SECA COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Discuss Park After Dark Event
body
DEPARTMENT: Community Services
SUBMITTED BY: Jake Fiedler, Special Events Coordinator
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Downtown Naperville Alliance requested $122,500 in CY26 SECA funds for the Park After Dark event. On December 11, 2025, the SECA Commission reached consensus on its unified recommendation, awarding $74,000 in Operations funding; this recommendation was confirmed at the Commission’s January 28, 2026 meeting and approved by City Council on February 17, 2026.
DISCUSSION:
Following confirmation of the event calendar and the reduced funding level, the applicant has submitted an updated plan. The original proposal included three consecutive weekends with nine curated activations; the revised format consolidates programming into a single Friday-Sunday activation featuring layered arts and performance programming throughout the weekend. SECA policy allows applicants to modify or reduce the scope of an event when the award amount is less than requested, and staff views the revision as a condensed version of the original proposal rather than a substantive change in scope.