YELLOWKNIFE - Opposition from Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) society members and supporters to government plans for a $1 million RV park beside the festival site has upset some local business owners and could cost the festival sponsorship dollars.

Despite the hullabaloo over Industry, Tourism and Investment's plans to construct a $1 million RV park beside the Folk on the Rocks festival site, this year's show must go on and FOTR promises an eclectic lineup of music and mayhem this July. - NNSL file photo

"I have given before but I won't this year," said Chris Johnstone, CEO of the NWT Metis Development Corporation, which is the majority owner of Aurora World and Plummer's Lodges. "The festival is claiming to be a victim here (but) you can't play the victim when you were given an opportunity to participate. The other problem is the festival doesn't own the land."

Acrimony between Industry, Tourism and Investment and the festival went public in April after ITI dumped 180 tonnes of crushed glass (to be used as fill) at the proposed RV site location, which becomes a parking lot during the three-day July festival and is adjacent to the Long Lake site.

While ITI said its planned 36-stall RV park would not encroach on the festival site, FOTR complained it was not consulted about the glass and said ITI was changing its position on exact plans. After a June 12 meeting, at which both detractors and supporters of ITI's plan turned out, festival president Glen Abernethy said the society would come on side if it got a written guarantee from government that festival grounds would never be breached with an RV park expansion.

At present, ITI said Yellowknife needs approximately 100 full-service RV sites to address current and future tourism needs, which led the festival to suspect ITI was going to expand into the site.

"As long as (ITI) can provide some reassurances that they'll never extend into the site, we're willing to explore the RV park," said Tracey Breitbach, festival executive director. "Right now we're working on formalizing our relationship with the city (but) as far as running the RV park, running the park and a festival are two different things."

Industry and Tourism did offer the festival first dibs on running the finished RV park, which the festival has declined. The city leases the property where the festival is held from the territorial government and that lease expires in 2010.

Yellowknife business owner Darryl Dolynny said while he appreciates the festival, with waning visitor numbers from the United States and Japan - two countries that export the bulk of visitors to the territories each year - it is prudent to exploit other opportunities.

"From a business community perspective we need to attract visitors and anything that deters from that, as a business owner, I just shake my head," he said. "We're supposed to be an inviting community and without having the RV park we're shortchanging ourselves... I think Folk on the Rocks is a great event, but we are tying up some valuable real estate for three days a year, we could be using that and finding a better location for the festival."

Dolynny, a festival sponsor, would not comment on the status of his support for the music festival except to say he was, "Disappointed in some of the though t processes (FOTR) was portraying."

"We have to look at the bigger picture," he added.

Construction on the RV park was supposed to begin this summer but ITI has put plans on hold for a year to review its options.