thrown off because we can’t proceed with the
short list process until a protest is completely
finished.”
Wednesday Kit Kesey (Ken Kesey’s
nephew) and David Leiken (Springfield
Mayor Sid Leiken’s uncle) of Double Tee met
with city officials for an interview, the next
step in the process. “We’ll be interviewing
them for clarification on their proposal, but we
are not in any type of contract negotiation at
this point,” explained Cariaga. “We can only
begin to negotiate the contract once the award
has been made.”
Show me the money
The introduction of the RFP says, among
other things, “the purpose of this RFP is to
select a qualified individual or organization
(Respondent) to successfully operate and pro-
mote the Cuthbert Amphitheatre.” In the sec-
tion on objectives it states, “This RFP does not
specify a distinct ‘best use’ for the
Amphitheatre site. Instead the city seeks pro-
posals from qualified respondents that would
increase the use of the Amphitheatre and sur-
rounding areas.”
the Cuthbert cost efficiently. “This reduced
overhead will be an important factor in our
ability to lessen financial risk, allowing for a
more ambitious in-house concert promotion
schedule,” reads their proposal.
Michael Carpenter is the business agent for
the Stage Hands Union Local #675, which cur-
rently has a contract for work at the Cuthbert.
“While it is disappointing that Cultural
Services could not find a way to operate the
Cuthbert, it will remain a city-owned facility
and we are still city employees with a contract
to provide stage labor,” he said. “So that rela-
tionship will have to be worked out with us and
the city and any new management.”
“We have to negotiate all existing contracts
at a competitive level,” Kesey said. “We’re
going to insist on none of the current standing
contracts being in place. But at this point,
nothing is a deal breaker. We’ll work it out.”
In the meantime, City Councilor David
Kelly caught wind of the plans for the
Cuthbert and on Dec. 12 requested informa-
tion on the RFP. “I had heard kind of second or
third hand about the city putting out the RFP to
privatize the operation of the Cuthbert and I
was surprised by that for a couple of reasons,”
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Are we in hell yet or is
this just another hot flash?
In the scoring, the concept for the use of
Cuthbert counts the most, while financial gain
to the city and experience in the business are
equally weighted.
The KE/DTC proposal guarantees the city
the most money, offering an annual rental fee
of $30,000 for the space and also a percentage
of profits from ticket sales, concessions and
sponsorships. “In the CSAC meeting, I wanted
the committee to understand that this is, by far,
the most commercial proposal,” said Boyd.
But it’s not just about the money. The list
of concerts put on by KE/DTC reads like a
roster of the biggest bands in the music busi-
ness including Bright Eyes, G. Love, NOFX,
Dierks Bentley, Toots and the Maytals, the
Newsboys, Medeski, Martin and Wood — the
list goes on and on. On top of that, Double Tee
has been in the business for 33 years. “David
Leiken [of Double Tee] is the best buyer in
Oregon,” said Brendan Relaford, a partner in
Big Green Events.
The Shedd has also brought in some big
names and greatly diversified Eugene’s music
scene, but it doesn’t have three decades of
experience with the proven track record of suc-
cessful, money-making events that KE/DTC
has. Still, Ralph was disappointed The Shedd
didn’t at least make it for final consideration.
“We provided an operational plan that specifi-
cally provided for a range of concert events
from top national acts like the ones we do at the
Hult Center and The Shedd, as well as other
music that we could bring in at a lower price,”
he said. “It was a very different model than the
model presented by Double Tee and Kesey.”
Contracts and wise counsel
Jim Ralph isn’t the only person who’s con-
cerned that KE/DTC is the one respondent
considered a finalist. In the proposal, KE/DTC
specifically refers to the need to renegotiate
the existing contracts in order to be able to run
he said. “I asked the city manager to put
together a memo for the mayor and council to
answer a few questions. The first was, if staff
is deciding to privatize a significant city facil-
ity, shouldn’t they ask the council first? That
strikes me as a decision of a big enough mag-
nitude that council ought to have been con-
sulted. My second question was, as you may
or may not know, the city is just starting a
comprehensive plan for the Cultural Services
Division. The council funded the creation of
this comprehensive plan back in July, and
they’re just at the stage where they’re about to
pick a consultant to head this effort up. If
we’re just starting on a comprehensive plan
process for the division, isn’t it premature to
make a decision about a major asset of that
division?”
But according to the RFP timeline, city
councilors will not only have a chance to dis-
cuss the city staff’s final choice for booking
Cuthbert before a contract is signed, they can
also request a public hearing.
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No big bucks?
No matter who takes over the Cuthbert,
given the current market conditions and chal-
lenges of the venue, it’s unlikely any promoter
is going to be raking in the big bucks. “If this
all works out, I just hope to break even,” Kesey
said. “I want to bring music, entertainment and
events to Eugene. That’s my intention.”
Ultimately, it’s the public who will decide
what happens to the Cuthbert. “I want to give
them a try,” McDonnell said. “If the ticket
prices are too high, people won’t buy them and
the promoter will take a bath on it. If people
don’t like them, they won’t buy tickets just out
of spite. They’ve got to find the right mix of
what show, what form, and at what cost. If
they book the wrong stuff and the people of
Eugene don’t like it, they’re going to take it in
the shorts.”
ew
JANUARY 5, 2006 13