HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1995 0517 CC REG ITEM 11IITEM�1•�.•_
CITY OF MOORPARK
COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM t
�s k
TO: The Honorable City Council ,?r
FROM: Christine Adams, Director of Community Servic t�
DATE: May 5, 1995 (Meeting of May 17, 1995)
SUBJECT: Consider Fourth of July Fireworks Proaram.
Staff met with Debi Ryono, Editor )f the Moorpark News
Mirror, Jack Phillips, Marketin( DLrect.or for the newspaper,
Vishna Herrity from M.U.S.-I) {District), on April 28,
regarding the possibility )f ne c'-y having a fireworks
show.
Mr. Phillips recommended that. z fireworks show be held on
Monday, July 3, as this will COS° -, less than a show on the 4th
itself. A good show on the 3rd ccu - -i cost about $16,000.
This was clarified at a second meeting on May 5, that the
total cost for a good show wo i:_d >nly, be $8,000. The
proposed show would be an aeria.� show Dnly, with no firework
displays on the ground, nor an.,,, accompanying music. These
extra features cost a. great deg'. more
The newspaper is proposing that r-ne var:Lous agencies in town
(City, District, Chamber, servi..e clubs, businesses) combine
available budget money together ind the newspaper would match
that up to $7,800. In -kind r(Ittributions such as facility
use can also be considered par' r Fl-r match.
Currently, the City does not 1 rf- a b.xdget for this type of
program, and in the event tha ': fund`, were collected from
other sources, there would st- be ^:he costs of fire and
police for security / safety :r � : -as on.s The cost for police
services for Country Days s approxi_mately $4,000, and it
would be estimated that secur would be about the
same amount for a fireworks prc r -a rr .
The District is interested in .3� -tieing as a co- sponsor of this
event. The Superintendent of: S i()cis 1.as informed staff that
the District would be will nc; t pr:: vide use of the high
school facility (parking to °_s, an3 sr._.adium) at no cost, as
their contribution, Finan _ i c,orit r:ibut ions from the
District have not been determ i � at ' a1 i_s time.
The District has expressed i _)icecn. over the liability
insurance coverage for an ev( -.r, like this. The $5,000,000
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policy required of the pyrotechnics company covers any
mishaps caused by the fireworks, but does not cover the event
itself. If the event were .o be held at Arroyo Vista
Community Park, the City's special event insurance coverage
could be used. This coverage wool d not apply if the event
were held at the high school. the insurance for the 4th of
July fireworks sponsored severa Tears ago by the Chamber of
Commerce was $600.00.
That event, held in 1990, did not recover all of the direct
costs for the fireworks show,, even though admission was
charged, because the estimated. attendance was less than
anticipated. Residents were cY,arged between $5 and $3 for
admission to the stadium at the old �iigh school, where the
event was held. In addition is fi,.reworks, there was a
variety of entertainment tc at: i act: �;)eople to come to the
location where the fireworks were he: lit.
The High School marching band nd az,z band were contacted
regarding the possibility of -i performance prior to the
fireworks show on the 3rd, but ne -e ; no formal commitment
at this time.
The recommendation from those ii attendance at the meeting is
to not charge an admission fee; bu-. tc, pay for the fireworks
and the associated administrati�J costs through contributions
from the participating agenc -,.es and. donations from the
community. Without an entertainment program preceeding the
fireworks show, residents would p(D;s:ik:)l.y be more inclined to
stay near their homes and wat.c l rh,� show.
The Chamber of Commerce ma_, t,e vvi lling to sign the
contractural agreement with the pyrote +:_,hnics company. It was
suggested by the newspaper that the insurance costs (unknown
at this time) be divided bet weei, Y-e City, the School
District and the Chamber of _-omr,e -1 V= .
Since the meeting of April 28,
ne newspaper staff have been
soliciting support for a firewcr.kE
event., and have received
verbal support from the Rot ark
' _ub, Chamber of Commerce,
G.I. Rubbish, Messenger Deve.1
7pme1-1t; and the Knights of
Columbus. All contacted ind:i(
it E =d that their business or
organization would be able to t
r o� , ide support in the way of
money, in -kind donations, and /oi
- vclunteer labor, There were
no commitments to specified doi:zz
amounts, but the newspaper
staff feel that the combined
contributions could
amount to approximately $2, (i(�
. Tl, s would not even be
enough to fund the necessary n1,_U
c, )er: c;;f. sheriff's deputies and
fire department personnel for t
i. � " 7(:, > :._ng activity.
There was discussion regardi..i the possibility of local
service and youth organization:: :el'..ing refreshments at the
event, and that each group cc�u i..: t)e cha rged a nominal fee for
participating, whi7h could a:. - F sec' for the matching
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funds. This takes a great al of dime to promote and
coordinate.
The City's role with the proposed Fireworks show would be to
provide facility use, as needed, assist with securing
insurance coverage for the evert, and coordinate the local
organizations who plan to sell -ef:r.eshments. The event
planning would be done by a citizen's committee, including
representation from the City, D..trict, and Chamber; however,
the lead agency would be the overall coordination
and control. The City estimates that ¢_here would be 80 - 100
staff hours dedicated to this ` ,.F,g.. t . the next month and a
half.
The newspaper would provide 'free advertising for the event in
all of their local.. papers, ,n. - ,iditic; to the cash donation
of $7,800 for the fireworks.
Staff estimates that there would be approximately $6,500 in
costs to the City, to include personnel costs for City staff
and Sheriff's departmenr staff exclusive of
overhead /administrative service; :r,3t, and a portion of the
insurance premium costs.
Staff is concerned about the limited amount of time to plan
and develop a fireworks program. __.ty staff are already
committed to the Recreation Celebration program on June 3 and
the Fourth of July Picnic, a;_ well as on -going program
commitments, such as the fi zal Pr� pa: ations for Summer Day
Camp.
In order to provide the C'it} - Dun(:il with an accurate
evaluation of the proposed program merits, staff would need
to have information on the committment of monetary donations,
and a schedule of activities ;,Lnd participants planned in
addtion to the fireworks show. Staff feels that not. enough
information or time is at,ai, f-:� e c effectively plan,
organize and conduct this event
Large events in the City such a ° -he City's 10th Anniversary
events, the Arroyo Vista Grand _)peeing, the annual Halloween
and Easter programs, and Woili Fest --ake a minimum of 6
months to plan. Staff does not t' ee l t t-i.at a month and a half
is adequate to do a capable i C% 41 t h t hd s event.
The Council has appropriated ' -or the 4th of July
Picnic, which is to be co- sponsored k:)y the American Legion
and Shiloh Church. Plans for -_!;Is have been provided to the
City Council and work on this twit;, is proceeding. This
activity would be scheduled carlfss of the fireworks
program on July ?.
The City has already received doaat..Diis towards a Summer
Concerts program for $4,200, wry 1: i Little more than 11/2
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of the needed funds for the corl�erts program. The concerts
program last summer was a series of five (5) individual
Sunday evening musical performances that each lasted 2 hours,
and was funded through a grant from the Achille Levy
Foundation and a donation from Urban West Communities. Each
concert had an estimated attendance of between 500 and 1000
residents. The total cost for a four concert series this
summer is $7,300, which is 1Fss than the funding needed for a
20 minute fireworks show.
If additional City funds can be � -found for a community special
event, staff would recommend that these funds be used for
other activities, such as the Summer Concert Series, or
additional support to the Teen rocjrar
RLCOMMMATION
Consider including funding for Froportyonal contribution for
a July 3 or 4, 1996 event in tl),F- 1995 -ta6 City budget.
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