Minutes Five Flags C C 10 18 04
Five Flags Commission Meeting
October 18, 2004
PRESENT: ROD BAKKE, CYNTHIA FULLER, MARK NAUMAN, BRYCE PARKS
ABSENT: MIKE BRANNON
STAFF PRESENT: PAULA WOLFE, JENNIFER UPTEGRAPH, GIL SPENCE
The Commission meeting convened at 4:33P.M. in the Managers Office at Five Flags
Center. Chairperson Rod Bakke presided.
Approval of Minutes: Nauman moved to approve the September 20, 2004 Five Flags
Commission Minutes. Seconded by Cynthia Fuller. Motion carried.
Rod Bakke welcomed Bryce Parks to the commission.
Manager's Report: Manager Wolfe presented the commissioners with an update of
happenings at Five Flags. Irish Feis was a success and the FY 2006 contract has
already been signed for next year. This is a great event for the city tourism - as it
brings hundreds of over-night stays at Dubuque hotels.
The ice-making process went very well this year. Coordinating with the logo painters
and investing in additional ice-making equipment helped the process to go faster, and
resulted in better-quality ice. The Thunderbirds were able to begin their practices earlier
than expected due to the ice under being completed in less than 10 days, which it takes
to complete the rink.
The Thunderbirds opened their season with intense games. SMG's Pershing Center
manager, Tom Lorenz, was here for the season opener. Tom assisted the Five Flags
Administrative staff by answering complaints from attendees who were accustomed to
leaving the building during hockey games in the past. The biggest complaint from
patrons was the increase in the price of beer.
To accommodate baseball fans, a television was brought out into the arena promenade
for Thunderbirds fans who could not leave the building to watch the World Series.
Cindy Fuller brought up issues with the broadcast of shows in the past, and it was not
allowed by the cable franchise in the past. Manager Wolfe is going to check on rights
to show the games during Hockey.
Lipizzaner Stallions did two shows on October 7 and 8th. The group is good to work
with. They put on a good show with a nice attendance. The road manager for the
Lipizzaner Stallions said they have been experiencing low sales in most locations. After
discussing low sales, it was decided that the presidential debates and the upcoming
election may have had an effect on the sale of tickets.
Tom Lorenz will return this weekend the DSO season opening.
Sesame Street opened sales to the general public today. There was a nice turnout of
ticket buyers, due to a strong advertising campaign.
New Business: Gil Spence from Leisure Services attended the meeting. He
addressed the Capital Improvement Budget FY 2006 - 2010. One change was
proposed, increasing the $10,000 budget for new radios to $27,000. The increase is
due to the need to have more radios than initially budgeted for, and a decrease in
budget last year. Sidewalk replacement has been added to the 2010 CIP, to make
downtown sidewalks more uniform.
Gil explained the three phases of the renovation, with total cost of $2.8 million over
three years.
Cindy Fuller moved to approve Capital Improvement Budget, Mark Nauman seconded.
Motion carried.
Old Business: Manager Wolfe passed out notes from last month's resident/client
meeting. The meetings are going well, allowing user groups to talk about their
organizations, how they use Five Flags, and how they can network with each other.
In regards to the Plaque for the Theater dedication, suggestions came up for doing a
press conference/reception. The Five Flags Commission would like to invite officials
from SMG, Joe Romano and/or Tom Lorenz. This would be a way to also introduce
SMG to the community as well as some of the renovation changes that will be
happening next year. It was recommended that architectural renderings be placed on
display, for the renovation of the arena, along with the announcement of the firm which
will be directing the renovation.
November 2 is the meeting date for the architectural firms to present bids. Bids will be
authorized, and the architectural firm will have the design work finished by January of
2005. January 2005 is looking like a good time for the presentation - after the holidays,
etc.
With no further business to discuss, Mark Nauman moved to adjourn at 5:25p.m.,
Bryce Parks seconded. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Rod Bakke, Chairperson