By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
The evacuation of the Wren Pierson Building has not only changed the face of Cheney, but also how the city operates, at least for a while.
Last year was the inaugural year for MayFest, which replaced the fall festival Cheneyfest, that started in 2006. Mayfest is the city's event, unlike Cheneyfest which is a public event that is privately operated.
Parks and Recreation director Paul Simmons said the leadership of Mayfest for this year has been handed to Pathways to Progress due to an overload of demands on the Parks Department staff, who ran the whole event last year.
Simmons said the loss of the Wren Pierson Building has changed his scope of operations. He said about 80 percent of his time and effort is spent dealing with relocating the Parks and Recreation Department. He said it's not just about moving equipment. There are a lot of logistical demands like insurance paperwork plus the task of finding a new location. Currently, the Parks Department staff has made a temporary home out of the auditorium stage at City Hall.
Because of the strain of working in a cramped space, the limited resources and the need to find an intermediate home for his department Simmons said running the event again this year was too stressful on his staff
“It was just too much,” Simmons said, adding that the staff is still in a supporting role for this year's event.
A new face brings new ideas. Pathways to Progress interim executive director Spencer Grainger said his organization is immersing itself into planning Mayfest, though he admits it will be scaled back a bit. He said the most noticeable change is that there will be no three-on-three basketball tournament this year. Grainger concedes that Pathways doesn't have the resources to support a sports event like that.
“We're just going to focus all our energy on Mayfest,” Grainger said.
Though the situation is still in the planning phase, Grainger said he is leaning toward some bicycle friendly activities. He stresses that nothing had been finalized, but he was thinking something like a bicycle parade and a bicycle rodeo, which is a safety clinic and obstacle course for young riders to teach them the rules of the road. He said he is trying to get someone to provide free bicycle tune-ups too. Granger suggested a criterium, which is a bicycle race held over a short course.
“I don't know how much we'll be able to pull off,” Grainger said.
Other details of Mayfest are an easy task. Grainger said he has begun contacting vendors for location on the sidewalk for the street fair. He said there is going to be a multi-cultural festival with music and entertainment from Eastern Washington University-based diversity groups, though he said the university has withdrawn from Mayfest due to budget cuts.
If things go well, there will be a preview of the Friday Farmers' Market preseason plant sale. Pathways is getting some help. The Cheney Merchants' Association will be running the car show this year.
Though he doesn't mind helping the city, Grainger said planning Mayfest is a large undertaking. He said Pathways would focus on accomplishing a “few well-done things” rather than a lot of poorly planned activities.
“I hope the city will pick it up again next year,” Grainger said.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
Reader Comments(0)