Willapa Harbor Business Week is reportedly all set after negotiations with the Raymond Theatre concluded. Last week the Herald published an article regarding a surge in the rental fee for the theatre and new details have since emerged with a retraction requested.
New Information and a backstep
Previous information has been accused of being incorrect and non-factual regarding the rental fee for theatre use during Business Week. During the November 5 Raymond City Council meeting Council members grilled Mayor Tony Nordin about the fee for the week being raised to $2000 by new Theatre Manager Diane Ziel. Days after the meeting several council members informed the media that a deal had been reached: $1200 for the week.
According to information provided from Councilwoman Pam Nogueira Maneman she was informed on November 6 that a local bank had donated the $700 difference. However, according to Ziel, her and Business Week Chair Bethany Barnard didn't reach an agreement until November 8 and were the only two involved in negotiations. Both Ziel and Barnard expressed that both sides were hard at work to make a deal that was in the best interest of both sides. Both felt that the agreement they reached was an equally satisfying compromise for both the theatre and business week.
Ziel took over managing the theatre in July and was already facing a negative theater account when she stepped into the office. Her goal was to begin trying to minimize the losses for the year. "I wanted to stop the bleeding the best I could," she said. "So I started looking at all the options on the table. But I've never looked at this or that and thought to myself 'I can get more out of them.' I always looked at everyone the same and almost all my contacts are with nonprofits."
Communication out of sync?
Communication between the council and Mayor became a major concern during the November 5 council meeting and has continued to be an issue. The mayor asked the council to speak directly with Ziel about their questions regarding business week and rental fees and refused further comment. However, he has since admitted he could have handled the situation differently and would next time.
Ziel meets with Nordin at least once a week to give him updates on how the theater is doing and what she has planned. "We keep in touch a lot," she said. "I meet with him. We text almost daily and have the occasional phone call. He likes to stay informed and I prefer he knows what's happening at the theatre. He's very involved. We both are."
The council however, decided to take other avenues for their information according to Ziel and have yet to speak directly to her. Something she believes has added to the misinformation that has made its rounds. "The problem is nobody has come to speak with me directly," she said. "It is what it is, but I really wish they had reached out and gotten clarification from me. Me and Bethany we're the only two involved in the negotiations and were still hard at work during and after the council meeting."
She continued, "I am not sure how the other information came about. But it absolutely was untrue and $2000 was never on the table."
Council members still disagree
One council member believes that Business Week was charged $1200, but only had a bill of $500 due to First Interstate Bank donating the $700 difference.
However, to date the bank has only been requested for the $700 and is still working for approval. Other council members have remained adamant about the fee being $1200. Two council members of which sit on the Business Week Task Force.
"We need to be doing everything we can to help out our local schools and nonprofits," Nogueira Maneman said. "I absolutely think that when it comes to them we should be able to offer a discount."
A public records request did not show any transaction between Business Week and the theatre and provided no detailed information about transactions in the theatre account. Ziel still refuses to provide a dollar amount stating, "I never divulge information regarding a client." Task Force Chair Bethany Barnard has asked the Herald to respect the privacy of the Willapa Harbor Business Week in a Letter to the Editor. To date no documentation of a contract showing the amount has been made public and is not expected to be.
Business week is scheduled to be held December 10-14 with its headquarters for the week at the Raymond Theatre.