NORTH TONAWANDA — The promoter of an annual motorcycle rally made his pitch to city leaders Tuesday night to hold the event in Gratwick-Riverside Park this summer.

Carmen Toromino, who has held a rally in Wheatfield, the Town of Niagara, Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Hamburg, told the Common Council and other city leaders he would like to hold the free event in the park July 9-11.

Toromino expects the three-day event would draw up to 12,000 people to the park along the Niagara River, he told officials.

“Gratwick, to me, is really a jewel that needs to be cut and buffed,” he said during a Council work session in City Hall.

The event would go on rain or shine and would likely draw motorcycle enthusiasts from beyond Western New York, he said.

As organizer, Toromino said, he would provide portable restroom facilities and security inside the park. The only commitments the city would need to make is traffic control and any other law enforcement presence outside the River Road gates.

Toromino presented a specific plan for the site, including how traffic would be routed into and out of the park, parking and vendor areas and locations for tents and a stage.

The event, heading into its seventh year, has previously been held at various locations, including The Summit mall, the Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls and the McKinley Mall.

The Council took no action on the proposal Tuesday.

In other matters:

The Council voted unanimously to have the city submit an energy-efficiency grant application to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Ram Shrivastava, of Larsen Engineers in Rochester, outlined the steps the city could take to obtain up to $30,000 in funding to study ways to reduce energy costs.

There would be no cost for the city to have the engineering firm submit the application, which is due next Wednesday, Shrivastava said. The city would likely then issue a request for qualifications to firms interested in pursuing any projects that would be undertaken after the study is completed.

Members of Chapter 77, Vietnam Veterans of America, presented a proposal to build a new monument in Raymond Klimek Veterans Park. Group members said they plan to raise $50,000 for the monument, which would honor all men and women who served during the Vietnam era, 1961 to 1975. Members want permission from the city to construct the memorial there before they move forward with plans.