Auburn Councilor Dan Herrick wants to know exactly what the Dempsey Challenge brings to taxpayers.

That’s a good question.

The second-term councilor objects to an estimated $2,800 in costs Auburn expects to incur for police and Public Works employees to monitor and control traffic during the run/bike event. He is joined in his objection by Councilor Mike Farrell, who suggests that if the October event is expected to generate $2 million, the city should be paid back its $2,800 expenditure.

Let’s just say, for a fleeting moment, that is the right thing to do.

Would these councilors then be willing to reimburse the costs of services provided by the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing for each Auburn resident who seeks services there? Quid pro quo?

We’re certain they would not, because the costs associated with counseling, case management, classes, therapeutic massage and dozens of other services provided by the center at zero charge to cancer patients far outweigh the paltry $2,800 spent by the city to support traffic control during the Dempsey Challenge weekend.

So, to answer Herrick’s question, the Dempsey Challenge brings hope and healing to Auburn taxpayers. Free.

It also brings real revenue to businesses in Auburn and surrounding communities.

Last year, 3,500 people participated in the one-day Dempsey Challenge, with hundreds more on a waiting list. This year, there will be more because the event has expanded to two days.

A great number of these people will book hotel rooms. The Hilton Garden Inn-Riverwatch is booking fast for the Dempsey weekend; the Residence Inn Marriott is very nearly booked already. Others will stay in Lewiston, Freeport, and elsewhere, including some people who book vacation rentals on Thompson Lake to coincide with their Dempsey participation.

Every one of these people will spend money at grocery stores and restaurants.

Those who live closer to the Twin Cities and don’t need hotel rooms or meals will need gas and, perhaps, a post-event snack. A number of local shops will sell equipment as people train for the event, including a good number of running shoes and high-end bicycles.

And, then there’s spending by the Dempsey Center itself with local vendors.

According to Wendy Tardif, Dempsey Challenge event manager, last year, “when we needed a T-shirt vendor, we went with a local vendor. The sound person is a local person.” The center buys local, including food and beverages for participants at rest stops and at the finish line.

The center also arranged for the pre-race packet pickup, where participants get their race numbers, to be held at the Auburn Mall, specifically to bring thousands of people into the mall, thinking some may linger to shop.

“We are conscious of trying to provide ways that the community would benefit from this event,” Tardif said, in real dollars.

There are also benefits that can’t be counted in coin, including the positive image boost Lewiston and Auburn get for hosting this celebrity event, and the very real impact on health care costs as people get fit to walk, run and bike. We can’t precisely measure a healthier community, but there is a definite benefit to Auburn in that.

We do understand that the traffic congestion that results from the Dempsey Challenge, and other events that force the closure of roads in the downtown, is inconvenient. But, then, so is cancer.

Councilor Herrick sees the Dempsey Challenge as a “burden” on citizens?

The good work being done at the Dempsey Center, which the Challenge helps fund, relieves burden on Auburn citizens by providing hope at a time when cancer patients and their families most need it. Is that worth $2,800?

Yes, and more.

If Councilors Herrick and Farrell really want to reduce Auburn’s overtime hours for traffic control, the Dempsey Challenge needs volunteers to marshal street corners and set up barricades. We hope to see both councilors among the volunteer corps in October.

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