Ceremonial seeks money to boost attendance

Ceremonial seeks money to boost attendance
By Zsombor PeterStaff Writer
GALLUP — In a bid to boost attendance during the city's Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial this year, coming up at the end of the July, Louis Bonaguidi will be asking the City Council for $15,000 Tuesday evening. According to a memo to the council from the City Clerk's Office, the Ceremonial Association's board of directors decided the $15,000 should be used for free admission to its Friday night show instead of free livestock feed this year and is requesting the city's permission. If approved, it will come in addition to the $25,000 the council agreed to award the event out of the city's lodgers tax revenues. Although the council is reluctant to subsidize established events it prefers using its funds to help nascent events get off the ground and asking them to stand on their own after a few years the Ceremonial provides a big boost to the local economy without fail every year. According to the state, it's the fifth largest tourist draw in New Mexico. And even though the event will be marking its 85th anniversary this year, the Ceremonial has been struggling to make ends meet since losing state sponsorship a decade ago. It's hoping for better days again now that the New Mexico Legislature has agreed to create an office for the Ceremonial within the state's Tourism Department and appropriated $125,000 for operational costs this year. During a recent visit to Gallup, Gov. Bill Richardson also spoke of his efforts to find a new director for the association. The council will also consider awarding a bid Tuesday for the construction of at least 30 new homes in the $100,000-$150,000 price range. City officials have called the shortage of affordable housing one of the main obstacles to economic development in Gallup. To entice reluctant developers, the city is offering free land, main water and sewer lines installed at its own expense, and $50,000. It hopes of recouping most of the $400,000 it will have invested in the endeavor, the city plans on placing a $10,000 lien on each home to be added to the final price tag. The city expects the homes to be completed within two years. They'll be built on a 6.8 acre plot by Patton and Dairy Drives the city bought for $300,000 to settle a lawsuit. After dealing with the Ceremonial, the council will consider another funding request by Teen Time's John Stewart. He's asking for $11,000 to purchase an air compressor for the paintball park he opened earlier this year behind the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center. Stewart's mission isn't just fun and games. He started Teen Time, and the paintball park, to give local youth safe, recreational alternatives to using drugs. He's using the revenue from regular paying customers to subsidize the play of young substance abusers. Stewart's hope is that they'll stay clean for the privilege of playing every week for a nominal price. The council may also accept a deed for an 0.8 acre of land Tuesday from Gallup McKinley County Schools for the construction of a westside fire station near Gallup High School. City officials have been talking about building a fire station in the area for the past few years and won a $200,000 appropriation from the state this year to help make it happen. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. inside the City Council Chambers.
http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/jun/061206crmnl.html
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