Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: June 26, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Sanchez, Director of Community Development Subject: Heritage Days Midsummer Fiesta 2024 Special Event Permit, Street Closure
BACKGROUND
The Camarillo Old Town Association (COTA) was established in 2009 and is an organization of businesses and property owners in the Camarillo Old Town business district, including area residents and stakeholders. The organization strives to improve economic vitality and enhance the neighborhood's reputation as a vibrant, friendly, clean, and exciting place to attend performances, dine, shop, and invest in business opportunities and properties.
In April, COTA submitted a complete Special Event Permit to host the Third Annual Old Town Heritage Days festival. The proposed event will include a street fair, car show, carnival, concert, live art, and food trucks. It is proposed that the event will commence on the evening of Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in the parking lot and grounds at the Studio Channel Island Art Studios (SCIArt) / former courthouse building (courthouse). The event would continue with this footprint on Thursday and Friday. Starting Saturday, July 13, 2024, the celebration would continue with the carnival and entertainment plus the footprint would expand into Ventura Boulevard requiring street closure.
Staff has worked with COTA and has held numerous meetings to discuss the event’s proposed footprint, traffic control and safety measures, waste management, and other location specific logistics.
DISCUSSION
COTA has submitted an application for the event and the request was circulated to various agencies and departments for review. The request, along with the recommended permit conditions, is being presented to the City Council for consideration.
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Some notable changes from previous iterations of the event include an expansion of the event footprint during the Saturday and Sunday dates, the carnival will have a larger setup within the SCIArt and courthouse property, a one night only bingo contest will be held on July 11, 2024 within the beer garden, and the car show will be relocated to the Arneill Road bridge during the road closures.
Event Schedule – The proposed hours and activities for each day are as follows:
Wednesday, July 10th from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
•Carnival (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
Thursday, July 11th from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
•Carnival (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Bingo.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
Friday, July 12th from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concert.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•Live Art Display.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
•Saturday, July 13th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concerts – Main stage and American Pie Records stage.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
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•Live art displays.
•Car show – On Arneill Road overpass.
•Non-food vendors - Street closures starting at 5 a.m.
•Historical Exhibit.
Sunday, July 14th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concerts – Main stage and American Pie Records stage.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•Live art displays.
•Car show – On Arneill Road overpass.
•Non-food vendors – Streets re-open at 11 p.m. following cleanup. •Historical Exhibit.
Event Activities & Entertainment
The carnival will be located in the parking lots of the old courthouse and SCIArt, as well as within the campus of SCIArt. The carnival operator (Kastl Amusements) is under contract with COTA and is applying for a separate permit. Additionally, live art will be on display within the SCIArt campus and visitors can watch artists create temporary murals based on historical images of Camarillo that will be removed at the conclusion of the event.
Beginning on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, all public parking spaces on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir Street and Elm Street will be closed to accommodate food vendors during the event. Complimenting this will be a small stage occupying 4 parking stalls on the north side of Ventura Boulevard that will be placed in front of American Pie Records and provide live entertainment. Additionally, Ventura Boulevard between Fir Street and Palm Drive and the southbound lanes of the Arneill Road overpass will close starting at 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024, until 11 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2024. This area will be used for the street fair and will be set up with a variety of vendors, including local businesses. The Arneill Road overpass will also host a car show during the road closures. A single lane from the Lewis Road off-ramp to Arneill Road and across the overpass will be maintained.
COTA has submitted a separate Special Event Permit Application for a beer garden within the entire fenced, grassy area behind the courthouse on SCIArt’s property. The beer garden will have a main stage for live entertainment and each night’s entertainment will be focused around a different locally relevant cultural style. Additionally, there will be food trucks, two beer and wine serving areas, and four large tents encompassing seating/consumption areas. Alcohol consumption at Heritage Days will be restricted to within the beer garden area and access in and out of the beer garden will be strictly monitored. For initial access into the area, participants must provide ID and be 21 years of age or older and will receive a colored wristband. The wristbands will be a different Heritage Days Midsummer Fiesta 2024
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color each day. ID checks will also be done at the point of sale. As part of the recommended conditions of approval for the Special Event Permit, the applicant will be required to provide security at the event to verify that alcohol is not sold to minors and to monitor the entrances and exits to the beer and wine service area. The beer garden hours mirror those of Heritage Days.
On July 11, 2024, there will be a bingo competition and fund raiser sponsored by SciArts from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. within one of the tents in the beer garden. On July 13, 2024, there will be a touch-a-truck event sponsored by the Ventura County Sherriff Office on the southern part of the grass field within the beer garden as part of their outreach program.
The applicant was required to provide insurance naming the City as an additional insured for this event area.
Historical Tent
On July 13 and July 14, 2024, the Pleasant Valley Historical Society will be hosting a historical exhibit commemorating the history of Camarillo within the road closure area near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Arneill Road.
Street Closures
Approval is requested for street closures for two days only: Saturday, July 13th, and Sunday, July 14 th, 2024, on Ventura Boulevard from Glenn Drive to Fir Street and the southbound lanes of the Arneill Road Bridge over the 101 Freeway. There will be no street closures from Wednesday through Friday evening. The proposed street closures expand on last year's event, extending the closure to Palm Drive. This footprint is consistent with street closures for previous events of this size held in Camarillo Old Town. The closures include traffic control and barricades for the security of attendees. A Public Safety Plan has been submitted and approved by the Fire Department.
Parking
Due to the carnival and street closure, 205 public parking spaces will become inaccessible. The applicant has signed a contract with the property owner of Harley Bowl to allow the use of the 140 parking spaces located south of the bowling alley. From this location, attendees can walk to the event in Old Town. Additionally, the Metrolink parking lot can accommodate some of the demand generated by the event, and street parking in and around Camarillo Old Town will absorb the remainder. Additionally, the advertisement (Attachment 7) recommends taking the Metrolink to the event.
Recommended Conditions of Approval
Staff has met with the applicant to review the permit and recommended conditions that will address challenges associated with large events of this nature that have taken place in the past in Camarillo Old Town. As is always the practice, all vendors must provide Certificates of Insurance to COTA but will not need to provide endorsement forms. COTA Heritage Days Midsummer Fiesta 2024
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and the carnival operator have submitted complete Certificates of Insurance and endorsement forms to the City naming the City as additional insured. The recommended conditions of approval are attached.
Banners
Eight off-site banners have been proposed for this event at local Camarillo schools including Monte Vista and Las Colinas Middle Schools, Camarillo Heights STEM Academy, Pleasant Valley School of Engineering and Arts, Los Primeros School of Sciences and Arts, and Las Posas, Rancho Rosal, and Tierra Linda Elementary School.
Carnival Operator
Kastl Amusements will operate the carnival and has submitted a Special Event Permit application that has been processed.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for in-kind services from numerous City departments and the Sheriff's department with an estimated cost of $43,300 will be included in the FY2024/25 General Fund budget, Account No. 101-4500-469.46-41.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Authorize issuance of a Special Event Permit for the 2024 Old Town Heritage Days, including street closures on Ventura Boulevard from Palm Drive to Fir Street on Saturday, July 13, 2024, and Sunday, July 14, 2024.
2. Allow COTA to operate a beer and wine service area behind the courthouse.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Special Event Permit Application
2. Draft Conditions of Approval
3. Event Organization
4. Site Plans
5. Public Safety Plan
6. Traffic Control Plan
7. Advertisement
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None