November 21, 2009
What's Inside:
City waits to learn fate of tour
Decision on funds may be weeks away, Nixon spokesman says
Decision on funds may be weeks away, Nixon spokesman says
An internationally acclaimed bicycle race that is set to roll through St. Joseph and Chillicothe in September could come to a quick halt, depending on Gov. Jay Nixon’s next move.
Less than two months away from the Tour of Missouri’s Sept. 7 gun start in St. Louis, the Department of Economic Development is recommending a cut of $1.5 million to the race. If Mr. Nixon agrees, the financial blow could seriously jeopardize the race and likely result in a cancellation.
“We had no idea there was any hint this was a possibility, so yeah, this was a shock,” said Dick Sipe, chairman of the St. Joseph Local Organizing Committee for Stage 6 of the tour, which is scheduled to run from Chillicothe to St. Joseph on Sept. 12. The full tour ends Sept. 13 in Kansas City.
The group already has spent $15,000 of its roughly $100,000 budget, but now is hesitant to follow through with the advertising and marketing expenses it planned on making in the next month.
A spokesman for Mr. Nixon told The Associated Press he wouldn’t make a decision for several more weeks.
“We’re reluctant to do anything,” Mr. Sipe said. “You can’t let something of this size just hang there. We’ve got money committed.”
Andy Clements, assistant director of public works for the city, feared the question mark could scare off international sponsors of a race that gives Missouri and St. Joseph unparalleled exposure.
“Even making that announcement really hurts the tour,” said Mr. Clements, who handles tour arrangements for the city.
Still, the news hasn’t deterred local sponsors, such as Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica and Heartland Health.
“It’s unfortunate this is happening, but we can’t sit back and wait and see what happens,” said Dan Nowalk of Boehringer. “This is a great opportunity. We don’t want to let it slip by.”
Local organizers said that while they won’t pull the trigger on much funding until a decision is made, they will continue to plan under the assumption it will go on as scheduled.
But athletes an ocean away from Missouri on Friday weren’t so confident.
Christian Vande Velde, winner of last year’s Tour of Missouri and top five finisher in last year’s Tour de France, posted a message to his Twitter account Friday just hours after completing a mountain stage at the Tour de France.
“The Tour of Missouri is in trouble. Please help this great race survive,” Mr. Vande Velde wrote, placing a link to the tour’s Web site after his message.
George Hincapie, the 2007 Tour of Missouri winner, also found time to “tweet” Friday: “http://savethetourofmissour... lets try (sic) and save this race ...,” wrote Mr. Hincapie, who was also competing in the Tour of France during his afternoon entry.
The Missouri Tourism Commission met Friday to try to do just that. Commissioners voted unanimously to reaffirm its stance to fully fund the state’s more than $3 million obligation to the Tour, according to a news release.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder also appointed Marci Bennett, a tourism commissioner and executive director of the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau, to lead a budget subcommittee to help address the possible withholdings to the tourism budget.
Mr. Kinder in October announced the tour’s Stage One — the race’s kickoff — translated into $703,332 in tourist spending and 4,200 visitors to St. Joseph in September 2008, the first time St. Joseph was selected as a host city.
An estimated 434,000 spectators combined watched the seven-day race at some point. Total economic impact was pegged at $29.8 million.
Local organizers have written Rep. Ed Wildberger, a St. Joseph Democrat, to help convince the governor to release the funding, but he said he didn’t plan on trying to persuade Gov. Nixon’s decision.
“We have to look realistically at the economic status of the state right now,” Mr. Wildberger said. “You can’t do away with the essentials to have an extravagant event.”
Sen. Brad Lager, whose district includes Chillicothe, said as a former legislative budget chairman, he understood the financial challenges state government faces, but he disagreed with the department’s recommendation.
He likened cutting the $1.5 million from roughly $7 billion in the state’s general revenue to a household that earns $50,000, trying to save $10.71 in its budget.
“Considering the contracts are all let ... it would be an irresponsible act to withhold those dollars,” said Mr. Lager, a Savannah Republican. “Ten dollars and 71 cents. I mean, are you serious?”
Meanwhile Friday, Debbie Flugrad, a St. Joseph bicycle enthusiast, watched coverage of the Tour de France, where she said she frequently heard references to the Tour of Missouri.
“It’s just mind-boggling to me that they would not want this event,” Ms. Flugrad said. “More people, more regular people follow this than you think.”
Alyson E. Raletz can be reached
at alysonraletz@npgco.com.
This story has 12 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
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Everyone should go to the state of Mo. website or to their telephones and contact Jay Nixon and tell him by email or by voice message that it is just wrong to pull funding on this event at this late date. It disrespects the efforts of the many Missourians who have worked so hard and contributed so much to this event. Not to mention the athletes from around the world who have plans made to come here.
(I am not involved with Tour of Missouri in any way)
434,000 spectators? That is 10,000 people watching the race and 424,000 waiting at intersections for the bicycles to go past so they can get to work.
I applaud Mo. lawmakers taking a hard look at all expendatures in order to keep the state budget balanced unlike Nancy Pelosi in California pushng for her $16,000,000 to study mouse habits of some kind when her state is hopelessly 20 billion in debt.
If I'm going to call my legislators or the Governor it will be about something more pressing than this. This town just received between $10-20 million towards the Chiefs training facility so we're not exactly in a position to be whining for more pork.
Well said peak1978
God knows St. Joe needs some fit people in town, even if they're just passing through. But 1.5 million bucks would buy a lot of remedial fitness classes.
Now goobentrot . . . why do I get the feeling you'll be watching the race, if it comes to town, from your favorite stool at Dunkin' Donuts?
Wanna know why CA is in trouble? Much as you'd like it to be so, it isn't Nancy Pelosi's fault because, you know, she holds federal office, not state office. A little pork from DC would help CA these days. No, CA is in trouble because of the practice of governing and, even worse, budgeting by using the proposition process - the same one that gave CA Prop 13. As a knee-jerk Republican borrow-and-spend conservative, you should like what's going on in CA: growing debts and deficits meet tax cuts. It's a perfect model for the conservative concept of fiscal conservatism.
I think you are missing the point. Now is not the time to back out. That time was months ago when we all knew that things would be getting harder fiscally. Cut if we must, organize volunteers etc but let those that have a special interest have a chance to salvage the situation before you cast doubt on the finances and then say you can't answer for several weeks because you are trying to walk a political tight rope. Cancel next years; OK, but where I come from your word is good whether you are an individual, a company, or the State. Otherwise, we do not amount to much. As for those who bellyache about traffic, you need to lighten up. I do not ride, nor even own a bike, but I think it is great for those who do, and if you can't stand the inconvenience to your anal life, maybe the problem is yours and not the bike rider's.
By the way,Ms_Ann_Thrope, what is a borrow and spend conservative?
I am sure you know that is an oxymoron. Conservatives do not believe in borrowing, and certainly want to control spending. Actually, if you will look at washington the last eight to sixteen years you will see the antithesis of conservatism. Most of our nation is conservative, but since Reagan we have not had anyone available on the national scene who can even verbalize the concept, let alone lead it. Our only hope is to have someone with reasonable aspirations and values, coupled with above average character and morals, and those folks are hard to find.
I see from your comments you are a Palin hater, but some of us saw a person who lived their beliefs even though it would cause some sacrifice by bringing a less than perfect child into the world, who deals with the problems of unwed motherhood in her family as many of us have, and some one who did not appear to be slick, as seems to be the pre-requisite of all politicians nowadays.
Who knows why she is doing what she is doing. Why do you care, you do not like what she stands for anyway. And the snide remark to goobentrot seems to me to be entirely uncalled for. Why is it that those who hate Sarah and conservatives in general are so quick to name call and degrade? Could it be that it is time for some introspection into your motives and actions?
Hey, grandpa. I don't hate Sarah Palin. I simply find no reason to respect her as a politician. She is laughably ill equipped for that career. She may be a fine person, fine mom, crack shot, and I have no gripe with any of that. But she's no working man's hero, no bearer of any torch, and those pluses don't add up to her being qualified to be anything above the office she just quit. It would be good if she disappeared from the political stage.
"Borrow and spend conservative" is a term of my making and is a thumb in the eye of those who always talk about tax and spend liberals, as if liberal policy is the problem with our economy. You conservatives want government programs as much as liberals do - different ones, but expensive ones, nonetheless; you just don't have the cojones to ask people to pay for it.
Oh, and before you begin to lecture me on values and quickness to call names and degrade, check the story at this link: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Conservative%20Free%20Republic%20blog%20free%20speech%20flap%20after%20racial%20slurs%20directed%20Obama%20children/1782375/story.html.
When conservatives begin condemning people who use racial epithets like those used against this girl, I will begin taking seriously what you have to say about having some class and dignity. Go ahead: what do YOU think of the people on that blog, grandpa?
Sarah Palin? I thought we were reading an article about Tour of Missouri? Man how conversations stray...
Tour of Missouri is not just for St. Joseph - we are a small part of it. It's for the whole state, that's why it's Tour of Mo., not Tour of St. Joseph. I'm sure that if she lived here, as a former sportscaster, soon-to-be-ex-gov Sarah would be all for it ;-)
Please call/email Jay Nixon.
Let's see a 3 million dollar investment to create an economic stimulus of 28.9 million and we wonder why government can't make it. Seems like a no brainer to me. (Or is it that the governor sees this as a perfect time to bring more attention to the tour by making such an announcement at the time when cycling is in the news because of the Tour De France.)
What those not involved in the cycling world don't understand is that cycling does have a major following in the US and events such as this draws attention to St. Joe and Missouri from around the world especially with names like George Hincapie associated with it.
Team Astana, Lance Armstrong’s team, has already announced that it would participate in the Tour of Missouri. If any of their contenders for the Tour De France, especially Lance Armstrong, were to be named on that roster, then can imagine the crowds which would come out? I can tell you that the Tour of Missouri has really started to make a name for itself in the US and international cycling communities and to pull the plug at this time would be a major mistake.