By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Writer’s note: Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon questioned a creek side event being sponsored by Del Rio radio station KDLK. Calderon has a talk show on another radio station, KTDR. The writer of this article is also a permanent guest on another talk show on KTDR. The radio station for those shows pays neither Calderon nor the writer.
Del Rio City Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon isn’t happy about the way the city allowed a local radio station to use a creek-side park for a music concert that will charge for tickets.
Calderon questioned the process during a presentation on parks and recreation fees made by Community Services Director Esme Meza at the city council’s June 14 meeting.
Meza told the council the city’s parks advisory board has reviewed the fee schedule and added several city-owned areas to it, including the Brown Plaza, but noted the schedule does not include suggested fees for a number of other city parks, including Lt. Thomas Romanelli Memorial Park along the San Felipe Creek.
She said the park has been reserved by a local radio station for an event to be held just before the city’s Fourth of July festivities, but added the parks board has stated it would review that event and the city manpower and resources used to run it before recommending a future lease fee.
“The parks advisory board wanted to see what that event looked like, as far as staffing, time to set anything up, and so they wanted us to come back after the Fourth of July to go over that in more detail. They weren’t ready to make a decision or attach a fee to it because they didn’t want to just throw a number out there without having enough backup information,” Meza said.
Once the parks board makes its recommendation, the fee schedule will come back to the council for approval, Meza added.
Mayor Pro-Tem Jim DeReus then recognized Calderon, saying he wanted her to be able to speak first since she had requested the discussion.
Calderon said she had initially requested discussion of the fee schedule for city parks in April. She also noted that the city’s web site is displaying an outdated fee schedule.
Meza said the web site is still being updated.
Calderon repeatedly said she has no problem with events in city parks, but added her issue was the way in which Romanelli Park was leased to the radio station.
“I am for the quality of life. No doubt about that. But when this event was already advertised and nothing had been put in place. No agreement form. It’s not even a park to be reserved. There’s never been an event there. Only the city’s events. I just want it to be done the right way, as far as reserving it. And having a fee. It’s rented. It’s already in process,” Calderon said.
She added other city parks have to be reserved and a fee must be paid for their use.
Calderon also pointed out the radio station is charging for its event and predicted that people will become upset because they are used to free city events along the creek for the Fourth of July.
Calderon then asked City Manager John Sheedy if anyone from the radio station that’s planning the event in Romanelli Park had talked to him.
“No, ma’am, they didn’t actually speak to me. I visited with Ms. Meza after they came through. The way this went down, of course you remember we were very excited about July 4th and we wanted to have a big July 4th for everybody . . . ,” Sheedy said.
“And I’m not against that, by no means, at all. I want to make that clear out there because the way it was handled was not correct, John. It wasn’t,” Calderon interjected.
“That’s what I’m trying to explain,” Sheedy said.
The city manager added the radio station “is paying for the headliners, all the bands, the acts” for the city’s Fourth of July celebration.
“They’re doing all of our radio advertising free, they’re including all that. So the amount that they’re paying is far in excess of what we would charge them (for use of the park),” Sheedy said.
Sheedy said although the parks advisory board discussed the event, its members reached no decision on what to charge for use of Romanelli Park and in the end voted to revisit the issue at a later meeting.
Sheedy said his decision to allow the radio station to hold its event in the park was made with the idea “that no one was being treated improperly.”
At the end of the discussion, the council took no action. The fee schedule will go back to the parks board for review and be sent back to the council in late July.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
