Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Approval of 2023 Cotati Accordion Festival and Associated Street Closures Date: May 23, 2023
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2023 Accordion Festival including the sale of alcoholic beverages on public property, amplified music, and the temporary closure of certain public streets.
Background
The Annual Cotati Accordion Festival is proposed for Saturday, August 19th, and Sunday, August 20th, 2023. The event coordinators are requesting permission to use La Plaza Park, including the bandstand with electricity, and the right-of-way surrounding the park. The event and the request to utilize City facilities are the same as prior years.
Cotati Accordion Festival, Inc. has submitted a completed City of Cotati Request for Use of Park Facilities application along with sufficient descriptions of the event.
Analysis/Discussion
La Plaza Park, as well as La Plaza Street and West Sierra Avenue adjacent to the park, would be closed from 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 18th through 10:00 a.m. Monday, August 21st. The event hours would be 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. both days, with live music played 9:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day.
The proposed traffic routing plan would be the same as that used over the past several years. La Plaza Street and West Sierra Avenue adjacent to the park would be closed and utilized for parking and event space. This traffic plan has reduced negative community impact by keeping Old Redwood Highway and East Cotati Avenue open throughout the event. The plan also allows for parking on William Street, Olof Street, Henry Street and La Plaza Avenue between East Cotati Avenue and Old Redwood Highway and affects only one bus stop.
As in recent years, the City has been installing “No Parking” signs in the bicycle lanes on West Sierra Avenue from La Plaza Avenue to East School Street. This also ensures that bicycle lanes remain open for their designated use.
Exhibits attached to the resolution describe the street closures and parking restrictions necessary to allow for the orderly movement of vehicle and pedestrian traffic during street closures. All parking restriction signage will be put in place by the City at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance.
A Condition of Approval has been included which requires proof of adequate insurance and an approved permit from the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control to allow for the sale of beer and wine to be supplied to the City before the event.
Financial Considerations
In past years, event sponsors have paid fixed fees for use of the park and public street closures, and have deposited monies to offset the costs of City staff time necessary for closing streets, noticing, clean-up and general maintenance such as securing City equipment and locking/unlocking restrooms. The total amount of fees and deposit approved by Council for the 2019 event was $2,600, which was a reduction from prior years by excluding the staff time needed to process the event application. 2019 was the last time fees were assessed to this event due to the COVID fee waivers approved between 2020-2022.
Table 1 shows the fees associated with the permit and requests submitted by the applicant in accordance to the City Master Fee Schedule, which was updated in 2022.
Table 1.
Street Closure Fee – Large w/traffic rerouting – Old Redwood Hwy $1755.00 Street Closure Fee – Large w/traffic rerouting – West Sierra Ave $1755.00 Street Closure Fee – Small – La Plaza $702.00
Application Fee $50.00
Park Permit Fee $650.00
Total Fees $4,912.00
Refundable Deposit $500.00
Total Fees & Refundable Deposit $5,412.00
The applicant has requested fee waivers for this event. The Special Events and Park Permit Policy allows for non-profit groups to request a 50% fee waiver for fees associated with their event when no admission fees are charged. Although this event does charge admission fees, given the recent change in fees since 2019 and that this event is still trying to get back on their feet since being cancelled, virtual, and later in the year in 2020, 2021, and 2022, staff recommends that the 50% waiver request be approved for this year’s event. Staff also recommends that a 25% fee waiver is approved in 2024 and that in 2025, full fees are assessed.
The event does bring visitation to the City and has potential to support local businesses.
Staff spends an average of 40 hours each year to process the application and for labor associated with setting up and taking down the street closures and rerouting traffic. The adopted fees are intended, on average, to cover the costs of performing these activities, but it is important to also understand the true costs. The estimated staff costs are shown in Table 2.
Table 2.
Recreation Staff – 5 hours $510.00
Public Works Staff – 36.5 hours $6387.50
Total Staff Costs $6,897.50
The proposed fees to be collected would be a fee of $2,456 (50% of the total $4,912) and a $500 refundable deposit to be collected and returned following the event if no unusual damage occurs or extra staff time is needed to return the park to its original state.
Additionally, the Cotati Accordion Festival is designated as a City-sponsored event, which allows them to be considered as one of the ten (10) community events designated to receive free trash/recycling/compost service in 2023, as permitted under the City’s waste franchise agreement with Recology. As a City Sponsored Event, it is expected that the organizer will prominently feature the City of Cotati as an event sponsor on all advertising and marketing materials.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.