CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the 2020 Special Events calendar and designate the calendar as closed
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DEPARTMENT: City Clerk’s Office
SUBMITTED BY: Dawn Portner, Special Events Coordinator
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Special Events calendar is a tool to assist in the planning and preparation of the many annual events that are held in Naperville. The 2020 calendar was compiled based on applications received from event organizers as well as the Special Events Team scoring criteria. As in previous years, staff is requesting the City Council grant preliminary approval for the dates and events listed. This will allow sponsors and organizers to proceed with planning. City staff will begin scheduling logistics meetings in January to review routes, staffing levels, traffic control plans, and gather stakeholder input. The City Council will have the opportunity to review specific details for individual events at regularly scheduled meetings throughout the year.
DISCUSSION:
The Special Events Team
This is a multi-departmental (Clerk’s Office, Police, Fire, Public Works, Naper Settlement, Naperville Public Library, TED), multi-jurisdictional (Edward Hospital, Park District, DNA) group that evaluates applications, recommends the following year’s calendar, meets throughout the year with organizers to plan event logistics, and provides resources before, during, and after the event day(s).
Event Impact Scoring Criteria
In 2018, members of the Special Events Team performed a comprehensive review of how events are evaluated and categorized. The Team decided to eliminate the “major” and “minor” event designations as they are no longer relevant to the departments.
Instead, the group created department specific criteria for each event and assigned an “impact score” based on the information provided in the application and previous experience with the event. Scores ranged from zero to four by department and included, but was not limited to, such criteria as staffing levels required, expected attendance, parking impact, length of event, footprint of event (including road closures), inspections, mutual aid potential, type of entertainment, community impact, and whether or not liquor is served.
The department scores were weighted and then divided by the aggregate score. Those events receiving a score of zero or one for either department or community impact were dropped from the calendar. This does not mean that the event will not occur, but rather, because no City resources are necessary and permitting is minimal, the events will be managed administratively by the City Clerk’s Office instead of requiring review by the full Special Events Team.
New events for 2020
Soul Fest - Saturday, June 6
This one-day event is located at Naper Settlement and will be a celebration of African American and Caribbean culture. It will feature an outdoor bazaar with food and artisan vendors, live music, dancing, youth zones, and a beverage pavilion. The event received a 1.38 impact score due to its contained location, estimated attendance, and minimal level of necessary City services.
The Salute - Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4
This hometown 4th of July celebration, organized by Naperville Responds for Veterans, is being held at Rotary Hill, Naper Settlement, and Naperville Central High School. The event will be a salute to veterans, active military personnel, and first responders. It will showcase area bands, fireworks, and feature a Taste of Naperville component. The event received a 3.23 impact score due to the multi-day schedule, extended footprint, anticipated attendance, and level of City services necessary.
Irish Fest - Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8
This two-day event will be held at Frontier Park and is designed to promote, strengthen, and preserve Irish culture in the western suburbs. The event will feature Irish food, music, vendors, dancers, and a hurling tournament. Irish Fest received a 1.08 impact score.
Naperville Pride Festival - Saturday, August 22
This event will be held at Naper Settlement. It will be a family-friendly celebration in support of the LGBTQ community and will feature music, arts and crafts, food, vendors, and a family fun area. The event received a 1.31 impact score.
Events currently not yet finalized for 2020
India Day Parade and Celebration - August
Traditionally, the India Day Parade and Celebration has been held in and around Knoch Park. Due to the need to relocate in 2020, the Indian Community Outreach (ICO) organization submitted a Special Events application for Frontier Park with tentative event dates of August 8 or August 16. While technically not a new event, moving to a different location requires the Special Events Team evaluation. As presented, the India Day Parade and Celebration received the third highest impact score of 2.15. Only the Salute and the Last Fling were scored higher.
In September, the ICO submitted a SECA Grant Fund application requesting City services to staff the celebration at Frontier Park with the parade on 95th Street from Book Road to Route 59.
The Special Events Team did not support the 95th Street parade route and explained that being a first-time event at this location, it would be best to have a footprint that does not impact a major arterial roadway during a weekend afternoon, require non-City approvals with an undetermined lead time and potentially significant cost to the organizer, and impact area businesses and residents to an unknown degree.
Also in September, in response to the ICO’s SECA Grant Fund application for City services, the Team developed seven different parade routes (including 95th Street options) for the ICO’s review. The routes, and associated pro’s and con’s for each, were the result of staff’s experience related to traffic, public safety, and impact to area businesses and residents.
Of the seven routes developed, staff recommended the following three options:
1. Lacrosse Lane-Frontier Drive-Cedar Glade; celebration at Frontier Park
2. Porter-Webster-West-Hillside (same route as previous years); celebration at Rotary Hill (established event location)
3. Parade and celebration fully contained on Neuqua Campus and Frontier Park
The availability of Frontier Park (Options 1 and 3) and Rotary Hill (Option 2) will depend on the date selected.
Because of these reasons, the 2020 India Day Parade and Celebration is not shown on the calendar as final.
Approval of the 2020 Special Events Calendar
The calendar includes 38 events (or a total of 118 event days) from February through December that require City services and/or the closure of streets. India Day Parade and Celebration is included as “TBD” pending approval of a date, location, and parade route by the Special Events Team and City Council.
Fewer than 15 events, held primarily on sidewalks and not requiring excessive permitting or City staff support, are not listed and will be coordinated administratively by the City Clerk’s Office.
In addition to approving the attached 2020 calendar, the Team is requesting the calendar be closed to all events that would receive an aggregate score higher than one based on the evaluation criteria.
Once the calendar is closed, the Special Events Coordinator will add event requests to a wait list for 2021. Events on the list will be reviewed in fall of 2020 during the annual application process. If an approved event is canceled prior to the fall of 2020, the Special Events Team will attempt to accommodate an event from the wait list.
If an organizer does not wish to be placed on the wait list, they will be directed to petition the City Council at a regularly scheduled meeting and an agenda item will be prepared for review with a recommendation from the Special Events Team.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A