Small Halls Festival structure continues to be revised
Members of Clearview Township’s recreation and culture advisory committee were called to a special meeting Monday night to consider a revised terms of reference for the Small Halls Festival.
Chair Doug Measures called the meeting in order to get the terms of reference on the agenda for the next council meeting on Monday, March 21, for final approval.
The festival, approaching its third year, aims to showcase rural living through a multitude of events held during one fall weekend. It was reported that more than 300 volunteers worked to pull off events in 2015.
So far, the committee that runs the event has been operating without a properly constituted terms of reference.
The March 14 meeting was called to consider revisions made with input from the clerk.
“To better reflect, the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholder groups, the terms of reference have been revised subject to approval by council,” reported community, culture, recreation and tourism coordinator Shane Sargant.
The recreation and culture advisory committee had been working toward a two-pronged committee approach with an executive committee managing the big picture and a festival committee to organize the details. The new terms of reference, supported by committee, structures the event with only one committee.
It was proposed the Small Halls Festival committee be made up of seven members; three recreation and culture advisory committee members, two sponsor representatives and two other members who could represent community, business or tourism, but the committee agreed to remove seats designated for sponsors and instead have four open seats.
According to the terms of reference, the committee is responsible for approving sponsorship packages, marketing and communication plans and making sure the plans are executed by staff.
The hall boards are responsible for planning, coordinating and managing the events at their respective halls, approving and honouring sponsorship and partnership agreements provided by Sargant among other duties, but do not have designated seats on the committee.
Committee member Tamara Culham asked why they would include seats specifically for sponsors?
Measures said significant sponsors want to contribute and they should have a say in the organization of the event. He said there is no conflict because ultimately, decisions are made by the rec and culture advisory committee.
Culham said she was conflicted about having two seats for sponsors, saying it feels to her as if they bought a seat at the table.
Sargant said there is potential for more sponsors to come on board.
“We have kept sponsorship low but there is a real appetite, and sponsorship dollars out there,” he said. “We are selling ourselves short on sponsors, but we have been relying on grants, which seem to dry up.”
An earlier draft of the terms of reference included two committee seats specifically for hall board members.
It was proposed that representatives from halls in Avening, Brentwood, Creemore, Dunedin, Nottawa, Duntroon, Singhampton and Sunnidale rotate through the two seats on a four-year schedule. Those seats were removed from the committee structure in the most recent draft.
The revised terms of reference is on Monday night’s council agenda.
