CORRECTION: Special board meeting to address proposed biker rally
In Friday's edition of the Pahrump Valley Times, it was incorrectly stated that the venue for the Special Town Board meeting on Tuesday Dec. 17, was the Nye County Administrative Complex. Today's 5 p.m. meeting will held at the Bob Ruud Community Center.
A nationally recognized motorcycle event may come roaring into town sometime next year.
Pahrump Town Board members scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, Dec. 17, to consider the issue.
The meeting will be held at the town’s regular venue at 2100 E. Walt Williams Dr. at 5 p.m.
Promoter Randy Burke is the brainchild behind Roadshows Inc., an entertainment company best known for the “Street Vibrations” motorcycle rally regularly held in Reno, Sparks and Virginia City.
The event draws thousands of attendees.
Town board Chair Harley Kulkin has been in discussions with Burke this past year about bringing the rally to Pahrump.
“When he came down to Pahrump the first time, he was real impressed with what he saw. Right now, he is proposing to have an event for Pahrump, which of course will be the first annual and I think it will be a great event,” the chairman said.
Last month the board reviewed a contract proposal from Burke and company.
At the time, Town Manager Susan Holecheck did not appear to embrace the idea as much as Kulkin.
Holecheck was a bit apprehensive about bringing the event to town due mainly to the costs associated with sponsoring the rally.
“I have had quite a few conversations with Randy Burke and the contract that I was presented with was very problematic with lots of grey areas,” the town manager said at the time. “It’s a huge expenditure and we’re not going to get a lot of ‘heads in beds unfortunately.’ This is a different group of people.”
According to the Roadshows contract proposal, the town shall provide the sum of $18,700 for exclusive rights as the presenting sponsor for what’s being tentatively called the “2014 Base Camp to Adventure Rally.”
Among the expenses the town will be responsible for include advertising, entertainment, labor and equipment rentals.
Holecheck was also wary that the costs could exceed the amount stipulated within the contract.
“It’s not just $18,000. By the time I got Randy to answer more questions, we are probably looking at $38,000,” she said at the time.
Board member Dr. Tom Waters seemed a little more optimistic and hopeful about the event when it was initially discussed last month.
While he initially embraced the idea of having the event in Pahrump, he is still weighing the benefits against the potential liabilities.
“Roadshows Inc. is a very organized company and has a lot of legitimacy behind them. I would think anytime we could bring something like that into Pahrump that will bring a lot of tourists in to spend money, it’s always a good idea but right now I’m not sure exactly where it stands. Any event that draws tourists in is an economic boost for Pahrump. As long as the town benefits from it, so much the better,” he said.
In a memo last month to the Pahrump Tourism and Convention Council (PTCC), Pahrump Tourism Director Arlette Ledbetter provided her thoughts on the event.
She used simple arithmetic to drive home the point that nothing is a sure thing.
“PTCC has provided marketing to events in the Town of Pahrump. The tourism funds are not designed for sponsorship. Sponsorship does not provide a return on the investment to the room tax fund. If any event brought 100 rooms at $100 per night, the room revenue would be $30,000. The room tax generated would be $2,700. If we sponsor an event for $30,000 and receive in return $2,700, it won’t be long for the fund to be depleted,” the memo stated.
The tourism director also posed a few questions to those who want the town to sponsor the event.
“This proposal entertains the following questions: Is the Town of Pahrump in the events business? Where is the adequate funding and staffing for such a venture? Is the town in the sponsorship business? Again, where is the funding for such a venture?” she queried.
