WHAT ARE THE TRUE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ART IN THE PARK?

Part 1
By Harold G. LeBoeuf

   The cost of the changes to the Willistead Historical Park have been estimated by the Department of Parks and Recreation at $400,000.00 (no substantiating documents are available) and this cost does not include the following:

1. Underground electrical cabling to supply four terminals spread throughout the park that are intended to supply vendors of Art In The Park with taxpayer funded electricity so they won’t have to use their own electrical generating equipment;

2. The cost of installing underground electrical wiring and ground level lighting throughout the park to illuminate the pathways, an item to be completed as discussed by the Board of Willistead Manor;

3. The cost of maintaining, repairing and servicing the myriad of asphalt pathways which, because of the intended use by trucks and other vehicles, could be extensive;

4. The labour and equipment costs for snow removal throughout the Winter months, all of which has been promised by the Department of Parks and Recreation;

5. The hourly and equipment costs for policing the pathways due to vandalism and park entry after the posted closing hours. Both are rampant now.

The added cost for items 1 and 2 will approximate $100,000.00 but, again, no substantiating documents are available.

The added costs for items 3 through 5 will be ongoing in perpetuity until such time as the pathways and/or the historical heritage park no longer exist.

Since the inception of Art In The Park in 1978 to the end of fiscal year 2012, the Financial Report for Willistead and the City states that the event has resulted in $1,133,829.88 being given to the City ostensibly for the maintenance, repairs and restoration of Willistead Manor and grounds. In more simple terms, over the thirty-four years that Art In The Park has existed, the Rotary Club has paid to the City approximately $33,347.65 per year.

The City is going to spend approximately $500,000.00 for the changes to the park for the use by the Rotary Club’s two day event each year. Again, in simple terms, it will take fifteen years for Art In The Park to pay for the capital outlay for these changes assuming Art In The Park will be around for fifteen more years. In this scenario, that will be fifteen years whereby no funding is provided for the maintenance and repairs of Willistead Manor and the grounds. The alternative scenario is that Windsor taxpayers are going to pay the costs for the changes and perhaps Art In The Park will provide approximately $33,347.65 over the next fifteen years.

Keep in mind that neither scenario deals with the annual costs of maintenance and repairs of the asphalt, snow removal costs, or policing costs.

This truly is a no win situation and it may have been better had the taxpayers authorized their municipal government to pay $400,000.00 directly for repairs, maintenance and restoration of the historical Manor and the Heritage Park and preserve one of the few remaining historical gems that our City has.

I wonder how much money Art In The Park has generated for the Rotary Club over the thirty-four years. Since the local chapters of Rotary are all part of Rotary International, I wonder how much is paid to the International body arising out of this event. As stated on its web site:

“Our club has been a substantial contributor to the Rotary International Foundation.”

Harold G. LeBoeuf - Windsor

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