Glendale : Festival Funding Approved

The City Council has agreed to help fund a 2 1/2-day music-and-arts festival in hopes of boosting the downtown economy.

The city will provide $65,000 in redevelopment and General Fund money to the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing “Glenfest,” a four-block celebration modeled after cultural and musical street fairs in other cities. The chamber must pay back all but $30,000 out of proceeds from the event, which will be in April or May.

The city will also pay 25 city police officers overtime to provide security at the event.

“The long-term results may be just the kind of a reawakening and the kind of dollars that the city needs to bring in,” Councilman Larry Zarian said.

Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg dissented in the recent 4-to-1 vote, saying the idea would hurt rather than help downtown business.

“You’re talking about (nearly) three days of closing a major thoroughfare,” Bremberg said. “The businesses on Brand would be cut off from the Friday and Saturday business.”