Would you spend $16,000 for a New Year’s ball drop downtown?

A city-organized ball-drop party at the downtown plaza on New Year's Eve would cost about $16,000, city councillors will learn next week.

Brent Lamming, the city's director of community services, will ask council to approve the idea, which was suggested last month by Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo and Ward 3 Coun. Sonny Spina.

Lamming will propose that the event take place at the downtown plaza, with a crane or boom truck used to drop a specially made steel ball from above.

The ball would be six to eight feet in diameter, 24 inches thick with LED lighting, and would be fabricated by city public works staff.

Or, Lamming suggests, Sault Ste. Marie could drop a similarly sized hockey puck, drawing on our rich history as a hockey town.

"It would then be dropped two times during the evening," Lamming says. "Once at 8 p.m. for families with young children and again at midnight for those individuals up later enjoying celebration activities."

Here's the proposed budget for the event:

• cost to construct – $6,200
• staffing – $2,000
• music and sound – $3,000
• boom truck/crane – $1,800
• security – $1,200
• activities and supplies – $1,800

"The food and beverage cost of approximately $5,000 should be fully recoverable," Lamming said in a report to Mayor Shoemaker and councillors.

If councillors vote in support of the idea, city staff will apply for Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. support for the event.

If NOHFC doesn't want to join the party, the city will look for a corporate sponsor.

Next week's council meeting will be held on Tuesday because of the Family Day holiday on Monday.

SooToday's livestreamed coverage will start at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday  with a special session at which Dr. Chelene Christine Hanes and David Orazietti will be presented with the 2023 Medal of Merit.