Even if liability insurance is found for the Bessie Smith Strut, there could be problems on who will pay for it and how.
“Someone’s asking us to pay money for something,” said Hugh Moore, board member of the Friends of Festival board, which runs Riverbend and has helped manage the Strut. “I don’t know where that money’s going to come from.”
For years, the Strut’s insurance has been covered by the city, which is self-insured, but one thing is certain, City Attorney Mike McMahan said, Chattanooga will not pursue or pay the full cost of liability insurance.
“We definitely will not,” he said.
The scramble for finding insurance for the Strut comes just days after the executive committee of Friends of the Festival agreed the Strut would not be held at the Riverbend site. Mayor Ron Littlefield wanted to move the Strut to the riverfront, citing concerns of public safety and possible violence.