Rogers council tables decision on closing street for slide event

Event-goers slide down a 1,000-foot slip-and-slide event put on by Slide the City in Salt Lake City in July. The company is seeking permission to hold a similar event in Rogers.
Event-goers slide down a 1,000-foot slip-and-slide event put on by Slide the City in Salt Lake City in July. The company is seeking permission to hold a similar event in Rogers.

The Rogers Transportation Committee voted to again table a decision to close a street near Pinnacle Hills Promenade for a 1,000-foot water slide event in August during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Committee members said they still had questions that needed answered during the meeting.

Slide the City, a for-profit Utah company, has proposed bringing the slip-and-slide to Rogers for a one-day event on Aug. 25. The company charges $15 to $60 for tickets. The cost varies depending on the number of slides and whether tickets are purchased in advance of the day of the event.

Mark Kuger, committee member, said he wanted answers regarding parking and health department protocols before deciding on the street closure. Gary Townzen, committee member, said he wanted to know how much the company would make from the event.

Similar events have been held in Salt Lake City, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Boise, Idaho, Nichelle Jensen, Slide the City event director, previously said. She said other events are planned for Scottsdale, Ariz., and Phoenix this year.

Jensen said Northwest Arkansas appeals to the company because of the college and companies such as Wal-Mart.

Fayetteville declined the company's request to close Dickson Street for an event this summer. The city's planning department had concerns similar to Rogers' officials, Sharon Waters, parking and telecommunications manager, previously said. She said a permit was denied for the event because the company was for-profit.

The company does partner with nonprofit groups for each event, Jensen said. She said the company plans to partner with the Fayetteville nonprofit Soldier On Service Dogs. The organization raises and trains service dogs for soldiers who have post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. The dogs are given to veterans in Northwest Arkansas without a cost.

Angie Pratt, Soldier On Service Dogs director, was present for the meeting. She said the nonprofit organization will receive $60 for every volunteer it provides for the event. It also will receive 18 percent for every person who uses a 10 percent coupon to enter the event. The company also will be able to sell merchandise and market during the event.

Pratt said the Slide the City company plans to apply for a permit from the health department. She said both the company and Soldier On Service Dogs will have insurance policies. She was unaware of the profit Slide the City makes along with parking.

Slide the City did not have a representative at the meeting.

"I just want to know what type of profit this company is taking in," Townzen said. "We are setting a precedent here."

NW News on 03/11/2015

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