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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2017 1220 CCSA REG ITEM 09B ITEM 9.B. ./t47, 0 --a0P7 MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AC"HC; AGENDA REPORT _ - EY: TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Jeremy Laurentowski, Parks and Recreation Director.,L— PREPARED BY: Stephanie Anderson, Recreation Services Manager DATE: December 7, 2017 (Meeting of December 20, 2017) SUBJECT: Consider Moorpark Multicultural Festival BACKGROUND For nine years, from 2007 through 2015, the City of Moorpark held the annual Moorpark Arts Festival. However, the history of the Moorpark Arts Festival is unclear. Local historians reference its origin as sometime between 1930 and the 1960's. Although it is unclear when it began, the event was an important part of Moorpark's history, established well before the City incorporated in 1983. After many years of variable success, the event was cancelled. In 2003 the festival was revived by a committee of local volunteers. The event was held in October in conjunction with the Ventura County Arts Council's Arts Week. Event activities were located at multiple venues in the Civic Center and on High Street, In 2007, the City Council expressed a desire to rekindle the event and directed City staff to assume responsibility for the continued planning, staffing and general organization of the festival. The event was moved from October to May due to conflicts with other City events, and moved again in 2009 from May to April in order to avoid competition with other arts-related events in east Ventura County. From 2007 through 2010, the event was coordinated by the Active Adult Center Supervisor with assistance from Recreation Division staff. In 2011, the Recreation Division assumed full responsibility for coordinating the event. In 2012, the entire event was moved to High Street to consolidate the event venue. For the past few years, activities at the Arts Festival have included art exhibitions (adult and youth), a craft fair, hands-on art activities, food booths, and live performances. 2 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 2 For a variety of factors, including declining attendance at the event, difficulty securing artists to participate, and full-time staff vacancies in the Recreation Division, the 2016 and 2017 events were cancelled. DISCUSSION As the only City sponsored event focused primarily on celebrating the arts, the Moorpark Arts Festival was an important program to the City. Staff desires to bring the festival back in some form, in order to continue to have an event that celebrates creativity and the arts. As mentioned above, vacancies in full-time staff positions in the Recreation Division contributed to the cancellation of the 2016 and 2017 Arts Festival events. At this time, the Recreation Division is fully staffed and the Division intends to reinstate an event celebrating the arts. The 2017/2018 fiscal year budget includes $4,000.00 in the line item for an arts festival. Additionally, $1,000.00 is budgeted for police services for the street closure for the event, and 56 hours (estimated cost $724.00) are budget for part-time staff to work on the day of the event. In order to reinstate some type of arts celebration, the event concept must be clear so planning can begin. Additionally, the factors other than the staffing which contributed to the Arts Festival's cancellation must be considered and addressed. Due to the low participation of fine art vendors over the last five years that the Arts Festival was held, staff believes that the fine art community in Moorpark is limited, or they are unwilling to participate in the event for unknown reasons. In an effort to appeal to a broader section of the creative community, hand-made arts and crafts vendors were also accepted during the last five years of the Arts Festival. This too had limited success, peaking at 34 vendors in 2014. The event's attendance, revenue, and participation history is below: tvloorparkArts Festival 2011 2012 2013 2014 215 4 Attendees 1500 3000 3500 2000 1835 Income $ 1,020.00 $ 2,310.00 $ 1,700.00 $2,900 $ 2,195.00 Gross Profit/Loss $ (3,144.00) $ (814.00) $ (945.00) $ (849.00) $ (706.00) Net Profit/Loss $(10,148.00) $(11,080.00) $(13,614.00) $ (7,369.00) $ (10,641.00) Arts&Crafts Vendors 13 23 28 34 28 Fine Art Exhibitors* 12 13 15 13 10 Youth Art from Schools** 200 400 600 185 100 *Not including Gourd Art **Estimated In addition to the limited scope, and therefore limited appeal, of the Arts Festival to the Moorpark demographic, staff presented other areas that needed consideration in order to revitalize or reinvent the event in the 2015 staff report to City Council requesting 3 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 3 cancellation of the 2016 Arts Festival. These areas as described in the 2015 staff report included the location, schedule, and expansion of the event. On October 2, 2017, staff presented a report to the Parks and Recreation Commission describing reinstatement of, and alternatives to, the Moorpark Arts Festival. Staff requested feedback from the Parks and Recreation Commission regarding the event. A report was also presented to the Arts Commission on November 29, 2017. Some of the ideas and alternatives for the Arts Festival that were presented to the commissions by staff included: 1) Maintaining the core concept of a fine arts festival, and working to increase interest and participation in the event. 2) Expanding the concept to include a celebration of creativity in general. For example, the Pittsburgh Technology Council hosts a festival called CREATE!, which is a creative industries event celebrating innovation and creativity. It includes elements of art, music, design, and technology. 3) Broadening the appeal of the event by transforming it into a cultural arts festival. A cultural arts festival could include many of the elements of the current Arts Festival, such as craft vendors, art displays, music, dance, and food vendors, but may be more appealing to a broader demographic. Staff recommended option 3, a cultural arts festival. Other staff recommendations included scheduling the event in May 2018, retaining the High Street location, and naming the event the "Moorpark Multicultural Festival." When making the above recommendations to the commissions, staff considered several factors relating to the event concept, schedule, location, and name. These factors are described below. Event Concept: One consideration regarding the recommendation for the type of the event included analyzing past similar events the City has offered. In 1995 and 1996, the City sponsored a multicultural event called World Fest at the Arroyo Vista Community Park. The event was held in May and included a Worldfest Bazaar (a marketplace of vendors offering unique and unusual items), International Food Fair (food vendors offering exotic and popular cuisine), Children's Worldfest Art Festival (display of youth art from local schools), and a Children's Corner (attractions and carnival games) and well as live performances including music, dance, and a puppet show. Although "embraced by the community through donations, performances, attendance, and volunteerism" (as stated in the June 5, 1995 Parks and Recreation Commission staff report), the event was cancelled after two years, primarily because of stagnant attendance attributed to too many competing events in May. From 1993 through 2000, the City sponsored a craft boutique in November, the Holiday Craft Faire, at the Arroyo Vista Community Park. The event included arts and craft vendors, live performances by local musicians and dance groups, and opportunity drawings for door prizes. In 2001, the name was changed to "Arts in the Park" in an attempt to expand the event and increase the focus on the arts. A teen photo contest and sidewalk chalk art component were added to the event. However,-these changes resulted in a significant decrease in 4 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 4 attendance, and the event was canceled after two years as "Arts in the Park". As already described in this report, from 2007 to 2015 the City held the Arts Festival which was canceled in 2016 and 2017 for a variety of factors including declining attendance and lack of participation by artists. Another consideration for the event concept was current trends in community events. Currently, cultural arts events appear to be popular in our area, while fine arts festivals have declined. Staff has recently contacted the City of Thousand Oaks and the City of Simi Valley regarding the fine arts festivals planned in prior years in these cities. Staff was informed that fine arts festivals will not be held in either city in 2018. This indicates that other agencies are also having difficulty maintaining successful fine arts events. In addition to the above considerations, staff feels that a cultural arts festival will appeal to a broader audience than a fine arts festival, while still allowing a focus on art, music and dance. Food vendors could be enhanced to feature specific ethnic cuisines. Other activities could include genealogy booths, informational booths from local cultural organizations, and a children's area featuring games and crafts from around the world. Therefore, staff recommended the event concept be a broader cultural arts festival, rather than a more limited fine arts festival. Event Date: When considering the recommendation for selecting a date for the event, staff considered other large-scale events that are held in the area. Community events currently held in the Moorpark area in the calendar year 2018 include the following (some dates are tentative): February 3 Groundhog Day Run, Moorpark High School March 17 & 18 Civil War Reenactment, north of Moorpark Post Office March 23 Moorpark Has Talent, High Street Arts Center March 31 Easter Egg Hunt, Arroyo Vista Community Park • May 5 Relay for Life, Arroyo Vista Community Park July 3 Fireworks Extravaganza, Arroyo Vista Community Park October 1-31 Harvest Festival, Underwood Farms October 6 Country Days, High Street October 7 Mammoth Run, Mammoth Highlands Park October 31 Haunted High Street, High Street December 15 Breakfast With Santa, Arroyo Vista Recreation Center Additionally, a number of successful cultural arts, multicultural, and ethnic festivals are currently held in the area, including the following: 5 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 5 F 4 " ; Location Montle' Day(sj ,"_ 44447Ortfe Cajun Festival Rancho Santa SusanaPark May Saturday,Sunday $20.00-$35.00 Children's Multicultural Bookfest Camarillo Community Center November Saturday Free Cultural Arts Festival Oxnard Performing Arts Center August Saturday Free Multicultural Day Moorpark College April Tuesday Free Oxnard Multicultural Festival Plaza Park,Oxnard October Saturday Free Salsa Festival Plaza Park,Oxnard July Saturday,Sunday Free,Concerts$5.00 Scandinavian Autumnfest Vasa Park,Agoura Hills October Sunday $10 Scandinavian Festival California Lutheran University April Saturday,Sunday $5.00-$10.00 Seaside Highland Games Ventura County Fairgrounds October Friday,Saturday,Sunday $5.00-$20.00 Ventura County Greek Festival Camarillo Airport June Friday,Saturday,Sunday $3.00 Based on the current large-scale events held in Moorpark, as well as cultural events held here and in nearby communities, staff recommended keeping the event in the spring and scheduling it in May. Staff had originally considered the first Saturday in May (May 5, 2018), however, this date would conflict with Relay for Life, as well as a performance already scheduled at the High Street Arts Center. Staff recommends the third Saturday in May (May 19) as the 2018 event date. This date would avoid conflicts with other cultural arts festivals or any currently scheduled City-sponsored or other large community events. Event Location: Another area to be addressed for a reinstatement of the festival is location. Although holding the Arts Festival on High Street resulted in logistical challenges, as well as additional costs and staff time, the City continues to support Moorpark's historic downtown area. The Recreation Division's newest event, Haunted High Street, was held on High Street on October 31. This event was a huge success, with approximately 4,500 people attending. With the focus shifted from the fine arts to a broader range of activities at a cultural arts festival, which could include food and craft vendors, music, dance, interactive activities, as well as maintaining a fine arts presence, staff believes High Street would be an excellent venue for such an event. Therefore, staff recommended holding the event on High Street. Event Name: The final area of consideration is an event name. Suggestions for names presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Arts Commission included: • Moorpark Cultural Arts Festival • Moorpark Multicultural Festival • Wonders of the World Cultural Arts Festival • World Flavors Festival • Eat to the Beat Art, Music, and Food Fair 6 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 6 Staff recommended "Moorpark Multicultural Festival". The name is concise and relates specifically to the theme of the event. The Parks and Recreation Commission supported staffs recommendations for a Moorpark Multicultural Festival on High Street in May 2018. Suggestions and feedback from the Parks and Recreation Commission included: • Include a car show • Take advantage of the May 5, 2018 date (Cinco De Mayo) to highlight the multicultural theme • Homebrew sampling • Include culinary arts, and reach out to local restaurants to participate. • "Food Garden" where attendees buy tickets to sample food • Invite dance schools to participate • Involve local schools • Contact local volunteer organizations to enhance community collaboration • Involve the Arts Commission in event planning On November 29, 2017, a report was presented to the Arts Commission requesting their feedback. Suggestions and feedback from the Arts Commission included: • Include "Arts" in the event name, and name the event the Moorpark Multicultural Arts Festival. • Locate the event on High Street • Retain a fine-art component to the event • Include a sidewalk chalk art components; sell squares to businesses and have an area for youth to draw • Include youth art to increase event attendance • Include food trucks that serve cultural/ethnic food • Locate a car show across from the post office; include cars with decorative artwork • Do not allow/include beer or alcohol at the event as this may change the nature of the event • Possible expand to two days • Have lead-up events in local shopping centers culminating in the main event on High Street • Promote the event outside of the Moorpark community to increase participation The Arts Commission supported staffs recommendations for the event, with the condition of changing the name to "Moorpark Multicultural Arts Festival", and recommended the event be presented to the City Council. Although the Arts Commission recommended an alternative name, staff continues to recommend "Moorpark Multicultural Festival" as the event name. Adding the word "Arts" to "Moorpark Multicultural Festival" makes the title rather cumbersome. Although "Arts" 7 Moorpark City Council December 20, 2017 Page 7 would not be included in the event name, fine art components would still be included as components of the event. In summary, staff recommends implementing a cultural arts festival titled the "Moorpark Multicultural Festival". The event will be located on High Street and held in May. The event will include a variety of components including food, music, dance, art, and children's activities. Specific event plans and details will be developed by staff in accordance with community interests and involvement. FISCAL IMPACT As mentioned earlier in this report, funds are currently budgeted for an arts festival. The minimum cost recovery requirement for this type of program per the City's Recreation and Active Adult Programs and Services Cost Recovery Policy is 25% of direct costs. It is expected that this event will be able to meet its' minimum cost recovery requirement. A summary of the event budget, estimated direct costs, and estimated revenue is below. In addition to direct costs, it is anticipated that approximately 300 full-time staff hours will be dedicated to planning and coordinating the event. Moorpark Multicultual Festival Budget Estimated Direct Expenses Estimated Revenue Arts Festival Supplies $ 4,000.00 Road Closure* $ 1,200.00 Sponsorships $ 2,500.00 Police Costs $ 1,000.00 Marketing $ 1,500.00 Food Vendor Fees $ 500.00 Part-Time Staff $ 724.00 Supplies&Equipment $ 1,550.00 Craft Vendor Fees $ 2,000.00 Permits&Sanitation $ 750.00 Part-Time Staff $ 724.00 TOTAL $ 5,724.00 TOTAL $ 5,724.00 TOTAL $ 5,000.00 *Includes police and public works staff overtime. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve implementation of a cultural arts festival, titled the "Moorpark Multicultural Festival" to be held on High Street on May 19, 2018. • • 8