Travis County Commissioners Court
February 13, 2007
Item 31
31. Receive briefing from county attorney and take appropriate action regarding lonestar productions event scheduled may 30 through June 3, 2007. 1 this will be the first item on our list of -- long list of executive session items today. We have a few minutes before our consultants come down on the legislative items. So we do appreciate you all coming down. We have the open court discussion and if you give us your names, we would be happy to get your comments and we may have a question or two.
>> okay. I'm jan lacroury, I own Texas productions on your agenda at lone star productions. This is joe flannigan, he will be handling the bars and the liquor and so forth, he will be handling all of that for the event. And I really didn't have but one question and I was wondering when I talked to your county attorney, he said that you all had a sliver, I'm quoting, of jurisdiction there and we were kind of wondering where that is. And because everyone, on my permitting that I have -- in the offices that I have spoke to seems to be coming from the city.
>> right.
>> and but other than that, I'm open to your questions.
>> who is in the best position to let them know exactly -- withdy know a -- we do know a small piece of the tract of land where the event is planned is in the unincorporated Travis County.
>> uh-huh.
>> as you say, the rest of it really most of it I think that I heard 80, 85% or so is in the city of Austin.
>> right.
>> but what we can do, do we have a name and -- and phone number or address for you?
>> maybe he knows exact ily where the county piece of the tract is located?
>> a map. I don't have the actual legal description. I can show you a map. A very small point of the tract, corner.
>> can we give them a copy of that map.
>> yes, absolutely, I have to go make one. Do you know -- have chatted with the city about any ordinance requirements of theirs that you need to meet.
>> I have chatted with several of those. I started actually with the city manager's office, I believe a gentleman referred me to by jason, his name was jason, referred me to all of what he thought was the offices that I needed to be talking with. Filing a temporary permit and possibly a sound permit, we are going to check with zoning and a.p.d., I have already talked with them. Of course tabc. Joe will be handling and -- and --
>> what's your expected attendance for the event. These days?
>> four.
>> four days. What's your expected attendance on a daily basis? That's our major concern is disruption to the neighborhoods, traffic, that kind of stuff. So -- so the -- the attendance is going to be a key issue for us.
>> you realize this does coincide, go at the same time as the harley rally, so there's already would be traffic there. But I -- you know, we would be really pleased if we had as many as 750 to a thousand people a day.
>> in and out.
>> that would be an in and out type of thing.
>> that's an aggregate.
>> right.
>> what kinds of events do you plan to have that.
>> well, for sure we are going to have biker attire contests. We will have -- probably tattoo contests. We will have custom bike contests. We will also have a photo trailer, for lack of a better word, a little small stage. Where they can have their picture made either with a custom harley that maybe one of our sponsors has furnished or one of their own. And the -- we will have some vendors and we are -- there's a possibility, we have been approved through tama for a -- well, I think they call it cage fighting or boxing event. Tama is the amateur commission through the boxing commission. They have been sanctioned by the boxing commission. The Texas amateur martial arts association. They would handle that for us. We would not put that on. We would just host it for them. They are sanctioned and follow all of those rules. And that would just be one night event if we had that.
>> alcoholic beverages?
>> yes.
>> beer and wine?
>> yes.
>> mixed drinks?
>> yes. Pretty much all alcoholic beverages?
>> yes, sir.
>> what kind of license would you need that, a little picnic license.
>> for the alcohol? Is that what you are referring to?
>> I have a state-wide cater's license through my mixed beverage license, we will be pulling a permit through the tabc.
>> you have used that before?
>> yes, sir, many times.
>> you can transfer that from location to location as long as you stay in Texas?
>> yes, sir, as long as it's a wet county.
>> what -- speaking of wet counties, what other counties in the last year have there been parties so that we could check in with them about the disruption and what we need to prepare for.
>> that we put on or just other events.
>> that you have put on.
>> oh, we had to -- we haven't put on any this year. We put on -- on a couple of years ago, we put on willie nelson's picnic that was out on the 183.
>> sheriff's posse. We put on the -- a lot of events in san marcos, at my bar that I own is in san marcos at the san marcos I guess convention center, youth expo, kind of use it for dual purpose. We put on a -- I would say 10 event or 10 or 15 out there in the last three or four years at that location.
>> nacogdoches, douglas.
>> we put the bid on in nacogdoches a couple of years ago. Most of the events that -- that my bar, the college bar, but we did a lot of Texas music stuff a year or so ago. A couple of years ago. We did a lot of events.
>> are those events similar in -- in size and material to this event, as far as the numbers of people that you expect to come and --
>> yes, ma'am.
>> the types of activities that are provided.
>> yes, ma'am.
>> several of the events probably larger than these events.
>> are there other similar events that we could use sort of a -- as -- for further research other -- other --
>> they have harley rallies. We -- I'm going to do, she's going to do other stuff. We just made a deal with the guys that do the lone star harley rally in harlingen galveston. I'm going to provide all of the liquor and alcohol for that event in 2007 and on November 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Then that will be through my cater's license. And Texas production has part of that. And then in south padre island, March the -- the 10th through the 17th, we are actually providing the entertainment for a club down there called chaos in padre that holds around 6,000 people. And we have -- I have a contract to provide all of the entertainment at that club through the 10th of the 17th of this year.
>> you all are just a -- correct me if I'm wrong about this. You all are just a production company for --
>> she is.
>> I have the production company.
>> okay. And for these other events that you are talking about, they are -- they are the -- either the venue or the -- or the event itself is held by someone else and you come in to do the catering. They -- they utilize your catering license.
>> that's -- in other words, in padre, those guys they have their own liquor license. So they are -- all we can do is provide the entertainment in the contest. At galveston, they are providing the -- the show and we are providing the alcohol because they don't have a liquor license at galveston. The guys that's putting on the -- it's just either way, out here we are -- she's producing this event and I'm just providing the liquor. The liquor license.
>> so looking at the events in san marcos, the events in galveston and the events in padre island will give us a pretty good idea of past events similar to this one?
>> this one will be much smaller.
>> will be smaller.
>> they are expecting 500,000 in galveston. And probably be 150 now in padre.
>> okay. 150,000.
>>
>> [multiple voices]
>> last year they had 500,000 people in galveston. That's the largest harley rally in Texas. They are expecting about I think 50,000 out here. At the -- at the rally.
>> this is expected total to have, you know, if it's -- if it meets your wildest expectations it's 4,000 over the -- the four days? Maybe?
>> that would be wonderful.
>> yeah, that would be great.
>> that would be successful.
>> that's what that would be.
>> great.
>> thanks.
>> what about live music?
>> we are not going to have a band. I may have a d.j.
>> dancing?
>> no. We don't have dancing.
>> we heard there may be some -- some sort of exotic dancing.
>> [laughter]
>> no, sir.
>> that's not planned.
>> no. Now, we will have some cute girls, don't let me -- you know these biker people, there's a lot of guys, they like these cute girls and they will be dressed appropriately. They will have on tops and full bottoms. And they will certainly be there and they may have some pictures made with them and they may serve them a drink or two. But --
>> they are going -- they are not going to be on a stage doing exotic dancing, though.
>> no, sir. Judge, there is some confusion. The website that several people has went to is lone star party barn website which is my website. We do a lot of different cop tests at the bar, because I run a college bar. We do a lot of just kind of stupid contests. But we don't do any nudity at my bar. But we advertise this event on that website, which kind of got a little confusing. It's not her website. It's my website. Lone star party bar is me. But we still don't do nudity. We can't. The tabc.
>> or topless.
>> yeah. No -- well, in Texas I don't think you can stop them from taking them off. But you can ask them to put them back on. But we are not promoting that. We don't have a contest a topless contest to be candid. Nor do we have it at the bar either.
>> the reason is that this is a neighborhood and there are families and really historically we have -- we have tried to protect them as we schedule events at the expo center. We do know when the bikers come, they bring with them traffic issues, the contractor of the biker rally commits to do several things to help calm traffic, help regulate traffic and help keep traffic out of community, help keep them on the main drag. If there is a problem, with the traffic coming to your event, will there be -- safeguards in place
>> [one moment please for change in captioners]
>> we have a children's charity, and we just kind of favor it in the county, and they go by, they actually use the initials aware, always wanting a ride every day. We are fortunate enough, our proceeds go to this charity. And we feel like that's something we should do as being a good member of your community. We're going to run a good event. I assure you, we won't have anything that remotely looks like what goes on across the street. If you have not been across the steet, it's just shockinglve that's not our business. We are interested in our event and it will be anyone would enjoy it, anyone would be welcome to come. We are not having underage because we don't want to fool with them and the drink drinking. You don't have to worry about it if you don't have them in there. But nothing that we are having would be offensive to under 21 age.
>> one other point, your honor. This would be fenced off.
>> okay? It has to be by law.
>> like an admission gate ?
>> we have a private security and off duty apd officer at the gate at all times. We have to be inside a fenced area am we put up a portable fence, six-foot tall.
>> what's the last thing about the city of Austin lt. Dealing with the traffic issues ?
>> b oyston, he is over special events.
>> okay. And tell me, do we have their names and phone numbers? Case we need them ?
>> I believe those are one of the contacts that staff has already made.
>> did you already speak with Commissioner Davis? Did you all have a meeting is this.
>> I tried to speak with him him. I spoke to his secretary, and she was doing to have him call me, and he did not call me. So I called him back I think about a week later. His secretary said he could not talk to me and referred me to attorney helly, and I called you.
>> right.
>> and we went from there. And he invited us down. I did not know this was on your agenda. We were surprised. I have an attorney, and he had other court dates this morning, and he couldn't be here, if need be, but.
>> you may want to give us his name and number too just in case we need to chat with him later.
>> the attorney ?
>> yes.
>> as soon as I get that name and number I'll have it for your availability as well.
>> okay.
>> when you say across the street what on, what were you talking about? I missed something there ?
>> I'm going to let joe tell but that.
>> I've been to orel t rally rally. It's like any harley rally. There's a lot of topless people and people nude walking around. It's been there seven years. I've been to sturgess and almost every harley rally around. I'm in the saying this is the worse one, but it's, it gets pretty ranunchy. All our girls that work for us are going to be college girls. They won't do that, they won't take their tops off. These are all classy girls that work full time. Some of them will be three years, they will be running the beer troughs. There is a lot of nude ty at every harley rally, and there is a lot of ty over there, a lot of activity they don't have any fights of I have never seen a scuffle. I have been over there four years in a row. I have never seen any problems but there is a tree money dust amount of nude ty ty--tremendous amount of nude ty. Almost every rally, harley aly, there is some nude ty.
>> we are not going to have that.
>> I think you all can hear from the line of questioning that we are all nervous. And you are right. Joe, it came off.
>> right.
>> off of the website, because we had the pictures and went, my gosh, what is going on out here d?lve. And then, you can imagine, everybody's imagination just goes wild. And given the fact that there's residential neighborhoods, it's something that we don't want to deal with. The nice thing, for me, you get people at the rally, at least you kind of have them in the fence.
>> yes.
>> sort of like you can contain them which is generally what happens when you see things go to fairgrounds and whatever. You're right, there are probably a lot of crazy things that happen. I envision this gate because you all are sort of at the exit gate over on the side.
>> yes, sir.
>> we're just thinking, okay how are our Travis County sheriffs officers, those are the ones that are doing the work, you know, as far as the rally our grounds. And who is not going to pull up if all a sudden, that looks like fun over there, all of a sudden 13,000 bikes trying to park in the ditch, you know, every inch that you can find. You can imagine how we are looking at going, oh, my gosh, are we about to have something here that's really going to be out of control. So obviously, you're hearing it.
>> yes, sir.
>> you're seeing the reservation that some of us have. Now, I would really promote, I mean, and I take you for your word, if you tried to sit down with Commissioner days. If he were here today he would robal----
>> I have no problem with peting him. I called him. He didn't call me.
>> that's good.
>> I have been working on this since December, getting the appropriate permitting in line. It's a little early to actually get it we have to be sure that we can meet all the requirement requirements. I don't want to spend all this money promoting and getting everything in line and then ten days before the event we're like, oh, well, you know, we can't meet those requirements. So that's why we have been working on it. I called the Commissioner because I just phone it on the website. He was the commissionner that precinct. I just wanted to visit with him and haven't been able to do that as yetlve but I would just like to put your mind at ease that we're going to have a nice event. Of course, I have not spoke ton the sheriffs department in regard to traffic because I was told to talk to the ap apd and did.
>> one other thing, sir. We have contracted with the security, private security firm out of san antonio.
>> right.
>> we also are going to hire some off duty pp--apd or whatever is available, probably apd since we are in the city. And the t?mp the t b c will tell us what we need for security. You need two, four, five, whatever they recommend they don't tell you you have to, but they give a recommendation, to keep them happy, which we certainly want to to, we will get whatever they say we need. For traffic, security, gate, whatever they say.
>> joe has a good working relationship with the ta b c.
>> whatever they tell us, that's what we will get.
>> they know he will do what they say.
>> you all have done these kind of events before with few problems, the if any.
>> very few.
>> very few.
>> very few. We did a lot of Texas music concerts. We did more of those. When Texas music in Austin music probably, but really came back again. And we had a lot of artists. We would have all-day events events. You know, not just night events. They would start and go from 12 to 12 or ten to 12. We just didn't have any problem. And we were dealing with a lot of college, you know, young adults. We just didn't have any problems with them. Very enjoyable festivals.
>> any other questions from the court? We really appreciate you coming down and sharing this with us. And if there is a significant change in your plans, if you would let us know that, we would appreciate it.
>> we will.
>> otherwise we will have john or tinly contact you if we need further information.
>> okay. That will be great.
>> anything else, sir ?
>> ?
>> no, sir, I think that will do it for us. Thanks for coming down. That's a brief discussion on number 31. We will call that up again for discussion in executive session with consultation with attorney if we need do that.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Last Modified:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 8:07 AM