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+--- Thread: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled (/showthread.php?tid=862)
Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - gmg77 - 04-08-2010
What a shame. I understand the police OT, but wasn't alot of the staff volunteer and food was local restaurants. Seems like they need another organizer the city might not be the best choice. This will hurt local business for sure. Will the informal event be scoopn without the police?
Scoopin' Genesee event cut
Mayor: 'We just can't afford it'
April 8, 2010
By DAN MORAN <!-- e --><a href="mailto:dmoran@stmedianetwork.com">dmoran@stmedianetwork.com</a><!-- e -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/2146844,5_1_WA08_SCOOP_S1-100408.article">http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... 08.article</a><!-- m -->
WAUKEGAN -- The roller-coaster history of cruising around downtown took another dip on Wednesday when Mayor Robert Sabonjian announced that the latest incarnation of the tradition -- Scoopin' Genesee -- has been cancelled for 2010.
Sabonjian said that given the city's budget situation, it would be "absolutely impossible" to cover the public safety costs associated with the summertime event.
"We currently have no money in the budget, so we're not going to be able to do it this year," Sabonjian said. "At this point, we won't be having a Scoop the way we have in the past. We just can't afford it."
Pointing out that "scooping was an ad-hoc sort of thing" when he was growing up in the late 1960 and 1970s, Sabonjian did hold out the possibility that the public can stage an informal event this summer. But he added that "we're not going to have the organized type of thing this year. We're hoping to be able to do it next year."
According to information released last month, the city is mulling a $145.6 million budget for the coming fiscal year that would use "rainy-day" funds and require some 33 employee layoffs to avoid a deficit.
One critical factor in the decision was last year's layoff of 21 part-time community service officers from the Waukegan Police Department. Sabonjian said manpower costs, including overtime for full-time police and fire personnel, would be "prohibitive" for Scoopin' Genesee in the current economic climate.
Held on July 10-11 last year, Scoopin' ended up running in the red. According to Director of Governmental Services Ray Vukovich, the event posted a loss of $22,000 despite revenues from such things as corporate sponsorships, food and drink sales, vendor fees and entry fees for vehicles.
Overtime costs for municipal employees, including hours worked the weekend of the event and in the preparation phase, amounted to $18,000, Vukovich said.
As recently as October, Sabonjian told a Waukegan Main Street gathering that he hoped to bring Scoopin' back for 2010, and that past organizer North Shore Rods Inc. might be involved.
North Shore Rods holds the copyright for the name "Scoop the Loop," and organized the event under that banner from 1997 to 2006 before falling out with the city over costs. The city took the reins and launched Scoopin' Genesee in 2007.
The concept of scooping a loop around the downtown area dates back to at least the 1960s as a local pastime, though the city cracked down on the practice in 1979 due to complaints about noise and traffic. The first formal scoop festivals began in 1986 as a fund-raiser for the Lake County YMCA, which pulled out following the 1992 edition, stating that the price tag for city services was eating half of the event's profits.
The 2010 face of summer in the city will also be affected by two changes in the proposed budget, which eliminates both funding for the Municipal Band, a move that was first implemented last year, and the seasonal hiring of 19 Municipal Beach lifeguards.
However, the annual Harbor Lights Triathlon on the lakefront and Amstutz Expressway is on the schedule for July 25. City spokesman David Motley pointed out that triathlon organizer CAPRI Events of Chicago covers all public-safety expenses for the event.
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - Danno - 04-08-2010
I'm spreading the word for an informal scoop the loop for Saturday, July 10th., at 6pm.
Scooping will take place just as it did in the 1950's, 60's and 70's... just show up an go cruising.
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - Danno - 04-08-2010
gmg77 Wrote:What a shame. I understand the police OT, but wasn't alot of the staff volunteer and food was local restaurants. Seems like they need another organizer the city might not be the best choice. This will hurt local business for sure. Will the informal event be scoopn without the police?I think it might be hard to find someone who wants to take on a money loser. I could elaborate on the darkside of both the NSR version and the City of Waukegan version but I hesitate to do it here.
The News-Sun article says: "North Shore Rods holds the copyright for the name "Scoop the Loop", but that copyright consists of two registrations and neither one is for an event. One is for a membership in a car/motorcycle organization and the other is for caps, mugs and t-shirts.
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=4007%3Aimfl2g.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA1%24LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=scoop+the+loop&p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA2%24COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - goodintentions - 04-08-2010
Love your idea Danno --- I'll be there! :-)
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - TypesWithFist - 04-08-2010
Given the economic conditions and the loxered amount of tax dollars coming into the city, I can appreciate the decision to cancel Scoop. The City is still talking about layoffs of personnel and if they are Public Saftey jobs that is a very real cause for concern.
So why are the taxpayers paying a big salary for a Special Events Coordinator given there are hardly any special events? May it be that the Special Events Coordinator, Kelly Link, is the daughter of Senator Terry Link?
I've heard that Larry TenPas' son will keep his job at the Fire Department ($50,000 a year), even though he is not certified for the position he holds.
It's time for our elected officials to cut the positions that are not necessary or nepotistic sucking up to other elected officials. It's our city and our tax money. If the "powers that be" can't act responsibly, we must vote them out.
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - Frankzilch - 04-08-2010
It's predictable what would happen if Sabonjian were to fire Tenpas son. Larry would make Sabonjians life a living hell. No doubt about it. It's the "Larry Way".
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - ClassicalLib17 - 04-08-2010
Seems that Waukegan needs their own 9-12 Patriots organization to counter the established political parties, who control our city, state, county, park district, township, and school district positions of power and employment, otherwise, we will see these same complaints over and over, year after year. The fact is, once these people get elected they tend to hire their family and friends, further consolidating their power, and with voter turnout at 20% or lower it's not hard to figure out how they maintain their grip on power. If you add up the total number of city, school district, park district, and township elected officials and employees, plus their families and friends, you are pretty close to the 10%+ number it takes to win elections that traditionally turnout only 20% of the voting public. Do yourself a favor and take a look at what these noble 9-12 organizations are really about, away from the "noisy few" on this forum. It is our only hope. Send me a private message if you are interested.
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - Frankzilch - 04-08-2010
ClassicalLib17 Wrote:Seems that Waukegan needs their own 9-12 Patriots organization to counter the established political parties, who control our city, state, county, park district, township, and school district positions of power and employment, otherwise, we will see these same complaints over and over, year after year. The fact is, once these people get elected they tend to hire their family and friends, further consolidating their power, and with voter turnout at 20% or lower it's not hard to figure out how they maintain their grip on power. If you add up the total number of city, school district, park district, and township elected officials and employees, plus their families and friends, you are pretty close to the 10%+ number it takes to win elections that traditionally turnout only 20% of the voting public. Do yourself a favor and take a look at what these noble 9-12 organizations are really about, away from the "noisy few" on this forum. It is our only hope. Send me a private message if you are interested.Can you please take your post to the "politics" thread?
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - WT Reader - 04-09-2010
I concur, FrankZ.
ClassicalLib politicizes nearly every post he/she makes here on the WT Forums, no matter what the topic at hand is.
Wears so thin time after time after time after time after time.
-- WT Reader
Re: Scoopn' Loop 2010 Canceled - Capt Zero - 04-09-2010
You are all invited to attend Zion's 24th Annual Nostalgia Days, June 24-26.
Come and cruize in the BEE-utiful City of Zion
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nostalgiadays.com">http://www.nostalgiadays.com</a><!-- m -->
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