Duane Hicks
Town council will reduce its financial support of the Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Festival this year.
The group had requested council consider increasing its financial support of the dragon boat races from $1,000 to $1,500 in the 2016 town budget.
But during its budget meeting Monday afternoon, council opted against the increase and instead will cut its contribution to $500 this year—in a move to gradually remove its financial support of the event.
Several members of council stressed the town must continue to support the community event, but to what extent was debated.
Coun. Wendy Brunetta said the dragon boat festival has been around for a few years, is combining with “Relay for Life” this year, and believes the event will continue into the future.
“I think we should try and support it to the tune of what we have in the past years—I don’t necessarily agree with an increase,” she remarked.
“But I do agree we should continue to support it.”
Coun. Ken Perry said he’d like to “wean them right off” and gradually decrease the town’s financial contribution.
“It’s a stand-alone deal,” he argued. “They’re not part of the town and if they want to hold a festival every year, more power to them.
“But how many of these festivals are we going to sponsor?”
Coun. Perry added the town already has enough to look after.
Coun. June Caul agreed, noting that since being on council, she’s amazed at how many requests for financial support the town receives.
And if the town granted them all, “we could go broke nickel-and-diming ourselves.”
“A person needs to get out there and try to make that money themselves, whether it’s fundraising or whatever way,” Coun. Caul stressed.
She added she has been involved in various projects over the years and never came to the town for financial assistance.
Coun. John Albanese said he enjoys the dragon boat races and doesn’t want to take anything away from the festival.
“It’s something the community needs,” he remarked. “We cannot stand still and discard everything they’ve built.
“These are volunteers doing things for the community and I don’t want to discourage anybody that wants to do something for the Town of Fort Frances,” Coun. Albanese added.
“It’s a fairly new thing. They’re still trying to get people to come to our community and we need to encourage it,” echoed Coun. Brunetta.
“It’s just like the sports tourism we were talking about—this is sports tourism,” she noted.
“We need to support them,” Coun. Brunetta added, saying she’d agree to $1,000.
Coun. Paul Ryan said it’s a similar situation to the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, where the town had provided financial support for several years and now it doesn’t.
“We’ve helped them in other ways—picnic tables, etc.—but not financially,” he noted.
“I think this the same thing here.
“I would be willing to go one more year at the original amount of $1,000 and start weaning them off just like we did [with the bass tourney],” said Coun. Ryan.
“I think it took three or four years with the bass tournament. We should go about it the same way.”
Coun. Ryan said it’s nice to see community members come up with fresh ideas, and the town will help to financially support them for a while.
Eventually, however, the event has stand on its own two feet.
Mayor Roy Avis suggested the town give the festival $500, to which the majority of council agreed.
Council noted the town will continue to support the festival with in-kind services, such as tables, chairs, garbage cans, and use of the Sorting Gap Marina.
