By Brent Cooper
A decision by the town’s parks and recreation committee concerning the use of River Mill Park is music to Rob Saunders’ ears.Jazz music, that is.
The committee told the general manager of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) last Wednesday that his group could use a portion of the new park to host two events this summer. Saunders was seeking permission to host an outdoor concert on Aug. 1 at the public park as part of the annual Huntsville Jazz Festival. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and feature a variety of local performers.
“We have had the jazz festival running for around three years now and we are now intent on adding a larger outdoor component to the festival,” he said.
The other event is the annual Arts Walk visual arts show, which had been held at Avery Beach for the past three years. The show is set for July 26 and would run from noon to 3 p.m. with a freewill offering from the public.
“Given the great appreciation for the arts in our area, the park would benefit from the ability to present the performing arts in a professional, orderly and patron-friendly manner,” Saunders stated in his presentation.
The local arts organization is the first to officially apply to the town to use River Mill Park for non-municipal reasons. The area has already been designated by the town as the site for the 2010 Olympic Torch Run ceremony, which is expected to pull into town in late December.
The parks committee decided at its May 6 meeting that the town staff will handle requests for use at the park as they happen and will bring large-scale requests back to committee for consideration.
Saunders said that the HFA is in the process of purchasing a portable stage, stage cover and sound equipment that will be used during the jazz concert. The funds to purchase the equipment come from a $40,000 grant from the Celebrate Ontario program.
This multimillion-dollar Ontario Ministry of Tourism program has a mandate to increase the economic potential of new and existing tourism festivals and events. The program is open to festivals and events taking place in Ontario from now until March 31, 2010. Saunders said the HFA is willing to lend the equipment to other groups for community events.
The entire stage and structure are moveable and can be used elsewhere in the community when needed, according to Saunders. Setup and takedown of both the cover and the stage can be accomplished in only a few hours.
The committee appeared to be in favour of the association’s request to use space at the park, but chair Mike Greaves told Saunders that he felt the matter should still go back to staff for further study.
“I am going to suggest, if the committee is agreeable, that you sit down with (community services director Brian Crozier) and give him a full understanding of where the bandshell will be and the impact on River Mill Park. There are things that concern me like the (effect on the) interlocking brick sidewalk. I am not so sure we put interlocking brick sidewalk in there for truck traffic. So we need to understand all the impact in the long run,” Greaves said. “If Brian is satisfied, then I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t want to try it.”
Mayor Claude Doughty disagreed with the idea of sending the request back to staff. He pointed out that the brick sidewalk was designed to handle heavy truck traffic, since the District of Muskoka uses that route to get to the pump station in that area.
“I would like to move a motion that we approve in principle the schedule laid out with the Aug. 1 event and the Arts Walk. If we approve these in principle, you folks can work out the details over garbage pickup and the costs to the municipality. That would be then ratified at council,” he said. The committee unanimously approved the motion presented by Doughty.
