OCEAN CITY — Concerned about possibly setting a bad precedent, Ocean City officials this week denied a request from the Free State Corvette Club, arriving in the resort next week for the 30th year, to waive nearly $1,200 in fees for the special event.
The Mayor and Council on Monday had before them a request from the Free State Corvette Club to forgo roughly $1,200 in fees charged to the club by the resort associated with its OC Corvette Weekend event. This year will mark the 30th year for the club’s annual corvette weekend in Ocean City. The event includes a car show, road rally and Boardwalk parade.
Special Events Coordinator Lisa Mitchell told the council on Monday the Free State Corvette Club had already received a 75-percent discount on the fees associated with equipment and labor provided by the town for the event, but was seeking a waiver for the $1,190 in fees still remaining. The Free State Corvette Club was also seeking a waiver from the parking fees for as many as 50 of the club’s members at the Inlet parking lot, who often have to run back and forth to different special events associated with the overall OC Corvette Weekend.
According to Ocean City’s stated policy, non-profit organizations based in Worcester County that hold various fundraising events in the resort are exempt from certain fees. The Free State Corvette Club is not based locally and therefore subjected to the full amount of the fees prescribed in the special event policy.
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22 comments:
Let's compare the $1190 to the amount of revenue OC and the surrounding areas would lose if the Corvette club finds an alternate venue. Great business decision! Once again, small town and small mind mentality.
Always ask for a discount. If you don't, you'll never know.
9:34:
Name a better venue.
Dover, DE or VA beach or Cape May, NJ.
Leave it to the silly council its all about the super attitude, put the customer in the dirt, look out for the voters that you have no kakans to keep them in check
12:10:
With all due respect, which part of "Free State" Corvette Club don't you understand?
Dover? You must be kidding.
VA Beach? Possible, except for the fact that they would have to drive over 500 miles (round trip) to get there. Even the trailered 'Vette owners don't like to put a few Coastal Highway miles on their cars. 500 miles? That ain't gonna happen.
Cape May? New Jersey? Out of the question.
I know that organizers of this event make a damn good profit. A thousand bucks isn't going to move this convention.
Again, OC is the perfect venue for this - and many other - events.
If you own a Corvette chances are you don't need no stinking discount!
Just saying!
Why hasn't anyone asked why people who own CORVETTES can't, together, somehow scrape up $1200???
What happened? Did a few of their tenants not pay the rent this month? Did the $10,000 rims put them in the red? Did they have to choose between a new $15,000 rag top or the fee?
You can pay $135,000 for a car but can't afford $1200. Poor guys. Life has not been good to them.
$1200?? Too much for them??
Seriously?
Keep cheering.
Corvette owners are more special than others. If you don't think so just ask them. Lol
If 1200 corvette owners pay one dollar it's paid.
If you worked instead of drinking all week you could buy one.
3:47 then they can stop whining about the $1,200 fee if they don't want to go somewhere else. BTW, they are based out of MD and Dover is a nascar race town and has plenty space or do they just want bars to drink in?
don't bars make 500% profit on drinks.... charge the businesses 1$ apiece.... they don't bring big money INTO town during the off season the cars do
Are you serious?? That could take a while but that's not the issue. Once again, the average American idiot has missed the point...which is why the OC town council is hell bent on driving events away that generate revenue for the town and its business owners.
Obviously you're not a local.
It's VERY well known that of all the larger conventions in town, this group probably spends the least money throughout the town than any of them.
Why, you ask?
Simple: They don't want to park and leave their 'Vettes in some random parking lot where it could get damaged - or worse.
And they will certainly NOT be in the bars. This is one extremely law-abiding crowd. Have you ever seen one speeding? I don't think I've ever seen one - one! - pulled over by the law!
As for Dover: Do you really think they want to travel all that distance and just make circles around the track? A parade of cars down Route 1? Dover is out of the question for this type of event and clientele/participants.
Lastly: They really aren't bitchin' about it. They asked for something that they had received during the early, build-up days when there was very little if any profit. Back then, the town helped them out. Now it can stand on it's own.
Ocean City has been always generous - within budget - in the past to this and all convention groups.
Liquor cost is about 12-17%.
People need to read and question what 1203 typed:
"..the OC town council is hell bent on driving events away that generate revenue for the town and its business owners.."
Its a head scratcher indeed..Why would City Hall push away business not only for them, but for other businesses??? Talk about tiny-time or are they just listening to the minority who moan/groan? What do they have...7K registered voters with about 20-25% actually voting each election time. No wonder they remain tiny-time since no one votes and real OWNERS cannot vote. 21st Century folks - mindset needs to change before its too late!
And no amount of TGIFs will help either!
Somebody - anybody - give me just one reason why you would think that the Town Council wants to drive away business.
Ridiculous.
Unlike ANY other town in MD, Ocean City is more of a business than it is a city. We (locals) know that.
Of the 7000 or so that live and vote in this town, a major percentage directly depends on their living on Tourism.
Give me a reason you think the council would jeopardize that.
Joe - you remain very quiet on all of this. I know you're a "West" OC resident, but isn't this mind-boggling to you?
OC driving business away? I say it is obvious - this Town Council & Mayor are hell bent on destroying its business's revenue streams by strangling - (not only the real property tax paying residents - but also it's visitors).
I have issued warnings many times on this blog - to avoid OC at all costs!!!
The establishment will pick your pockets before you can ever make it back into the westbound lane to the mainland. The Town has never been right ever since it went away from Mayor Kelly's style of management. It has gotten worse and worse with each passing year.
Because they don't want "event" revenue they just want the simplicity of visiting tourism dollars. No permits, no set up, no managemt and essentially no work. Holiday makers just fork over money and the town of OC revels in it.
You really can't believe that...
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