to the association, Treasurer
Ken Grayson said.
"We send a requisition for those funds as they are collected," Grayson
said. "From that money we promote ourselves as best we can, through
events and advertising."
One of those events, the Montrose Family Festival, has been suspended
until association members can find a replacement.
Although popular with visitors to Honolulu Avenue on Thursday
evenings, the event apparently didn't generate enough business for
merchants, who voted in September not to renew the association's contract
with the promoter.
The event rarely made money for the association, Grayson said.
"It all depends on how you look at it," he said. "If you include all
the advertising, it does not make money. But if you took advertising
costs away, it actually brings in enough revenue to cover the police
costs."
