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Kittitas Valley Event Center Agenda Report Board of County Commissioners Study Session 05/08/17 Prepared by: Jill Scheffer, KVEC Director RE: Cascade Cow Cutters - Broken Gate Charge Background Summary: For the last decade, the Cascade Cow Cutters (CCC) have been renting the Bloom Pavilion and parking RVs/horse trailers on site for their 3 -day events up to 5 times per year. They are a large annual customer with revenues to KVEC in the $40,000 range. On average there are 150 people on site during these weekends, though lately the group has grown to nearly 250 people. Nearly 800 head of cattle, and horses that range from $20,000-$80,000 in value, are on site during their events. They are an important partner — both in terms of revenue and audience — for the event center and KVEC wants to continue to grow that collaboration. Gates and Cows: The types of cows that the CCC use are known as 'range cattle' and when on site, they move through the 'alley' between Bloom Pavilion and the swine barn. They are easily spooked (by noises, people, wind, birds, figments of their imaginations O) and as a result, often do damage to our historic barns and the gates that we've hung in an attempt to control them. In working with past Directors at KVEC, the CCC board has encountered some difficulty in having safety and aesthetics of the use of the center addressed in a timely (or at all) fashion. This has caused some frustration within the organization which was recently renewed when they were sent a bill for $416.57 —the cost to replace a broken fence. Following that bill, CCC asked for a meeting with Commissioner Jewell and the new KVEC Director Jill Scheffer, to discuss concerns over the gate charge, contract and other issues related to operations, cleanliness and function of KVEC. A meeting and site tour resulted in a list of concerns that are being addressed by KVEC staff. During the meeting, Commissioner Jewell stated that the gate charge would be discussed by the Board of County Commissioners and they would determine if the charge would remain or be reimbursed to CCC. Staff Recommendation: CCC is an important client for KVEC. In an effort to repair past relationship issues, staff recommends that the gate charge of $416.57 be waived (reimbursed) and that we move forward with addressing future issues in a timely and effective manner. In the future, staff will document damage and time/date stamp photos of damage to the facility, should it occur. Additionally, staff recommends review of the contract and considerations to items that could reduce the amount of conflict in the future.