OSOYOOS TIMES-November 18, 2009

By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times

An organization that recently resurrected the idea of holding large concerts at Desert Park has responded to the Town of Osoyoos’s request for expressions of interest (EOI) regarding the facility.
Desert Rox Inc., which is made up of members of W.A.L.L. Music and Entertainment, including former Osoyoos mayor Tom Shields, forwarded a proposal to the Town on Nov. 12 including an offer to upgrade parking, power and fencing at the facility at a cost of $2 to $4 million over the next three years.
Shields and other members of W.A.L.L. went before Osoyoos town council in July with a pitch to host concerts at the park featuring acts such as Shania Twain and Bon Jovi.
At the time, Shields said W.A.L.L. was prepared to pump $2.5 million into the park for needs such as electricity, the levelling of ground for parking and proper lighting.
Council was cool to the idea, however, due to the scale of events Shields was proposing.
The South Interior Recreational Equine Centre (SIREC), which has been running operations at the park since March and signed a temporary six-month lease for the facility in May, expressed disappointment the Town had entertained a long-term proposal for the park while SIREC was still administering the facility.
Allan Carswell, SIREC’s president, said at the time that the Town should have directed Shields and his organization to SIREC.
Although Shields had said his group wanted to keep SIREC involved with the park, Carswell said SIREC received little information from W.A.L.L. members about their plans.
With SIREC’s lease for the facility expiring this month, the Town launched an EOI process in October for the long-term administration of the park.
Council plans to make a decision about a long-term contract at its Dec. 21 meeting.
Carswell said in an email that SIREC has not submitted an expression of interest yet because the organization is waiting for the Town to provide it with further information on “a number of issues.”
According to its proposal to the Town, Desert Rox was formed by Greg Rhyason, one of W.A.L.L.’s investors, along with Randy Gee, the owner of several companies including North Cariboo Air, to develop an outdoor concert site in the South Okanagan.
Their first choice, the proposal states, was Desert Park.
The Desert Rox proposal, which was written by Shields, states that the organization wants to use Desert Park “three times for a major concert” with the possibility of establishing a handful of future local events at the facility.
“Once we have improved the site, then other events can take place and Desert Rox  Inc. can either negotiate a flat fee: per ticket sharing: or help produce the other event and make it possible for Desert Park to get more usage per season,” the proposal states. “This would not affect anyone currently using Desert Park.
“We would also like the option of continuing after five years.”
The organization hopes to host concerts for as many as 14,000 people, although the proposal states events with higher attendance would be welcome.
“If ticket sales go over that by a few thousand, everyone will seem to benefit and we will be below a threshold of 20,000 which makes the concerts manageable in the area.”
As for revenue, the proposal states that the organization is prepared to pay the Town two per cent of the gross ticket sales from any concert and $2 per ticket would go directly towards improvements at the facility.
“As an added bonus, we would like to offer some of the food outlets and catering to local organizations and clubs as the money they raise goes back into the community as well,” the proposal states. “We will also start to form a local work force for our concerts.”
As for a future relationship with SIREC concerning the administration of Desert Park, Shields said in the proposal that he would “offer to help SIREC any way I can as it is important to keep that aspect alive and vibrant.
“As a Director of Desert Rox Inc. and a citizen of Osoyoos who has been involved in Desert Park operations in the 1980s and 1990s, I am prepared to sit along with a member of SIREC and Recreational Director Gerald Davis in establishing a working arrangement that would appeal to all users.”
Information on whether any other organizations had submitted an expression of interest regarding the park to the Town so far was not available before press time.
[email protected]