Plan for Gala Fails to Wow Officials : Thousand Oaks: Promoter’s offer for a party would cost taxpayers nothing. But some civic leaders call the proposal too extravagant.

Jackson Madnick wants to throw Thousand Oaks a party.

A party with laser lights and water plumes. A party with thousands of singers and hundreds of dancers. A party that would wrap up the Civic Arts Plaza’s grand-opening weekend with an enormous, dazzling bang.

A party that would cost the city absolutely nothing.

But Thousand Oaks leaders aren’t too sure that’s the kind of party they want.

A nationally renowned entertainment director, Madnick has offered to host a gala affair to celebrate the city’s 30th birthday and the cultural center’s inaugural season.

He says he would raise at least $220,000 from corporate sponsors to pay for the show. He would even bankroll overtime pay for police officers and public works employees. He would charge absolutely no admission fee, and would earn absolutely no profit.

Yet the idea of 50,000 spectators stacked in bleachers along Thousand Oaks Boulevard, of a glittering video show projected onto the walls of the Civic Arts Plaza, strikes some council members and arts leaders as a bit too extravagant.

“It’s ludicrous,” Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said.

“This isn’t a fairgrounds or a harbor,” Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski agreed. “It doesn’t seem appropriate for this area.”

Some city leaders are concerned that Madnick’s fund-raising efforts will detract from the Alliance for the Art’s quest to raise a $10-million cultural center endowment. They also worry about crowd control, and they fear the pyrotechnics will distract drivers on the nearby Ventura Freeway.

Finally, they fret that the spectacular special effects will overshadow the more down-home events planned for the grand-opening weekend, including a community talent showcase, an outdoor sculpture show, and a display of ceramic tiles painted by children.

To counter those objections, Madnick emphasizes that he would organize the show around an educational theme: the history of the Conejo Valley.

The show would incorporate video clips from the city’s archives. And thousands of local artists would join the celebration, as Madnick plans to choreograph parts for the performers, who would range from preschoolers to senior citizens. His nonprofit educational foundation, WET LIGHT, will present the gala. Madnick also owns a for-profit entertainment company based in Cambridge, Mass.

“This will be a beautiful, touching, moving story, not just fire in the sky,” said Madnick, who has won national awards for his outdoor extravaganzas.

More than 200 residents have already spent months planning other grand-opening events for the weekend of Oct. 22 and 23. The planned festivities include a black-tie party and two concerts featuring Bernadette Peters and the Conejo Symphony Orchestra. Madnick’s 90-minute laser show would take place Sunday evening.

The total budget for the grand-opening weekend, excluding the proposed laser show, tops $317,000. The City Council will kick in $75,000 from taxpayer funds, and the rest of the money will come from ticket and souvenir sales.

While council members approved the concept of a water-and-light show last month, they had no information on the cost of such a program, and several said they envisioned a more low-key affair.

“My concern is the expense. The cost is awesome,” Councilwoman Judy Lazar said. “It would certainly have to be scaled down a bit,” she added, recommending that the budget be slashed to $20,000.

Lazar also voiced concern that Madnick’s fund raising would siphon money from the endowment, which she termed a “much more critical need.” The endowment, which stands at $4.5 million, will provide money to subsidize the cultural center’s day-to-day operations.

“It’s absolutely extravagant to throw money away on a one-night affair,” said Dick Johnson, who directs the endowment fund-raising campaign. “It’s bound to have a psychological effect on all donors.”

But Planning Commissioner Forrest Frields suggested that any psychological effect would be positive. By generating excitement and drawing in tens of thousands of residents, he said, the show would boost community support for the Civic Arts Plaza.

Besides, Frields said, the show’s $220,000 budget represents “just the proverbial drop in the proverbial bucket” compared with the Alliance for the Art’s goal of raising a $10-million endowment. “It’s just not a threat,” he added.

The promoter’s arguments won over at least one council member, Mayor Alex Fiore.

“It sounds like a very ambitious program,” he said, “and if it can be pulled off without costing the city, I think it would be magnificent.”