Town of Gilford, Live Nation come to 1st agreement for safety at BankNH Pavilion

GILFORD — The selectboard voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the BankNH Pavilion regarding public safety services, which includes a rate schedule for police and fire personnel working summer concerts and other events held at the nearly 10,000-seat venue.

The town, along with its police and fire departments, work hand in hand with BankNH Pavilion staff to ensure public safety during their events. The memorandum of understanding, approved on June 24, is the first of its kind.

“We recognize it being a world-class venue, and we are certainly proud to have it in Gilford,” Town Administrator Scott Dunn said in an interview on Wednesday. “Public safety officials do all they can to make sure people who go there are in a safe environment.”

During the May 13 selectboard meeting, Dunn spoke with the board about the MOU, saying the town presented BankNH Pavilion an agreement at their request. He said this has been a bit of a “revolving door,” as this agreement was approved and signed by the selectboard in 2020, but the venue didn’t “particularly care for.”

“They gave us a revised proposal, and we didn’t particularly care for that,” Dunn said. “So, we’ve since requested that they provide us with agreements they have in other towns throughout the nation. So, with those documents, and the input from the police and fire departments, we have crafted a new agreement.”

Dunn wasn’t sure how this MOU would be received either, but told the selectboard he didn’t want to send it along without their review and approval.

“I can tell you a lot of hours have gone into the development of this most recent town proposal,” Dunn told the selectboard on May 13.

Dunn said Wednesday he and representatives of the venue worked on the draft, and a “great deal” of input came from the heads of the police and fire departments. He called it a “total team effort.”

He said despite there being back-and-forth talks about the MOU, this is the first formalized agreement between the town and the music venue.

“It fell by the wayside, but we rejuvenated the process, and got everyone on board,” Dunn said.

Live Nation purchased the majority stake in BankNH Pavilion — formerly known as Meadowbrook — on Dec. 19, 2017, according to a release from Live Nation Entertainment.

The venue has brought in some of the world’s biggest musical acts of all genres, and received multiple awards, including Country Music Association Venue of the Year, as well as being one of the 10 best concert venues listed by USA Today.

Dunn said the idea for the MOU came right around the time of the sale.

“It started on their end, with a need to deal with indemnification, which is always a big issue with any municipal contract,” Dunn said.

Dunn stressed there has never been any animosity regarding the agreement, it has just taken time to straighten out the particulars. He described the relationship between the town and BankNH Pavilion as “very healthy.”

“There was a discussion about the various moving pieces,” Dunn said. “No acrimony at all. It wasn’t adversarial. We were just taking the time to come up with wording that we are all agreeable with.”

Police and firefighters have been working details at the venue for years. Previously, the selectboard would set the pay rates, and the town would bill the pavilion.

The selectboard gave Dunn the OK to send along the proposal to BankNH Pavilion at the May 13 meeting. The MOU was ultimately approved at the June 24 meeting, without discussion, and has been signed by each selectboard member, as well as Police Chief Dustin Parent and Fire Chief Steve Carrier.

Dunn said during the month of June, the MOU was finalized, and “a week or two” before the June 24 meeting, he got word from BankNH Pavilion there were a couple changes requested. The town agreed on the desired changes, and then the selectboard signed off.

Dunn said the town hasn’t received the signatures from the venue yet, but they have indicated they are on board with the MOU as presented.

Phone and email requests to Live Nation Entertainment for a comment were not immediately returned.

“I have not yet received the copy signed by the folks at the pavilion, but I do anticipate getting that signed,” Dunn said.

Parent lauded the relationship his department has had with BankNH Pavilion.

“GPD and BNHP work very well together,” Parent wrote in an email on Wednesday. “We support having a mutual MOU in place, which will allow for police and fire to better serve and protect their patrons and community members.”

Carrier is proud of the service his department provides at the venue, and the work being done to continuously improve quality.

“I think as far as Gilford Fire-Rescue is concerned, we looked at the MOU as a tool to ensure the continuation of how we operate now, and hopefully continue to improve operations in the future,” Carrier said.

Agreement details

The MOU is between the Town of Gilford and Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., and Meadowbrook Amphitheatre Holdings, LLC, for the property, structures, and buildings located at 72 Meadowbrook Lane, and is separated into 17 sections.

The agreement states the venue must provide a 30-day notice to the town for events scheduled at the property, and include information about the performer, and estimated crowd size and demographics. The venue must update the police and fire chiefs at least 48 hours before the start of the event if there are cancellations, changes in the performers, or ticket sales.

It also states in the event the crowd size could change due to reduced admission fees, the venue needs to also give 48 hours notice to the chiefs, so they can recalculate required public safety detail staffing

The agreement gives the police and fire chiefs “exclusive authority” to determine the level of police services for each event, and the venue will then pay for services in accordance with the fee schedule.

The fee schedule, effective May 1, 2026, includes $100 per hour for police and fire officers in charge; $90 per hour for police officers; $75 per hour for police dispatchers; $90 per hour for fire and emergency medical personnel; $25 per hour for a police cruiser; $100 per hour for a fire engine; $75 per hour for an ambulance; and $50 per hour for a forestry vehicle. The minimum charge is for four hours, and the town reserves the right to determine the appropriate number of personnel.

There is an additional $5 per hour surcharge per person when alcohol is available at the venue for all employees, other than dispatch. A 20% deduction is incorporated for government, school, and nonprofit events.

The MOU includes the venue’s need to provide adequate facilities for police, fire, and medical services. For police, this includes rooms for command and booking, as well as two golf carts.

For services through the fire department, a wood-framed or brick and mortar room with at least three patient beds separated by curtains is required. The MOU also includes wheelchair storage, a room for up to eight EMTs, storage areas, a workstation, and treatment space to avoid HIPPA violations.

The agreement also includes a unified command post building for police, fire and medical dispatchers and command staff, with a computer with internet access, a mobile radio, whiteboards, and map tables. This building will be soundproof, secure, and private.

Carrier said priorities for his department were having a furnished and functional unified command post ,and EMS room, with the potential for future expansion,if necessary.

The MOU requires the venue to comply with all federal, state, and local laws and ordinances, and the town needs to comply with venue rules and protocols, including entering and exiting the property. An exception is emergencies, law enforcement activity, or fire prevention.

The town is not liable for bad behavior by venue employees.

The agreement states both the venue and town need to have sufficient insurance coverage, and instructs each party to work cooperatively in planning and carrying out public safety functions.

The agreement started July 1, and runs through Dec. 31, 2026.

The contract has an automatic renewal, but Dunn said there is a “pretty painless way” for either party to opt out.

“I think the language in there speaks for itself, in terms of what the town thinks it should be able to do with police and fire,” Dunn said.