8 Fest seeks move into Athens; Athens not so sure

On Tuesday night, a meeting of the Athens County Senior Fair Board addressed the possibility of the 2011 rendition of “number-fest” relocating to the Athens County Fairgrounds. While Fair Board President Brian Llewellyn stated that he has not yet been approached by number-fest founder Dominic Petrozzi, a dozen community members came to voice their strong disapproval of the idea.  

Police officers also attended. After the meeting, Athens Police Commander David Malawista said, “There is a really strong feeling that this would be very problematic for both the (police) agency and the city in general.”

On Wednesday, Petrozzi, founder and executive producer of the number-fests, confirmed the festival’s desire to move into Athens, and promised to work with the Fair Board, community and police to make it a positive event.

He stressed the economic benefits to the community as well as targeted contributions to local school districts. “If we can use the fairgrounds, it would be a great way to tie into the Athens community and help out local schools,” said Petrozzi, who noted that the number-fests have raised money for scholarships and other local causes the past two years.

While he’d like to reach an agreement on the fairgrounds site, however, Petrozzi said 8 Fest still has the option to return to last year’s site or the site used prior to that. “If it doesn’t happen (at the fairgrounds) this year, that’s OK,” he said.

Last year’s 7 Fest took place at a rural site several miles southwest of Athens, and prior to that, the number-fests took place at a rural field on Stagecoach Road, just to the south of Athens. The festivals feature numerous bands and performers, with a strong leaning toward hip-hop and rap, and draw many thousands of Ohio University students and their visiting friends. For many students, the BYOB number-fests are a last big alcohol-soaked blowout before the end of the school year.

The APD’s Malawista said that a main concern of bringing the fest into the city limits from its previous rural county locations is the large number of severely intoxicated party-goers who would want to continue their drinking in uptown Athens. Attendance totaled approximately 17,000 at last year’s 7 Fest when all was said and done.

Sanitation is always a problem with the number-fests, he added. Restrooms are limited, mud is often a defining characteristic of the celebration, and last year it took two-and-a-half 18-wheelers just to haul out the beer cans.

There are also financial issues for the city, he  noted, as it would have to contract out for at least 50 more officers plus horses to handle the crowds. This major expense would mean “potholes that are unfilled and positions that don’t get filled because we’re in times of fiscal stress,” Malawista said.

In addition, 8 Fest, scheduled for May 21, would be the third consecutive weekend student fest, following Palmer Fest and Mill Fest, respectively, that the APD would have to patrol and manage. This workload on an already short-handed agency would put an “enormous physical and emotional drain” on the officers, he said.

The city’s noise ordinance, which restricts noise especially late at night, was another concern that the police commander mentioned. Malawista noted that attempting to enforce the city’s noise code with thousands of intoxicated partiers could actually incite a disturbance or riot. The noise could also potentially impact nearby O’Bleness Memorial Hospital and other nearby medical facilities.

He did acknowledge a potentially positive aspect of localizing the fest — the attendees’ option of walking home rather than engaging in risky driving.

Another aspect Malawista noted was managing the influx of dorm guests at OU. With the fest so close to campus, OU would potentially have to handle it similarly to Halloween, requiring guest screening, wristbands and additional staff.

Because the city doesn’t have direct jurisdiction over the county-owned fairgrounds, the final decision lies with the Fair Board. Llewellyn of the Fair Board said at the meeting that although the board hasn’t been officially approached, “if they come in here and start throwing big numbers out for money… we have to at least look at it.”

Petrozzi suggested that there will be plenty of money involved in any such agreement, and that the Athens community could reap substantial financial benefits from having the event. “Maybe Athens wants a piece of the pie,” he said.

He said that he hopes to work with the local police and community, and if the city and/or police set requirements before they’ll endorse a number-fest at the fairgrounds, he’ll try to meet those requirements. However, he also said he’s convinced having the festival in Athens will be positive for everyone involved. That being the case, if he can reach an agreement with the Fair Board, Petrozzi added, he’ll move forward with plans “whether or not the police or individuals are against it.”

Several neighborhood associations were represented at the meeting, including the Near Eastside Neighborhood Association and the Westside Community Association. The festival is closest to the west side. — Athens NEWS Editor Terry Smith contributed to this article.