CASE Committee Meeting Minutes 10-21-21 DRAFT DDCASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 21 OCTOBER 2021 PAGE 1 | 2
1. ROLL CALL
Present- Committee Members: Committee Chair Lisa Mattis and Committee Members Pedro Campos, Ruth Stanley
and Kathy Ryan, Committee Members Thomas Walsh and Justin Chesney joined remotely.
Town Council: Mayor Pro Tem Amy Phillips
Town Staff: Cultural, Arts and Special Events Manager Danita Dempsey and General Government Intern Emily
Myler
Absent- Committee Member Chris Cofelice and Town Council Member Lindsay Hardy
The meeting was called to order at 12:31 p.m.
3. OPENING COMMENTS
Kathy Ryan commented that her neighbors are expressing to her that sound carries loudly across the lake to homeowners on
the shore. There is no need to point speakers across the Lake to disrupt their lives. CASE Manager Dempsey clarified that
there were no speakers pointing across the lake, but it’s good to know that the sound still carries from the Pavilion.
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comments were made.
5. STAFF UPDATE
CASE Manager Dempsey recapped the discussion at the Town Council/CASE Committee Work Session. She unsure of
consensus of Council regarding stopping fireworks shows at Town events and inquired what the Committee “heard”. She is
working with Beaver Creek to assign Avon’s fireworks contract through 2024. The fireworks from 2021 are already in Town,
so they can be used in 2022 with no lead time if Council waits to decide until later. She assumes the penalty fees assigned
are to cover costs Western Enterprises incurred in getting their product to Avon, even if they aren’t used.
The Committee commented/inquired:
A. The Council seems more flexible to consider alternate fireworks options rather than definitive against them and
wants to wait to make a firm call either way until spring when more research on alternatives is presented to them.
B. Council shouldn’t wait too long since there may be a deadline to order fireworks.
C. It’s unclear whether Council wants to get rid of fireworks.
D. The decision needs to go before Council again for clarification before any action is taken.
E. There are several alternatives to fireworks, let’s let Danita do thorough research and then the Committee can weigh
in on which is best.
F. Why does Western Enterprises charge a penalty fee to not use their fireworks?
G. The Council meeting room setup made it hard to have a dialogue and it didn’t feel like many decisions were made.
H. The Council meeting focused on specifics, and the big picture was lost.
Committee Chair Mattis expressed how pleased she was with the 2021 events and art. The number and quality of
productions was incredible, and the Committee and Special Events department deserve recognition for their success.
CASE Manager Dempsey spoke about changes she has made to the 2022 events season. She updated the Committee that
she has spoken to Colorado Events, and they will not be returning next year. The Circus and the Festival of the Arts are still
CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 21 OCTOBER 2021 PAGE 2 | 2
up in the air, and she is having conversations about moving the Weekly Art Expo to the Westin Plaza. She is also
considering how to improve the Avon Art Walk next year. She does envision a CASE Committee retreat in January 2022 to
do long-term visioning.
A. The Committee needs to meet with Council again to focus on long-term strategy and planning.
B. Long-term planning should consider accessibility for an aging population as well as environmental sustainability.
C. The younger generation is often excluded in the Avon community, and programming should seek to include them in
addition to including infrastructure for the handicapped community.
D. There needs to be more unity on the purpose of events. Do they cater to community members or visitors more, and
how does that purpose change the structure of events?
E. Labor Day Weekend should have been a larger event and the opportunity was missed by focusing it too local. That
event has potential to grow to something that brings in an outside audience.
F. Big economy driving events are better produced by 3rd party partners. Avon can focus on being a good host for
them because we have a unique venue to offer them.
G. Avon’s central venue means events affect the community members more than Vail, so Avon needs to be more
conscious of that when planning the events.
H. Events planning should be separated from budgeting.
I. It would be great to insert more dance and culture in the long term.
J. Events have made room for local representation, Avon’s arts and culture should aim to bring in more locals as well.
K. It’s important to plan in a way that is stable through changes on Town Council so there is follow up to any 10-year
plans.
L. More variety of dance would be very fun, maybe a whole week of dance or a series event.
M. Long-term planning meetings should happen early in 2022, before some current Committee Members’ terms are up
in February.
CASE Manager Dempsey said the CASE Committee has done so much work to define the focus of events on community,
but economic impact can work alongside that focus, it’s not either or. However, she’s learned that events focused
specifically on bringing in tourists isn’t the best fit for Avon. The Committee can discuss the agenda for a retreat in early
2022 that is singularly focused on long-term planning with Council. She will send the Committee planning work done in 2020
to consider prior. She’s not sure she can get the work done to present the 10-year plan to Council in February. It might be
possible to extend terms through that process. She has experience trying many of the suggestions from the Committee and
having them fail, but it’s worth considering them again with a new lens.
Committee Member Justin Chesney left the meeting at 1:58 p.m.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 2:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
Emily Myler
General Government Intern