CAMP VERDE - Any question about Camp Verde's ability to shift sponsorship of its special events from public to private was answered two weeks ago, thanks to the success of this year's Fort Verde Days.
For the last 10 years, Fort Verde Days, like almost every other public event in the community, has been held under the sponsorship and direction of the Town of Camp Verde.
Last year, facing the uncertainties of the current economy, the Town surrendered its ownership and asked volunteers to step up and take it over.
Carlie Androus, owner of Camp Verde Mercantile, and her sister Debbie Roulette, owner of Sweet Grace Restaurant, formed a group called Camp Verde Promotions and volunteered to organize the events surrounding Fort Verde Days.
By all accounts, Androus, Roulette and the group of volunteers they assembled, were hugely successful, proving it was possible to have fun without impacting the public treasury.
Now, to ensure that the success of Fort Verde Days carries over to the Pecan, Wine & Antique Festival, Cornfest, Crawdad Festival, and any other event the public deems worth having, Town Manger Mike Scannell has begun a review, with the intent of finding out what went right and what can be improved.
A meeting last Tuesday among Town staff and event volunteers demonstrated that the biggest decision will be deciding to what degree the Town remains involved, financially and otherwise.
It is a decision Scannell says is ultimately the Town Council's to make.
There have been a couple of attempts recently to draft a special events handbook outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Town and the event sponsors, but both drafts have met with criticism.
During Tuesday's meeting, Androus suggested the appropriate course might be to let each event run for a year and then draft the regulations.
"Each event is different and each will have different problems," Androus noted.
Scannell said he is open to all suggestions.
"Reviewing the success of Fort Verde is the first step in the process. From there we will see where it is appropriate to go," Scannell said.
Among the suggestions brought up at Tuesday's meeting were to have the Town assume the role of traffic control for downtown parades and events, to provide technical assistance and to develop a permitting system that is less cumbersome.
Scannell said he plans to conduct a series of meetings before he makes any suggestion to the council.
