City Asks Last Thursday Stakeholders to Step Up

Last week, in response to the outpouring of love for the Alberta Arts District’s Last Thursday event at the February 8th Town Hall meeting (read our report), Commissioner Amanda Fritz issued a statement thanking the participants and summarizing the main messages gleaned from the lengthy public testimony. She also made evident that both she and Mayor Sam Adams have a greater understanding of the wide range of opinions about Last Thursday:

What the Mayor and I heard last week was much enthusiasm for continuing the event, and many people wanting to be involved in organizing and volunteering to support it. We heard multiple people willing to assist with fundraising to help pay some of the costs. We heard sincere commitment to acknowledge and take care of those neighbors adversely impacted by noise, litter, disorderly conduct, and parking problems. And we heard from a few of those neighbors, whose concerns have not gone away despite improvements in the past several months. All of those stakeholders deserve to be involved in planning next steps.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz

The Commissioner also stated that, in the City’s estimation, the public forum was successful and that everyone—Neighbors, business owners, street vendors and revelers—should have a voice in governing the event:

It is clear that an event attracting thousands of people each month needs a formal organizing committee with the capacity and structure for non-profit fundraising. Several speakers at the Town Hall mentioned Burning Man - that event is very carefully planned for months, for a once-a-year festival, and it's held in the desert where the only people affected are those who choose to be there. On Alberta, residents and businesses are involved whether they want to be or not. Each constituency should have a voice in governing Last Thursday. Thanks to neighborhood, business, and regional support, it has become bigger than any one interest.

Last Thursday, courtesy: flickr member Zervas

City Priorities, Money Matters

Many supporters have insisted that the City has a responsibility to fund Last Thursday, but that seems out of place when more serious community needs and vanishing resources are considered. In her statement, Commissioner Fritz outlined the serious budget issues facing the City and the need for the community to step up financially:

The Mayor and I are committed to open, transparent public process especially when the community is partnering with the City to spend taxpayers' money. The 2010-11 City budget is projected to have $33 million in unmet needs for services like housing and shelter, public safety, graffiti abatement, and more. We need your help to take care of more of Last Thursday's costs. We also want to support the community's desire to own and manage the event.

Yet, given the state of the budget, City priorities aren’t always well received. Some Last Thursday supporters point to the City’s support and expansion of the Sunday Parkways bicycling events and The Rose Festival—with its various related parades and activities—as examples of neighborhood events that also receive City assistance. Last Thursday lovers want a piece of the pie to support the popular event that many claim contribute greatly to Portland's rock star status.

But events like the Portland Marathon, the Bridge Pedal and Sunday Parkways are truly different beasts than Last Thursday. Each event enjoys huge sponsorship from companies and organizations. (It’s the Providence Bridge Pedal mind you, and Kaiser is a main sponsoring partner for the City-initiated Sunday Parkways event.) What began in 2008 as a one-time event organized by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (and cost $150,000, paid for by a combo of grants and sponsorships), Sunday Parkways has now blossomed into five separate events spanning multiple neighborhoods. In 2009, there were three Sunday Parkways “that cost $240,000 and were paid for with grants, sponsorships, individual contributions by PBOT and Police," notes PBOT’s Public Information Officer Dan Anderson. "PBOT paid for its staff who worked on the events and Police paid for its services at one event." The five events planned for this year at the request of the Mayor “will cost $474,000, with $100,000 from Kaiser Permanente, $30,000 from Metro, $20,000 from smaller sponsorships, vendor fees and donations.” PBOT has requested $217,000 from the City’s general fund.

Residents testified at the Feb 8 Last Thursday meeting

So why does our City pony up so much cash for these events when budgets are so tight? With Sunday Parkways, “the City’s main focus is to get more people active, to consider walking and biking as viable transportation…recreation is the first step to meet our goals that connect with climate change and transportation,” says one staffer. Benefits range from neighborhood livability and local business support, and since this wildly popular event’s debut, the public has been clamoring for more. “The participation and response from the general public and the business community has been positive, with very few complaints.” A completely different event from the Last Thursday festival, to be sure, but since so many comparisons have been made to other City-sponsored events, it’s important to recognize the partnerships that make those events possible.

With Last Thursday, there are no corporate sponsorships, no organizing groups, no consensus on its benefits, and plenty of complaints. Last Thursday proponents—in particular, Team Last Thursday, Magnus Johannesson’s group that formed in response to City involvement—is vehemently opposed to the idea of corporate sponsorship. "We won't allow brand names and corporate logos at Last Thursday," Johannesson has repeatedly stated at troubleshooting meetings with neighbors, neighborhood associations and City officials over the past two years. The fear is that a big box presence of any kind will ruin the independent, localist spirit of the event.

Magnus Johannesson

The City is committed "to increasing free and reduced cost arts experiences and cultural activities, increasing national media visibility and cultural tourism and creating more cultural consumers through the increased purchases of locally produced art"—all part of the City's Creative Action Plan. Many supporters argue that the Last Thursday event allows these very elements to manifest and thrive. If vendor fees are not part of a funding plan (another very, very unpopular option), then perhaps corporate sponsorship of some kind would help offset City costs.
 

Show Me the Money

Stephanie Reynolds, Crime Prevention Program Manager at the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), who has been instrumental in organizing and facilitating meetings—as well as providing key information to and open communication with community members, neighbors and other primary Last Thursday stakeholders—sent out an email last week presenting further cost details and the burden on the City (i.e., the taxpayer). The costs information sheet provided at the Town Hall meeting prompted far more questions than the hosting group anticipated; this latest round of information provides detailed cost breakdowns of the monthly costs paid by the City during the warmer months of the year. (The City stepped in with official street closures for the Last Thursday event from May through October 2009.)

In an effort to be more transparent with budgetary issues and to provide a better view of what it takes to handle the various aspects of Last Thursday, ONI (which Commissioner Fritz oversees) has provided cost specifics of the event. The information is summarized below with quotes from the email provided by ONI, and is available to neighbors upon request (contact information provided at the end of this article).

Last Thursday, courtesy: flickr member Zervas

Police Overtime

Typically, ten officers and two sergeants staff Last Thursday. Officers who have been on the job for 5+ years are paid $34.45/hour for straight time, and $51.67 in overtime.
(10 officers x 8 hours x $51.67 = $4,133.) Sergeants who have been on the job for 4+ years make $39.56/hour for straight time, and $59.34 in overtime. (2 sergeants x 8 hours x $59.34 = $949.) These and all other City pay rates can be found online at www.portlandonline.com/bhr under Compensation Plans.

The City hopes that “once the problems with alcohol and noise at Last Thursday are greatly reduced, the police will not need to send as many officers to staff the event.”

Crowd Management Services

The City spends $5,000 for police (still less than one officer per block of street closure). That's about one officer per every 600 people, which is not enough to handle the drinking in public, noise and other distractions/offenses. In 2009, the City decided to supplement the police with much less expensive crowd management service to keep the costs down as much as possible. This service costs $2,040 (for 30 people x 4 hours x $17/hour).

The City hopes that “the crowd management service could be replaced by a group of committed, well-trained volunteers.”

Last Thursday, courtesy: flickr member Zervas

Flagging and Traffic Barriers

The City spent $3,500 on flaggers and barriers for Last Thursday every month that had an official street closure. Closing 15 blocks of an arterial street takes multiple barriers, and a crew of four to six people for barrier set up/break down.

During the Town Hall meeting (as well as in other related meetings) it was suggested that a responsible Alberta Street group buy or build barriers to offset the current street closure expense.

Inspectors (Noise, Fire, Health, Liquor)

Four types of inspectors from three different parts of government attend Last Thursday. Two are with the City: noise control and fire prevention. One is with the county: health. One is with the state: liquor control. Each team costs around $500 based on hourly rate of pay.

These inspectors are typically out at night anywhere in the City, so the costs are normal; what is not normal is that many inspectors having to spend that much time at one event. Currently, there is no other event or location in the City that requires inspectors and several staff members to spend a monthly commitment of several hours at one location. “As with the police, if the problems with noise, overcapacity crowds in bars, unlicensed food vendors, and alcohol were greatly diminished, the inspectors could visit less frequently and in smaller numbers.”

Justin and Bianca Youngers, owners of Binks

Portapotties

Portapotties from United Site Services cost $55 each. Justin Youngers of Binks rallies some other businesses to pay for 12 portapotties while the City pays for 6 more. “The City added the extra 6 after we received complaints from neighbors about urination and defecation in their yards, even with the 12 potties that were already on the street. The United Site Services web site has a calculator to help customers figure out how many toilets they need for an event. When we entered the data for LT, it suggested we needed 40 toilets. Knowing that some of the businesses are willing to let attendees use their bathrooms, we knew we didn’t need 40 portapotties. We counted the number of bars and restaurants on the street and subtracted from 40, coming up with 18.”

Trash Collection and Hauling

Team Last Thursday handles trash related to Last Thursday by renting a dumpster, and collecting and disposing of the trash in the early morning after the event, which costs them about $500 per month.

“If trash collection duties were spread out to a larger group of people, such as the whole crowd packing out their own garbage, or the businesses doing an “adopt-a-block” program, the cost could be reduced.”

Last Thursday, courtesy: flickr member Zervas

NEXT STEPS

Obviously, there are plenty of significant costs associated with running Last Thursday (more) effectively, efficiently and safely—costs which many people have not considered when launching their defense of the event and demanding City support. The potential success of Last Thursday hinges on both City and neighbors giving money, time, energy and attention, and now our leaders are asking us to invest.

The City plans on hosting another meeting in early March—this one will invite stakeholders from the four Neighborhood Associations that make up the Alberta Arts District, the Alberta Street Business Association, and other organizations interested in serving on a task force now dubbed “Friends of Last Thursday.” The goal of this meeting will be to delegate managerial and other event tasks to a responsible and committed group willing to step up in order to help make Last Thursday sustainable and enjoyable for everyone.

In her statement, Commissioner Fritz also noted that she and the Mayor are exploring alternative funding options for a safe, successful event. These will be discussed with the newly formed task force group at its inaugural March meeting. Stephanie Reynolds is setting the date for that event, and will send out invitations once scheduled. Interested parties should contact her with stakeholder group affiliation (artist, vendor, in favor/opposed neighbor, business owner, nonprofit organization) and contact information. The hope is, of course, that a variety of people will truly commit to this group in order to better handle some of the problems associated with Last Thursday.

On March 2, the Concordia Neighborhood Association will host a Last Thursday on Alberta discussion as part of its General Meeting. (7 p.m. in the Kennedy School Community Room.) Magnus Johannesson is scheduled to present the draft plan for the upcoming season, and recruit volunteers. (Please note that this is not the “Friends of Last Thursday” meeting the City will schedule in early March.)

Still got something to say about Last Thursday? Say it here! Interested in volunteering with the “Friends of Last Thursday” task force? Contact Stephanie Reynolds at the numbers below to be sure you’re invited to the March meeting. Stephanie can also answer Last Thursday monthly costs questions you might have.

Stephanie Reynolds, Crime Prevention Program Manager
Office of Neighborhood Involvement
City of Portland
503 823 2030
sreynolds@ci.portland.or.us