Sean C. Morgan
Oregon Jamboree Festival Director Erin Regrutto outlined plans for the Sweet Home Economic Development Group’s second camping and music festival during the District 55 School Board meeting Monday night.
The weekend preceding the Oregon Jamboree next year, July 26-27, SHEDG will host a new festival, with a more alternative, indie style of music. The two-day festival will work much like the Jamboree, although it will only be two days and camping will be more compact and located closer to the festival. It will use the same site plan and resources to save overall on costs.
The Oregon Jamboree’s contract with School District 55 ends this year, and it will need to negotiate a new contract for both festivals if the School Board agrees, Regrutto told the members of the board.
A 2001 economic impact study reported that the Oregon Jamboree brings $1.2 million per year to the local economy, Regrutto said. That’s beyond the festival itself.
With Jamboree proceeds, SHEDG has been able to provide annual funding to the Sweet Home Community Foundation, the Sweet Home Active Revitalization Effort and an economic development director.
It also provides transient occupancy taxes to the city and rental income for various property owners.
The Jamboree tries to keep as much of its business local as it can, Regrutto said.
The Jamboree pays the School District for the use of its property, and it provides fund-raising opportunities for students in numerous programs, she said. Proceeds from pop, water and ice are split between the Jamboree and the School District.
The School District received $345,000 from the Jamboree from 2002 to 2011, she said.
“We’re basically looking to do something completely opposite of the Oregon Jamboree,” Regrutto said. The goal is to bring different people and different checkbooks to town.
“It’s reaching a variety of different age spans,” she said. The demographic ranges from 18 to 54, and typically, “they have a little more money to spend.”
The Jamboree demographic for the Jamboree is 35 to 54, she said, and this particular group is a little lower than median on income and education.
The alternative-indie festival demographic also is more likely to use tents and walk, she said, so it will likely need fewer campgrounds. All of them can be within walking distance, and a shuttle system won’t be necessary.
The idea is to help the community and generate more economic impact, Regrutto said.
It’s time to negotiate a new contract, she said, so she wanted to let the board know about next year’s plans and find out if the board approves.
The Jamboree and the new festival will need to be on School District property at least in 2013, Regrutto said. Her goal is to have the festivals on the old Knife River property northwest of Clark Mill Road by 2014, but she is uncertain if the festival can make the move by then. If they don’t, they’ll still need to use school property.
After they do move, Regrutto assured the board that the same fund-raising opportunities will continue.
In other business, the board:
n Hired Elizabeth Beckett, as .5 full-time equivalent temporary resource room teacher at Holley Elementary.
n Hired Marchi Sullens as .5 FTE Title I kindergarten teacher at Hawthorne Elementary.
n Approved a memorandum of agreement with the Sweet Home Education Association, classified employees, who provide support services for the district. The agreement says that new hires are eligible for insurance on the first day of the month following the completion of a minimum of 30 days of employment.
n Approved revisions to the 2012-13 school calendar.
n Declared a 1968 Multigraphics 1250 press surplus.
n Approved numerous policy revisions recommended by the Oregon School Boards Association. It held off approving a policy on texting and social media usage by teachers. The proposal was too restrictive, said Supt. Don Schrader, and he will return with a new policy proposal.
n Declared three Budget Committee vacancies, including Cascadia, Crawfordsville and at large.