Columbia’s Christmas celebration will continue after the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a contract Thursday with a company backed by the businessman who launched the phenomenally successful lights show last year.
Before a packed house after rumors spread online that the city might not approve the project, alderman voted 5-0 to accept a $275,000 proposal by Experience Columbia LLC.
Looks Great Services owner Kristian Agoglia, who principally funded the Christmas celebration that drew an estimated 60,000 people in 2018, formed that entity earlier this year. Agoglia had said in an interview last week that it’s not realistic for one person to afford to sustain the costs year after year and that it would take a team effort to make it work.
Funds for the Christmas events will come out of the 3 percent tourism tax on restaurants and hotels that voters approved in May.
Experience Columbia LLC is donating the labor for the lights production, which it estimated at $250,000, according to its proposal. That brings the city’s total to $275,000:
- $168,500 in material costs for everything except the courthouse, including electrical supplies, holiday decorations and other equipment
- $56,500 for material and labor to install courthouse lighting
- $50,000 for a New Year’s event, including a stage, band and fireworks.
Agoglia said his goal is to bring 200,000 people to Columbia this year.
“We have good plans and the expectation should be high,” he said. “We are ready. Full steam ahead.”
The city voted on Sept. 3 to publish a Request for Proposals regarding the Christmas celebrations. The deadline to turn in a proposal was Wednesday, when the board held a special meeting. Mayor Justin McKenzie said four companies inquired about it but only one company, Experience Columbia, submitted anything.
Its 20-page proposal laid out the company’s experience in doing the lighting since 2014 (through Looks Great Services) and Christmas program last year, along with detailing its plans for events throughout December 2019.
Alderman Edward Hough asked Agoglia Wednesday if the proposal was “all or nothing” or “pick and choose.” Agoglia said with the momentum already going and everyone is ready to go it would be hard to cut back.
“The expectations has been set, the people are expecting the minimum, which is based on last year,” Agoglia said. “This is a big project to set up downtown.”
Hough asked, “The county board on board with this? Have you talked to the county about lighting the courthouse?”
“We have talked to them,” Agoglia said.
“I would love to see the county have some buy-in. I don’t know if it would be the whole amount but at least some buy-in. It will bring a lot of interest to downtown and all those people are paying city and county taxes, they do not pay for asphalt downtown so at least they could do is help pay part of it,” McKenzie said.
“The county should take responsibility and decorate their building. I am strictly opposed to decorating their building,” Hough said.
Alderman Wendell Hammond asked if the money would be paid upfront. Agoglia said he would work with the city and payments could be spread out. The tourism tax has been bringing in roughly $60,000 per month since it began being charged in July.
Hough asked Agoglia, “How can you set the bar and expect the city to pay for it?” McKenzie answered, “Because we are the beneficiaries.”
Hough and McKenzie exchanged heated comments back to forth regarding whether the city had the money to pay for the celebration.
Hough made a motion to take it under advisement and Alderman Jason Stringer seconded it, while Hammond and Anna Evans voted against delaying action (Alderman Mike Smith wasn’t present at Wednesday’s meeting but was there Thursday).
Hough said he would like time to review the proposal, and Stringer said he would like some time to really pray about spending that kind of money. McKenzie broke the tie and agreed to delay action one day. A special meeting was immediately scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Agoglia was out of town on Thursday and not present at the meeting.
At the meeting on Thursday, McKenzie addressed the crowd, “During the meeting yesterday the recommendation to take the proposal under advisement was made, and there was some really good questions asked and a lot of good discussion took place. This morning I was a little misled by what I read on Facebook that seems to think the decision was split.
“If anyone is spending your money, it’s not my money; it’s your money. The tourism money you elected to pay, with that said we want to spend it how you all like and in the best manner possible, but we want to be very responsible with it. It would have been reckless to come in here, open a packet and slide out 15 pages and make a vote on it, a quarter-of-a-million-dollar project without reading it.”
Marion County Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan said Thursday, “I was a spectator here yesterday sitting here on the second row. I have been receiving phone calls, and I watched you open up the packet. The motion was made by Mr. Hough to just take it under advisement for time to review it. Mr. Stringer seconded it saying he would like some time to pray about it and that was then the meeting was immediately scheduled for today to vote. I appreciate that.”
Janet Breakfield of Jan Marie’s Flea Market on Main Street addressed the board, “What I can tell you last year our sales were great. I believe not only myself but probably other merchants downtown we have already purchased all of our merchandise for the Christmas season. We need the volume like we had last year.”
Former Mayor Reed Houston, who runs Houston’s Cleaners on Second Street, spoke, “I loved the celebration last year. I came down here; my family came down. My only issue is better communication. If I need to close early, that’s fine; I just need to know.”
Former mayoral candidate Harry Griffith said, “Tourism is a major industry. We need to invest in it.”
“I had family come in I haven’t seen in years,” Ann Sanders from Ann’s Embroidery on Main Street said to the laughter of most everyone in the board room. “If we stop now the people will never come back.”
Pastor Terry Montgomery said, “Columbia is a beautiful city. If 5 or 6 people spent all that money last year to put the event, then collectively let’s don’t drop it; let’s move forward it. We are going to get behind what has already been laid out, and let’s move forward.”
Hough addressed the crowd, at one point getting teary-eyed.
“I got a lot of negative comments today. I’m the first one who probably told Kristian last year how much I appreciate it. I have been here all my life, and I have never seen anything like it,” he said. “He presented a proposal yesterday, and we are elected officials we are supposed to ask questions or you would call us not doing our job if we didn’t ask the tough questions. My problem is people taking half information and putting it out there and telling people to call because so-and-so is against something. That’s wrong. That’s the worse publicity you could ever do for our town. They said we will just call the TV, they got their wish now. What kind of publicity is that? If you are going to put something there, put the right information out there. Come to the board; don’t just take something someone said and fly with it. When you start telling people to call, you will do more harm than those Christmas lights could do good.”
McKenzie said he agreed with Hough. Hough continued, “No one puts positive stuff, just negative.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Hough made the motion to approve the proposal, leading to the unanimous vote.
Pictured Above: Members of the public applaud Thursday afternoon after the Columbia Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to approve awarding a contract to do downtown Christmas events for the next two years. Kristian Agoglia, owner of Experience Columbia LLC that got the contract, said he hopes to bring 200,000 people downtown this year. | Photo by Susan Amundson
