Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of November 24, 2020
Title
APPROVAL OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF SPECIAL EVENT
LONG-TERM AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH FRIENDS
OF THE PARKS FOR ITS ANNUAL EVENTS INCLUDING:
“PETS IN THE PARK” HELD AT VALLEY PARK; “PUMPKINS IN THE PARK” HELD AT EDITH RODAWAY FRIENDSHIP PARK; AND
“MOVIES AT THE BEACH” HELD SOUTH OF THE PIER
(Community Resources Manager Kelly Orta)
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the commencement of special event long-term agreement negotiations with Friends of the Parks for the following annual events:
• “Pets in the Park” held at Valley Park;
• “Pumpkins in the Park” held at Edith Rodaway Friendship Park; and
• “Movies at the Beach” held on the south side of the Pier.
Body
Executive Summary:
At its January 14, 2020 meeting, the City Council approved the implementation of the special event long-term agreement (LTA) policy pilot program for a three-year period commencing with the 2020 event calendar. Considering the cancellation of events in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council extended the policy’s pilot program by one year, ending with the 2023 event calendar. As part of the approval process for this program, staff received LTA requests from Friends of the Parks for “Pets in the Park” held at Valley Park; “Pumpkins in the Park” held at Edith Rodaway Friendship Park; and “Movies at the Beach” held on the south side of the Pier. The Commission reviewed these applications at its November 5 meeting and recommends to Council the commencement of LTA agreement negotiations with the Friends of the Parks organization for all three events.
Background:
At the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission’s (Commission) regular meeting on December 3, 2019, the Commission recommended to the City Council the approval of the proposed special event LTA Policy to be implemented as a three-year pilot program, scheduled to begin with the 2020 event calendar. Additionally, the Commission recommended that the City Council affirm and request that the Commission review and provide an update on the policy in two years, in advance of entering into the pilot program’s third and final year. The City Council formally approved the Commission’s recommended policy (Attachment 1) and subsequent review at its regular meeting on January 14, 2020. The following additional actions were included in the Council’s motion:
• Include “Pets in the Park” and “Pumpkins in the Park” as part of the agreement process; and
• Allow LTA’s for the following events to be handled administratively by staff:
o “Spyder Surf Fest”
o “Hearts of Hermosa”
o “AVP”
An agreement for the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation’s “Hearts of Hermosa” was approved by the Council on March 10, 2020 for its event scheduled for Saturday, March 21. Additionally, the “Spyder Surf Fest” agreement was approved by the Council on March 24, 2020 for its event scheduled for Saturday, April 25. Unfortunately, both events were cancelled due to COVID-19 precautionary measures and consistent with the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s health orders. An agreement for the “AVP” event is currently being developed.
Considering the cancellation of large gatherings and events in 2020, the Council, at its October 27, 2020, meeting approved the Commission’s recommendation to extend the special event LTA policy pilot program by one year, thus having the Commission review the policy in 2022 instead of in 2021. The three-year policy pilot program would then be completed in 2023, at which time the Commission would recommend its permanent implementation or modifications.
At the Council’s meeting on October 27, it also approved the commencement of special event long-term agreement negotiations from the Best Day Foundation for its “Beach Day” event held on the beach south of the Pier; the Arts Group of Hermosa Beach for its “Fine Arts Festival” on the Community Center lawn; and Shakespeare by the Sea’s live performances held at Valley Park.
At the Commission’s meeting on November 5, 2020, it reviewed LTA requests from Friends of the Parks for “Pets in the Park” held at Valley Park; “Pumpkins in the Park” held at Edith Rodaway Friendship Park; and “Movies at the Beach” held on the south side of the Pier. Following its deliberations and review of each event’s application, the Commission recommends the commencement of LTA negotiations for these events consistent with the special event LTA policy.
Discussion
Staff began accepting LTA applications for special events that meet the eligibility requirements on September 17, 2020 under the assumption that events would be permissible in 2021. In addition to completing the application, each event producer was required to submit a corresponding letter that addresses how the organization or event qualifies for each of the eligibility requirements, which includes the following:
“To be eligible for consideration of a long-term agreement, an organization must satisfactorily meet at least three of the following qualifiers:
• Its event must qualify as an Impact Level II or III (per the Impact Worksheet), and at least one of the following:
o Have a combined total of 5,000 people in attendance; or
o Must be at least two (2) consecutive days (including setup and teardown).
• Have held its event in Hermosa Beach for at least three consecutive years and can demonstrate a positive impact to the city including substitutive and measurable economic and community benefits;
• The event must be produced by an organization that serves, involves, and/or promotes Hermosa Beach’s coastal lifestyle, its residents, schools, and/or businesses; and
• The organization or event producer must be able to demonstrate how its programs (outside of those provided at the event) provide a positive impact to the City including enhancements to quality of life to the Hermosa Beach community; or the offering of recreational, cultural, social, and/or educational activities of interest to the community.
A total of three LTA applications were received and reviewed from Friends of the Parks (FOP) by the Commission at its November 5 meeting. As required in the LTA policy, the Commission reviews and provides a recommendation to the City Council on whether it believes the City should enter into an LTA with a specific event producer or organization. If the Council affirms Commission’s recommendation to proceed, staff would begin negotiating with the organization and return to the Council for formal adoption of the final agreement.
Included in Table 1 are FOP’s date requests for those annual events it requests consideration of entering into an LTA beginning in 2021.
Table 1: Friends of the Parks Requested Event Days Through 2023
Requested dates are not confirmed at this phase of review but would be part of the negotiation process if approved by the Council to proceed. Dates are being provided for informational purposes only and are consistent with each organization’s event dates held in previous years, excluding those for “Movies at the Beach”. FOP representatives are requesting consideration to move that series of events to September, which would be a few weeks later than its traditional dates in August.
Event Information
“Pets in the Park”
FOP would like to enter into an LTA to hold its annual “Pets in the Park” event at Valley Park. This event is a signature event of the organization and is focused on encouraging and educating responsible pet ownership for Hermosa Beach residents. “Pets in the Park” is for all ages with an estimated attendance of approximately 400 participants and 400 spectators each year. It includes activities, exhibitors, and a pet parade. Additional event details and the organization’s justification for meeting the eligibility criteria are included in its LTA application and supplemental letter included as Attachment 2.
“Pumpkins in the Park”
FOP would like to enter into an LTA to hold its annual “Pumpkins in the Park” at Edith Rodaway Friendship Park. This all-ages holiday event includes Halloween-themed activities including face painting, games, pumpkin decorating, a puppet show and a photobooth. “Pumpkins in the Park” is attended by approximately 175 participants and 25 spectators each year. Additional event details and the organization’s justification for meeting the eligibility criteria are included in its LTA application and supplemental letter included as Attachment 3.
“Movies at the Beach”
FOP would like to enter into an LTA to hold its annual “Movies at the Beach” in the sand area just south of the Pier. “Movies at the Beach” includes free movie screenings on the beach for the community and is intended to be a fundraising event for the organization. At this time, FOP Is requesting to hold the event in the fall, which is a little later in the year than the event was traditionally held. As previously noted, the dates are not formalized during this stage of review and will be confirmed during the negotiations process. The event expects up to 2,000 in attendance. Additional event details and the organization’s justification for meeting the eligibility criteria are included in its LTA application and supplemental letter included as Attachment 4.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendation have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance Element
Goal 1. A high degree of transparency and integrity in the decision-making process.
Policies:
• 1.6 Long-term considerations. Prioritize decisions that provide long-term community benefit and discourage decisions that provide short-term community benefit but reduce long-term opportunities.
Parks and Open Space Element
Goal 3. Community parks and facilities encourage social activity and interaction.
Policies:
• 3.1 Community-friendly events. Encourage, permit, and support community group, nonprofit, or business organized events on City property that support physical activity, beach culture, and family-friendly social interactions.
• 3.2 Social and cultural events. Design and program parks and open space to accommodate unique social and cultural events to foster connectedness and interaction.
• 3.3 Commercial use of facilities. Regulate and enforce commercial use of City parks and open spaces to ensure activities do not impact general use and enjoyment.
Goal 8. Special events at the beach are balanced to support community recreation and economic development without restricting coastal access or impacting the community.
Policies:
• 8.3 Community-focused events. Prioritize the approval of special events that enhance the sense of community, improve economic vitality, and foster a healthy environment and active lifestyles.
• 8.4 Family-focused events. Prioritize events that appeal to a wide segment of community members.
Fiscal Impact:
At this time, there is no known fiscal impact associated with this action. Special event fees are negotiated as part of each agreement, but those impacts are not known until the commencement of negotiations.
Attachments
1. Long-term Agreement Policy
2. “Pets in the Park” Long-term Agreement Application
3. “Pumpkins in the Park” Long-term Agreement Application
4. “Movies at the Beach” Long-term Agreement Application
Respectfully Submitted by: Kelly Orta, Community Resources Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager