It’s a big deal, if the numbers quoted in the Times Union article on the City of Jacksonville’s expenditure for a night time basketball game held outside are to be believed.
It seems that the Sports and Entertainment division, under its new Director, did not consult with his commission and did not know how much was owed to vendors of the event. That outstanding debt rose to at least $736,000.
Item one: Sports and Entertainment Director Alan Verlander promoted a Navy-Marine Corps Basketball game on the deck of an Aircraft Carrier at night. I wonder why the NCAA or NBA never does this?
Item two: The Sports and Entertainment Director apparently had no experience in promoting such an event. Thus the hiring of a “consultant.” One would think that we have the professionals in the Sports and Entertainment office and on the Commission, who could think through this unique experience and weigh the pros and cons of an outside basketball game in mid October, when the weather is not the best(that’s why the Jazz Festival moved its dates back to springtime) .
Item three: the overhead. Isn’t that why Jacksonville University(where Verlander was working) and the University of North Florida, not to mention the City of Jacksonville, all have arenas built specifically for “indoor” events like, say, “basketball?”
Back to item three: overhead. This is a basic starting point in any business plan. How much will this cost? And will we receive financial benefit other than good feelings? And what if something goes wrong, like, say the weather?
Guess what? This outside basketball game, held in October 2012 was called on account of too much “moisture” on a basketball court that was constructed along with seating on an aircraft carrier. The result? Food had to be cooked offsite and hauled in for purchase. The game ended early , vendor revenue was lost, and the tax payers are saddled with a $735,758.19 loss.
And to top it all off, most of Jacksonville taxpayers who footed the bill for this mess, didn’t know it took place. An apology is not enough.
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