Part of Fund-Raising Effort : City Waives Fees for AIDS Quilt Display

Eager to demonstrate support for victims of AIDS, the San Diego City Council agreed Tuesday to waive fees at Golden Hall for a group planning in April to display a massive quilt bearing the names of thousands felled by the deadly disease.

The council voted 7-2, with Councilwomen Abbe Wolfsheimer and Judy McCarty dissenting, to allow the NAMES Project to display the quilt free.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor said the more than $4,000 in fees the city will lose will be more than offset by the educational benefits of the project.

“The amount of money we’re talking about is extremely insignificant compared to the amount of publicity that will be generated” for the fight against AIDS, O’Connor said. “I think it’s money well-spent.”

Councilman Bruce Henderson said waiving the fees would make “a statement,” demonstrating that the city is eager “to show compassion for victims of a terrible disease.”

A composition of thousands of panels that have been stitched together, the quilt will be displayed in San Diego and two dozen other large cities across the country during the coming months. The display is scheduled to come to San Diego on April 13 and 14.

The project is part of an effort by NAMES Project, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, to illustrate the impact of the epidemic by showing the humanity behind the statistics, to provide a means of expression for those touched by AIDS and to raise funds for the stricken.

Each is conceived and completed by family and friends of the victims. The materials vary greatly, ranging from simple cloth to leather and burlap to a Buddhist’s saffron robe to a shower curtain. Celebrities such as Rock Hudson and Liberace as well as the less known are represented on the quilt.