Bikers miffed at Snohomish’s $30K event fee

SNOHOMISH — A motorcycle group may cancel its popular bike show in downtown Snohomish or move it to Sultan after being asked to pay thousands more in fees this year.

City officials want organizers of the annual Old Snohomish Antique &Classic Motorcycle Show to pay $30,360 for 44 police officers to staff the event. The Sky Valley chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education paid about $5,000 last year.

“The charges we are being asked to pay are way out of line,” James Blowers, a coordinator for the show, told the Snohomish City Council on Tuesday. “If we can’t get costs cut, we won’t be able to put on this show.”

The event drew an estimated 22,000 last year, and police say they need more officers because they are concerned about the potential for motorcycle gang violence. There have been no major incidents in the 11 years of the show.

“Frankly, we don’t need 70 officers to staff an Easter egg parade,” Snohomish Police Chief John Turner said. “It’s my duty to make sure we have adequate protection.”

The decision has to do with public safety, Snohomish Mayor Randy Hamlin said Tuesday at the City Council meeting.

“It’s not to discriminate against this group,” he said.

He told the audience at the meeting that the council would support the recommendations of its police chief.

Meanwhile, downtown business owners aren’t happy about possibly losing an event that draws thousands of people to the city when their business is needed most.

“We have stores closing left and right and they need that bike show,” said Dena Marie, owner of Lift Your Spirits, a business on Avenue A.

Until this year, the group never paid more than $5,000, organizer Rod Hobelman said. The city is asking for more than the group’s total operating budget for the show, he said. The group spent about $15,000 putting on the show and donated another $4,000 to local charities, including the food bank and high school scholarships.

Hobelman said he was told the cost had been supplemented in the past by outside agencies and that with budget cuts, that’s no longer an option.

“There is no problem at all,” he said. “We pretty much police ourselves.”

No other event in the city this year is being required to have more than two officers present, including a car show that drew between 10,000 and 15,000 last year.

Members of the motorcycle group don’t understand why a bike show should be treated any different than a car show.

A Snohomish car show in September organized by the Chamber of Commerce brought an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people to town. Two officers were on duty before and after the event, as well as volunteer Fire Explorers, and organizers were charged $1,200, said Pam Osborne, manager for the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce.

The police chief originally recommended 70 officers. He’s suggested the club consider setting up entrance gates and charging admission to pay for the extra security costs.

Turner said they need more security because the event draws a small number of motorcycle outlaws. While there’s been no trouble in the past, it’s prudent to have enough law enforcement on hand, he said.

“Outlaw motorcycle groups attend this show in serious numbers and that’s been a fact since its inception,” he said.

Marie, the downtown business owner, quit her position last week as co-director of Historic Downtown Snohomish partly because of this issue. The organization represents downtown merchants and Marie said she’s frustrated by the way the decision was made without consulting business owners. About 90 percent of business owners downtown want the event, she said.

“There wasn’t one person from downtown and no communication,” she said.

So far, Sultan officials have welcomed the group, the show’s organizers said.

Sultan is holding a special council meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Sultan Community Center, 319 Main St., to consider hosting the bike show May 17. The show would be held in a six-block area adjacent to River Park in downtown Sultan.

The motorcycle show includes a bike competition, vendors and live music. The show celebrates the history of motorcycling and includes education on motorcycle safety.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.

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