Commercial developer Gerry Kennedy has struck a deal with the Town of Haymarket and this time he'll get to see it into fruition.

At the town council's continuation meeting March 15, Kennedy's company Attiva Corporation received approval to take over the Haymarket events calendar with the hope being that he'll be able to expand the town's festivities while making it a private business venture.

This is nothing new for Kennedy as his Spend The Day In Haymarket campaign has operated town functions for years. It basically allows him to take even more control and operate "in cooperation" with the town as opposed to an official partnership with the town.

Three more events hosted by Haymarket were added to the calendar this year, including the recent Haymarket Hoe Down on March 12. The standard upcoming events include Haymarket Earth Day on April 16, the March on Melanoma for May 7, the town's annual celebration Haymarket Day on September 17 and the Haymarket Holiday Party on December 3.

New events scheduled for the coming months include Haymarket's Cruise-In Car Show on June 11 and the Historic Haymarket Stars and Stripes Old Fashioned Picnic and Barbeque set for July 2.

"We're not a joint venture but it's certainly a co-operative effort," Kennedy said, referring to himself and the town.

He is, however, working with his daughter Kim Ingalls, who's previously been the director of Spend The Day In Haymarket.

Kennedy mentioned that there will be "at least" seven events within the town this year and he's trying to engage in a broader marketing program for the events, including television and print advertising. He said Haymarket Day itself has grown in attendance from 5,000 people to 20,000 over the years.

Council member Jay Tobias made the motion for the agreement with Attiva and newly elected council member David Leake seconded the motion in order to start debate.

Concerns were rather limited among council members, including Bob Weir, who's previously clashed with Kennedy on his last major project with the town. Kennedy previously proposed to buy the Town Center property for $2.3 million and turn it into a series of small businesses while also moving historic buildings from the nearby area on to the property and restoring them.

However, Kennedy never received the necessary financial backing from investors to complete the sale, even after the council approved it on a 5-1 vote. The one vote against back then was Weir, who questioned everything from the design of the project to its implementation.

This time, however, Kennedy received friendly questions from council members that wanted to know more about whether they needed to enter into a contract with him and how long the agreement should run. The one discussed at the meeting mentioned that the initial agreement would last through Dec. 31 of this year.

Ingalls also reassured council members that "we're covered under the insurance of the town" and the council approved of the project unanimously by voice vote.