No fair! Weather, economy take toll

By Joe Schoenmann

Sunday, April 19, 2009 | 2 a.m.

How did the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale do?

Not so good. It rained on Saturday, it was a holiday weekend (Easter Sunday) and the economy is running at a low ebb. The combination is being blamed for a 22.5 percent drop in attendance compared with 2008, said Kevin Willard, fair manager. He said an estimated 65,000 people attended the four-day event, down from 84,000 a year ago.

The fair gets only a little money from Clark County, right?

Clark County typically donates $25,000, but the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, funded mostly by room taxes, chips in $75,000, and Las Vegas Events, funded by the LVCVA, chips in $25,000. So taxpayers do have a stake in it.

Did the low turnout hurt the fair’s budget this year?

Todd Robison, fair executive director, could not be reached by the Sun on Friday. But he told the Moapa Valley Progress that ticket sales of about $450,000 fell way short of an expected $525,000. He also said about 1,000 fewer people showed up to watch the rodeo, which fielded the same number of contestants vying for a total of $240,000 in prizes.

In addition, food vendors reported sales declines of 30 percent to 40 percent.

He also told the newspaper that fair reserves of about $200,000, built from the fair’s annual average profit of about $12,000, would offset the loss.

What’s happening with contractual talks between Clark County and fair organizers?

Commissioner Tom Collins, who represents that area, said the county and the fair board are negotiating a long-term contract to make it “a real partnership.”

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Especially to a newcomer, one of the most striking things about McCarran International Airport is the clanging, electrified sounds of slot machines in the terminal. But they haven’t been as noisy lately, according to the airport and the concession operator.

Have they turned the volume down on the one-armed bandits or what?

If only it were that simple. Officials say the economic slump and the drop in passenger traffic at the airport are taking a major toll on concessionaries at the airport. So the Clark County Commission stands ready to ratify an agreement to lower the minimum annual guarantee that Michael J. Gaughan Airport Slot Concession Inc. must pay.

In April 2008, the commission approved a nine-year agreement for the company to make minimum payments per year to the county of $35 million, or 86.5 percent of revenue, whichever amount s greater. Now the commission will be asked to approve an amendment to lower the minimum annual payment to $27 million.

Why doesn’t the county just tell Gaughan, “Tough luck for you. You need to abide by the contract”?

Because if the county had to put a new concessionaire in place, millions of dollars in revenue would fall by the wayside in the time that would take, officials said. And commissioners said they’re not sure they could get a bid that would be better than the proposed lower contract amount with Gaughan.

Are there other changes in the works for the airport?

Yes. Another major one is that the county is set to stop paying the Southern Nevada Health District $114,500 per year to operate a first-aid clinic for employees and passengers. Tuesday, Clark County commissioners are expected to ratify a 10-year agreement for an Atlanta-based private company, AirportMD Las Vegas, to operate a clinic and pharmacy at the airport. The company will pay the county $3,000 a month in rent, plus 15 percent of gross revenue from retail sales.

Is the county doing this to save money?

The county stands to make money under the new arrangement, but county officials say that isn’t the impetus. They say the reason for the switch is the health district figures a clinic that serves about 4,000 people a year is not efficient use of its personnel. The airport also sees the switch as a way to offer more complete health care to employees and airport customers because

AirportMD will add a pharmacy.