SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve staff recommendations regarding policies for the use of ten event days at The BayCare Sound and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
Section 3.11 of the Venue Agreement as amended between the City and Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. provides for the city to use BayCare Sound for July 4 and July 5, and ten additional dates per calendar year without having to pay rental or usage fees. The City must provide 180 days’ notice to reserve the date for city events. Any unused event days expire at the end of the calendar year. To date the city has used the venue or reserved the dates nine times for events like Coachman Park Grand opening, Publix Rock’n Roll running series, MLK rally, Clearwater High School graduation etc.
The Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for providing programs and special events at Coachman Park and The BayCare Sound. One of the goals of the Special Events Division is to provide 50 events in Coachman Park during FY 2024/25. Some of these events could be held in BayCare Sound rather than in the Green in Coachman Park at an increased cost of between $255,000 and $270,00.
Due to the additional cost associated with using the Venue, staff is recommending that these events be held in Coachman Park on the Green rather than in The BayCare Sound. This will allow staff to produce a variety of events that will be self-sufficient and more profitable than staging events in The BayCare Sound.
In addition, staff is recommending the following policies relative to the use of the ten days at The BayCare Sound.
1. Event organizers (other than the city) seeking venue usage and one of the 10 days at the venue will follow the city co-sponsorship process and meet all criteria relating to use of the venue.
2. Events held in the venue and sponsored by the city must have a minimum estimated attendance of 2,000 participants.
3. Events held in Coachman Park by the city may choose to use a portion of the venue and be counted as one event day.
4. For large community events the city can request to reserve the park as a hold date to avoid conflicting events being held at the venue and in the park. The reservation of dates will be counted as one event day.
5. Event organizers may go directly to REH to use the venue but will not be counted as one of the city event days.
By adopting these policies all ten days allocated to the City through the agreement between the City and REH will be used.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
N/A
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
N/A
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
Approval of this amendment supports several Strategic Plan Objectives, including:
• 1.5: Embrace a culture of innovation that drives continuous improvement and successfully serves all our customers.
• 2.1: Strengthen public-private initiatives that attract, develop, and retain diversified business sectors.
• 2.2: Cultivate a business climate that welcomes entrepreneurship, inspires local investment, supports Eco-friendly enterprises, and encourages high-quality job growth. and
• 2.3: Promote Clearwater as a premier destination for entertainment, cultural experiences, tourism, and national sporting events.
