Town Council - Special Meeting

All right, we'll go ahead and call our festival meeting to order. All council members are present. Looks like we also have. Are you staying for this? Yeah. Okay. No, look brown got Jennifer. And some community members.

so Jennifer you want to yeah I'll just do a quick review here and then we will we've got Skippy tonight and also Ryan this evening that they're going to kind of go over their plan so right now um we are still placing vendors on Main Street on the 200 block we have six left 300 block we have 13 left 400 block, we have 12, 507, 607, 706, and then 800, we have 22 left. That's kind of the block we fill in. And then Dolley's Park, there's eight. So we had one food vendor that he switched from a trailer to a food truck, so he was too big to come. So we are talking with another food vendor to fill that spot. We're still working on our sponsors. Advertising for WWKI and WIDC, Those commercials will start in September. Shine 99 has already started. And then also when Jonathan had come and talked about the... Their marketing deal. Yeah. So that will be... They're working on that. So they'll send a proof to us before all that's taken care of.

Have you gotten any preliminary numbers at all from them?

No, it hasn't started yet.

I thought you said it was going to start 90 days ahead of...

It'll start next Friday. It'll start this coming, I think you said this coming Friday. Next Friday.

But didn't he tell us 90 days, like it was going to start July 1st or something? I thought that's what he told us, because I asked when it was going to start, and he said it was 90 days before, which we're way past that.

Well, I talked to him today, because I was telling him, and we're still waiting on the design date, so let me talk to him.

Well, I mean, if it's not the full 90 days like they said it was going to be, then it shouldn't be the full $1,000 like they said it should be.

I will call and make sure.

Do you remember that conversation?

I don't remember it.

Okay. Okay. My understanding was it was going to be 90 days ahead of the festival. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

I will definitely double check on that. So, Annie's been hitting social media hard. She is in with like different vendor base books and all that kind of stuff. So, the phone was ringing off the hook today. So, other than that, we're just kind of getting it all together. Brian, is there anybody who wants to jump in?

He's been waiting a while. Nobody told me I was coming for the evening. Sorry. All right, so on the fire department side, it ran pretty smooth last year. I think we got in a really good rhythm. We had a very busy Saturday, so we're going to probably run the same as we did last year. Two dual-purpose carts, an ALS ambulance, and one quick response unit. I think they really got a last last year i think it was saturday where we were just like slammed um and by using our own equipment with our own trucks it worked really really convenient with we were literally taking the cot out of the ambulance replacing it and they were right back in service picking up runs so i think that's what we're going to stick with this year uh we did get the trailer um trailer is kind of one of those things that it's getting harder just for the fact that they got some other festival that same weekend um everybody picking it piggybacking off uh yeah and that has always been we supply the trailer tipton county supplies the people for that yeah i think that's what it is it's the exact same weekend exact same hours um Yeah, so we did schedule it, but I know last year it was off and on on its opening because it was at the mercy of what they sent. And it sounds like we're probably going to be in that same boat this year. Their response was, we'll try to send people if we can, but we have our festival. If it doesn't work out, then we probably won't schedule it next year, but...

other than that everything else is on par for what we've done in the last few years anything for us anything you need like so I think I don't remember there being any points of note at least well I can remember from last year so I mean

Yeah, last year we kind of got in a groove on that Saturday. I mean, it just, it was so smooth. Like, it even impressed me at how easy. Yeah, because we were, they were bringing that patient in. We were unloading them in the bay, into the ambulance. The cop from the ambulance was already out. The cop was back on the truck, and they were in service back out on the next run within minutes. So, it was like, wow. Did you have a lot of... Saturday, we did. Saturday, we got hit for probably about a three-hour period of just back-to-back runs. But again, I think maybe two times that we have to call for a second ambulance. Other than that, we were able to... As soon as the transport animals took off, we would call the on-duty crew down to set in until that ambulance got back, and it all worked out. I think Tipton came in one time and maybe CISRA once.

Was there a common theme? I mean, heat or just...

We're going to get a lot of these things. Heat plays a big role. I know a lot of the things this last year was parking was different, I guess. And people were having to walk further and they would get too far away from their vehicles. So we did a lot of community rides of older folks that just couldn't get back to their vehicles. They'd gotten tired, so we would take them back. We had one food vendor who had a little bit of an incident that dropped, what was it, cold something.

I don't remember what they put in, but it caused a complete... Because the ground was covered in oil, so when you dropped something on fire on it, it... Yeah, he dropped something cold and something frozen in oil on it.

It was all over the tent. It was everywhere. So we only shut down one last year. Right here. Yeah. Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't know what you dropped in there, but boy, it went over the 10 and then it was driven down.

It was running down off the 10. Yeah. So that was the only fire incident we had last year, but again, carts will be dual, they'll be cross man. So they'll have their gear and extinguishers on the cards. Plus we'll have the quick response truck. So.

What's the best way for a vendor or one of us who's riding around? We see something and we need you. What's the best way to get a hold of? Should we all have your numbers in our phone? Yeah, 911 on those days that there is a center set up just for us at. Okay, so we don't call you directly down there. We call 911 and say, hey, we're at the festival.

Yeah, we all run out of the same building that day. Okay. So police fire. Okay. Ryan's usually there holding down that part of it for us. So whatever they call in that run, give out that location. They send out what units we need.

chest pain somebody injured somebody hurt i mean it doesn't matter that i mean i take a 9-1-1 i think somebody's shot you know but nope no okay that tells us the numbers so we know on the screen

okay and conveniently enough a lot of us are very familiar with the area so all we need to cross street we're gonna find where we're going okay yeah so it's better to err on the side caution Yeah, and that's the thing. Our guys, they quickly determine, and I think that's the big thing that we do also, is once we get there, we determine pretty quickly whether this is going to turn into a transporter, if this is something we're going to SOR, because most times the crews will get ready back there if they think it's coming in so that the trucks are cooled down and ready for them to be transported. So they do a really good job of communicating that back once they get on scene and doing a rapid assessment and letting us know what's happening. Any more questions for us?

Thanks.

No problem.

Next time, we'll have pizza for you.

Next time, I think me and Ryan are going first. Have you been here all the time, Ryan?

No, sir. I was outside. I listened to him outside. I sat through the great chicken debate. So, I see it outside for us on the law enforcement side. We're, we're beginning our scheduling actively right now. So it looks good. We're starting to send those emails out. We've secured some of the people that were here last year already. So. Actively, uh, in progress, I think the things that we need are the train schedule. If it's coming, uh, the band schedule, um, and then those add those couple of, uh, nuances, uh, Jenny brown, uh, the volunteer. I just need you to tell me in the end of the day what it is for the people that are coming down the alley, what that pass is that you give them for Jody and Postmaster, what the flavor of the day will be there this year. So sometimes they go, sometimes they have us pick them up and take them in, and then other times they are closed. We just need to know what they want to do for the year. And then like I said, for us, the base camp will be down at Luke's office at the street department and utility office. So that's where we'll be our base camp for the weekend. Our coverage will start earlier in the week because you have more stuff that happens, more people in town. So you'll be seeing faces just like in the years past as far as our staffing goes all the way up through the festival.

and that's sold. If we need a helicopter, have you thought about?

Yeah, we do. We have an alternative location. It's very, very close. We actually have two alternates besides that one. So yeah, I think we'll be just fine.

I highly doubt there will be any parking at the water plant this year. Okay.

That is alternate B. There you go.

So, um, yeah, you know, are they still at the officers still at the 50?

Yes. Um, is there any other. nuances this year. I would echo the chief's comments. I know we've talked about it in the past. The biggest thing for us was the people walking. So a lot of our golf carts that are set lower to the ground, we typically have one person. That's what they do is they take people back to their cars that overheat or or wander too far from home base. So I would say that was significant for us. It always is. And I know we talked about it in the past and there's consternation about it, but the location of the restrooms is always, and people can't find them. So again, I would urge you, The balloons in the air, something that waves, something that we can give as a visual. Hey, look for this, right? So we tell people to look for the water tower, but

Hmm, quite frankly, I mean, you know, those. Flag things that the big vertical. Yeah.

What about the yeah.

Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but something that you can get that we can say, hey, look for the guy that's waving big yellow guy that's waving that. The official mascot of the festival, I'm not trying to be flipping something. Something that's easy for our folks, because we answer the same question all day long. Where's the bathrooms? Where can I sit down and eat my elephant ear? And where's the trash can? Those are legit the top three questions. If I brought in everybody from last year, I'm confident they would tell you the top three questions.

The bathroom is the top one, though. Yeah, the bathroom is the top one.

They set up tents and bathrooms on my property. Yes.

Yeah, like I said, if we had something that was visual that we could just repeat that, like look for the guy that's waving, something, you know, some other festivals will use those large balloons, like weather balloons that are red. I encourage you not to use red, but pick a different color, you know, that we can visually say, hey, look for that. And that means there's a cluster of bathrooms. Those are probably the top three questions that we get. But like I said, from our needs, if we know the schedules, and any of those new, the Jody Brown, the Postmaster, the neighborhood is always controversial. So anybody that lives out there or has friends, just because the on-street parking is prohibited, however it feels, because people park there.

I did hear that at first I heard that Linda Young was not going to have it.

She sold that property.

She didn't, but her daughter-in-law owns it. And I heard from one of our vendors that is good friends with hers that she is going to do something over there. So, yeah. Okay, so what is that?

On the north side.

Oh, for vendors.

I was thinking parking. So she is going to do vendors over there?

I have not talked to the sister of town. She's got... We'll reach out and see what... Just to make sure they're circled in on what's happening on the north side of the street. There is that festival in Tipton County that is occurring on that same day. So I only say that because it is relative. Traditionally we have some type of an incident that occurs, people coming or going from here. We've escaped the last couple years, but we've had decent accidents and things like that.

So would that be you guys going up there?

No, but what happens is sometimes the roads get blocked around here. We've had crashes on our borders where we can get there faster on the quick response vehicles. And in my tenure, it certainly has happened, no doubt.

Yeah, and that's the thing. The big runs usually happen right just outside of the event. That's where we continue.

it's people slowing, right? It's the cars parking on county line and people slow. They're at a 45 mile an hour and they go to 30 or they go to 20 and somebody behind them is on their cell phone and that's, traditionally that's where we'd see these types of things is right on the edges. And again, our people can get there a little faster and a little bit more nimble. But obviously with them having, The festival up there that you know, they only have one they only have one paramedic in the county so well we can Yeah Yeah, yeah, no the reasons that he laid out makes sense the venom You know and safe food

Absolutely. I'm 100% behind that. Last year, Alex sent me an email.

I'll send it to him, and we'll get it to you. So, yeah, like I said, we'll have message board signs. Those things will pop up beforehand, all the normal tactics that we use. If there's something else that...

HAPPENS LET ME KNOW IS IS THERE A WAY WE CAN GET A BIG BLINKY SIGN FROM THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR HAMILTON COUNTY WHERE AT WELL FOR EMPTY FOR RESTROOMS JUST GET ONE PARK IT IN ON HERE ON RAILROAD STREET OR SOMETHING AND SAY I don't know if that would help.

I think we'd do some kind of, I'm trying to Google search right now, some kind of balloon or something.

Well, I mean, in addition to that. Because it's free if they bring it up.

Well, we already have, I'll have to have left that day. Okay. Because we use them. They use them to block the streets for traffic. Yeah. So they're variable based on the time and day and the direction they say different messages. So we have them there kind of canned for us. But we can do, if we have something, I'm sure we can make it.

I think we, I like the balloon or vertical banner or something. And then if we could even put that on our, if our stuff hasn't been printed yet, that might be a good note on there. Look for that. Blue balloon for bathrooms.

Make sure to tell all the vendors so that the vendors can pass it on.

I was kind of wondering maybe in Annie's Facebook stuff if she could kind of hammer that, hammer home the, you could find amenities near the railroad tracks. Yeah.

Yes, that's good.

And we could get a color balloon for bathrooms and a color balloons for our tents.

Yes. I don't know how high we could fly these balloons, but something's better than nothing. Pretty high at the music center. We attached them to tents for first aid and security, and they were works. And you can see them. So you've got trees and houses. Sure. The higher we can get. And it's, again, for us, it's just to visually be able to say, look for the blue balloons. And if we're hitting that message on social media, the vendors can say.

Something like that seems like a simple solution that's, like, super easy to access.

I think it will help cut down on the.

Maybe attention to the sub-sub.

Oh, I see what you're saying. Well, we just put both colors out front.

Yep.

So we put the one saying that it's a rest area and there's a bathroom here. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, because we actually leave those booths open so we can even.

Yeah, because when we put our sign there, the sponsor sign, so we got a place. Seriously, people just walk right by it because it's their showroom. Yeah, we'll work on that. I think that's a really good idea.

It is a good idea. I would say that I would echo the chief's comments. Those are the big ones for us.

Yeah, band boosters are, they're doing the breakfast. We've already sent their information back to our vendors with their confirmations. The vaccination tent over here on the corner for the Blue Scouts this year, they are unable to do it. So if you guys know of a group that would volunteer, they man that and then they also do the tables at both of the tents.

I don't remember what it's called, but the thing that Joe and his boy are getting involved with, which I think we also are going to do. Trail Life, I think it's called. It's like the other Boy Scouts. I'll bet they do that.

Yeah, because the Boy Scouts do it with their badges, so we don't pay them anything.

I think they look for service stuff to do, so... Maybe he can, if they're going to participate, but if they decide it's not for them, let me know because our church is the sponsoring church for them. So I can contact him. It's certainly a possibility. Okay.

That's all I have.

I don't remember from last year the sponsorships off of this.

Yeah, right now the sponsorships are... 34,500, we're still expecting some coming in. Is that higher than last year? Last year, I can't remember what that number was.

I haven't seen them yet. They're all set up. Whoever wants to help can come whenever they want.

So they're all set up and ready to go.

Maybe just start.

Oh, boy. It's early to start. Yeah. Oh.

want to just make a box day a week ahead of festival yeah i mean that way you're not having to work around it for a month last year i said a month and a half a month and a half yeah i set a date last year and we ended up getting those yeah you beat it yeah i'm just saying a month and a half ahead of time that's a lot for you guys to work around yeah so GET A LITTLE BIT CLOSER I'D CERTAINLY HELP CLOSER TO TIME I'M NOT I'M NOT HELPING NOW CLOSER ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT UH WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DISCUSS WITH FESTIVAL Well, motion to adjourn our press for me.

Make motion that we adjourn. That's for me. All right.