Collaborative Children’s Solutions owner Pat Smeraldo addresses Jamestown City Council (September 23, 2024)
The City of Jamestown is looking to contract with Collaborative Children’s Solutions to be the lead agency on holding a number of events in the downtown and Jamestown area.
The resolution would fund CCS with $253,000 over four years, equaling out to be between $60,000 and $65,000 to put on the St. Patrick’s Day (Turn the River Green) Celebration, Memorial Day Parade, Christmas in July, Gus Macker 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, Labor Day Festival, and the Winter Festival/Christmas Parade.
CCS Owner Pat Smeraldo said the four-year contract will make it easier for him to get sponsors and vendors for the events, “Where we can go to vendors and say, ‘Hey, do you want to now want to do this for three years and lock you in.. but we’re going to need a better rate.’ And, or, different sponsors come on for a three year period versus once a year. It would be, maybe, January-ish, February where Dan Stone would call me and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on with St. Patrick’s Day?’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t know. We haven’t been in discussion yet.’ So, the three years solidifies that and a bunch of other great things.”
Smeraldo said the contract also will help with insurance expenses which he said have went from $2,000 to $10,000 this year alone.
Council member at large Jeff Russell asked Mayor Kim Ecklund if the contract would be cheaper than paying a full-time employee, including health insurance benefits and retirement to run the programs.
Ecklund said it would, “That’s a very accurate statement with the increase in minimum wage, the increase in our benefits which you guys will see soon, the cost of our benefits.. yes.”
Aside from the Labor Day Festival, which was organized by the City Parks & Recreation Department through 2019, four of the events had been previously organized by local non-profit organizations.
Leave a Reply