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City Council Minutes Page 9 <br />June 15, 2020 <br />----------------------------- <br /> Moved by Councilmember Westgaard and seconded by Councilmember Ovall <br />to cancel the Riverfront Concert Series concerts up to and including the July <br />23, 2020, event. Motion carried 5-0. <br /> <br />8.2 Elk RiverFest 2020 Cancellation <br /> <br /> Mr. Benoit presented the staff report. <br /> <br />Mayor Dietz questioned if staff will be putting out information on social distancing <br />expectations or if we will be asking people to remain in their cars while watching the <br />fireworks. Mr. Benoit stated staff will strongly educate the public about ways to <br />socially distance. <br /> <br />Mayor Dietz stated he doesn’t mean to be rude but questioned if staff made a sincere <br />effort to move the event to Labor Day. Ms. Wingard indicated she wants the event <br />to go on if it can safely go on as much as anyone and assured Council staff worked <br />really hard to try and make the festival work. She stated a reduced number of craft <br />and food vendors would be willing to do the event in September. She added the Sips <br />on Main area has had 17-20 vendors in the past but only five were available for <br />Labor Day. She stated Sips on Main is a huge draw but it’s difficult to charge people <br />when only five vendors are available for samples. She explained there was also some <br />concern with Sips on Main being too close to the rescheduled Taste of Elk River <br />event in September. The Taste of Elk River is a fundraiser and she doesn’t want to <br />take away from that event. She further explained the downtown venue is what makes <br />Elk RiverFest amazing but is also what makes holding an event during a pandemic <br />especially difficult with people being so closer together and not being able to control <br />the entrance/exits. She believes it is the best interest of public safety and fiscal <br />responsibility to cancel the event for this year and concentrate on the fireworks on <br />the 4th of July. <br /> <br />Councilmember Christianson questioned if scaling the event back is an option. He <br />stated there is almost three months until the event and a lot can change with state <br />COVID restrictions by then. Ms. Wingard indicated she felt that salvaging the <br />th <br />fireworks and promoting small gatherings on the 4 of July would allow recreation <br />staff to utilize resources to provide other events for the community rather than <br />planning an event that may or may not happen. <br /> <br />Moved by Councilmember Ovall and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard <br />to cancel Elk RiverFest 2020. Motion carried 5-0. <br /> <br />8.3 Elk River Youth Baseball Association Dugout and Elk River Youth <br /> LaCrosse Field Lighting Payment Deferment Requests <br /> <br /> Mr. Benoit presented the staff report. <br /> <br />Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember <br />Westgaard to defer the Elk River Youth Baseball’s 2020 and 2021 dugout <br /> <br />