(Photo courtesy of Keizer Rotary Ampitheater)
A five month process to find the next operator of Keizer’s Summer Concert Series is set to end where it began with the Keizer City Council renewing its contract with KRA and Clint Holland.
KRA, which is operated by Clint Holland, has run the Summer Concert Series since 2013 and was one of two groups to apply for the initial request for proposals that went out on Aug. 13, 2021.
According to an agenda sent out Wednesday, the Keizer City Council will vote at the Jan. 18 council meeting to authorize the city manager to sign a contract with KRA for the operation of the Summer Concert Series.
The operator of the Summer Concert Series is expected to host between eight and 12 concerts at the Keizer Rapids Park Ampitheatre each summer, according to the contract. The summer series is sponsored by the city of Keizer.
While the council is expected to direct the city manager to sign the agreement, they are not required to. Public comment and a discussion among councilors is expected to precede the vote.
Almost a month ago, the city was set to sign a contract for the operation of the summer series with the Keizer Chamber of Commerce during a Dec. 6 meeting.
Originally, the Chamber, who was partnering with Vale Mentoring, and KRA had each submitted proposals, due on Aug. 30, 2021, that were then scored by five independent evaluators. Out of 225 points, the Chamber’s proposal received 150.5 and KRA’s 129.
At the Dec. 6 meeting, however, councilors were hesitant to sign the contract after learning that each group had received the proposals at different times. Holland said, and the city confirmed, that he hadn’t received the proposal until Aug. 19 — six days after the Chamber received it and 11 days until the deadline.
After extended debate at the meeting, councilors directed city staff to reopen the call for proposals and allow KRA and the Chamber to resubmit proposals.
Each group resubmitted new proposals, and this time KRA received 184 points to the Chambers 173 points. At least one evaluator noted the fact that KRA had the advantage of reviewing the Chamber’s proposal from the initial submissions.
“It’s not lost on me that KRA took advantage of reviewing the Chamber’s proposal and, in part, responding to it,” Keizer Police Chief John Teague said. “It’s also not lost on me that the Chamber could have fleshed out their proposal with greater detail and done so more persuasively.”
The Chamber had not immediately responded to requests for comment from the Keizertimes by press time. This story will be updated if the Chamber provides comment.
The agreement between the City of Keizer and KRA LLC is for three years, with the option to renew for two additional two-year terms. The agreement has been signed by KRA already.
News tip? Contact reporter Joey Cappelletti at [email protected] or 616-610-3093.