Jazz festival seeks break on parking

Mayor Charlie Clark wants city hall to use a “wider lens” when it comes to charging festivals fees.

Clark spoke Monday to city council’s transportation committee on a request by the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival to waive the fees for closing down a stretch of paid parking stalls. Clark said the city’s policy to try to recover the costs of shuttering parking stalls only looks at the revenue lost by closing the stalls, not how many parking stalls are filled by festival goers.

“If some of these festivals were not to take place, what would be the parking revenues lost?” Clark asked.

Jazz festival organizers have asked for the fees to be waived so they can close a stretch of Spadina Crescent between 22nd and 23rd streets to accommodate the festival’s free stage.

The free stage had been located in Friendship Park, but had to be moved because of ongoing construction of the Traffic Bridge.

The only other option proved to be the north stretch of Kiwanis Park, north of the Delta Bessborough Hotel, but the festival determined the stretch of Spadina would need to be closed for crowds. The fees for closing the parking stalls for the 10-day festival starting June 23 are estimated to be $4,000.

Todd Brandt, president and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon, echoed Clark’s comments that festivals and events need to be considered in terms of their economic benefit and impact.

City hall administration will report back on the implications of waiving the fees for the jazz festival at the next city council meeting on May 23.