Travis County Commissioners Court
January 26, 2010,
Item A4
>> a4 is to reconsider and modify action taken during the January 19, 2010 court session on the following request for a reduced fee for use of the Travis County exposition center main arena.
a, the special olympics of Texas during the evening of February 6, 2010, and b, the partners in education during the daytime of February 6, 2010.
we acted on both of these last time.
they were sort of interconnected and I was contacted afterwards, I really had chatted with several people, susan but ason, probably -- dawson, probably -- doctor or miss brewer?
>> miss brewer.
>> and I had let me know.
they wanted a partnership for this event.
yesterday I got backed up kind of late.
what time did we meet?
>> 2:00.
>> this is probably what the court needs to see, this event has taken place in the --
>> burger center.
>> aisd.
last year you had 77, 7800 participants.
>> we did.
>> I'm sort of rushing going through.
this they thought they would move it to the expo center and make it larger.
city of Austin this time is can't be 10,000 bucks in cash.
what are the other partners doing?
>> we've got 10,000 from wells fargo and we think we have 10,000 from the city.
and we're trying to -- you know, it is one of the things --
>> I shouldn't congratulate the city yet?
>> not yet.
what it is, it has really been growing since about 2007.
we're trying to create this so it is sustainable.
at this point there is a lot of donated time on the part of sylvia and on our side we're donating all the project management.
it's really an amazing amount of donated services.
the spanish language media is huge.
aisd has traditionally donated the burger senor, the security, -- center, the security, all the tables, chairs, whatever else.
since we've out grown the burger center we're grateful to have the Travis County expo center.
we've out grown it for aisd but now we will include other districts and we expect about 10,000 people.
>> I don't know that I understood or appreciated your connection to the special olympics of Texas, which has an event the same day but that evening.
>> right.
we are not connected with them.
they just happen to be having an event there at the same time.
>> I understand you negotiated a circumstance with them so you can split the day so both entities could be accommodated on that day.
>> michael norton, expo center.
originally, the special olympics built the center and somewhat concurrentlies, within a few weeks subsequent, partners in education approached but one-off day.
the special olympics is on Thursday and also has the banquet hall Thursday and Friday but not the main arena but they wanted it on Saturday.
so I made an arrange tom where the partners in education was early in the day and we would turn it around and then have the special olympics victory dance that evening, which requires -- the special olympics was originally going to leave everything in place, even though they weren't running the facility, just for purposes of set up and break down but it requires everything be moved out because partners had a requested access to the building on Saturday.
i was trying to create a situation where both partners could use the facility.
if you rent it, you get it for 18 hours so the agreement was, I've never discussed this agreement with this lady, but I did discuss it with my contact with partners.
the agreement was we would charge special olympics the pro-rated amount we normally charge for additional hours on a given day and thread to partners in return for their cooperation to make sure their event ended early enough in the afternoon so we could turn it around and get it ready for the special olympics.
>> so they are different but we coordinated both activitied so we could they could use the the same day.
>> that was the plan.
>> so the problem is they're left with a bill that would be more in the 6,000 range than the 700.
we looked last time at a discount of $700 and the discount was supposed to be 50% and I was thinking the total would be 1400.
actually, the balance after a $700 discount would be around 6,000.
>> well, the actual discount, if you considered access to the buildings on Friday, the actually discount is around $5,000.
because we have -- they wanted contractual rights to the building on Friday which requires us to move the olympics out.
if they were moving on Saturday then on paper the discount would not be as substantial bus because they will have control of the buildings on Friday, that's value they're getting that would be considered a discount by virtue of the fact they're not paying for it on Friday.
>> we're profoundly grateful.
>> right.
but what they're looking at is roughly -- after all is said and done, what would they have to pay to use the expo center today?
>> $6,000 is the current contract amount which represents a 46% dulles count of the face value -- discount of the face value of the excess in usage of the facilities, of which that is $875 is the recovery charge, 775 is post-event cleanup, 450 is chair rental and 400 is janitorial.
now, I was under the impression we would look at about 5500 people.
this is a free event so putting a finger on the amount of people is kind of arbitrary but based on what I hear at 10,000 I already accounted for janitorial, for 10,000 people we will need a whole lot more manpower to keep up with the traffic in bathrooms and through the facility.
so to answer your question, the rent on the use days was 2300, which was 3,000 minus 700 we credited for the special olympics and an additional 1200 from the skyline club.
to rent on Friday, which they need access to is nothing if you quantify both days we're at 46% discount of the actual value it would be to any other client that rented the facility.
>> more complicated than I thought last time.
so they will have access to the facility the day before the event.
>> yes, sir.
>> to set up.
then they will have the event during the day.
>> correct.
>> then they will move out in the evening so that special olympics can come in in the evening and do its event.
>> correct.
>> our event finisheds at 2:00.
>> and starts?
>> at 10:00.
>> and we have a wedding in the skyline club that night.
and that was a pre-booked event but they came to us with this specific date they had to have amidst already having the special olympics who wanted the arena and also having a wedding in the skyline clown we were making efforts to accommodate all and that's what we arrived at.
at least I thought we had an agreement, but apparently it wasn't done.
>> so the utility reimbursement will be how much you say?
>> $875.
to run the cooling, or heating system.
>> and what other expenses do we incur?
>> post events cleanup is 775.
the rental of the chairs is $450.
thatthat's not an expense but te post-event cleanup system the janitorial I budgeted was $400 and even that was a low estimate, trying to be, you know, trying to be helpful in their concern.
that was based on 5500 people and probably should have budgeted around 700 on 10,000 people.
we're going to need probably at least seven, six bodies working the facility at all times because we have the skyline club with people coming through and we have the floor of the arena and the bathrooms included, which would be 10 bathrooms that would need to be serviced during that period with all those people.
>> the fee schedule that you have attached for the back up, roughly -- well, exactly 3500 is for facility rental, which excludes, which takes into consideration the $700 discounts in special olympics.
>> indeed.
>> and the remaining 2500 is for custodial equipment rental and utilities.
>> exactly.
that includes waving the fees for Friday for access to the facility.
>> so that total amount of 6,000 is exclusive of the fees we are not charging for the Friday afternoon.
>> exactly.
if you put fees on the contract for Friday, that would come to the 46% discount of what the face value of the contract would be if you were to walk up and rent the place for those two days.
>> and from our back up from last week, we had looked at previous circumstances which we provided a 50% discount for nonprofits utilizing the space that had a tie-in with our community at a 50% discount, what additional -- what's the dollar am to bring it to a 50% discount in line with what we've done in the past?
>> well, 50% of the two days or 50% of just the one day?
>> however is the apples to apples treatment.
>> 50% would be the 50% of the two days and the face value of the two days is $11,200.
but historically the court has only discounted the actual facility rentals and not the hvac and hard costs.
that is what we're expending in the form of labor or utilities.
that would be 40 -- excuse me.
$8,400 in facility rentals for the two days.
so $4,200 in discounts.
>> and what's the dollar value of the discounts we've already --
>> we're moving in the wrong direction.
>> we've already done?
>> we've done some $5,200 in discounts because we basically did the convoluted arrangement.
>> I see.
>> let me ask you this, then: let's take the day that both events occur, both are paying us something.
>> something, correct.
>> so special olympics is paying what?
>> $700 as a pro-rated amount because they're not getting the full access to the building and this all happened after they had wanted the building.
but we're taking all that revenue and crediting on the existing contract the partners in education's rental by that $700.
in return for their cooperation make sure their event is broken down and we can get into the building to get ready for the special limits victory party.
>> so we're receiving how much from the special olympics?
>> on that particular day, we're receiving $700 but turning around and giving it to them.
they're running full price on Thursday and Friday full price.
>> how much are we receiving for special olympics?
>> on those two days, we're receiving 7 of hundred for the base -- $7,600.
the basic utility and the janitorial.
>> that as a substantial amount of money.
>> and they're paying an additional 7 but we're not keeping that 7.
so we're passing it on to them.
>> if we treat this like a facility discount, it is one thing.
if we treat it like a request to partner with apac it is another.
so the question is for us to partner with you.
>> right.
>> and the other entities to put on this event.
and describe for us, again, what the event is.
>> it's' a spanish language education fair.
and what's really amazing about it is not only the fact that 10,000 students and their families will be able to maybe for the only time that they experience, get education information in spanish.
we're also providing vaccinations, visual screening, eye glass certificates.
there's a reading garden where we actually do plays to enact the stories.
the chief is our spokesperson.
the other part of that is there are so many people that are donating, you know, pieces of this.
the spanish language want media is is publicizing this.
feature articles.
it is an amazing out pouring of support and an amazing value for these parents to be able -- a lot of parents for the first time, it is when they can actually speak to an adult, a professional, about education in their own language and it is in credibly empowering.
we have career pods in four corners.
national instruments is doing robotics and we will be doing health care, a gaming area and education pod.
and it's everything from what classes you need to take in middle school and high school to acc pathways and then university pathways and then career professionals as role models who can take to the parents about their experiment in going through high school and college and working in this career.
we also talk about the different levels and salaries people would be making.
if you get a nursing degree, associates degree is this, nursing degree is this, doctor's assistant, so people can get the idea of a value of education and value of pursuing a career path and it goes down to pre-school, teaching parents how to do the pre-learning skills.
it is a phenomenal value for our families.
>> have they considered submitting to the health and human services for the annual budget for Travis County for support for this?
>> no, but we would love to.
>> the event is February 6?
>> it is.
>> well, in the spirit of partnering, I suggest that -- I move that we ask api to pay us $1,500.
and that the county or the housing finance corporation transfer to the expo center an additional $1,500.
which gives the expo center, would give the expo center a tote at of $3,000.
>> second it, judge.
>> for this event.
and what I'm suggesting is we treat it more like us partnering and make the event occur rather than just a discount for the expo center.
and in preparation for next year, if event is going to be there if we start a bit earlier and try to work it out.
that is seconded by Commissioner Davis.
discussion?
>> I am concerned about the overall viability of the exposition center and I'm also concerned for our procedures with regard to our partnership relationship with our community partners it there is no doubt in my mind this is a tremendous, tremendous event, and I would very much like to participate.
i think that it would be worthwhile for the county to participate.
i'm just having a very difficult time with it having come this way.
and again, I'm concerned for the precedent that it may set for the exposition center, as well as for our health and human services with regard to our budgeting.
>> the license agreement, everything is pretty much set in place as far as the meeting the necessary requirements for the relationship with Travis County in this particular motion.
>> yeah, my understanding is the only deviation from the standard license agreement are these cost reductions, fee reductions.
a.
>> okay.
i think that if you add $3,000 to the 76 or so the special olympics would pay for the same two days, one of which is February 6, the expo center fund does all right financially.
which is why I think it makes sense.
at the same time, though, this is a little different than a straight forward rental discount that we have been looking at.
and I wish we had more time too but the event is scheduled for February 6 and either we're going to help or not.
any more discussion?
all in favor?
show Commissioner Davis voting in favor, as well as Commissioners Huber in favor.
Eckhardt.
congratulations to you.
thank you very much, mr.
norton.
>> thank you all of you and thank you for recognizing our national mentoring day this morning, too.
i'm sorry I couldn't be here.
>> she did a real good job of representing.
>> I was actually mentoring at time and my kids said hello.
>> [laughter]
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 2:15 PM
