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Minutes 08-07-13 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS AD HOC COMMITTEE EI HELD ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013, AT 6:30 P.M., IN THE CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON EACH, FLORIDA Present: Elliott Williams, Chair Brad Sevaldson James Guilbeault, Vice Chair Michele Costantino, Alt Absent: Wyn Yelin 1. Call to order The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. II. Welcome Chair Williams welcomed all to the meeting. Also present was Wally Majors, Director, Recreation and Parks Department. III Approval Agenda, Additions or Deletions Chair Williams requested hearing from Mr. Majors under Old Business Item 5A. Motion Ms. Costantino moved to approve the agenda as amended. Mr. Guilbeault seconded the motion that unanimously passed. IV Approval of June 5, 2013 Minutes Motion Ms. Costantino moved to approve. Mr. Guilbeault seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 V. Old /New Business Matters A. International Pepper Festival (Next Year's Event) Chair Williams announced Mr. Majors was present to discuss a location for the event at Ocean Avenue or Intracoastal Park, tentatively scheduled for March 8 th and 9 or March 15 and 16 th . Mr. Majors explained the challenge with Intracoastal Park was there are residents on either side of the Park. Music past a certain time could be problematic, although it was hoped that after 9:30 or 10 p.m., any event music would cease. In terms of the general public using the Park, no amplified music is allowed. For a City event, the Department would work with the Committee and be fair and sensitive to all. Mr. Majors commented they held the Fourth of July festival there. Intracoastal Park accommodated 3,000 to 4,000 individuals and there were no complaints. However, the Department did receive complaints from residents about the Food Trucks at Boat Club Park. In terms of vendor space and parking, Mr. Majors explained the western portion of Intracoastal Park was intended for overflow parking and could accommodate three rows of cars. Police would direct traffic from the road and a staff member could direct the parking inside the Park. It was important to have someone monitor the vehicles to ensure cars could safely enter and leave. Tastings and cook -offs could occur under the pavilions and other vendors could set up between them. There was also space for a stage. Chair Williams noted at Oyer Park they used the amphitheater for a stage. Mr. Majors explained the City previously had a stage, but it was used twice per year and the return on investment was minimal. It takes four to six people to set it up and break it down, plus they had to get speakers. They had to cover the cost of items the City did not have and pointed out it was more cost effective to rent one. He suggested those types of suppliers could be in -kind sponsors, and Pepsi and Coke generally want exposure and could be sponsors. If Intracoastal Park is selected, Boat Club Park could be used for overflow parking. Mr. Majors acknowledged people fish there, but it could provide relief depending on the time and day of the event. It could easily provide another 40 to 50 parking spots for the event, but it is packed on the weekends. The City paid to charter two buses to shuttle attendees from Boynton Beach High School and City Hall to Intracoastal Park for the Fourth of July which was not overly expensive, but it was a cost. Next year, they would need more as there is a mass exodus. Mr. Majors thought this event would be different as individuals would be going in and out throughout the day. He agreed Intracoastal Park is a beautiful venue, and he suggested once the event is more organized, the Committee contact the City. 2 Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 The City holds courtesy pre - submittal meetings to receive feedback and whether an alternative plan is needed. Departments can provide an idea of how many Police Officers would be needed, and whether they would need Fire /Rescue personnel. Generally, if more than 500 people attend, safety personnel are required. Since the event would serve alcohol, the number of Police would double. If the Committee can find a volunteer paramedic or certified first responder, they may be able to be used. The Police Department will also indicate if uniformed Police Officers can be augmented with security personnel. The cost of a Police Officer is between $30 and $50 an hour. Chair Williams explained if using Wackenhut, it can be expensive and he preferred to give the money to the City. Mr. Majors pointed out the first year of any event is a challenge and the Committee should plan for the crowd they think they will attract. After that, the Committee can build on it. If it draws a few hundred people, the Committee will have done well. The first year is always difficult to implement. Chair Williams explained the Committee was trying to hold events in Boynton Beach and was contemplating Intracoastal Park and the City's Branding Initiative, but recognized it may be more effective to hold the event at Oyer Park on Ocean Avenue. He inquired which location would be better. Mr. Majors commented one cannot compete with the waterfront and the City is a waterfront and fishing community. When one thinks of Florida, one thinks of sunshine and water. Alternatively, they held the GALA on Ocean Avenue for many years, and it was highly successful. Vice Chair Guilbeault thought if the Committee was holding a street festival and was trying to emulate Delray Beach, it should be on Ocean Avenue, and in terms of cost, it would be less expensive. He acknowledged Intracoastal Park as one of Boynton Beach's best venues, but if it is a festival, it would have a different theme there, and there would be more of a cost. Mr. Majors explained there would be a cost to close Ocean Avenue as a Police Officer would be needed at each end and barricades could be expensive. Those issues would not be present at Intracoastal Park. He recommended meeting with Recreation and Parks and asking the Police if they can use security guards. That could reduce the cost by about 50 %. Mr. Majors thought Ocean Avenue was appropriate for car shows and those types of events, where water lends itself to more of a tropical theme. Mr. Majors also pointed out the economic impact of special events and that a pending Beer Fest, which is a national event, was under review. He commented the City would do what it can to partner with the presenter to attract people to spend money in Boynton Beach. That event, proposed for February, was still being analyzed. There was discussion if Intracoastal Park were used, parking would upset the nearby residents. Mr. Majors explained residents cannot park on Federal Highway due to the bike lanes. Ms. Costantino inquired if Intracoastal Park could be a suitable location for 3 Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 chili cook -offs and pepper - eating contests. Mr. Guilbeault pointed out the pavilions could be used for those purposes and the room upstairs in the clubhouse could accommodate 125 to 150 people as a VIP area. Again, there would be a cost for personnel and other items. Intracoastal Park has two sets of restrooms available to the general public, and it was thought, for the first year of this event, the facilities already in place would be fine. Chair Williams thanked Mr. Majors for his presentation and explained the Committee was struggling to find an identity. Vice Chair Guilbeault explained he spoke with the City Manager, Lori LaVerriere, and there is no money in the budget for the event this year. She does foresee, down the road, having a full -time special event person. Vice Chair Guilbeault saw the challenge as who would handle the event. The Committee had to make that decision, promulgate a budget and plan, and then determine a direction to move in. This year, St. Vincent's is having their annual event March 7th, 8th and 9 and there was discussion this could work well because the two events are close enough that people could attend both events. Additionally, the Pineapple Fest would take place in Jensen Beach and the next weekend was St. Patrick's Day. There was agreement there will always be scheduling conflicts. Last year when the event was held, one of the casinos held the exact same event on the same weekend. The Committee needed to speak with the Chamber of Commerce to learn whether they would partner with the Committee or the Committee would handle the event on their own. Chair Williams preferred to let the Chamber handle the car show and the Committee handle the Pepper Fest. If the car show was included, Intracoastal Park would not be a good venue and it was agreed there were too many moving parts to make that decision at this time. Vice Chair Guilbeault commented at the last Chamber meeting, there was no discussion about the car show, but it was believed the Chamber would want to be involved with the event any way they could in order to make money. Chair Williams believed to the contrary. Vice Chair Guilbeault thought the two should hold the event together or not at all, and there was general consensus that if the Chamber wanted to add a car show element to the Committee's Pepper Fest, they should sponsor the car show portion and deal with that part of it. If the Chamber wanted to participate, a representative should be sent to the Committee meetings. Set Date: March 8th and 9th, or March 15th and 16 There was consensus the date would be March 8 and 9th. 4 Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 Location: Ocean Avenue — Intracoastal Park The members further discussed the pros and cons of each location and decided to hold the event on Ocean Avenue. The Avenue had been successfully used last year by the CRA for the Pirate Fest and this year, for the pending Pirate Fest and the addition of a new Mermaid Splash. The event would extend into the evening hours and take place from the Civic Center to the Marina. It was suggested the members attend the event to observe how it operated. The members also discussed closing off Federal Highway and continuing the event all the way down to the Marina, but after further contemplation, the members agreed to use Ocean Avenue from Seacrest as far east as possible, but not across Federal Highway. Time (Start/End) 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. At the last meeting, there was agreement to hold the event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Vice Chair Guilbeault suggested ending 7 p.m. may be more appropriate. After brief discussion, the members agreed to hold the event from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Music It was recommended the members start looking for bands and find individual sponsors as it would be helpful to not use all of the funds for music. Funding This item was discussed earlier in the meeting. B. Assign someone to attend Chamber meetings — Jim Guilbeault Vice Chair Guilbeault is a member of the Chamber and agreed to report back with any news about the Chamber's plans for the event. C. Sponsorship Letters (Major /Regular) - Brad Sevaldson Ms. Costantino and Mr. Sevaldson developed a list of potential sponsors which was distributed. A flyer was also created which served as an introduction to the event, a save the date reminder and could lead to sponsorships. Chair Williams commented the maker of Tabasco Sauce sponsors a huge festival in New Orleans. A suggestion was made to compile contact numbers of potential sponsors. The letter must be approved by the City Commission. It was noted Dr. Pepper is a Pepsi product and they usually want exposure. There would be four sponsorship levels ranging from $500 to $5,000. One would be a Stage Sponsor, Pepper- Eating Contest Sponsor, Chili Cook -Off sponsor and a fourth. 5 Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 The Title Sponsor would be at the Habanero Level of $5,000. The Jalapeno Level is $3,000; the Poblano Level was $1,000; and the Bell Level was $500. D. Discuss Presentation for Next Year's Hot Pepper Budget for Commission Meeting - Michele Costantino Ms. Costantino distributed the presentation they used last year. The City Commission was satisfied with the presentation, but recommended the costs be included and where the money was coming from. Ms. Costantino briefly reviewed the presentation as contained in the meeting backup. Local restaurants can participate and the Little House has a micro - brewery as does Due South. Ms. Costantino recommended using as many businesses in Boynton Beach before bringing in outsiders. Vice Chair Guilbeault agreed, but recommended pursuing national sponsors to see if there is interest. An inquiry was made about the cost of the event. Ms. Costantino explained the last information she received from Kathy Biscuiti regarding the cost for the Pirate Fest for one day was $50,000, and they never got the final numbers. She did not think $75K for a two -day event was an under - estimate. Until they sat down and reviewed the items line by line, it was hard to have an actual cost. VI Other Business A. Commission Meeting Chair Williams thought the presentation to the City Commission should include Mr. Sevaldson's letter with the sponsor amount. He recommended the entire Committee attend to make the presentation. He explained most new Commissioners do not know about the Committee. This would be a way to let them know about the Committee and what they are doing. The next meeting was in two weeks. Vice Chair Guilbeault inquired if they wanted to make a presentation before speaking with the Chamber of Commerce and brief dialogue followed the Committee should speak with the Chamber first to ascertain what part of the event they were interested in. Chair Williams recommended speaking to the Commission because Vice Chair Guilbeault had spoken with the City Manager. If the City is not supportive of the Committee, the Chamber can handle the event. Vice Chair Guilbeault explained the members can resign, but the members cannot dissolve the Committee, only Commission can do so. It was important they be aware of the Committee and its efforts. Chair Williams emphasized the new Commissioners were unaware of the Committee's existence. The Committee should either make a presentation to them or invite them to the next meeting. After brief discussion, there was agreement to attend the next 6 Meeting Minutes Special Events Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, FL August 7, 2013 Commission meeting and be heard under Public Audience. It was important the Committee had a presence. Chair Williams did note that the next Committee meeting was on a Jewish Holiday. The members considered whether to change the meeting; however, the members had no issue with the date, and the public does not attend, so they opted to meet on September 4 B. Community Reports: City /CRA Virginia Shea /Kathy Biscuiti It was noted neither Ms. Biscuiti nor Ms. Shea attended the meeting. C. Chairman's Comments VII. Announcements VIII. Adjourn Motion Ms. Costantino moved to adjourn. Mr. Sevaldson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m. � 4)(4"rik.L UULJ Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 082093 7