Scappoose council approves $11,500 from budget to support Heritage Park events; organizers sought $20,000

Organizers of the Scappoose Heritage Park events asked the City Council on Jan. 6 for $20,000 to fund a series of free and low-cost community events, and the council voted to authorize $11,500 that had already been set aside in the city budget.

JJ McKay and Jeffrey Weiss presented an events packet citing Movies in the Park (entering its eighth year), Earth Day cleanup and giveaways, and a first-of-its-kind Scappoose Outdoor Fun Festival planned for June 7. McKay said the $20,000 request would cover core hard costs for seven events and help the organizers secure vendors and sponsors. “What I did was I basically did a page for each event... and why we are requesting $20,000 to help us actually do these events,” McKay told the council.

Council discussion centered on budget availability, sustainability and event logistics. Staff said $11,500 was already budgeted for events in the current fiscal year; McKay and Weiss said the larger $20,000 ask would bridge the remaining $8,500 gap. Councilors and staff raised specific cost questions including the need for a paid medic to meet permitting and insurance requirements, the difficulty of securing volunteers (leading to paid staff costs) and sponsorship expectations.

Councilor Holmes moved to authorize the $11,500 that had been earmarked in the budget; Councilor Joel Haugen seconded the motion. The council voted in favor: the motion carried. The mayor and staff said they would work with organizers to address outstanding logistics (for example, confirming medic coverage) and to provide receipts for expenditures if funds are distributed through the library as requested.

Background and logistics: McKay described community partnerships and in-kind donations that have supported past events—Fred Meyer, Starbucks and local restaurants have provided food and prizes; the library historically provided staffing in kind. McKay said the Outdoor Fun Festival had attracted nearly 1,000 attendees in a prior year and that organizers had raised sponsorships, including a commitment from U.S. Bank for certain events. He also said prior vendor contracting costs had been significantly higher in the past (he referenced a prior cost “in excess of a hundred thousand dollars” for city-contracted events) and that this volunteer-driven model saved the city money.

Why it matters: The events are a visible community outreach and economic-development effort that the council said offers value, but the long-term funding model and reliance on sponsorships and volunteers were cited as open questions.

What’s next: Council authorized $11,500 now and asked staff and organizers to follow up on logistics, rostering and permit-related items before releasing additional funds or approving a larger allocation.