CITY OF LACONIA

 

MOTORCYCLE WEEK

 ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

FINAL REPORT

 

Adopted September 13, 2004

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

On November 12, 2002, the Laconia City Council created the Motorcycle Week Advisory Committee (MWAC) and adopted the following Mission Statement:

 

1.     Look objectively at the event and its impact on the city public relations and infrastructure.

 

2.     Determine whether or not it is in the city's best interest to assume responsibility for the event.

 

3.     Determine whether or not the length of the event should be changed.

 

4.     Examine ways to create a better working relationship with business involved in the event.

 

5.     Examine funding alternatives for costs associated with city, county and state agencies involved in the event.

 

On May 12, 2003, the City Council interviewed a number of Laconia residents who had expressed an interest in serving on the MWAC. The Council intended to appoint one member from each of the City’s six wards, plus one at-large member, and questioned the applicants thoroughly to determine whether they had any particular bias or conflict of interest that would interfere with their duties.

 

On May 27, 2003, the Laconia City Council appointed the following Laconia residents to the Committee: Jim Baird (Ward 1), Brenda Schmucker (Ward 2), Sharon Fleischman (Ward 3), James Joyal (Ward 4), Richard Heinis (Ward 5), Linda Peary (Ward 6) and Peter R. Brunette (At Large)

 

On June 3, 2003, Mayor Mark Fraser called to order the first meeting of the Committee at which the following officers were elected: Chair - Peter R. Brunette,
Vice Chair - James Joyal, Secretary - Sharon Fleischman.

 

Since the organizational meeting, the Committee has met at least once per month. All meetings were posted and public, in accordance with the Right-To-Know Law (NH RSA 91-A), and public comment was provided for in the meeting agendas.

 

On June 26, 2003, in order to more efficiently perform its duties, the Committee established seven subcommittees with certain assigned tasks:

 

Public Safety and Infrastructure (Rick Heinis, James Joyal)

 

City Council Liaison (Brenda Schmucker, Linda Peary)

 

Laconia Rally & Race Association Liaison (Linda Peary, Brenda Schmucker)

 

State and County Government (Peter Brunette, Sharon Fleischman)

 

Local Businesses and Landowners (James Joyal, Rick Heinis)

 

Vendors, Exhibitors and Non-local Businesses (Sharon Fleischman, Jim Baird)

 

Event Model Research (Other, similar events) (Jim Baird, Peter Brunette)

 

The subcommittees reported back to the Committee on a regular basis and made certain recommendations where appropriate. Many of the documents that appear in the appendices of this Report were collected or generated by the subcommittees.

 

The Committee held a duly noticed public hearing on September 24, 2003, which was subsequently broadcast on local public access television. Twenty-two residents addressed the Committee and their comments were summarized in the minutes. Additional public comments were taken orally at many other meetings, and a number of persons and governmental entities provided written comments, which appear in the appendices.

 

 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LACONIA MOTORCYCLE WEEK

 

Laconia is often referred to as the Oldest National Motorcycle Rally (the other two being Daytona, Florida and Sturgis, South Dakota.), a claim based on a large gathering of motorcyclists at the Weirs, lasting several days in the summer of 1916. The following year, the gathering became part of the “Gypsy Tour,” sanctioned by the Federation of American Motorcyclists, (F.A.M.), predecessor to the present American Motorcyclist Association (A.M.A.), founded in 1924. A hill climb event was held on Tower Street in the Weirs, and other races were held at various locations around the Lakes Region.

 

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Gypsy Tour continued to visit Laconia nearly every year, with a handful of motorcycle enthusiasts and small-scale promoters organizing races, shows and other events. In 1938, Fritzie Baer was instrumental in establishing road racing at the recently developed Belknap Recreation Area (now Gunstock). Mr. Baer remained involved in the races over the next three decades, and the rally, now generally referred to as Laconia Motorcycle Weekend, grew in popularity, attracting more and more riders from all over the United States.

 

After World War II, thousands of former servicemen returned home and became recreational motorcyclists. The number of Laconia attendees regularly increased from year to year as motorcycling increasing in popularity and, with the assistance of movies such as “The Wild Ones” and “Easy Rider,” the “biker” became a countercultural icon.

 

In 1960, the A.M.A. ceased its sanction of the Gypsy Tour, but motorcyclists continued to visit Laconia in ever-increasing numbers. Gradually, the rally became a weeklong event, with many bikers arriving earlier in the week. Local businesses dependent upon tourism became ardent supporters of the rally, as it brought increased mid-week business during the early part of the relatively short tourist season.

 

The Hill Climb Event at Belknap Recreation Area was discontinued in 1962, and the road race moved to Bryar Motorsport Park (now New Hampshire International Speedway) in Loudon in 1964 and was later for a time renamed the Loudon Classic. Motorcyclists began camping in large numbers along the side of road on Route 106 in the vicinity of the track, and as far north as Belmont. Still, Lakeside Avenue at the Weirs remained the primary gathering place and the rally was generally known as Laconia Motorcycle Week.

 

During the 1960s, a decade of social unrest and rising mass media influence, clashes between police and bikers occurred at motorcycle rallies around the nation, and Laconia was no exception. The so-called “Riot of ‘65” brought national media attention, and a resulting bad reputation, to the Laconia rally.  Confrontations between motorcyclists and the police became commonplace, and the City increasingly came to see Motorcycle Weekend primarily as a law enforcement problem. For several years after the civil unrest of 1965, the number of mid-week events decreased, and the rally consisted of a three-day weekend. In 1975 all camping along State Route 106 was banned and the number of visiting motorcyclists dramatically decreased for a time.

 

During the 1980s, the numbers of motorcyclists attending Laconia Motorcycle Weekend increased slowly, as tensions gradually eased between bikers and the police. In 1990, local business owners contacted the A.M.A. with an eye toward returning the rally to a week in length as it had been prior to 1965. The following year, local business owners and the Lakeside Sharks motorcycle club formed the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association (later renamed the Laconia Motorcycle Rally & Race Association, now again known by its original name). The Association assumed responsibility for scheduling and coordinating events, publishes a periodical magazine and actively promotes Laconia Bike Week nationwide. In 1992, Laconia once again became an A.M.A. sanctioned event on the revived Gypsy Tour, and in 1993, the Hill Climbs returned to Gunstock (formerly the Belknap Recreation Area).

 

The City of Laconia enacted a comprehensive licensing ordinance in 1999 (Chapter 161) to regulate itinerant vendors and special events, devoting a subsection to Motorcycle Week. In 2000, the council generally amended the licensing ordinance and defined Motorcycle Week as a nine-day period ending at midnight on Father’s Day. (Chap. 161-11-A). Applicants must submit written forms and fees, and their application is reviewed by the Motorcycle Week Technical Review Committee. Property owners who wish to rent sites to vendors or otherwise engage in commercial activity must submit a site plan for review. The City Council further regulates the event by issuance of special parking and traffic orders, and appropriates the necessary funds for City departments that have Motorcycle Week-related expenses.

 

Laconia Motorcycle Week currently runs from the second Friday in June through Father’s Day. Most activity, and the greatest crowds, usually occurs during the last four days. Estimates vary, but the number of visitors to the State during that period each year is usually set at between 100,000 and 400,000.

 

NARRATIVE SUMMARY

 

MISSION STATEMENT ITEM ONE: Look objectively at the event and its impact on the City[‘s] public relations and infrastructure. [1]

 

The committee members discussed this mandate on several occasions, the discussions centering on the use of the terms “impact,” “public relations” and “infrastructure.” For the purposes of this report, the term “impact” will be used in the general sense meaning, “having an effect,” whether negative or positive. The term “public relations” was considered in two ways, referring both to relations between the City government and the public, and also to the public image of the City.

 

There can be no doubt that Motorcycle Week has an impact on the City’s public relations. The Committee itself was created partly in response to public criticism of City government’s role and regulatory activities regarding the rally. A number of local residents see Bike Week as an annoyance, and some are clearly inconvenienced by it. As far back as the 1960, some local residents have called for its abolition, and have at times addressed their grievances to City officials and employees. On the whole, however, the most significant continuing problem that City officials face in dealing with Bike Week related problems is that it is impossible to please everyone. Some residents are opposed to the rally as a whole, many merely tolerate it, and others economically benefit from it. The one issue on which nearly all agree is that the City must ensure that the regulation of and provision of services during the rally should not result in any increase in property taxes, and indeed, some have suggested that the City could actively participate in a commercial manner so as to generate a profit and thereby provide tax relief. In essence, whether the rally has a negative or positive impact on the City’s relations with the public depends on to whom one is talking and the topic at issue at the moment. At the risk of over-generalizing, the Committee points out that the key to improving relations between City government and its residents is simple: The City Council and the Departments must publicly, diligently and consistently address the stated concerns of its residents, especially as to the most commonly noted negative Bike Week impacts: noise, traffic congestion, breaches of the peace (including public indecency and alcohol-related offenses), and of course, public expenditures that result in increased property taxes. To this end, it is respectfully suggested that the Council strive to be proactive, rather than merely reactive, on matters and issues related to Motorcycle Week.

 

As far is the City’s reputation or national media image is concerned, the Committee has not received sufficient evidence on which to base any specific findings or recommendations. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the memories of the past linger, and the news media, especially national outlets, tend to focus on negative events when reporting on the Laconia rally. The entertainment media have been more kind; several programs featuring Laconia Bike Week have been broadcast on the cable channels (The Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and NESN), and depicted the rally, and its host City, in a positive light. Such programming undoubtedly goes a long way to offset any negative publicity, and promotes Laconia and the Lakes Region as a favorable tourism destination to a wide audience, at no cost to the City. Should the City desire to be more proactive in this area, a media/public relations consultant could be retained, or a employee hired or assigned to this task, but such actions are not revenue-neutral, and would be more likely to occur if Bike-Week-related revenues were enhanced, as discussed later in this report.

 

MISSION STATEMENT ITEM TWO: Determine whether or not it is in the City's best interest to assume responsibility for the event.

 

This item was the subject of much preliminary discussion by the Committee. Some members felt that this was a restatement of a question that was debated in the press several years ago: Who Owns Bike Week? To the extent that the Council desires the Committee’s answer to that specific question, the answer is: Nobody. Neither the City, or the Motorcycle Week Association, or any other person or entity, exerts any of the rights or privileges generally associated with ownership, in regards to the rally.  However, it is apparent that the City of Laconia has long hence “assume(d) responsibility” for the rally, in the sense that it has necessarily undertaken the primary responsibility for public health and safety, traffic control, land use regulation, and law enforcement related to Bike Week. The City’s regulatory powers over the use of private and public lands are the primary means by which it exerts any control over the rally, and could be used to drastically alter the form and substance of the rally, but the benefits of doing so remain unclear. Perhaps the best answer the Committee could provide on this point is: Since the City is already primarily responsible for providing the services and infrastructure on which the rally depends, no further responsibilities should be assumed unless there is a corresponding benefit to the City or its residents. The City could, however, assume a more proactive role in promoting, planning and managing the rally.

 

MISSION STATEMENT ITEM THREE: Determine whether or not the length of the event should be changed.

 

On this question, the Committee considered all the oral and written comments received from the public, governmental entities and private businesses and associations. No one seriously advocated, to the Committee’s knowledge at least, that the rally should be lengthened beyond its present nine days. Some advocated reducing its duration to three or four days, basically eliminating the first weekend. The Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, vendors, and landowners who rent vendor space, were generally opposed to shortening the rally for obvious reasons. Public safety and law enforcement officials generally were in favor of shortening the rally, as were a number of residents, mostly in the Weirs, who were understandably upset by the inherent noise and inconvenience to which it subjects them.

Each of these stakeholders articulated the advantages of their proposal, based on their specific interests. However, the Committee was hard pressed to find evidence of any significant advantages to the City as a whole that might be derived from changing the duration of the event. Most of the impacts on City services and infrastructure occur during the last four days of the rally as it is now, and eliminating the first five days would result in little or no change to these impacts. The City’s regulatory and ordinance enforcement functions would remain essentially unchanged, and even if the shortening of the event would result in a decrease in applications for site plan review and vendor permits, there would be little or no resulting reduction of wages paid to City employees who perform these functions, which are part of their normal duties and usually performed during normal work hours, except during the rally itself. In short, the Committee concludes that the length of the rally should not be changed, until or unless a resulting benefit to the City as a whole could be identified.

 

MISSION STATEMENT ITEM FOUR:  Examine ways to create a better working relationship with business involved in the event.

 

This mandate is based on an assumption that the relationship between the City and the Bike-Week-related business interests needs improvement. Proceeding from that assumption and, in order to address this item in meaningful way, the Committee first considered what are the business interests to which the item refers. For the sake of discussion, the Committee divided businesses into two basic categories: local and non-local. The members of the Local Businesses and Landowners Subcommittee requested input from several local business and civic groups, but the response was minimal at best. Many local business concerns derive little or no economic benefit from the rally, some actually lose income, and indeed, some businesses are unable to operate at all during the rally; only a few are directly “involved in the event.” Many of these same local businesses are members of the Greater Laconia-Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce, a group that traditionally assists in maintaining and promoting a good working relationship between City government and the business community. The Committee therefore concluded, as a preliminary matter, that the Chamber could and should play an even greater role in municipal Motorcycle Week planning and in providing assistance to local businesses that may want to initiate or increase involvement in the rally.

 

Another point considered was that the City could review its Motorcycle Week ordinances and policies with an eye toward assisting those local businesses that are negatively impacted by Motorcycle Week. Traffic control orders, site plan review and vendor regulations could be modified so as to protect local business interests, and even promote increased involvement in the rally. As for direct relations between the City and those businesses that are directly involved, it seems that both sides are comfortable with the status quo, and benefit from the relationship as it is. The Motorcycle Week Association has at times acted as a de facto advocate for these business interests before various governmental bodies, and continues to promote the rally and provide assistance to local businesses that wish to become actively involved.

As for non-local businesses, the Committee noted that most itinerant vendors deal with the City directly for permitting purposes, although some rely on local agents and landowners. For many vendors, Laconia is but one of many locales at which they conduct their business. The Motorcycle Week Association provides an important service to out-of-town businesses by publishing event dates and locations well in advance and providing information about local regulations and accommodations. The Committee received comments from the local representative of one vendor association that represents non-local vendors, and was grateful for the professional manner in which its views were presented. Such groups might be a useful resource to the City for purposes of establishing a dialogue regarding Motorcycle Week issues in the future.

 

The Committee’s only other comments regarding this item relate to several other items as well, and are more particularly addressed in the Recommendations section of this report. The City could create a full or part time position for the purpose of coordinating the City’s functions in connection with Motorcycle Week. Among the probable tasks assigned would be acting as liaison to the business community, and providing technical assistance to local businesses that wish to be involved in the business of Bike Week.

 

MISSION STATEMENT ITEM FIVE: Examine funding alternatives for costs associated with city, county and state agencies involved in the event.

 

This mandate, like the previous one, is based on certain assumptions regarding the present situation. The major implication here is that the current funding sources are quantitatively and/or qualitative inadequate.  In order to address the issues raised here, the Committee attempted to examine the public-sector costs associated with Bike Week, the funds appropriated therefor, and the difference (if any) between the two. Next, the Committee considered the alternative sources of revenue available, by reviewing readily available City budget information, and requesting data from the County and State.

 

Despite the broad scope of the mandate, the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations on this item are herein limited to the costs incurred by, and revenue sources available to, the City of Laconia, primarily for two reasons. First, the City is the only governmental entity that explicitly separates Bike-Week-related expenses and revenues for budgetary accounting purposes. The State and County data made available to the Committee, which was extremely limited, is anecdotal at best, as it is not collected or reported in a manner that allows any meaningful analysis of the costs associated with, or revenues generated by, Motorcycle Week. For example, it was suggested that the State’s road toll and Meals and Room Tax revenues were significantly greater during Bike Week, but the Department of Transportation and Department of Revenue Administration were unable to provide pertinent statistical evidence. Likewise, the New  Hampshire State Police overtime costs and deployment figures are not broken down by week, and the County reported no significant fiscal impact associated with Bike Week. Secondly, even if County and State data were available, it is unclear to the Committee how the information or any recommendations based thereon would be useful to the City Council, whose jurisdiction is necessarily limited to City affairs. For these reasons, the Committee focused exclusively on the Laconia’s costs and revenues.

 

The Committee concludes that Laconia’s Bike-Week-related costs are in large part offset by the administrative fees collected, but the exact amount of any difference between revenues and costs is impossible to calculate with any reasonable degree of certainty. For example, although the budget items in the Motorcycle Week category include most extraordinary expenses directly related to the Rally, the hourly wages and salaries paid to City employees who perform Bike-Week-related functions within the scope of the usual employment are not included, nor are the various intangible impacts on the City’s infrastructure, environment and economy that defy quantification.

 

Notwithstanding these reservations, the Committee was able to confidently make certain factual findings, all of which support a general conclusion that the current method of calculating and assessing fees is flawed. As previously reported to the Council on December 3, 2003, the Committee found that: (1) The current “vendor fee” structure does not adequately cover administrative costs or generate revenue; (2) The practice of unauthorized expansion and merger of vendor sites creates an enforcement problem and results in a loss of revenue to the City; and, (3) The current site review fee structure, including those charged for such uses as temporary campgrounds, beer tents, parking, special events and the like, does not adequately cover administrative and infrastructure costs or generate revenue for the City. In light of the foregoing, the Committee concluded that ordinances relating to Motorcycle Week licensing and site plan review should be amended to prevent the current practice of expanding and merging vendor sites and to more fairly and equitably distribute associated public sector costs among all participants, and that the fee structure should be reviewed annually.

 

Although the foregoing findings regarding administrative fees included consideration of the revenues generated, the Committee was mindful of the fact that administrative fees in general are primarily intended to cover regulatory expenses and related costs (“impact fees”), not to generate general fund revenue. However, the “related costs” associated with Bike Week appropriately include resulting increases in municipal spending for services and those infrastructure costs (such as environmental and economic impacts) which are difficult to objectively quantify, and could at least theoretically include certain expenses not presently incurred, such as Bike-Week-related advertising, amenities, promotions, and marketing.

 

          The only other current sources of municipal revenue associated with Bike Week are the relatively modest amounts derived from the use of City-owned property, such as the vendor spaces on the Weirs Beach Boardwalk and the parking lots, the impound fees from towed vehicles, and traffic-related fines. The first item, rental fees for the use of City property, is capable of expansion, but the others are directly proportional to, and largely offset by, the administrative costs associated with their collection. Other suggestions considered included charging fees for parking on Lakeside Avenue, collecting “tolls” from traffic as it crossed the Weirs Channel Bridge, and the like. While these ideas have merit, the Committee determined that difficulties with implementation and enforcement render these actions too problematic to recommend at this time.

 

          The Committee’s final conclusions in this area are based on the fact that the City is not currently, and has traditionally refrained from, actively seeking to generate revenue by direct participation in the marketplace. The Laconia Rally, like Daytona and Sturgis, is a commercial behemoth. Although actual economic data are rare, it is estimated that the Rally generates many millions of dollars, perhaps several tens of millions, for business concerns directly or indirectly involved. Much of this revenue leaves the region in the pockets and bank accounts of vendors. Merchandising items as diverse as tee-shirts to vehicles, and everything in between, these largely itinerant vendors keep coming back because the retail business derived from Laconia’s Bike Week visitors is enormous.

 

The City could earn a share of this business through licensing and marketing. To do so would pose little economic threat to local businesses, many of which could profit by producing, warehousing, packaging, shipping and marketing the merchandise. And most importantly, the City could make many thousands of dollars in net revenue per year.  That money could go directly into the general fund or into a business enterprise fund; either way it would provide tax relief without significantly increasing expenditures.

 

          Since the City has no authority under State law to levy a tax on vendor profits, and its revenue generating activities are essentially limited to administrative fee collection, the Committee reached the inescapable conclusion that the City should explore ways to engage in profitable commercial activities. Any income derived from such activities would be additional to the administrative and impact fees. Not only would such revenue allow the City to take a proactive role in managing and promoting the rally, other possible uses of such income include  infrastructure improvements, Bike Week overtime for City employees, vehicles and equipment for the police, fire and public works departments, and the provision of grants to local residents and business, intended to offset or reverse negative economic impacts attributable to the Rally. The Committee determined that, by becoming an active participant in the Motorcycle Week Marketplace, the City of Laconia could, in effect, use the Rally to produce a tangible positive benefit to all its residents and taxpayers, not just the relative few that currently receive a pecuniary benefit.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

          These recommendations are intended to suggest the various kinds of specific actions the City Council should take, based on the information presented to and deliberated upon by the Committee. Some recommendations relate to others, and some may appear to be contradictory. These anomalies result from the fact that the City of Laconia has not established a comprehensive plan or adopted specific policies that would provide a structure for future decision-making. Therefore, the Committee’s first recommendation should be considered paramount.

1.     The City should adopt a Motorcycle Week Master Plan, or some other similar policy document, so as to provide guidance and establish goals for future municipal decision-making by City officials and employees.

 

2.     The City should seek to decrease motorcycle noise through consistent and rigorous enforcement of applicable statutes and ordinances.

 

3.     The City should seek to further reduce noise, alcohol-related offenses and other breaches of the peace by educating motorcyclists of Laconia’s tough stance on such issues through the use of signs, billboards, flyers, advertising and Internet publication. The vast majority of Bike Week visitors are responsible, law-abiding adults who will respond positively to such information and act accordingly, even to the point where the rally could become self-enforcing within the motorcycling community to some extent.

 

4.     The City should utilize the permitting process so as encourage alcohol-free events and discourage activities that promote the use and abuse of alcohol.

 

5.     The City should implement traffic orders that minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the negative impacts of the influx of visitors on Laconia residents, especially those most adversely affected.

 

6.     The City should strive to locate Bike-Week-related events, especially those that create excessive noise, traffic problems or present an increased risk of breaches of the peace, as far as reasonably possible from residential neighborhoods.

 

7.     The City, through the Planning Board and the Department of Community Development and Planning, should review Bike-Week-related land uses and develop a specific City-wide plan based on accepted best land use practices, so as to encourage compatibility with existing permitted uses and the siting of events and commercial activities in those commercial areas of the City that are currently underutilized during the rally, such as Union Avenue, Lakeport Square and Downtown Laconia.

 

8.     The City should seek to coordinate Bike-Week-related planning, and share information and resources, with neighboring communities, both directly and through such entities as the Lakes Region Planning Commission and the various local chambers of commerce.

 

9.     The City should actively promote the rental of City owned property and encourage the responsible use of its recreational facilities for Bike-Week-related events.

 

10.                         The City should explore ways to minimize impacts on, and increase voluntary profitable participation by, local businesses during the rally.

 

11.                         The City should encourage the Greater Laconia-Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce to take a more active role in planning, coordinating and promoting Motorcycle Week.

 

12.                         The City should take a more active role as a member of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association in planning, coordination and promotion of the rally.

 

13.                         The City should create and maintain a Laconia Motorcycle Week website so as to provide information and generally promote the Lake City on the World Wide Web.

 

14.                         The City should consider creating a full or part-time employee position with primary responsibility for promotion, coordination, public relations and related activities pertaining to Bike Week (and perhaps, tourism in general).

 

15.                         The City should amend ordinances relating to Motorcycle Week licensing and site plan to prevent the current practice of expanding and merging vendor sites and to more fairly and equitably distribute the associated costs among all participants, as follows:

 

a)      Site plan and user licensing fees should be charged by area ($x per square foot) with a fixed minimum fee for small sites.

 

b)     Fees (per square foot) should be based on use. [For example: (a) Vending, (b) Non-vending/exhibition, and (c) Charitable] Uses that the City determines should be discouraged, such as those that promote the use and abuse of alcohol, could be charged a higher fee, consistent with the higher governmental costs and greater risk of breaches of the peace associated therewith.

 

c)      Site plan review applicants should be responsible for collection and payment of user fees.

 

d)     The City should review fees annually.

 

16.                         The City should actively engage in the business of Bike-Week-related merchandising through licensing, direct marketing, contract marketing, or a combination of all three. For the purposes of this recommendation, the Committee adopted the following definitions:

 

a)      Licensing- The collection of fees and royalties for allowing other businesses limited use of the City’s intellectual property  (registered under trademark and copyright laws), such as logos, patches, original artwork, and the like.

 

b)     Direct Marketing- The direct retail and wholesale sale of products produced by and for the City, via the internet, local outlets, and vendors, by City employees.

 

c)      Contract Marketing- The direct retail and wholesale sale of products produced by and for the City, via the internet, local outlets, and vendors, by contract with merchandising or marketing firms.

 

17.                         After presentation of this Report and the conclusion of the City Council’s immediate deliberations thereon, the Council should formally disband the Motorcycle Week Advisory Committee. However, the City Council should consider creating a permanent Motorcycle Week subcommittee to follow up on the recommendations contained herein and to continue to seek public input and address the concerns of residents and businesses related to the rally.

 

Respectfully submitted by the

MOTORCYCLE WEEK ADVISORY COMMITTEE:

September 13, 2004

 

Peter R. Brunette, Chair

James Joyal, Vice Chair

Sharon Fleischman, Secretary

James Baird

Richard Heinis

Linda Peary

Brenda Schmucker