Redwood Times

Donna Tam

THE TIMES- STANDARD

After many months of dispute, the parties involved with the region’s famous summer reggae festival held in the Piercy area each year may be close to settling.

The Dimmick Ranch and People Productions announced that they reached a negotiated settlement with the Mateel Community Center, but Mateel Board President Garth Epling says it’s not a done deal.

“It’s not signed, sealed and delivered, yet,” Epling said, adding that the parties did come up with a tentative deal after a 15-hour mediation session on Friday, June 13.

“I think this is the closest we’ve come yet to reaching the final settlement and we’re hoping that it will actually happen,” Epling said. He said he couldn’t disclose any details until the settlement is official. The plan still needs to be looked over by each party’s lawyers.

“We’re very hopeful that it’s going to reach a good conclusion for all of us,” Epling said.

The press release from Dimmick Ranch and People Production said that they expected to have an announcement about the terms of the settlement soon, and indicated that both parities

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were ready to move forward.

“It’s been a long hard road for everyone and we’re looking forward to continuing to serve our community,” Carol Bruno, of People Productions, said in the release.

Tom Dimmick added, “I feel a sense of relief that I hope the rest of our community is feeling to finally have this dispute resolved and behind us.”

The three parties have been involved with the legal dispute since last year. Dimmick accused the Mateel Community Center, which organizes the popular Reggae on the River Festival, of violating his lease with his property when it separated from People Productions, the longtime producer of the festival. The Mateel alleged that People Productions quit. Both the Mateel Community Center and Dimmick charged breach of contract against each other.

People Productions put the Reggae Rising Music Festival, another riverside music festival, on the Dimmick property last summer after the court refused the Mateel’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop the concert.

Donna Tam can be reached at 441-0532 or dtam@times-standard.com