Organizers of a Federal Way sand-sculpting competition that was drenched in rain and red ink last year are asking the city for more money to put on their event this summer.
They’re also making changes to the event, such as switching the name from World Championship to Tour of Champions and moving up the dates to August to capitalize on better weather.
“The absolutely overriding issue is we’ve got to get out of the rain,” said Rudi Alcott, a spokesman for the event.
The Federal Way City Council already this year approved $23,000 from the city’s 1 percent tax on hotel-motel stays, plus $5,000 for a parade in conjunction with the event.
Organizers now want another $25,000 from the city’s hotel-motel tax, or lodging tax. They also want to drop the parade and use that money for the sand-sculpting budget. Alcott said $5,000 isn’t enough for a parade and the location conflicts with a detour route for a highway construction project.
The City Council is expected to decide on the requests Tuesday night. A council committee voted 2-1 to recommend the added money last month.
If approved, it would increase the city’s payment to $53,000 for the Tour of Champions sand-sculpting competition set for Aug. 18 to Sept. 5.
The additional money would give the organizing group, the Federal Way Community Council, cash flow to pay sculptors’ travel expenses to come to Federal Way, Alcott said.
“It’s a defining project for Federal Way,” said Alcott, a member of the community council’s board of directors and publisher of the Federal Way Mirror. “It’s something unique. It has a cult following.”
But the World Championship of Sand Sculpting still lost about $50,000 last year – its first time in Federal Way – despite receiving $81,000 in city money.
The event from Sept. 8 to Oct. 10 drew nearly 20,000 people, slightly more than half the turnout Alcott said was needed to break even. After more donations and some relief from expenses, the group still has a debt of $20,000, Alcott said.
The community council hasn’t paid back $58,000 in “seed money” from the city’s downtown redevelopment fund, even though there was a “gentleman’s agreement” to do so, Alcott said. The other $23,000 of the $81,000 was lodging tax money.
One difference this year is that all of the city money would come from lodging tax dollars, which can be used only to boost tourism.
“What other project are you going to put in place that would do better than this at promoting tourism?” Alcott asked. “I can’t think of one.”
The community council said last month it had about one-third of its projected sponsorship dollars for this year already committed. That wasn’t enough for City Council member Mike Park, who recalled a lag in donor dollars for the 2010 event.
“This happened last year,” said Park, who voted against recommending the added funding. “I don’t have any confidence in their budget.”
Park said he plans to have the council talk about the money request Tuesday night.
Of Park’s criticism, Alcott said, “It’s not fair for him to say he doesn’t have confidence in the budget.”
Alcott said organizers have cut the event’s projected expenses, eliminating the costly five- to six-member team sculpting competition. It moved the event to an August start for better weather and crowds, and has projected total revenues of $264,200 based on the same attendance as last year.
Besides hurting attendance, the unusually heavy rains last September damaged two sculptures – of Jesus Christ and President Barack Obama – beyond repair.
Some 63 sculptors from 17 nations in singles, double and team competitions produced 44 creations out of sand trucked to the old Target and Toys R Us parking lot at 31510 20th Ave. S.
This year’s event will be at the same location, now partly owned by the city. Admission will stay the same, topping out at $8.50 for adults.
It won’t be the World Championship, which is expected to take place in Florida this year. Alcott said the Federal Way group couldn’t afford to stage all the events required for that competition.
This summer’s Tour of Champions will feature top singles and doubles sculptors competing for prize money in advance of the World Championship.
The five or so fewer team sculptures will be replaced with more exhibition sculptures, such as last summer’s salute to veterans.
“People that are going to walk in there aren’t going to see any difference,” Alcott said. Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street
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