KYW Newsradio Team Coverage
It is now official. The Dad Vail Regatta is moving to Rumson, NJ, in Monmouth County -- at least for next year's race.
KYW's Mark Abrams reports that the Dad Vail committee formally announced the decision on Tuesday.
Harry Stinger is a spokesman for the college rowing event. He says there was a meeting with city officials to discuss keeping the event here, but it was not to be (see previous story):
"Economic factors have impacted heavily on Dad Vail and they have sought relief from the city and the state. But Rumson has been forthcoming with an offer that they would move their for this year."
Rumson's offer is $250,000 in support for the event which will be held on the Navesink River. The first Dad Vail race was held there back in the 1930s.
Stinger says the Dad Vail will keep its headquarters in Philadelphia and he would not rule out the possibility of a return to the Schuylkill River. The Regatta has been held in Philadelphia since 1953.
A decision on 2011 will not be made until after next year's race.
KYW's Mike DeNardo reports that Mayor Nutter says the city never really had a chance to save the Dad Vail Regatta, once Rumson put cash on the table.
An angry Mayor Nutter says the Dad Vail Committee had made up its mind to leave Philadelphia, even before the organizers met with the city last week:
"This was a bogus process leading to a bogus outcome. The fact of the matter is that the Dad Vail organization took money from the other city before they met with us. And so they'd already made their decision. And then came in and had a meeting which was at best immaterial and disingenuous."
Nutter defended the city's policy to charge organizations for special event costs, saying it wasn't the price of city services that caused the Dad Vail to leave, it was an inability to secure sponsorships. Still, he says the city will work with the committee should they want to return to Philadelphia after 2010.
(File photo by KYW's John McDevitt)
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