Another group that wanted to hold a community event at a public park in Niagara Falls is raising concerns about an added insurance requirement being imposed by city hall.
Weeks after members of a local Juneteenth celebration committee voiced similar concerns, a representative from a group involved in organizing the city’s annual Day of Prayer said they were forced to make a “last-minute” venue change because they were unable to meet the city’s insurance requirements for use of Gluck Park where their June 22 event was originally scheduled to be held.
“A lot of planning goes into it and it’s just frustrating,” said Keira Agee, who has helped coordinate the annual Day of Prayer event through her church, Word of Life Ministries, for the past four years. “It’s literally just a day to inject faith, hope and love into the community and to give everybody a chance to fellowship together. It’s a time for pastors from across the city to come to together to praise and worship. We have musicians on hand. It’s really just a great time.”
Local pastors and church members did hold a Day of Prayer event as planned on June 22, however, Agee said they were forced to change locations from Gluck Park to her church on Hyde Park Boulevard after organizers were unable to meet the city’s requirement for an additional “umbrella” coverage on top of the liability insurance they already had.
Agee said the city required no such additional coverage when organizers used Gil Greek Park for last year’s Day of Prayer. She said her group first learned about the need for the extra insurance during a June 11 meeting with the city’s events committee, which she said did not provide sufficient time to obtain the coverage in question.
“If you know insurance, it takes a good while to acquire insurance. It is not something that you can acquire quickly,” she said.
Last month, members of a local committee that has organized Juneteenth celebrations in Niagara Falls in recent years expressed similar concerns about the city’s new insurance requirement and lack of communication from city hall about it. Committee members moved their planned Juneteenth parade and festival to a local church after being unable to obtain the level of insurance the city required before they would allow them to use Legends Park.
In response to questions on Wednesday, City Administrator Anthony Restaino indicated that Day of Prayer organizers were sent a copy of the city’s insurance requirements for holding events at the park on May 2. He indicated that it is the same packet sent to all organizations looking to use public parks for events.
Agee said she was not aware of anyone from her church receiving a packet from city hall on that date.
Restaino also added that the city’s insurance carrier and the city’s law department indicated the city’s insurance requirements needed to be adjusted to provide appropriate coverage for the city.
Agee described the situation as “disappointing” and “truly upsetting,” given that the Day of Prayer was established to “bring hope and faith to the inner city of Niagara Falls, where hope is often scarce.”
“This is an event for the community,” she said. “If we can’t reach the community, what are we doing? The whole purpose of having it at the parks is so everyone can have access to it.”