HUNTER >> Town officials want the municipality, for the first time, to be reimbursed for the police and ambulance services it provides for the annual Mountain Jam and Taste of Country music festivals.
“We can no longer take a bath on the economic side of this,” town Supervisor Daryl Legg said during a meeting Wednesday evening. He said the town has never expected, nor asked, to be reimbursed, but taxpayers can no longer help support the festivals held at Hunter Mountain. Legg said if the festival producers did not like the reimbursement amount requested by the town, then the festivals could provide their own services.
Legg’s comments came during a meeting the Town Board held with the festivals’ founder and co-owner Gary Chetkof. In addition to the issue of reimbursement, the topic of security at Mountain Jam and state police involvement occupied a good portion of the meeting, with town officials repeatedly referencing an article that appeared in Sunday’s Freeman.
Sgt. Robert Haines, the officer in charge of the town police department, said his officers have gone out of their way to accommodate the festivals. He said when Chetkof referred to problems with local law enforcement, people thought that also meant the town police department.
Chetkof said he has no problems with the town police or the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. He said his concerns stem from the involvement of the state police stationed locally. Chetkof said problems festival attendees had in the past with road blocks on the way to Mountain Jam have gone away. Now the problem seems to have transferred to the way people are searched as they enter the festival itself, he said. Chetkof said the festival has its own security, but that team reported being pressured by state police to do more in depth searches. He said the security team works other festivals and does not do such searches at those, so the problem is only at Mountain Jam.
Additionally, Chetkof said, the level of police involvement was much less for the Taste of Country festival than it was for Mountain Jam.
State police Capt. Robert Nuzzo was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting, Legg said.
Chetkof said he would be meeting with Nuzzo next week to discuss these issues.
Numerous complaints have been made by attendees about the security at Mountain Jam, as well as a court held on site, Chetkof said. He said he has asked for that court to be held off the site so people do not think it is associated with the festival itself.
Legg said the festival could rent a trailer for the court to be held off-site, while other town officials suggested Chetkof look into renting one of the nearby vacant storefronts or the Hunter Village Hall. Those locations would still be close enough that anyone arrested at Mountain Jam could be processed and be able to get themselves back to the festival, they said.
“We’re talking about perception,” Chetkof said. He said the negative perception people have about the security at his festival affects his ticket sales and business. Mountain Jam has not grown much in the past few years, Chetkof said.
Town Councilman David Kukle said these are things Chetkof needs to discuss with Nuzzo and the festival security team in the same room. He said the town’s meeting was really to discuss its financial needs. Kukle said the town loves having the festivals at Hunter Mountain, but it cannot continue to support them financially.
The requirements for an ambulance are triggered by the festivals’ mass gathering permits, Kukle said. He added that the town police need to hire outside help when handling traffic for the festivals. The town must know the needs of the festivals in order to determine how much it will cost the municipality to provide that ambulance and police support, Kukle said.
Chetkof said the needs for Mountain Jam have not changed, but there would be some additional off-site camping for the Taste of Country festival.
Legg said the town’s cost for Mountain Jam was approximately $30,000 to $40,000.
Chetkof said he felt that was a lot to ask the festival to pay in one year, but town officials pointed out the municipality has been paying for 10 years.
Town Councilman Dolph Semenza said the town’s budget totals $1.8 million, so $30,000 of that is a significant amount when the municipality is forced to live within a state mandated tax cap each year. He said asking to be reimbursed is not the town’s attempt to push the festival out of Hunter.
“No one wants you to leave,” Semenza said.
Related content:
“Mountain Jam founder promises changes to security for this year’s festival,” Feb. 21, 2015
“Mountain Jam arrests, mostly for drugs, exceed 60,” June 11, 2014
“State police make more arrests near Mountain Jam concert in Hunter,” June 11, 2013
“Police log drug arrests in Hunter,” June 4, 2012
“Captain defends state police presence at Mountain Jam festival,” Sept. 16, 2011
“Mountain Jam police presence concerns Hunter residents, officials,” Aug. 21, 2011
