BACKGROUND:
The Parks and Community Events Commission (PACE) is continually looking for opportunities to support efforts to engage the community and provide awareness of the park resources available here in the City. As part of their charge, the PACE is active in volunteering and supporting community events and related functions.
As part of the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 budget process, the PACE was allocated $6,000 per year to be able to fund all, or portions thereof, up to six small events at parks within the City. This may include services and/or materials, or a combination thereof. Any events initiated to receive this funding would be first vetted by the PACE and once PACE completed a favorable recommendation, the event would be brought before the City Council for approval, typically for approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP).
In the past fiscal year, on October 13, 2021, City Council approved a Special Use Permit (SUP) for Yoga Classes in Cathedral City Community Amphitheater and a budget of up to $2,100 for materials and instructor. The budget covered 13 yoga classes as well as a wireless headset for the instructor, mats and yoga blocks. The free weekly yoga classes were held on Tuesday’s at 10:00am from February through April.
These yoga classes were extremely well received by the community with an average of 50 to 100 people or more in attendance on varying dates. PACE received many accolades for coordinating the event and request that Yoga in the Park be continued this next fiscal year.
DISCUSSION:
As cited above, the Yoga in the Park event was extremely well attended, so well attended that it is proposed to have two sessions back-to-back each week for 2023.
One class for a Gentle Yoga and a second class for Power Yoga. The Gentle Yoga class will serve the people who aren't at the power yoga level.
At the June 7, 2022 meeting of the PACE, consideration for continuing and expanding the weekly yoga classes at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater was presented and submitted by Chairperson Marshall. These free weekly Gentle and Power Yoga classes are proposed to be held on Tuesdays at 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., respectively within the amphitheater from January 10 through March 28 of 2023.
This will make a total of 24 classes for the 12 weeks.
Vice Chair Marshal further detailed that the Gentle Yoga class would be taught by paid professional instructor Nicole Cuhney and the Power Yoga class by paid profession instructor Patti Wexler, both well-known yoga instructors in the valley. Volunteers, including resident Antonio Baciu, will oversee the classes, hand out mats and clean up after each class. PACE agreed that the classes would continue to promote and bring awareness to the Amphitheater’s beautiful park setting.
PACE’s requested funding for the classes is listed as follows:
•$3,000 for the instructors’ 24 classes at $125 each class. •$600 for incidentals to put on the classes.
•Thus, the total Yoga budget = $3,600
Note: Last years funding for the classes paid for the wireless headset used by the instructors and extra mats and blocks for participants that do not have their own. These will all be reused again for these classes.
It was unanimously recommended by the PACE at the June 7, 2022 meeting to support the proposal, support the requested budget of $3,600 in funding from the PACE Small Events budget and forward the recommendation to the City Council for approval. It is also requested that the SUP fee be waived due to City sponsorship of the classes. The June 27, 2022 PACE Staff Report with minutes and the SUP Application for the classes are attached to this Staff Report for reference.
Thus, the PACE is requesting that the City Council approve a Special Use Permit for the 2023 Session of the weekly yoga event in the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater (Amphitheater) as supported by the Parks and Community Events Commission (PACE); and, approve funding from the PACE Small Events budget of $3,600 for the instructors and incidentals; and waive all SUP Application fees and Amphitheater rental charges.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This requested that the Yoga Classes funding of $3,600 be funded from the $6,000 PACE Small Events budget to be apportioned out of the FY 2022-2023 Parks and Recreation Professional and Technical Services budget item 100-500-510-511-8600- 8601.