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BIA votes to postpone festivals Blueberry festival, costume parade put on hold for other projects By Jennifer Lang Two signature community events – the Cloverdale Blueberry Festival and the annual Halloween Costume Parade – will be put on hold this year, as the Cloverdale BIA grapples with budget constraints, and shifts focus to other priorities. The board has voted to shelve two of its most popular events in 2015, in hopes of bringing both events back next year. Rising operational costs and a gap in sponsorships forced the Cloverdale BIA to postpone the events, but the association will set up a fundraising committee in order to seek additional sources of revenue. “We have created some amazing events and we cannot sustain them,” executive director Paul Orazietti told BIA members gathered at the annual general meeting last week, calling the decision to cancel the “signature events” a “one-time correction.”
“We need to have a lot more money and we need a lot more sponsorships to help,” he added. Some members voiced their disappointment. “It just seems a shame to lose the blueberry festival, even though it will only be a year,” said Kathi Nicholson.
‘We relied on a lot of sponsorship and this year we were not able to secure a lot of it.’ - Paul Orazietti Cloverdale BIA “It’s really such a great event and it brings to much to the community.” She wondered if the association could instead scale back the festival rather than cancel it this year.
“With $25,000 to $30,000, we could probably pull off a modified version,” Orazietti said. The April 6 AGM was called to approve a revised 2015 budget, and hold a re-election of officers (See the story, “Revised budget shifts priorities,” below). Topping the priority list is to continue the planning process on installing long-awaited gateway signage, starting with a “Welcome to Cloverdale” sign at the northwest corner of Highway 15 and Highway 10, an intersection that sees an average of 75,000 vehicles a day. “With all these people travelling by, you really need to tell, reinforce to people that they’ve arrived and are going through this community,” Orazietti said. The BIA is working with the City of Surrey on a number of other beautification initiatives as well, including a landscaping FILE PHOTOS
See BLUEBERRY / Page 2
Scenes from the Cloverdale Blueberry Festival, a tradition each August that combines pie-eating contests with a show ‘n shine, live entertainment and family fun.
Revised budget shifts priorities
JENNIFER LANG PHOTO
Cloverdale BIA executive director Paul Orazietti, left, and executive board members Norma Brown, Rob Paterson and Janet Howell, re-elected at last week’s AGM.
WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS
By Jennifer Lang President Rob Paterson has been reelected to the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association, which held its annual general meeting last week. The April 6 meeting was called to approve a revised 2015 budget and to hold a re-election of officers. The City of Surrey had deemed there was insufficient detail provided to the association’s membership on this year’s budget, as presented at the July 9, 2014 AGM. The Cloverdale BIA board will be calling an extraordinary general meeting in a few months to unveil a new constitution and bylaws. Paterson told members gathered at the Cloverdale Legion the overhaul will allow the organization to operate more smoothly.
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“We have started down the road of modernizing the organization and becoming more transparent with our efforts and expenditures,” he said. As the Cloverdale BIA embarked on its renewal process late last year, the association heard from member businesses – particularly those south of Highway 10 – who cited a need for more beautification projects and crime prevention initiatives, Paterson said. “They’re contributing a lot of money but they weren’t seeing projects,” Cloverdale BIA executive director Paul Orazietti added. The Cloverdale BIA is funded through a self-imposed tax levy on property owners and businesses in the historic town centre. That tax levy makes up the $170,000
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operating grant from the city. The BIA also receives an estimated $60,000 in income from sponsorships and grants, adding up to a current operating budget of about $230,000. The Cloverdale BIA began its fifth, fiveyear term in March, after members voted earlier this year to support its renewal. The 2015 AGM – held months earlier than in previous years – capped a fractious, nine-month term. Moving up the date of the annual general meeting is part of an ongoing pledge to be more accountable to the membership. “We’re trying to be more open to you and tell you what’s going on, and the second part is that we do things that are more See TRANSPARENCY / Page 3
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