Tall Ships Tacoma promises to draw 31 ships, 2,000 volunteers and hundreds of thousands of visitors during the four-day festival this week. Such numbers could mean a logistical nightmare for the city government and the small nonprofit running the event. Instead, with lessons learned from the 2005 festival, city leaders and Tall Ships organizers are certain they’re prepared to handle the influx of people and activity when the festival begins Thursday.

All volunteer shifts are filled to staff what will likely be the largest event in Tacoma this year. About 550 people will work security. And a $300,000 agreement with the City of Tacoma will provide necessary services.

The Tacoma Tall Ships Organization was buzzing last week in preparation. Phones rang constantly. Tables and chairs for volunteers crammed what in recent months was the boardroom. The organization moved into a bigger site this weekend as the scope of its work grew.

The organization’s executive director, David Doxtater, recently moved into a Tacoma hotel. His 90-minute commute from Bainbridge Island became just too much.

“There’s so much to do here,” he said Tuesday, “and I need those few extra hours I usually spend commuting.”

And the level of activity should only intensify as Thursday’s Parade of Sail nears.

The organization has already raised about 60 percent of its $2.5 million budget, said Lorraine Ralston, director of communications and volunteers. On-site ticket sales, parking charges, the beer gardens, merchandise and other festival revenue should account for the remainder.

“There’s still work to do, but everyone’s really excited around here,” Ralston said. “We’re pumped about it.”

Organizers are preparing for more than 700,000 visitors – or enough to fill the Tacoma Dome at its maximum capacity more than 30 times – to attend the four-day festival. Planners use the 2005 attendance as their guide; the inaugural festival drew between 700,000 and 800,000 visits based on police estimates of the crowd at the Parade of Sail, the length of lines and the number of personal watercraft, spokesman Matthew Erlich said.

Most of the sailing expedition tickets were sold as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Tall Ships Web site. The traffic to the organization’s Web site has spiked to about 10,000 hits per week.

Organizers didn’t meet all their original goals. They hoped to sign up 4,000 volunteers but received about half of that. Doxtater said they’ve adapted by doing more with less, and that all 10,000 volunteer shifts have been filled.

“Early on, we were guessing as to how many bodies we needed for those shifts,” he said. “But volunteers have started taking on more shifts. And that’ll be a good thing, because there will be more consistency throughout the festival.”

CITY SERVICES

City of Tacoma officials think they’re ready for the event. They began meeting last winter to prepare, and have come up with a plan for handling everything from police and parking requirements to meeting the sewer and fresh-water needs of the ships, said Tansy Hayward, assistant city manager.

In retrospect, organizers and city departments weren’t prepared for the size of the 2005 event. The city and the Tacoma Events Commission, the nonprofit that organized the first festival, haggled for months afterward over a bill for police, fire and public works services.

This time, the city came in with a bigger commitment, but more clarity about its level of involvement.

The city’s contract with the Tacoma Tall Ships Organization details police, fire and public works staffing levels, along with the estimated cost of the services. Police alone will cost an estimated $232,000, according to the contract. The cost will come from the $300,000 that the city agreed to pay either in cash or in-kind services.

The Police Department is bringing in officers from other agencies, including the Washington State Patrol, to help with staffing both the Tall Ships celebration and Freedom Fair, Tacoma’s Fourth of July celebration along Ruston Way.

The Public Works Department – which handles things such as installing and removing barricades, street sweeping and portable toilets – is expected to spend about $52,000. Fire services – which include medics– are expected to cost between $41,000 and $46,000.

If the city’s expenses total more than $300,000, the contract obligates the Tall Ships organization to pay for the city’s services.

THE BENEFITS

In exchange for its $300,000, the city receives:

 • Designation as a Tall Ships sponsor.

 • Free admission for the public to events on the Thea Foss esplanade, including viewing of the Parade of Sail, views of the ships from the esplanade, three stages with entertainment, and a mock cannon battle.

 • Enhanced access for people with disabilities. This was a problem in the 2005 event, city officials said. The contract calls for an accessible viewing areas, program supplements that outline accessibility options, a staffed information booth to assist people with disabilities, and accessible event transportation.

 • A city booth. City officials will use it to promote employment with the City of Tacoma.

Because it’s the second time around, officials had some idea what to expect, Hayward said.

“It seems like it’s been very well planned,” she said.

Doxtater, a veteran event planner, called the level of cooperation from the city “unprecedented.” He worked primarily with the city manager’s office but said each agency was helpful.

“I can’t imagine a better partner,” he said. “They are so supportive. They’re doing things that I’ve never seen happen in festivals. They really are good communicators and good managers. They really care what we’re doing and they want to make it friendly for the community.

“They’ve taught us – we’re a fairly new organization – how to move through city government and communicate with who we need to. We don’t feel like outsiders at all. It almost seems magical what’s going on, that Tall Ships and the city have so much energy. They just reach out and help us think of things we haven’t thought of.”

‘A BROADER RANGE OF SHIPS’

The number of ships participating in the festival is down one, to 31, after the Army Reserve barge dropped out. Ralston said its place in the festival was tentative from the start. That’s up from 25 participating in the 2005 festival, which included the 356-foot Pallada and the 270-foot Cuauhtemoc.

Those big girls won’t be back, but many of the 2005 fleet is returning. In addition, this year’s festival scored the 266-foot Coast Guard Eagle and “movie star” ships the Bounty (“Mutiny on the Bounty”) and the Niña (“1492”).

“We’re bringing in a broader range of ships,” Doxtater said. “We have premium ships. We’ll have the Niña, the Bounty, the Kaisei, the Eagle.”

The community has already played a large role in the event, he said.

More than 60 companies are sponsoring the event or individual ships. The sponsors underwrite the costs of the ships and receive tickets, signage on the ships and the opportunity to participate in an onboard party.

About 200 people have bought individual and family memberships in the organization; the goal was 100.

And several local labor unions have donated hours of work. A carpenters union is erecting stairs, ramps and other platforms for free. An electricians union is wiring the festival.

“That’s the story for me: the community,” Doxtater said. “So many volunteers are working so many shifts. The unions are involved. The city is involved to such a large degree. This community is amazing.”

Scott Fontaine: 253-320-4758

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542

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